My kids do not consistently transition well. I don't know what happens, but in the afternoons, things don't always go as well as I want. For example, today we went from playing a game with partners on the floor to doing some seat work at our desks. It wasn't chaos, it never is, but they talk a lot and get silly. And I really dislike the time that it takes to get them quiet again. I want to play math games and do partner work and fun things like that but I need them to not get hyper because of it. I guess practice is what they need and hopefully in time it will get better. I think I should try being clearer about expectations before the game begins.

Staff development today after school. Yippee. Debbie came to talk to us about how to arrange our classroom centers. What she suggests is so far outside my capability right now, as a first year teacher and now that the quarter has already started. Who wants to stay after school and devote that much time to something now that school is up and running? Over the break it would have been a possibility, maybe. She was saying we should have large areas with many centers inside of it so that we can have two kids working together on each activity inside the large area. Yeah, right. I barely have it together enough right now to have one center for four kids let alone one center per two kids. It is something to think about and maybe I will expand over winter break. Strange timing for her to be talking about this I think.

A funny story to share. So I have this student Alondra and you really have to see her to believe her but...she is a big kid with a face only a mother could love. Totally sweet heart but the type to wear the leggings pulled way up with a t-shirt tucked in...So anyway, another student tripped over a chair and of course starts crying. This, right as I am trying to give directions to the rest of the class. So I finish the directions and am trying to get the class going on something so I can attend to the crying student when I look over and see Alondra cradling the other student to her bosom and singing lullabies to her in Spanish. Priceless.

Love,
Miss Bee