4th week of school!

So today marks the end of another week. I cannot believe how much I love my kiddos and how well behaved they are. Who would've guessed two years in a row.  Of course I still make plenty of mistakes, sometimes I believe I am too lenient, while other times I am too nit picky. Somehow the kids still seem to smile and enjoy coming to school, though I'm sure that had little to do with me. Today I had a great day with one of my lower students. He had struggled on labeling sentences the day before and so  I reviewed it in class and then went over it with him during recess. He got 100% correct. I showed him the difference and talked about how much his brain had grown. Later on in the day, he finished a history paper without help and while turning it in remarked how he used his brain and was proud of himself. 10 years is such a fun age. Another kid keeps calling me Mrs. Nussbaum, and today at dismissal he corrected himself and had this silly little grin on his face, that you can't help but love. I don't know how I ended up with the coolest job and get to work with the best people. May God continue to love the kids through me and may I never forget, that it is Him and not me who is making the true difference.

First Week of School!

Okay, well I definitely am not very good at writing a blog. I always want to remember my memories, but writing them down is apparently too strenuous.

 I have started teaching my new kiddos for my second year. It is so weird and so familiar at the same time. Teaching is definitely my "element." When I am teaching, I feel alive, I feel like I have a purpose, I love what I am doing and I am so blessed by the gifts that God gave me. It is very strange that in most any situation, I am quiet and shy and sometimes feel awkward, but in the classroom, I am strangely outgoing and really relaxed. This is what I was born to do and I feel so bad for those people who never get to experience what it is to do something you love. I would teach even if I wasn't paid for it. There is something so magical and special about it.

My new kids are very quiet and most definitely rule followers. You can tell they came from very strict classrooms, because they are used to routine and order. I have 14 as opposed to my 15 last year. It is very different and when I see my 6th graders, it is a strange feeling. I feel a little detached as if they don't belong to me anymore, but at the same time that they will belong to me forever. There will always be a piece of my heart that goes with that first class as they go through the grades. I will always be cheering for them. Many of them are in cross country and it is fun to yell out the window at them. They smile and wave and apparently after they passed, two said She is awesome. Well, they are quite awesome themselves,

My new fifth graders are much lower than my other ones who were well extraordinarily high. I will definitely need to go through the curriculum a little slower and probably focus on writing techniques, they are pretty funny as well and I already feel a little chunk of my heart begin to fill with them, or I guess I am growing a new heart. It feels like I've known them longer than 3 days. I want to do my best by them, so  I will need to ask for advice and make sure I remember that one curriculum for everyone just won't fly.

I have a couple of younger siblings in my math and home room class, so I feel like I have a piece of my past students with me. As I go though these beginning lessons, I feel like I'm probably going a little too fast, so hopefully I will slow down soon. The kids have really latched on to the Nussbaum economy system which is awesome. They also like the Wordly Wise marble jar, probably a little too much.

Well we will see how I feel at the end of the year. Tootaloo!

-Kara