Another Great Year Begins

          Well another relaxing summer has come and gone, quickly as usual. People say that is the biggest perk about teaching-summers off. And I always think this reply to myself: "Yes it's wonderful having summers off, but we couldn't do our job well if we didn't have the time off to recoup, reflect and modify our practices to come back smarter, stronger and more prepared each year". What I usually end up saying out loud is:  "You chose your own career path and if you would like summers off, go back to school and get your degree in education and attempt to land a teaching position in today's economy".
          One of my favorite things about starting a new school year is decorating the classroom and plotting out how to make every aspect of it as useful and appealing as possible. This year our school chose to have a school-wide theme of poetry. So each classroom would be representative of a particular poem. It was fun researching and looking for a children's poem that had a topic that could hold interest throughout the whole school year. I finally came across the perfect poem for my third graders!

The Wise Owl

                                                                                                              There was an old owl
Who sat in an oak.
The more he saw,
The less he spoke.
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why can't we be like
That wise old bird?

          Ahhhhh the perfect poem for chatty third graders! I could teach so many lessons from this poem. Incorporate classroom rules, branch out to science lessons about owls, so many other things. It also helped that I immediately had so many room decorating ideas incorporating owls. "Who's Who in Patrol 3" and "News to Hoot About".  I mean c'mon, owls are just cute and fun. An added bonus is that they are high fashion right now. I've seen owl everything lately. Jewelry, bags, pajamas, they're everywhere!



         






          I'm rejuvenated from my relaxing summer, excited about my room poem/theme and ready to take on a new year of teaching more experienced and prepared as ever! Students come on Tuesday and I can't wait to get to know them and help them achieve so many goals during the time we will spend together.

When I was a kid I never went to school-I said I was sick-but I always managed to get better by 3:30-I'd run into the kitchen-"Look, Ma-a miracle happened! I'm well! A little angel came and sat on my bed-she touched me with a wand and said, 'Go out and play.'"

- Bill Cosby