Teacher: Shaper of Decent Human Beings.

This week we had several conversations about productive and unproductive noise and energy. We also discussed how each affects our class and what gets accomplished and what doesn't. I am sharing this because in all honesty, classrooms don't always go as perfect as the blogs make them seem, and our jobs as teachers are not always about math or history or english or science...sometimes they are more about imparting how to be productive, kind, and decent humans in this world. Our classroom was filled with several instances this week in which it was more important to have those kinds of discussions (even if they are hard) than converting fractions.

Monday Meeting is quickly becoming my favorite part of the week! We watched a segment on 9/11 and discussed the importance of not forgetting the sacrifices people made during that tragedy. That led right into our meeting in which our discussion centered around bravery-what it is and what it looks like. To wrap up our meeting, we all wrote examples of what it means to be brave.

This might become my new life motto. 

We wrapped up Reconstruction this week with several discussions about policies related to the 13-15th amendments. We got so wrapped up in talking about how some people in this world still don't receive basic human rights and examples of discrimination and segregation see today. The passion that filled our classroom for the injustices of this world warms my heart and fills me with hope for the future. I can't explain what it feels like to be teaching the future movers and shakers of this world!

In math, we continued our FDP study by tackling some challenging word problems. We also played FDP headbands and had a blast all while looking silly!

Other exciting things this week:

• Meeting Captain Lovitt at the Buckaneer Book Fair! It was a swashbuckling of a time! 

• All the exciting stories that everyone comes to school and shares!

• This awesome hat! 
  

• Students lending out supplies to those in need!

• Ms. D and Mrs. Thomas switching classes for Monday Meeting for the first time! 

• Ms. Nelson's birthday! 

• Our first student teaching opportunities! 
  

• Visits from 7th graders! 

• Student-drawn portraits for teacher's wishlists at the book fair. 

• Ms. D's homeroom showing how ready, safe, respectful, and responsible they are during a fire drill.

• One student sprouted an eye in his ear! 
  

Ms. D's Weekend Snapshot:

I saw some of you at the Livestock and County Fair this weekend while I was volunteering! One of our very own students won the mutton bustin' in his division!

The Southwest VA Wildlife Rescue did a couple of presentations. This guy is a red-tailed falcon! This was his first big show and he did a great job! Did you know he can (and prefers) to eat mice whole and in one bite? 

This little lady is named Princess Espresso the possum. She has metabolic bone condition that keeps her from being released in the wild because her bones didn't form right and are very soft. Her favorite snack is cheese. Did you know possums will "play possum" involuntarily has a defense mechanism? They have no control over when it happens! 

This is Zombie the screech owl. He is full grown and has quite a background story. He was hit on I-81. When they were doing x-rays to see what was wrong, he died. The vets brought him back to life and then he died again during surgery. They brought him back, but knew they couldn't keep doing that. He died a third time, but came back on his own, and is doing great today! no wonder they named him Zombie!

This is Tango. He was not at the fair, but was happy to see me and get some belly rubs when I came home from the fair. This was his way of telling me that I spent too much time with too many other animals. 

I saw the Lumineers for the third time the other day!