Marooned in 4th Grade! Mr. Bradshaw's Classroom Website and Blog

Keep the Quote--December 3

12/3/2018

A new month, a new week, a new quote. The holiday season is quickly approaching us. For the next three Monday’s, our class will make our “Keep the Quote” Christmas themed.
Our quote this week comes from Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the “Little House” books.

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and we are better throughout the year because we become a child again at Christmastime.”

I started our conversation by passing around several pictures of myself at Christmas as a child. The students really loved these pics. And yes, they asked what was wrong with the pictures. They said the pictures had an orange tint to them that was ugly! They just don’t understand. Everything in the late 70’s and early 80’s was orange!

I went on to tell them about some of my favorite Christmas memories. I told them how my sister and I would bargain with each other every Christmas Eve night. We couldn’t get out of our beds until Christmas morning and we had to promise to get the other one up before we went to the living room to see the Christmas tree. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I confessed to my sister that I always got up and took a flashlight to see what was left under the tree for us. I just couldn’t help it. LOL!

I also told them that my sister and I would love to watch old Christmas cartoons. One of the cartoons was called, “Bedtime for Sniffles.” This cartoon follows a mouse who is very eager to stay awake to see Santa Claus, but he eventually falls asleep just as Santa comes. We took the time to watch the cartoon this afternoon. The students watched the cartoon better than I thought they would.

Even though this quote speaks to adults on remembering back to their childhood, I personally feel that even my 4th graders can relate to this. I asked them to tell me about Christmases from the past. Their eyes gleamed and they became excited! I paused and reminded them that those emotions are just what Laura Ingalls Wilder meant in her quote.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be tough on an elementary teacher. I choose to slow down and really enjoy this time with my students. We all have different life experiences and just from our few minute discussion today, I can already tell the kids have stories to tell.

Mrs. Wilder was a very smart lady. For ten minutes today, as my students watched Mr. Sniffles, I saw a sense of awe in their eyes. They laughed, pointed, and for a split moment became childlike. They were not bickering with one another. Their hearts just simply grew "tender."

My cup runneth over!

Enjoy the video below. I hope you enjoy "Bedtime for Sniffles" as much as my sis and I did growing up!

Until next week,
Mr. B

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Keep The Quote--November 26

11/26/2018

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We are back with our quote of the week!   I hope each of our readers had a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday.   We were glad to be back today with each other. The first day back from a long break is always fun!

Our quote for this week is fun!   It is a Thai proverb.

“Bald people can always find a comb.”

The students really laughed when I read the quote to them today. This proverb has many meanings. We touched on a few today. This isn’t really about baldness or combs. It’s a wryly comical version of what is called “Murphy’s Law”--Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. This Thai proverbs tells us that you will always be able to lay your hands on things when you don’t need them. However, you can be sure that the one thing you really need will be impossible to find! I told my students of how this played into the “Hanging of the Greens” in my classroom this past weekend. I was missing the tree stand to the classroom tree.   I went through every box I had in my classroom. I found the tree skirt, lights, star, ornaments and garland. However, the stand was gone. I placed my hands on everything to make a beautiful tree, but what are those things worth if my tree won’t stand up? The kids giggled and they then realized why the tree is leaning. I finally found a stand and after a couple swings of the hammer and a few large nails, we have a somewhat stable tree.

Another take on this proverb was to consider the comb as “experience.” Experience is something that should help us solve life problems. However, by the time a human has obtained experience, they have made it through those problems. By the time a person gains experience, they no longer have use of the knowledge that it brings. Similarly, if you give a bald man a comb, he cannot use it. He would be happier if you had given it to him before he lost his hair. We decided that experience is a comb which nature gives us after we become bald.

After several discussions, I realized, like I have on most other Mondays, that my students are smart and caring. One student even said, “Why are people so stingy with their combs.” “We are just kids. We don’t know everything.” What a profound thing to say. This is another reminder that our students and children welcome our wisdom. They are placed in situations where often times they have to deal with very adult problems much sooner than they should. They want us and need us to care enough to give them a comb while they still have hair!

As I continually age and have begun losing more and more hair, I am reminded...I need to share my comb NOW!

Until next week,

Mr. B

P.S.-In case you need any updates on classroom happenings.

https://www.smore.com/jrh06

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Keep the Quote--November 12

11/12/2018

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Our quote this week comes from Norman Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf was a United States Army General. While serving as Commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War. I thought this would be a perfect quote to accompany our short lesson on Veterans Day.

“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”

This quote has two parts to it. The first part is the knowing, or not knowing, what is the proper thing to do. The second is acting on that knowledge. As the quote says, the first part is the easy part for most of us. It’s the second part that is often the more difficult. And that, I believe, is what the quote is warning us about. It’s easy enough to know what to do, but are we strong enough to do it? Are we willing to do what is necessary, to bear the burdens or challenges which the right decision will bring?

This quote literally affects every human being on this Earth. However, when I read it a few weeks ago, I began to examine the meaning from a perspective of a Veteran.

Top: Dave Bradshaw, Bottom: Henry Pierce

As with any other introduction of the quote, I tried to get personal with students. The sooner I can grasp their attention, the better response I receive from the students. We talked about Veterans Day and what it meant to be a Veteran. I pulled up a picture of two of my very favorite Veterans, my father and grandfather. After I told them who they were, I got a bunch of giggles. They immediately saw similarities that I share with my father and grandfather. One student even said, oh wow, that’s why you are so handsome Mr. B! (This made me LOL on the inside)

I chose to tell my students a very short introduction about both of these men. Each arrived to the title of Veteran by very different routes. My father, Dave, was drafted to the Army during the Vietnam War. In his initial training as an E5 Specialist, he learned to be a technician on the boats that were floating up and down the rivers of Vietnam. However, a strange and somewhat wild twist may have saved his life. One day they needed someone who could type. My father was the only person in the group who could type. It was at that point that he became a Secret Document Courier. He delivered secret messages throughout the Vietnamese Jungles where he later was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions.

My grandfather, Henry Pierce was a Radio Gunner on countless missions aboard a B-25 nicknamed the Fickle Finger of Fate during WWII. He is pictured below with his plane. He enlisted on his own. From what I remember, he enlisted and came home and told grandma that he would be leaving. My grandfather was later awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster for his actions as well.

I shared these stories to my students so that they could catch a glimpse of two men who served their country. They have put our weekly quote into real life action for us. Grandpa knew he wanted to make a difference and protect the ones that he loved and he followed through. My father, be that as it may didn’t, on free will, choose this path, however, he followed his heart once he was placed to do the job and never faltered. When dad was deep in the jungles delivering a secret message or when grandpa was in flight on a mission...those were the hard parts. They knew what they had to do and they met each hurdle with bravery and courage.

One of the last things my grandfather reminded me before he passed was to always remember the Veterans. At this point I had been teaching for a couple of years and his advice has always followed me. I make certain each year that we take the time in the classroom to honor our Veterans. When my father returned home from the war, he was met in the airport with much disrespect. He was yelled at, spit upon, and broken down--such a terrible welcome home. It’s our duty as educators to make certain our students understand the sacrifices our Veterans have made in order for us to be where we are today.

Call to Action:

Do you have a special veteran you would like to have honored? Please email at dbradshaw@kennett.k12.mo.us with the subject line of "Honor The Vets". Let me know their name and mailing address. My class would love to send a letter of thanks.

We will see everyone on November 26th. Keep the Quote is taking next week off for Thanksgiving! On behalf of Room 16, I hope that each of our readers will be surrounded by loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Until the next time,
Mr. B

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Keep the Quote--November 5

11/5/2018

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Happy Monday! I’m writing this blog post at what feels like at least 9:30 or 10 pm. However, I look down and it is 5:38. The time change has me all messed up! However, it makes our quote for the week very relevant.

First things first!

Keep in the know: https://www.smore.com/vd548

Congrats to Taylor, our Star Student of the week. I want to personally thank my readers for your sweet comments, email, and text messages. The students feel like celebrities and that’s exactly what I want for them. In the past weeks I’ve had several teachers from across the US ask how to implement these signs into their classroom. So, here’s the answers to a few questions:

All students will be recognized before Spring Break.
The signs were made by our local Votech.
No it doesn’t take a lot of time to do this. My coworker and I have 2 signs picked up and delivered to new houses in less than 30 minutes. Even if it did take more time than that, we enjoy it! It is just as much fun for us to deliver the signs as it is for the kids to receive one.

On to the quote for this week.

“However long the day, the evening will come.” --Irish Proverb

Our proverb this week takes us to Ireland. The literal meaning of this proverb is that even if you are having a long, difficult day, it will eventually come to an end. The evening is a time of rest and peace, and you will be able to sit down and relax. The proverb means more than this. After a little research, it is also saying that even if you are going through something very hard or challenging, it will end and better times will come. Nothing lasts forever. The proverb could be interpreted to mean the opposite as well--good times do not last forever--but in the Celtic tradition, nighttime is seen as the start of a new day, so the night is something to look forward to and enjoy.

Typically I will introduce the quote on Monday mornings and then before dismissal we reexamine the quote a bit deeper. However, today was a typical Monday. A chromebook decided to short out and smoke us out of our classroom shortly before I had scheduled to examine this deeper. I do not have a lot of student expression in this post as our time was cut short this afternoon. I do, however, have reasons why I picked this quote for my students and I will share our conversations we had this morning.

We started our conversation around the worse days we’ve had. I didn’t ask for them to say out loud what their day consisted of, just to think of it. I told them that I just didn’t know how many times I’ve found myself in situations where I just felt like giving up. A couple students very quickly stopped me and said, “No way!” It’s funny how students, even in the 4th grade, view their teachers as a creature that never leaves schools and never has to deal with life. I reminded them that I’m human and I have typical grown up problems and worries. I kept explaining. Sometimes life has a way of overwhelming you so much that you start feeling like things will never ever get better. I explained it to them that it's like a monster that follows me and creeps behind me until it makes me feel trapped. I could tell that several weren't quite sure what to think. I love to be honest and real with my students. I told the students that the best thing about these situations is that eventually evening will come. Rest will follow and a new day awaits for us.

I close tonight with a message to my students and readers.

I know for sure that tough times don’t last forever. Uncomfortable moments come – sometimes when we least expect it – and they are required to be experienced, no matter how unpleasant. There’s always something to be learned from challenges. Always. Life is not fair. Handle your problems day by day and hang in there. Eventually evening will come...and since the time changed...that will be sooner than expected.

Evening is here. Enjoy it with your family and rest well. See you all next week!

Mr. B

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Pink Out Day--October 29

10/29/2018

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Hello Readers--We have a lot in this post today! As always, stay current by reading our weekly newsletter by clicking the link below.

https://www.smore.com/rpkzt

I hope you all enjoy pictures! Our post today will be filled with pictures. If you remember a couple weeks ago our quote was about leaves falling and how it shows us that it's beautiful to let things go. I also mentioned last week that the tree was not very pretty. As I pulled into the parking lot this morning, it was if the heavens had opened and was shining down on that sassafras tree. It was so pretty that I had to take the kids out to get their picture. Enjoy the pic below, BUT please don't stop reading from there. We have so much to share with our readers today.

As you can see in the picture, our entire class participated for pink out day. All students had something pink on. I have been looking forward to this day for several weeks, as I knew it was pink out day and also a Monday. We have come to love Mondays in Room 16. Breast Cancer strikes a very personal note for me. I was nervous about how exactly I was going to approach talking to the students about this topic. I began with a personal account of how breast cancer affected my family. At 25, my big sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have never mentioned this to this group of students before, but several had questions because I had a special shirt on today. Our nurse, Mrs. Williams, is quite the t-shirt designer.

We talked a lot about what happened, how it happened, and my feelings. The students were laser focused. It amazed me how involved they were in my story. It was probably one of my favorite times as a teacher. For 45 minutes we forgot about curriculum, data, pacing guides, and that dreaded introduction lesson to division and instead, focused on life. My students saw a glimpse of their teacher they hadn't seen before. We learned from each other. Then it was time for the quote. The students for the most part each week enjoy the quotes, but for them, none have ever out shined the second quote. You can ask my students at any time what their favorite quote is and they will tell you to face the sun and leave your worries in the shadows. That quote struck them in a meaningful way and no quote since then has made such an impression....Until today.

"She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails."

Wow--There was silence when I read it. At first I thought they didn't get it, so I read it again. After the second time there were a couple responses. "This is my favorite!" "I get it, I get it!" We discussed in detail what the storms represented and what it means to turn their sails. I've said this every week. Students only go as far as you push them. They were only scratching the surface, but finally a student said the sweetest words. I can't quote what the child said exactly, because it struck me hard, and I was really focusing on holding the tears back. This was the gist though.

When people like your sister get cancer, that is terrible news for them. Storms are also terrible. Getting cancer is a hard storm. But when the storm stops and you realize the wind didn't blow you away all you have to do is turn and find the wind. The wind will push those people through.

Well shoot--snotty nose, watery eyes, and a quiet classroom was just thrown in my lap.

It was a beautiful moment. This student explained this quote better than I could have. Students listen and respond to their peers better anyway. I decided it was time to switch gears a bit. If you remember, last week I asked our readers to send me pictures of special people who have fought breast cancer. I pulled each picture up and we made personal connections. People they didn't know personally, I helped along the way until we made a connection. That even took a quick phone call to another campus!

Awareness days like today are meant to make us want to do things, to encourage others, and to lift others up. I couldn't help but sit back and soak in the curiosity, love for others, and urge to help other people that my students showed to me today. One hour later, we wrapped it up and the students wrote letters. They addressed it to :

Dear Breast Cancer Survivor

I'm not posting all the letters as some students asked me to keep it private. Some days are better than others. Today was special for me. Make relationships with your students. When you do, you see precious things like these letters. At the bottom of this post are the pictures that were sent to us. Enjoy!

Until Next Week,
Mr. B

PS--I really struggled getting these pics in this week. If a picture is cut off or you don't see the caption, just click the picture. Sorry!

Dear Breast Cancer Survivor,

"I hope that you have hope and strength. Keep on smiling. We are all with you. #staystrongandbrave "

"Keep on fighting and be brave and never give up. Stay strong."

"I think that you can survive. I think that you are strong and brave."

"You are strong, great, and beautiful. I hope you survive and stay strong."

"It must be hard to face breast cancer. Keep smiling and never give up."

"I'm so happy you survived breast cancer. You must have been so brave and confident. #yousurvived"

"You are strong and brave. I think you are perfect and great!"

"I hope you stay strong and be brave and never give up and I always will have you in my prayers and my heart."

In Honor of our Survivors

Juliana Parker's Grandmother

Tena Dobbins

In Memory Of Our Brave Fighters

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Keep the Quote--October 22

10/22/2018

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We started another week today.   As an update to last week, our tree on the playground hasn’t changed colors yet. As a matter of fact, it looks very ugly right now. I hope that it doesn’t disappoint this year. Fingers crossed!

In other news, we had Parent/Conferences last Thursday. Room 16 had 90% attendance rate! I appreciate each visit we had. When we work together we see a huge spike in progress in the classroom. Click the link below to stay aware of what is happening this week. You will also see a family picture of my star student this week, Avery.

https://www.smore.com/nq8ac

I appreciate all the kind words and posts about our Star Student Yard Signs.   I will be moving the sign around every Friday. I can’t wait to surprise the next student.

This week’s quote is actually from an Aesop's Fable--The Lion and the Mouse.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

I was excited to introduce this quote, as I love fables! I was surprised as well that none of my students could tell me the story of the the The Lion and the Mouse. For my readers who don’t remember the story, here is a quick recap.

In the fable, a lion wants to eat a mouse who wakes him up. The mouse begs forgiveness and promises to return the favor if ever he is given the opportunity. He also makes the point that such unworthy prey, as he, should not stain the lion’s great paws. The lion is moved to uncontrollable laughter and when he recovers, lets the mouse go, stating that he has not had such a good laugh in ages. Later, the lion is captured by hunters and tied to a tree; the lion roars with all his might so that someone might help him. The mouse hears the lion’s pleas and frees him by gnawing through the ropes. The moral of this story is stated in the last line of the fable:
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

After giving the students the gist of the fable, we talked a bit about random acts of kindness. We talked about how kindness spreads like wildfire. I showed the kids a quick video (found below) about what kindness does to our bodies and how it makes people feel. Later in the day, we talked a bit more about the quote. The students wrote two acts of kindness they want to do this week for an unsuspecting person.   Of course, I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but this week, just as those in the past, these kids continue to amaze me.

One student summed it up perfectly as we were getting ready for the bus dismissal.

“Everyone needs to be kinder. If I’m ever in a bind like the lion, I hope I have treated people good enough that they want to free me and not walk by me!”

Until next week,
Mr. B

P.S.--Dear Readers--Next Monday South Elementary is having a Pink Out Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. As you all know, this is a special cause for me! If you have someone you would like my class to honor who has fought breast cancer, please let us know. Send us a picture, name, and anything else you want us to know. We want to celebrate those who are fighting and remember those who lost their fight. We hope to hear from you all!

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Bumper Stickers Were So Last Year...

10/16/2018

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Bumper Stickers were so last year...

Today was a special day! A few weeks back I saw an idea where a teacher placed a yard sign in the yards of her students to recognize their achievements. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to implement this for my students. After getting approval from my principal, the Votech designed and created the yard signs for me. I picked the signs up today and they look fantastic. My next door neighbor teacher, Mrs. Caldwell, liked the idea so much she had signs made too. After school today, we drove around town and delivered the signs to one deserving student in each of our rooms. Attached in a protective sleeve on the back was a congratulations letter, a hand written note, and a coupon for a free sub from Subway. Mrs. Caldwell and I had an absolute blast delivering the signs. The pictures below can attest to that! We weren't caught at either house, but my first student did find her sign and sent a picture before I posted this blog entry. See her sweet smile below. Congratulations to Avery. Be on the lookout! You never know where you will find us! We will deliver signs each Friday!

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Keep the Quote--October 15th

10/15/2018

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Today we started 2nd quarter! Thanks to my readers, the students were excited to count over 600 visits to last week’s post! We had several people express interest in providing kites for the kids. We will be having a kite flying day very soon!

Congrats to the kiddos for making it 9 weeks with me! Also, I want to congratulate the 17 students who met and exceeded their AR goals for first quarter!   Mr. B is proud of you!

I also want to take some time out to introduce you to Shayna Duffy. Shayna is a preservice teacher. She is finishing her final block of courses before she begins student teaching in the spring.   I’ve had the opportunity to have Shayna as a student in three of her college courses: Technology for Teachers, Diversity in American Schools, and School Law. She is a hard worker and we are lucky to have her in class. She will be with us on Wednesdays from now through December.

For up to date info click the link below to see our newsletter:
https://www.smore.com/2nj3a

Now onto the fun stuff.   Our quote this week is one I saw circulating around social media at the first blast of fall air a few weeks ago.   As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted it for our classroom.

“The trees are about to show us how beautiful it is to let things go.” --Anonymous

I have been sitting on this quote for a couple of weeks.   For my readers who are familiar with the playground at South Elementary, you know why!   We are so fortunate to have several trees on our playground. Most are century old trees!   One in particular, turns red, like it’s on fire! It’s so beautiful! Unfortunately though, it only lasts for a few days.   I was hoping to introduce this quote when the tree was in all of its beauty. It’s just beginning to show signs of changing. I was afraid if I waited until next Monday, that it may be naked!

This quote is beautiful. As we gathered on the carpet to discuss the quote, the kids immediately began calling out ideas for the meaning. It helped that we have been discussing photosynthesis and that I picked out a story for reading today that dealt with leaf changes. Of course, the kids were excited to tell me why the trees lose their leaves in the Fall. We even got into a discussion of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanin and the roles those chemicals play in leaf color. At one point the kids laughed. I paused a moment and a student said, “Guys, he knows about the colors of fall. He doesn’t want us to talk about that!” They have realized that I don’t necessarily want them to see the obvious meaning in the quote.

I asked what symbolism they could see in this quote.   A student responded that he knew there was beauty in the leaves changing color, but that the tree is left looking dead. He said he just didn’t see the beauty in that. We got into some deep conversation very quickly. In a roundabout way, I described how it must be so freeing for the trees to let everything fall away and realize that they can face the world with nothing to hide behind. When they are exposed to the winter elements, their roots are strong enough to withstand anything the world brings. Of course, I couldn’t stop there. I try to encourage the students each week to be “them.” The same thing can be said about all of us. Sometimes we are scared to let ourselves become uncovered. We think we need the status and the look and the friends that society deems as "cool." But once all that is stripped away and the person we truly are is unveiled for the world to see, we learn one thing. People who like us, will like us. And the people who don’t, won’t. But we have gained strength in knowing that, like the trees, we have let all the excess go and are still standing strong. We are rooted in the ground and we are strong enough to withstand anything the world brings to us.

As the recess bell interrupted our conversation, I ended with these words. I want to end this blog with the same words...A reminder to my students and my readers:

As the trees show us the beauty in letting go of their leaves, let us show the world our own beauty. Let’s let go of all that holds us back from becoming who we truly are.

Until next week,

Mr. B

P.S.--Here's our tree!   We will post an update as it progresses in color!

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Keep the Quote--October 8th

10/8/2018

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This is our last week of 1st quarter!   I can’t believe that! Time flies when you're having fun! Of course you can keep track of our week by clicking the link below for our newsletter.

https://www.smore.com/ph8fa

Our "Keep the Quote" project has been more successful and far reaching than I could have ever imagined. The kids are so excited about the quotes. We are learning so much from each other and they are engaged.   They love to view the analytics of the blog and map our readers. The students have been used to seeing the blog hit between 400-500 readers each week. This past week they barely broke 120! They were a bit disappointed, but I told them not to worry! So, if you have family or friends who would enjoy reading our stories, share the blog with them.   Now is not the time for them to lose momentum!! I want to keep it exciting for them!

This week’s proverb comes from Russia.

“There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.”

This is an adage that encourages learning and knowledge. It means that ignorance is not a crime, but if you realize that you are lacking information about something, you should educate yourself. When there is something that you don’t understand, you should do everything you can to learn more about it. There is nobility in wanting to learn and expand your knowledge and understanding.

Of course, I had just a few eye rolls when I asked for the students to think about what this quote meant.   A couple students responded, “Yes, Mr. Bradshaw. When we can’t do math or science you want us to practice so we will learn.” I totally agreed. I want them to excel academically, but I also want them to be critical thinkers. Our conversations started out about things we would like to know about, but don’t and how we can educate ourselves. I told them to think about it in a different way, however. This is why I have enjoyed the quotes so much. Everyone thinks differently and interprets differently. After a few minutes of discussion we turned the tables a bit and I asked them to think about relationships they have with friends.   I asked them how we could interpret this quote with relationships. A student explained it perfectly.

“I have made friends mad before. I had no idea why, but we went a long time without speaking to each other. After several weeks I finally found out that he didn’t hear what I said at recess and thought I was making fun of him. If I had only asked him and found out why, we could have solved the problem the same day. I didn’t want to find out because I was mad.”

10 year-olds are wiser than you realize.   Of course, we have the rest of the week to talk about this proverb. We will journal more about relationships and this proverb. The students had such good conversation about things they wanted to know but didn’t possess a strong foundational knowledge of. I concluded our discussion by asking them to jot down a couple sentences about something they find interesting but don’t understand. Some of the answers were priceless. Some I can help the students with, others I can’t. THANK the Lord!!!!

Here are a few examples

“I’ve never been able to fly a kite. Maybe I can watch a video to see what I’m doing wrong.”

“I want to know more about tennis, but I have no idea what any of the rules are.”

“I have no idea how to drive a car, but I sure want too.” (sorry pal…)

So, if you are out and about and see kites on sale for the end of the season...Let this teacher know.   I need 22 kites so we can have some fun!

With the exception of my students, I would say the majority of the readers of this blog are adults. I leave you adults with this advice. In the world we live in, we are quick to judge and assume. Please remember this proverb.   Unawareness isn’t simply a lack of knowledge but a rejection of education. As long as we are open to finding out more, we will never stop learning.

Until next week,

Mr. B

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Keep the Quote--October 1st

10/1/2018

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Happy October!   We had a great start to a new week and new month!   Click the link below to see what’s happening this week!

https://www.smore.com/z0rpg

The students were excited again today to see what quote I had picked out for them. Our quote this week comes from Sweden.

“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

This was a great way to start out the week. It really made the point that you can do what you set out to do.   If you want to sing, you will sing. If you want to find happiness, you will find it.   This proverb is a reminder that you will find whatever it is that you are looking for. No matter what happens in your life, you can choose to face it cheerfully, or you can choose to be unhappy. Human beings have a strong will and great power over their own minds. Everyone faces difficulties in their life, but if you choose happiness, you will always find something to feel happy about.

I had a student tell me that she has a hard time trying to be positive.   She asked if I ever struggled with it. I told her ABSOLUTELY! I went on to tell her that as a matter of fact my central air unit went out this weekend and I’m very uncertain about whether it is going to be able to be fixed or if I need a new unit.   I woke up feeling stressed out about it, but I had a choice to make. I could meet them at the door with stress or I could choose to be positive about it. She said, “Eww wee, I’m glad you decided to be positive because I can’t imagine you not smiling at me when I come in.” We as educators have to give our very best all day long. Our students deserve it. I’m so glad that the students have personal conversations with me. They make me smile.

At the end of the day we talked a bit more about the quote.   I had a few students talking more about about what song they would sing if they were wishing to sing.   I thought that was pretty sweet. I found out a bit about some of my kids by listening. One of them loves Johnny Cash and “Ring of Fire” another said they would sing “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and another song I heard was “Kick the Dust Up” by Luke Bryan. I can’t wait to have these songs on my morning playlist during morning work tomorrow. Just so my readers don’t feel left out, click the links below to hear these songs.   We owe it to our youth to be relatable and enjoy the things they enjoy!

Until next week,

Mr. B