Tuesday.

There's nothing like a Tuesday in September....  Some teachers (myself included) say Tuesday is our favorite day of the week. Students have made it back from the weekend, are super energized for our week's learning, and not yet tired from their week at school. Today was an awesome Tuesday! 

-We met with Ms. Urban, our school librarian and research specialist, this morning. After several weeks of amazing stories of schools set in remote locations around the world, she's leading us in an investigation of the history and layout of Erving Elementary School. 

-We worked with Ms. Gilman on our handwriting, posture, and classroom comfort. 

-We each approached our first "story problem" in math class. (These are what we used to call word problems and are super important to make math relevant for kids.)

-We had music with Ms. B.C., and practiced a song we'll lead the school in this Thursday during our All School Sing. 

- We read a hilarious book. The kids were rolling with laughter. If you're on the lookout for a good gift at some point, you can find it (Fortunately, by Remy Charlip) and others in this list of amazing children's books. 

http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/18/top-100-picture-books-81-fortunately-by-remy-charlip/#_

-Last but not least, we all greatly enjoyed some time in nature. We took our first walk on our nature trail, found countless trees to talk about in our very own forest, noticed evidence of animal life, and helped each other conquer a steep trail full of cool mushrooms and autumn's first yellow leaves. It was wonderful. As we emerged from the woods, we were lucky enough to spy (through her classroom window) our beloved art teacher, Mrs. Chase, working hard in her classroom.  We hatched a plan to slowly sneak closer to her window and freeze like a family of deer, in headlights, when she noticed our arrival and looked up to spot us.  Our plan worried perfectly, and we were all laughing hysterically in no time. We had one more important piece of business to perform before we said goodbye for the day. We had three perfect monarchs to release! We invited Mrs. Chase to join us. The photos tell much of the story. It was another moment appreciated by all. On the way inside to pack our bags, Mrs. Chase told us that in all her years teaching students at our beautiful school, she'd never been fortunate enough to join a group in releasing a monarch.  Today she joined us in releasing three.  Amazingly, it didn't seem to matter how many butterflies we said goodbye to or who got to hold them on their finger. The part that mattered most for all of us, was that we were together, with Mrs. Chase. We were totally engaged in doing what we do best, learning in the moment and valuing the gift of our shared experience. We even invited Pat, our favorite bus driver, to join our celebration.  

All in all, another great day spent with a very special group of kids. 

A little aside: I've been hearing a lot of families and students say that first graders are sleepy and irratible before and after school. This is typical after a long summer and a whole new style of learning in our classroom. They are thinking really hard!! A lot! Thanks for your patience in this adjustment and your commitment to getting the to bed early! Let me know how they're doing and if I can lend a hand. 

Reminder: The transition to first grade is a big one. These kids are working so very hard all day in school, and showing developmental growth in some very big areas, like reading. Pediatricians are famous for saying that when children meet major developmental milestones (like reading or discovering a new way to learn or being a part of a new community), they may temporarily show regression in other areas.