Good Days and Better Nights

It’s the second to last day of #28daysofwriting.  Hard to believe.  I remember back to day 7 thinking that there was no way I could keep it up but I have and I have really enjoyed the process.  I hope everyone else has had a good time doing the same thing and has learnt something along the way.  I know my practice is better for it.

Today was a really good day.  Things started to come together.  It started with a trip to the library.  After talking to the class about the importance of having a good book for Read to Self from the Daily 5 I felt like the students were ready to go with focus and enthusiasm.  And they did!  

Then someone had forgotten to return a book I had issued them under my name in the library… I couldn't get any more out!  So I sent someone back to class to look,  a long shot I know but they found it!  On the day went!

Next was reinforcement lessons for Read to Self and Read to Someone from the Daily 5.  Was I pushing it on a Friday… Nope!  It worked brilliantly.  We broke the class record and got to 16.42 minutes before someone moved because they had forgotten to get a second book.  And it was a really awesome 16.42 minutes too.  Total focus.  Not bad for 4 weeks into Year 3!

This let me even see a couple of extra reading groups that I hadn't planned to see and the guided reading lessons just flowed (Thanks to our RTLit for the few reminders the other day about effective guided reading!).

Then Read to Someone else went almost as well (it was only the second time!) and we were stopped by the bell!  

So far so good.

Next was LEARNerS Time where our students get to have choices about what they do as long as it meets some criteria.  I pushed my luck and told my class they had to finish their School Values movies before they could go.  Not a single complaint.  In fact total focus and drive to do a brilliant job.  Two days ago I thought it was going to be like herding cats but these guys pulled together and by today they were adding titles and voiceovers like pros on iMovie.

Then it was swim time,  Free Swim Friday!  We got there early and had the whole pool before the seniors got there.  I got to spend time seeing all the “mean as bombs” the kids can do.  It was nice seeing the kids relaxed and having fun.

Then one of my awesome colleagues came over and said she had come to let me go back and finish putting the videos together for assembly that afternoon!  I work with a really great team.  

Lunch time and I had finished the videos.  I typed up the script for my presenters and added the finishing touches to the assembly PowerPoint.  10 min sit down and talk in the staffroom.

Assembly went great, videos were a hit.  The song we practised and chose sounded good.  Then we tidied up and went home.

After school I got lots of jobs done, wall displays up and the classroom is tidier and looking good.

Then I picked up my own two kids and shot home to get ready to go to the Gourmet Night Markets at Mt Maunganui.  This was great.  Met friends there.  Had amazing food! Pork belly sliders, mussel fritters, bbq corn, steamed pork buns, caramel brownie, cold chai and COLD DRIP COFFEE!!!  A walk down the beach on dusk letting the kids run around picking up shells and watching a cruise ship head out was the perfect end to the night.

Sometimes a well deserved break is exactly what you need. Just some quality down time doing something really fun! Teachers are people too!

Some days just work… Some days everything falls into place and you feel like a really, really good teacher.  Today was one of those days for me, and I really hope it was for you too!

A bit of a personal rant tonight sorry! The day was too good not to write about.  I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and is having a good end to their #28daysofwriting.