Lessons Learned

Two things I've learned this week:

1) The more patience I have in the classroom, the better it is for everyone.

Actually, this isn't a new lesson, but more of a reminder. I have a chatty, social class. They just like to talk. All. The. Time. We've been working on it and making progress since September. I compliment them on their efforts and control. I remind them of how much progress they make when they focus on their writing or math or whatever. They are doing well, but there are a few that repeatedly are the culprits. So I can either get frustrated and pissy about it, or I can relax and address the issue in a calm manner. It's the second method I've been going with this week. The kids respond better, they don't feel like they've done something wrong, I feel better because my blood pressure isn't rising. It's a win-win.

2) Trying something new is risky, but can be enjoyable.

We've been studying variables in science. We've done several experiments where the kids are learning that in science, only ONE variable can be changed at a time in order to have accurate, reliable results. That point has been drilled into their heads and if any one of them were to miss that on a test, I would freak out! Anyway, now they are designing their own experiments. I've never done this before, so there was some trepidation (hope I used that word correctly). Turns out, they are coming up with some cool things. And they're into it and excited and motivated. So, we will be testing which bread gets the most mold, which wheels make the car go the furthest, which maze the mouse can get through the fastest, which bubblegum brand yields the biggest bubbles, which propeller makes the plane go the furthest, which type of book is the most interesting to groups of people, and so on. I'm not sure how it's all going to play out, but it's pretty cool. Of course, they'll write science plans, collect and organize data, report the results, draw conclusions, and present to the class. Because, duh, I'm just that good of a teacher!

Now, go conquer the day!