I Think He Has a Crush on Me

Today I received a plastic bracelet from a student. He said that he wanted me to have it. It was a "toy" from his lunch. How cute is that! Except that I think it made Bill a little jealous...Just kidding.

However, I am constantly amazed by the amount of cards, pictures and notes I now receive from my students. Fourth graders are anxious to give you anything that will make you happy. I love that they are young enough to want to do nice things because they know it makes you happy. Middle school aged kids seem to loose that a bit.

Teaching the fourth grade is coming along quite well. I am enjoying being in the classroom and having the opportunity to teach all subjects. Although the curriculum at this school is rather scripted, I feel as though the students are really learning, and it does not seem to prohibit their participation, but rather enhance it. Students know exactly what is going to happen at all parts of the day. There are few surprises and because students know what to expect therefore there seems to be fewer confrontations. This school has a high standard of academia, and the students understand the importance of learning, and therefore believe in respecting those who want to learn.

I do worry about my ELL students. I don't know a word of Spanish, and I can only image what it must be like to be in a school where I cannot understand enough of the language to even make a complete sentence. I do find that these ELL students are some of the sweetest an understand the value of hard work. With time these students will be able to reach their full potential inside the classroom.