It's all in the cape

In my building, I sit on the Building Improvement Team.  This summer we got together and decided various things, and one of them was when the staff would be allowed to wear jeans (-or- as I like to call them...no shave, no iron goodness).  We decided with our principal that we would use Wednesday as our day (we have an Early Release for PLC on that day).  We would smatter Fridays throughout the year with a specific theme.  At the beginning of the year meeting, our principal surprised us and said it would be every Friday (YES!!!!!!).  So we have a theme announced in the Tuesday Memo and in order to wear jeans, you have to dress with the theme.  Last week was somewhere you have been (I got a VW t-shirt at Walmart, and wore it because I went to Germany once).  Today, though, was Superhero Day.  We all had on capes and various superhero regalia.  And I think it made a difference in our overall demeanor as a building.  We laughed a lot, and had fun (even though it was 100 degrees and there was a fire drill).  The kiddos even got into it.  I heard a Kinder ask another Kinder if we were all really heroes (to which she answered, "I think yes.").  And there is something to be said for your cape flapping in the breeze (albeit balmy) during recess duty. 

Back at it

We are 11 days in to this year, and I am in love with my class.  Yes, yes...I know that I am in the honeymoon phase and things might not look so bright around Christmas time.  But, I do love them all. 

We are working out our procedures and expectations right now.  I seem to forget over the course of the summer how little/young my second graders actually are.  I wrote once about how I never wanted to be the teacher who made someone cry when they got home.  I have to be constantly aware of how my words, tone and overall demeanor deeply affect these children who were placed in my care.  Let me tell you, about the zillionth time I've said something, I am on the E of my patience tank (or running on fumes to be more exact).  It is not about me though, and they will learn. 

We are using the behavior rating chart (you know, the one where a student moves her name up or down during the course of the day).  I have two little friends who were having yellow/red days consistently.  Then, yesterday, they were both on green.  Friend One looked at Friend Two and asked, "Are you on Green?"  To which he replied, "YEAH! I AM!"  Then, the funniest thing happened.  They jumped up in the air and chest bumped right there by the sticker charts.  I laughed out loud.

When I revisited it later that night (as I lay sleepless in my bed), it made me think about how necessary it is to celebrate even small things.  It was a good reminder.