And on the Third Day....

We are over half way through the first week of the 2008-2009 school year. Despite the accolades that many sing about loving the first day/week, it isn't everything it is cracked up to be. However if definitely has its high points! Here are a few of the highs and lows of the first three days of school in my first grade class.

I now greatly appreciate the prepackaged school supplies. In a school where half of the kids are doing good to bring pencils, the consistency and uniformity of the shrink wrapped kits we get are a HUGE blessing! I understand that special folders and pencils are pretty but life really is SO much easier when parents just buy the kits from the school so we can share!

Sometimes teaching routines and procedures feels like being a bully. I struggle with feeling like I'm crushing their spirits when I know it is just teaching when they can and cannot talk. What a fine line!

Seeing last years kids is the BEST part of back to school!

First graders are just SO incredibly cute!!

On the writing prompt "I like ______." one of my boys showed me "I like met. The bet met is stak." For those of you not accustom to our little ones, that is read, "I like meat. The best meat is steak." And the boy DID like his meat!

I now believe that the word spaghetti was created so we could hear the attempts of "spud-betty".

One of my co-workers is Mrs. Lagarde (read la-guard). When I asked a little girl who her teacher was, she said Mrs. Lagarden.

You can tell a lot about a kids family by the most simple of statements. When modelling writing about my family, I said Dad is a probation officer. My meat boy's hand shot in the air and he declared, "I know what THAT is!" I bet you do.....

They are FASCINATED about Erin being pregnant. They want EVERY detail of anything I can tell them.

Sometimes the most snaggle toothed smile is the sweetest!