Hole-sitting

          Wow! It has been over a month since my last post. So much has gone on that it would take me days to catch up.  For the sake everyone's time and sanity, I'll take the easy way out and simply list the  major events:

• Quarterlies went well!
• I wrapped up my first semester as a real life teacher.
• My friend/mentor moved to a new job :/
• I found out just how awesome Christmas break is!
• Christmas break was extended two more days due to snow.  Bittersweet.

          We have finally been in school for an entire week!  Things have changed quite a bit from last semester.  Because my mentor was also the other sixth grade reading teacher, I'm now working with someone else- thankfully it is another teacher that I am already familiar with.  They moved her to work with me, and hired someone to take her place.  It has worked out very well!

           To kick off the semester, we are teaching the novel Holes, which has been a blast!  It feels good to be reading a book that I have to set limits regarding how far they CAN read, not setting a minimum number of pages they HAVE to read.  Even the kiddos who begin class in a trouble-making mood end up with their nose in the book.  It's lovely.

         Here are a few of my last-minute decorating ideas.  I threw these together last minute- so next year I'll be taking it up a notch, for sure.

(Side note: This is the door my runner used to exit the building!)     

    

I posted this sign that was in the book.  The kids' reactions were pretty funny!  Several of them darted back to their lockers, pretending to put their "illegal items" back before class.

          One of the pre-reading ideas in the novel guide was to have students draw pictures of things that they already know about holes, and display them on the bulletin board.  The three categories we talked about were: 1) Why people dig holes, 2) What things have holes, 3) What things live in holes.  I'm not sure how much this added to their education, but as usual, I received some funny pictures, like the one below.   This Pre-AP student was assigned the category, "Why people dig holes." Her response...?

Apparently I need to try hole-sitting.  It looks like great fun!

-Mrs. Combs