Today...

Okay, it is against everything in my nature to write a bed to bed story. I try and focus on the small moments to draw you, the reader, into my day. However, today kind of needs it...

It started with a garbage bag of "trash" that I had "stolen" from my "neighbor's". Actually, it was items from my recycle bin and trash can (clean, of course) for the students to infer about the type of people who had this trash. I told the class that people had moved in, but I had never met them and just couldn't seem to meet them. By taking the trash, I figured I could learn about the new neighbors. Their inferences - they like to cook, they are lazy (like to eat popcorn and watch movies), work hard (plastic window covering kit), like to eat healthy (spinach), have a runny nose (Kleenex), and need to find their way (GPS box). Nice...

My students were shocked that their teacher would dig around in the trash. But it got better...we had to finish a writing unit by reading one more book by Lynn Plourde. It's called, Thank You Grandpa. Throughout the book, the grandpa teaches the young girl to appreciate and honor things as they pass on. By thanking them and saying good-bye. In the end, we infer that the grandfather died and she thanks him for what he has taught her and says good-bye. I couldn't even finish the book without crying. And I mean crying...true teardrops falling. In fact, two of the students were out of the room while I read it and when they came back, one of my boys had to rush over and whisper what had happened. Another student (one who always speaks her mind) told me that I am the first teacher she has EVER seen cry. Great...going down in the history books.

So not only is their teacher a stealer, she cries...Great!

On a more positive note, two of my students were having a bad day (as was I - I had a student who was disobedient and I worry that I'm not doing enough for this child) and decided to write down what was causing their bad day in their writer's notebooks.