Day 12!

It's hard to believe as I write this that it is still Friday. While the school day went by extraordinarily quickly the last two days, the overall day and the week have been long and exhausting.

It was crazy to have two half days in a row (carnival and then meetings), but my lessons were short, cut to meaning, and seemed perfectly timed to keep attention. Students are always a bit nuts on half days and with it being carnival this week, it was especially so. I knew even with 45 minute classes, there was too much energy to focus. I did some free writing and narrative competition then one strong learning activity and one short, pointed discussion. Fast moving class, gets as much as possible from them for 20 focused minutes and 25 more relaxed ones. I'm pretty proud of what I designed, tbh.

What made me most happy today was seeing this:

My class' (I say class because I only teach one grade) snow sculpture. This was made to fit the theme and rules in only a few days of sessions using pretty primitive tools. I was blown away. They may be surly at times, but I am so impressed by their drive and what they can accomplish when they are motivated.

This week has really given me lots of chances to connect to students and I'm greatful for that. I was actually feeling rather despondent this evening and not productively lost in unhelpful imaginings, but writing this post has made me smile again. Makes it worth it.