I will begin with a little recap of last Friday since it was such a festive day at school. I brought in 2 books to read to my class which were both a big hit. Both of them were valentine's day themed and the children sat in awe as I read them. When I gave out my homemade valentine cards as well as my little treats the children were thrilled! I also told them to feel extra special since I brought them all the way from America! It was so nice to see their faces when they each were handed their very own valentine. The valentine project I created was another story. I had this great idea to make a valentine heart basket. I thought that it was a great idea because it used mathematics for measuring and hand eye coordination for sewing. I had gotten all the materials gathered a head of time and made sure to have the children get started right away to maximize time. None of this pre-planning seemed to matter once we got started. The children immediately saw what they were going to make and were so enthusiastic! Their eyes got wide and they were eager to begin. The first 20 minutes went well everyone was moving along and following instruction until it was time for the sewing portion. I knew this was the most challenging part since I had created the valentine basket the night before so that I would know how to best help the students. I sat at the front of the classroom and had a line 10 deep most of the time because each child had their own difficulties with the sewing the basket. I had thought of adaptations and modifications to the sewing in my mind but for some reason they all went out of my head as I was also so eager for the children to finish. They all worked so hard but only 3 finished the project. The rest didn't want to leave school until they had them done. After reflecting on this project I realized this was not a one day project. We should have started the project on Thursday in order to give ourselves enough time to finish. I also should have stepped in much earlier with the modifications so that each child had a valentine to bring home to someone. I felt awful that more than half the class was sent home to figure it out on their own. In many ways I learned a lot about myself as a teacher. Friday went well overall but at the end of the day I was exhausted from putting all of my energy into that valentine basket!
The weekend was very laid back. I stayed around Listowel because I was not feeling the greatest. In addition mother was coming into town on Sunday and I wanted to get rest so that I could be in great form when she arrived!! So excited!!
Monday went well. I finished my science lesson with the students and wrapped up the experiment. The birthday book my class made turned out great!! I wish I could take it back with me! The school where I teach at does not have a computer lab or school library. This makes it difficult for research projects to be done with class time. I found this to be particularly frustrating for the teachers because yesterday the Internet was down and none of the students were able to continue their research. I wish that I could bring my laptop to school to provide additional help but they do not have wireless available at the school.
We do have a short week this week, Wednesday being our last day. So for me the week is half over! I hope everyone finds their week moving fast and I will write again soon! Slan!
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