School Field Trip

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. I looked at my calendar this morning, and the next 6 weeks are going to be a BLUR! Things at school are SUPER busy...LOVE IT, but it's quite crazy, and now the whole "holiday season" thing is about to come CRASHING down upon us! Oy!

As I just said, things at school are REALLY good. I'm just completing a two week unit on "Wonders of the World" (starting with the ancient wonders of the Mediterranean, seguing into the modern wonders, and then going back and looking at "other wonders" like of the middle ages, natural wonders, underwater wonders, etc.). P., the art teacher, and I designed/researched/presented the unit, as an "add on" to the ancient civilizations unit that the 6th grade teachers had just completed, and it was COOL! The kids really seemed to be "in" to it, and it was GREAT that they had that "prior knowledge" to build with while working on this.

We took all of the 6th graders to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (LOVE that place!), and had the docents give tours in the "ancient" section (Greece, Egypt, Rome, etc.). It tied in well with what we'd been talking about. Four of us also took smaller groups around the museum to do VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies), which is a "philosophy" in which you have the participants look at a painting or sculpture, without knowing anything about it, and asking three questions..."What do you see happening in this picture (or sculpture)?" "What do you see that makes you say that"? "Do you see anything else happening?". The "instructor" paraphrases what they say, and there is no value judgement AT ALL as you are doing VTS. It's a REALLY cool way to experience art "personally", and really changes the way that you see a painting or sculpture. I ALWAYS get something new out of a piece of art when I do VTS.

The kids were AWESOME, and I heard lots of them say that they couldn't wait to come back to the museum again. It doesn't get any better than that! I'm finding that I'm REALLY getting to be more and more impressed with our students, which is strange, because I REALLY had a different opinion of them when I first moved up here.

Granted...EVERYTHING about when I first moved up here was strange, and difficult, and FOR THE LONGEST time, I thought I'd made the BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE in moving here, but, as time has gone by, and I've "acclimated" to the twin cities, it's really a great place to be.

As far as being impressed with the students, I watched other groups of kids from other schools, and was APPALLED at their behavior...running around, being sassy, attitude...ick! Our kids were well behaved, respectful, and, although a bit "squirrely" at times, VERY well behaved. Bravo 6th graders!

Now that this unit is drawing to a close (their final project will be to fill in information, and draw/paint/design a picture of their chosen wonder on a paper cube with Pat in art), I launch right into a rock cycle research project with 4th grade, and an animal report/project (also using the cube) with 2nd grade. 2nd graders and also in the media center this week to learn how to use the non-fiction section. I had a class in last week, and the teacher made the comment that SHE learned a lot about the non-fiction section while she was sitting with her students...it doesn't GET any better than that!

Enough about school, I guess...I'm just finding it so STRANGE to be excited about my job again, and this feeling of actually teaching things that are relevant to what's being done in the classroom, as opposed to just having students dropped off in the library for prep (and teaching library skills that aren't linked to anything relevant to what they are doing) is so bizarre! I didn't realize how much I'd "given up" on my position, and in how WORTHLESS I felt my job was. I remember it being REALLY difficult when I started, but I guess I'd just gotten used to being a high paid "babysitter"!

Said I'd stop, and I continued to "job talk". Okay...had drinks with Kate on Friday evening. She the PYP coordinator at our school, and does a FABBO job of making International Baccalaureate a possibility at our school. She and her husband Bill have become friends, and she's a delightful person to spend time with. We shared an office the last several years, but, they took our room to "rehab" into a computer lab, so she moved upstairs and I moved to the TINY office at the other end of the library. We've both missed that "yell across the room when we have something to say" part of sharing an office, and needed a chance to reconnect. It was two for one wine draws at Outback, so life was GOOD!

Yesterday Duane and I spent most of the day just "hanging out". He made sugar cookies and got stuff done at his place, and I spent most of the afternoon watching the Food Network. All I can say is that it's good that I only have basic cable...if I had the Food Network and HGTV, THAT'S ALL I'D DO!!! Every show that came on was an "I've got to watch this" moment.

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner EVERYTHING was about preparing turkey and the fixings, and now I wish I was going to be around for Thanksgiving! The recipes for leftovers alone, makes me want to rush out now and roast a turkey! Oy again!

Okay...rambling now, so will close. Hope things are going well for you, and, as we launch into the holiday season, work HARD to stay mellow, enjoy what the holidays are all about, and remember to take time for YOU during the craziness!