"Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves."

What a fun week we had in the classroom! This was my first full week back in the classroom and let me tell you, I have never felt more exhausted. Eight ours of sleep just isn't cutting it! I hope that my body adjusts and I get used to it.


At the beginning of this week we had the Discover Alaska Southeast team stop by the classroom. This is a program that takes pride in educating children about the place they live in, Southeast Alaska. The last time they stopped by we were talking about the water cycle and they took our kids on a walk to Jordan Creek. The kids loved it! This time they brought a ton of (clean) dead birds with them.

Every child had a bird. The class worked on drawing these birds. They were able to hold them, to spread their wings out, and to position them. Then they drew them to the best of their ability. I had a blast just jumping from table to table and looking at the birds.

This picture is of an owl that was hit by a car. Most of the kids would never get the chance to see some of these birds up close if it were not for this program.


Moving on, we also had a field trip this week. We went ice skating. I was very nervous about this because I have only been ice skating three times. All of those times were up here and about a year apart. I was afraid that the kids would try to knock me down or hang on me and I really didn't want to end up on the ice. However, several of the kids had trouble skating and clung to the walls. I, on the other hand, felt pretty comfortable. I didn't fall once. They were playing great music and we were all having a blast. Not to mention that the kids think I'm cool now because I know Lady Gaga songs. Haha.

At the end of the lessons we had open skate. This is where they turned on the music and turned down the lights. The kids really enjoyed this part. I would zoom pass some of the kids and they would be singing at the top of their lungs. Kids at this age are so worried about what their peers think of them that it was really fun to see them letting loose, singing and dancing a little on their skates. After we returned to the classroom, we were all exhausted. The kids needed a nap. Heck, even my host teacher and I needed a nap.

The following day I was SO sore. I guess I was using some muscles that I haven't used in a long time! Either way, I need to get my ice skates back up here so I  can go skating again. I really enjoyed it!

What else do I have to add....let's see.... I have been working on my unit. Things are starting to come together I guess. Most units will end up around 75 pages long, or so I'm told. Right now, I'm on about page five. I guess I shouldn't be too optimistic at this point. haha. But the good news is that I have been working on it and I have been conversing with my host teacher and our team teachers and we all seem to be on the same page. This weekend, I am working on the unit and getting some of the lesson planned out for the first week. That's the goal!

Right now, I'm getting ready to head to the gym and then the grocery store. I may just hit up the used book store while I'm out and about!

"Genius without education is like silver in the mine. "-Benjamin Franklin