Today was: Really Good

Good day. Good day. Like the other good days in the past, things just seemed to click all day, and I felt in good form [physically, and mentally] all day. Actually, when I woke up this morning I thought to myself, "Today is going to be a really good day." Self-fulfilling prophecy, power of positive suggestion, or coincidence?

I did Math time again today. My plan went off pretty much without a hitch. We're talking about patterns, so I first did a simple clap-pat pattern, and attached an "A" with the clap, and a "B" with the pat. That way, they could connect the general pattern "name" of ABABAB with a concrete representation of the pattern. Then, to push it even further, I took red and blue "linker cubes" and attached them to form a "red-blue-red-blue" train - also representing the ABABAB pattern. Finally, I had them go to their tables, where I had trays of linker cubes set out, and they had to make pattern trains with the cubes that represented the pattern that I "peformed" on the spot. One that I did was "clap-clap-hop clap-clap-hop" [AABAABAAB pattern], and they then made patterns with their cubes like "red-red-blue red-red-blue". After doing this, I called them back to the rug and showed them their options for Math Center time. The BIG favorite was making Pattern Placemats with some COOL pictures of skeletons, pumpkins, witches, etc. Man, these kids LOVE Halloween. [Somewhere along the line, I grew to really not like Halloween. I suppose that it would've happened sooner or later, though - Miles said that he used to LOVE Halloween until he started teaching Kindergarten.] SO, when I said to the kids, "Ok, go pick a center!" A HUGE mass of kids ran toward the Art table where Miles was setting up the Pattern Placemat center. His eyes got wide and he yelled out, "WHOA! I need you all to go back to the rug! We can't have you all running to this center!" Naturally, I felt like a goof, and called all of the kids back to the rug, letting them know that only 4 kids could be at each center, and then let them choose by calling "table groups" [there's the Rockets, the Planets, the Moons, the Suns, and the Clouds - don't know how he came up with these names...] one at a time. Ooops. Teach and learn.

I'm supposed to do a Mainstreaming Report for my student teaching program. This involves filling out a form about a student in the class who has been identified as having "special needs" and gets the assistance of a specialist a couple of times a week. Plus, I'm supposed to watch the student for 2 days in the classroom, documenting what I see, and then watch the specialist working with the student two times. Not a big deal, right? Well, I chose the girl with autism and realized LAST WEEK that I was supposed to have this report done LAST WEEK. I tried to take some time out today to write some notes while "watching from the wings", but, it didn't last very long. And, this is my problem with this program that I'm in: Just Let Me Do My Thing. There really isn't any time to sit [with notebook and pencil in hand!] and watch the Reading specialist work with the girl with autism. There are 19 other kids who require my attention and assistance. I find it REALLY difficult to look over and see a kid with their hand raised and say, "Oops. Sorry. I can't come over to help you because I'm doing my homework right now." I'm there to help each and every kid, and I refuse to ignore any of them for the sake of a grade.

Speaking of the number of kids in class, we got a new student last week - a girl - and she makes an even 20 kids now. Miles is pleased because 20 is the limit - no more kids coming in in the middle of the year. The strange thing is, though, that the girl started on Wednesday, and then hasn't shown up again since. [???]

We're meeting Benny Bear tomorrow, and I haven't even given you Tiggy Tiger's song - here it is [to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star]:

Tiggy Tiger can tickle his toes.
Tiggy Tiger can tap his nose.
Tiggy Tiger can turn around.
Tiggy Tiger can touch the ground.
Tiggy Tiger can tie his shoes.
Tiggy Tiger can count by twos.

Awful. Oh, and as always, to get the full effect of this one, sing it in this really cheesy, horrible-Off-Broadway musical-composed-on-a-lousy-old-Casio-keyboard style. And, as the kids LOVE to do, for added FUN, act out what Tiggy Tigger can do in the song [Tap your nose! Turn around! etc.]!