It is usually in the low single digits when we walk to school in the morning, but by the time recess comes at 2:30pm it is usually well into the 20's as far as temperature goes. The wind is dying down significantly, and the sun! OH! THE SUN! It is up pretty much all the time it seems. It is rising somewhere around 6am and going down somewhere are midnight...maybe. I am never up at either time to watch the sun rise or set.
SO, what does the mean for all the residents here? NO SLEEP! Everyone is exhausted, students and teachers alike. Try as we might, it is near impossible to say "I am gonna hit the hay" when it looks and feels like Noon outside. It just does not feel right with my body. The students can be found roaming the streets at 10pm, and can hardly stay awake long enough to write their name on their papers.
Spring Fever is in full swing here. There are 7 days left of school, and everyone is going bonkers. There is one thing I have noticed here at school that can sometimes become more of a focus and an threat than I desire- discipline. As a whole, I try to focus more on the positive sides of teaching, raising kids, and simply interacting with others. Who doesn't prefer that? Sometimes I have noticed a large number of adults that focus on the negative in the classroom and forget to praise the positive behavior. I'll be the first to admit- I have done it, and regretfully. On those days when the students are running circles around me and I just can't seem to get them to listen to what I am saying, it can be difficult to find those positive actions in the classroom, and it can be so easy to see what is not going right.
This time of year, especially, negative behavior is seemingly surrounding me and the positive classroom behavior seems so slight and hidden. It sometimes feels like the beginning of the school year again, where getting in a line is a difficult task, following directions, and staying awake are near impossible. I find myself needing to reinforce the tiniest act of good behavior once again, and find myself noticing things students are doing that I thought we had learned how to NOT do months ago. It has been a difficult task to remain ever-positive and not lose my patience. After all, it seems realistic to ask students to not crawl around on the floor between desks in first grade. It seems ideal to be able to conduct a 15 minute reading group that is completely free of tears. But, get 21 weary 1st graders in a room that has been inhabited by the same 22 bodies all year and the tears are flowing, and the waters are being tested.
Regardless, we are enjoying ourselves. The curriculum is nearly finished and we are having some time to relax and enjoy the end of the year. Not that the year was un-enjoyable while there was work to be finished, but it is far more relaxed and fun to know that if we take 3 days to do a science experiment that was intended to take 30 minutes- so be it! It is neat to take some extra time discussing saving money, illustrating our writing more thoroughly, reading more books for fun and letting them choose their content. All of these tasks get to happen during the school year, but are more tailored to the designed curriculum, and have less choice and less freedom. Now, we are given the chance to choose which math games we might play, "coins? or fractions?" and the opportunity to decide that we want to read about insects, rather than cats, because the curriculum is not guiding our learning for the time being, we are. :)
After school hours are thrilling lately. Spring is wonderful because the city comes alive- as in everywhere in the world. People are outside pretty much at all times- walking their dogs, running, playing in the snow. I have been able to downsize from my down jacket and fur coat to fleece and shell and a thin hat. I don't wear gloves anymore, unless driving the Honda, and my face was sunburned last night!
Spring here is much like Spring anywhere else in the world, however, it is SO long awaited, I feel like I appreciate it like I never have before.
20-something days, and I will be enjoying flip flops and skirts. NO jackets. This has been a constant day dream of mine for months, I hope CO doesn't let me down.
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