Those moments that make it all worthwhile

Our school is currently learning about ANZAC Day.  Big year this year as it is 100 years since the ANZAC's landed in Gallipoli.

One of the teachers in an older class had her students writing letters to home from the trenches.  The trenches were under their desks!

I modified it for my little guys, and we were completing an activity about the different armed forces.

First we watched a short clip about life in the trenches and discussed what we saw.  When I put it to them that we could pretend to be in the trenches they were EXCITED.  They suggested the desks for the trenches (love it when they come up with my plan all by themselves!)

Chairs were moved, activity in hand they dived under their desks.  Then I turned on a youtube clip of gun fire!  Well... Did they love that.

So for the next hour they completed their activity and were then able to choose their own activity.  BUT they could not be above the desk tops because they never knew when the gun fire would start again.

They loved crawling around the room... Going quickly across the unprotected areas to safety.  Was brilliant imaginary play!  One of my boys stood up between bursts of gunfire with a chair on his head!  Apparently that was his helmet while he scoped out the area! Hahahahaha

Check out the videos on our blogs.  In the trenches


Another funny moment I had this week ...
Me: What's your mums first name!
Child: I don't know
Me: You don't know what her name is?
Child: it's mum.
Me: what does Dad call her (then I realized what I asked and really hoped I hadn't put my foot in it)
Child: He calls her darling!

Awwwwww...

Don't you just love those precious moments.  All the politics and paperwork sometimes bog us down, but it is moments like these that make it all worthwhile!

Still alive, still teaching!

Just a slight change in direction.

This is my third year teaching Reading Recovery in our school.  I am .5 in the classroom and .5 reading recovery.  I am loving working 1-1 with students who struggle to learn for a variety of reasons.  Most children I have been able to help, but there are a few that have had me stumped.  I could identify the problems, but didn't have the knowledge to be specific about what I was noticing or what  to do to help.  So this year I have started a diploma in SLD (specific learning disabilities).   -more on that in the future.

This year I have moved levels.  I am now teaching year 1 students... 5 year olds!😳. What was I thinking?!?  To be fair it is still early days, (week 4) it is getting better... And I'm sure it will get even better... But what was I THINKING?

A change in level means creating a whole new lot of resources.  I am trying to create an environment that is multi-sensory to cater more widely to the learning styles of my students.  It also ties into my course.

Maths and topic (arts, science, Maori etc) are my classroom subjects.  My offsider teaches all the literacy.

Here is one activity that my kids are loving.  Giant sized tens frame.  I made it out of a tarpaulin and colored tape.

My aim is to get them moving their whole bodies while learning math concepts and knowledge.

My new class blog is  Aces@Allenton. We would love you to check out all the other things we are doing