Fifth Grade Spelling Bee

Fifth grade was proud to announce the winner of the spelling bee yesterday, Dec. 16th. Our winner this year is Camila Jimenez from Mrs. Swidorsky's homeroom. It is a tradition for the fifth grade students to compete each year in the spelling bee, and it is always held right before the holiday season. Camila received an early holiday gift.

In our classes this year we had five students qualify from each homeroom. The following students represented our classes proudly. They all did a great job!
Lehane Class
Amanda Joswick
Jacob Metcalf
Rachel Robbins
Kennedy Tribble
Ethan Schaefer

Swidorsky Class
Layney Giles
Adrena Forrest
Hannah Choi
James Demps
Camila Jimenez

Ruark Class
Hal Olson
Daniel Reyes-Rivera
Colbi Appleby
Morgan Yaffee
Johnna Noel

Students were given lists to study. They did all their preparation on their own time. The students dedication to the effort was evident the day of the bee. I could not imagine how nerve racking it was for the kids as they stood in front of the microphone to spell. I certainly would not have been able to handle the pressure, but they took each word in stride and never broke a sweat!

One again we would like to celebrate all these students and especially our winner Camila Jimenez for all their hard work! We will all be supporting Camila when she advances to the county finals! Way to Go CAMILA! We are proud of you!

Historical Fiction

The past couple of weeks we have been reading historical fiction read a louds. It has produced some interesting conversations. Our first read a loud was The Other side. That really is what prompted our discussion. The students could not conceive how the two girls could not just be friends. They asked, "why, how, who" about the time period. It lead us to the discussion of how blacks had been treated poorly during other times.
We then talked about slavery. We read More Than Anything Else, a time after slavery, but not a time that was much better. We talked about the power of an education and how that would lead to a better life. Why Booker, in the story wanted to read more than anything else. He saw the promise an education would give to him.
That lead us ultimately to the discussion of slavery. I have to say I was surprised how little the students knew about such a vast time period in history. Trying to answer all their questions made me realize how limited their understanding was. They asked, " Why didn't they run away?, Why didn't they fight back?. Why didn't they just say, No!"
This made me search to help my students understand this horrible time in our history. This is when I came across this video. In four minutes the students were able to grasp what I had been trying to explain. A picture is worth more than a thousand words. That statement was never so true as the moments when my students watched and learned. It made our discussions deeper and their understanding more real. It was apowerful moment for all of us!

Slavery

Making Time to READ!

As teachers, sometimes we think we have to be talking or in front of the room for kids to learn. I know we also think that we need proof of work from students to show they are doing what they say.
Well I am going out on a limb and have decided to go on the honor system. No proof, no daily logs, no responses. I came to this decision after two experiences I had with students in my class. Both are avid readers, there is never a time they are not reading. They both are excellent students. I was doing my weekly check on reading logs. I called one of my fabulous readers to come over. I asked for the log, he burst out in tears. I was taken off guard, I said "What is wrong?", he said "I forgot to log in everyday. I start reading and then I forget!" I found my self calming down one of my best students because he was upset he did not write down all the times and days he read. Yet, he could sit and discuss each and every book, and you can see his face light up when he tells you about what he is reading.
The next "Ah ha" moment, was when I read a sentence on one of the language tests I had given. One of my students had written a sentence for the word "automatic." The sentence stated, " I wish I had an automatic response writter, so I could read. Enough said right there!
Then I consulted the parent in me. I hate when my children were given busy work that meant nothing. I said to a teacher once, "I can keep my child busy on my own, he does not need homework to keep him busy." I also know people think that homework teaches responsiblity. Homework that one is learning from, yes! Homework to prove you are doing your homework, no! I know my own son had a log to fill in to prove he studied each night. I have to say, I signed it on Sunday night at 9:00pm, and my son studied when he needed. So while I realize being responsible is part of being a good student, I also believe that comes from giving responsibility to those students!
I have chosen to take this plunge and I believe I will see my students exceed my expectations!
Most students have welcomed the change with smiles, and "Can I find a place to read?"

Through the Eyes of Learning

Hi I am Mrs. Lehane. The first thing most people know about me is that I love teaching and baseball. Baseball because my own boys are baseball players, and I love watching them play. The other is that I love teaching.

I love teaching for many reasons. First of all, because I want kids to love to learn. I felt when I was growing up, school was anything but fun. That was probably why I did not like school. School was something I found difficult, and not at any time was it something I looked forward to. That was until I met Sr. Mary Agatha. Sr. Agatha was my Home Economics teacher in college. I was originally a Home Ec. major. I loved designing clothes and sewing. It was the one thing in life that I could really challenge my self to do and do well. At the time I did not realize what she had done for me, but now I see the impact she has had on my life. Sr. Agatha saw something in me, and nurtured it. I still love sewing to this day, but after having my own children my passion changed.

I made a vow that my kids would never feel the way I felt in school. No one likes feeling stupid, or should feel the panic of being embarrassed in class. That was a daily struggle for me each day.

My own children have done extremely well in school and I am thankful that they never had to struggle.

It was when I decided to go back to work, when my life took the turn to where I am now.

I knew from the first day of working in a classroom that this was where I was meant to be.

So, I went back to school which was not easy! Though it was scary to go back I knew I could do it now. I finally believed in myself the way Sr. Agatha believed in me. She may not know what she did for me and my life, but it was lifelong.

That is the impact that I want to have for students in my class. I want them to love to come to school. I want them to feel great while they are here, start to believe that anything is possible, and to work towards a goal.

This is what I will be working on in my class this year. Setting goals, and working towards them. I want students to be reading together, discussing books, and sharing with others what they have learned.

This is the journey that I will try to share each week with you on my blog. My students and I will share our triumphs as well as our struggles. This will be an adventure for all for us to learn together. Please join us as we embark on our adventure!