In My Blood...

I have been out for summer break for a week now. I always find it so hard to leave school behind and take a few days without thinking about it. Being a teacher just runs through my blood, head to toe, I can't help it.

The past two days I have actually been at a workshop/seminar our district hosted. The guest speaker was Ralph Fletcher, who I might add is a great speaker. He is so personable and relates to the audience well. He came to talk about Writer's Workshop and the stages of it. I have to admit I didn't learn anything new. I have been doing the correct version of Writer's Workshop for quite a few years now. I say correct version because I think a lot teachers say they do Writer's Workshop but still make their kids write what they want them to write, not give them creative license. The workshop did however confirm the fact that I am on the right path and that the way I view teaching writing is on target.

I said to a co-worker that attended with me that the sad thing is that the teachers in the audience are ones that are probably on the right path when it comes to teaching writing. It's the teachers that weren't there, that probably needed to be.

So I am starting a list of things that I want to do next year. I figure if I write them down here, I am more likely to remember them.

1. I want to do more cooking. I used to do some fun cooking activities with the kids, back in my primary teaching days. Like applesauce, Shamrock Shakes, Cowboy Cookies, Dirt/Sand, Dixie Cup Recipes, Snow cones. I didn't do it often but as a little treat here and there. I think feeling like you have time to do a little fun stuff is why I haven't done it in a while.

2. Bring back my Space unit. Apparently it is a big thing on our fourth grade state standards for science. I miss teaching it (when I did it with my 2nd and 3rd graders). I am going to bring it to fourth next year. We would spend nine weeks learning about Space, NASA, rockets, astronauts. At the end of the unit, students would make a space shuttle console out of a empty paper ream box. We would take a simulated trip to space, eat applesauce out of baggies using a straw, eat trail mix while watching a DVD on the views of earth from the space shuttle. It was so much fun!

That is all I can think of right now, but will post more as I think of them. We have some NASTY storms about to roll in, going to sign off now!