Saying Good-bye...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
A difficult day, indeed...

This class has been knock-your-socks-off amazing.  They let me take so many risks.  We thought outside the box.  Heck, half the time, we got rid of the box and that was a BLAST!!!!  This class is filled with eager learners, risk takers, and compassionate leaders.  Seriously.

I have a sad heart, because I'm going to miss these kiddos so much.  I made them promise to come back and visit me next year!  I will soon be writing them personal notes of thanks and mailing them.  I needed some time to reflect on the year and think about the message I want to send to each of them.  I'm so proud of the leaders they have become.  They took a lot of tests, and I guess i could talk about how thrilled I am with their scores, but that is less important to me.  It's the character of this class that blows me away.  They are a team and they look out for each other.  There is no bullying in our room - we sink or swim together.  They believed it and lived it.

Math Slam... Have you heard of it?

There are Poetry Slams, so why not Math Slams?  

Have you heard of a Math Slam?  Probably not, because I made it up!

My students are each taking a turn at being the teacher in these final weeks of school!  They are picking from a long list of math concepts we've learned this year... After choosing their topic, they prepare a short lesson and teach the rest of us!  

Some topics include:
Comparing & Ordering Fractions
Place Value
Long Division
Adding and Subtracting Decimals
Elapsed Time

So far, they are having a blast with it!  They are very creative teachers indeed!  I have enjoyed being the student along with them in our final days together.  We all add the new notes to our "Super Mathematician Notebooks," and then I am ready to send them on their way to 5th grade!  Ok, well, I'm not actually ready to send them on, but I'll cross that bridge when I must.