We had a second day of conferences and some more parents showed up. I would have liked to see a few more parents, but overall, I think that this isn't the best time of the year for conferences. I was proud of myself for running a nice 3 miles (at 11:00/mi) and showering after school before returning for conferences. I was a little thrown off by something that happened during the half day, though.
The half day is planned so that children leave right after lunch, so we can guarantee they get fed at least twice in the day (breakfast and lunch). To make the logistics easier, the students ate lunch in their 5th period class, and then went back to homeroom for dismissal.
On Wednesday, my homeroom class had a food fight in their English class. Thursday, they were in my classroom during lunch, so I made extra sure that they were careful with their food. I have a good relationship with my homeroom kids, and they did a good job of eating politely and cleaning up afterwards. I was surprised to hear, though, that the other 7th grade class (the "high" class), didn't have lunch delivered to their classroom and as a result, didn't get lunch. Mistakes happen, especially in a severely understaffed building, so I didn't think too much of it.
When we arrived at morning homeroom on Friday, the principal walked into my class and announced that it was my homeroom that was not supposed to get lunch the day before as punishment for the food fight. A mistake was made, and it was the other class that was starved instead. Really? The best way to punish a few difficult students is to starve an entire class? Sometimes this school frustrates me.
Yesterday, I had a good day in school. I was tired at the end of a long week after vacation, it I've really gotten into the full swing of my latest classroom implementation, the Friday Open Question Time. I set aside about 10 minutes (depending on how well the lesson went) to allow the student to ask anonymous questions by putting folded slips of paper into a box, and I answer the ones that aren't totally inappropriate. The questions range from "How do slugs move if they have no skeleton?" to "Can a girl get pregnant if she has sex during her period?" to "Where did you grow up, Miss?" I had a great time and they had a great time, and a lot was learned on both sides.
There was some chaos in the school due to some other events like the book fair, but it was overall a rewarding day.
Today is my second-to-last day of class at SCSU. I can't believe this year is already wrapping up. Moreover, yesterday was my last day of real time coaching for the year. I will miss my coach. She has probably affected the achievement in my classroom more than any other individual I've interacted with this year (other than myself, of course). She has taught me how to improve, and most importantly, held me accountable for improving. Thank you.
This year has really flown/dragged by, and I am both excited and sad to see it end in 2 months. All I can say is, the passage of time this year has been crazy.
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