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Saturday, February 15, 2014

#celebratelu Life is like a box of chocolate

Discover. Play. Build.

This week I am celebrating, "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're going to get."

1) I started my Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments this week.  My first assessment was a student who started life very early and very tiny.  She started first grade, way behind (not yet reading on a Level A). In December and in January, she was still way behind (barely a Level C) and moving so slowly that I increased her support level.  She talks slowly and responds to questions only with exorbitant wait time; however, I had noticed, of late, higher accuracy on running records, no more protests about reading, and excitement about taking home books.  So I started her on a Level D (98%) and then Level E (97%).  I was jumping for joy when I took out the F (95%) and finally pulled out the G (91%).  I refer to all of my students as "readers" when they are with texts; thus, I am not sure she fully understood my excitement when I proclaimed, "We have a reader here!"  After all, she already knew that she had broken the code and had become an "real, honest to goodness" reader!



2) We had two (2) snow days (again) this week and while that meant we missed our Valentine's Day celebrations and many class writing celebrations, it did give me a chance to "get on top" of my lingering cold and nagging cough.  While February has been a blur, so far, I am confident we will ALL return to school "excited" and "ready" to learn.  I hope some of the "September" excitement might even be in the air!



3) My husband and I both got out late yesterday to run some errands.  I headed to take provisions to my mother and aunt while he headed to get some veggies and bakery bread.  We both got each other a "little something" for Valentine's Day.  It was like the "Gift of the Magi - but with a happy ending!
     
                      from me to him                              from him to me

      

12 comments:

Michelle Haseltine said...

"We have a reader here!" I LOVE this!! Watching a student succeed is the best part of being a teacher! Congrats to you and to that student!!! Such a terrific celebration!

Loralee said...

"Jumping for joy" says it so well!

Deb Frazier said...

I can hear the joy in your heart and see the joy on HER face, nothing feels better as a student and a teacher!

Tara said...

Love the celebration of the reader - and here's to the teacher who persevered! Also "intense orange" chocolate sounds to die for!

Linda B said...

All the celebrations, even the days off, sound good, Anita. I do love those 'gifts of the Magi'-fun & possibly needed! Hope the cold improves over the weekend!

Linda B said...

All the celebrations, even the days off, sound good, Anita. I do love those 'gifts of the Magi'-fun & possibly needed! Hope the cold improves over the weekend!

Margaret Simon said...

So proud of your student! Doing the happy dance with you.
Love that you were able to celebrate some of the little things this week, like a little love in chocolate.

Carrie Gelson said...

Hurray for this little reader! Everything is now different in her world.

Terje said...

Celebrating the success of your little reader together with you. Hip-hip-hurray.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your success with your student! It is so neat that you posted Forrest Gump with his box of chocolates quote. Truly, we never know what we are going to get in life. I like to think that as we pour ourselves into the lives of our students and our families, we will be rewarded in tangible and nontangible ways.

Leigh Anne Eck said...

What a great celebration with your reader! THAT is what makes teaching so rewarding. You and your obviously know each other very well! That part made me smile!

Julieanne said...

Love your reader. What an amazing accomplishment. Kudos to you for staying by her side as she grew. Tiny to start, but looks like she's growing big.