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Saturday, October 18, 2014

#celebratelu2104 Moments

Ruth Ayers continues to challenges us to take a few minutes each Saturday and Celebrate the Week.  I have a "to-do" list a mile long and laundry a mile high, but I have a few things I want to celebrate, anyway.  
  • There were nine (9) accidents on the way to work one day this week and I was late for school. While traffic was a nightmare as we all struggled to regain time, they were just fender benders and thousands of us made it to work a bit stressed, but unharmed. It could have been much worse on a dark, rainy, leaf-strewn highway.  I told myself I deserved one (1) pumpkin flavored D & D coffee one (1) day this fall as a reward for my careful driving!  
  • As I finished a reading record on one of my struggling readers, I realized he had grown from a level D (92%) a month ago to a level E (94%) now.  As is often the case with kids who struggle with reading, he was reading a text he had seen before.  The best part was his comment at the end.  "This used to be hard for me. Now I can read it."  He was too happy to see the tears well in my eyes as he reached for a pencil he knew he had earned.
  • As part of my Beginning Reading and Writing class, I always teach one class around phonics.  I try to do hands on projects and use real materials that allow my grad students to try experience the subject outside of a theoretical framework.  Yet, they always seem to glaze over one hour into the class. This week, I brought some "concrete reinforcements" (candy) that I passed out throughout the evening for "hard work, great answers, and good effort" to make it fun!  I was reminded that even grad students, hungry ones in particular, will wake up and work much harder for a tiny Tootsie Roll!  One of my students will forever more be knows to me as "candy girl."  


4 comments:

Michelle Haseltine said...

Oh I love those moments when our students notice their success!!! Those are the best days! I also love your perspective on the morning of many accidents...and yes, get that coffee soon! So glad you're driving safely and all were safe. Have a great day!

Terje said...

I am glad you are celebrating. I hope that your to-do list and laundry pile get smaller. Wishing you some time to breathe and relax.

Ruth Ayres said...

Anita,
Thank you for being faithful to celebrations. Laundry is my nemesis!I love the moments you selected to celebrate.
Ruth

Ramona said...

Those concrete reinforcements during evening classes are the best! I remember my evening grad classes - the time stretched out interminably, especially since most of us were on second shift by then.
I love delivering cookie bars on random Friday afternoons to my old school. Everyone loves them - one week I brought cookies and milk, no better way to celebrate the end of the week.