A Teacher's Ruminations

One of my 7th grade students loaned me a crown shortly after the Christmas break. I'm supposed to wear it for the rest of this school year. You see, I've been proclaimed the queen of our class by my students. I've promised to be the best teacher I can be and to take their needs and interests to heart. I had to kneel down to take this oath. Shortly thereafter, my students decided that they would like to wear the crown on their birthdays.Then, one student put forth a motion about what they named "Crown Day" and the rest of the class took turns amending the motion. Several revisions and lots of conversations later, my class drafted and voted on our first class law. This process took place during our social studies class and in between a fire drill. It was a great experience in parliamentary procedure. Here's our class resolution. Crown Day! On people’s birthdays they will be allowed to wear the crown during class time. If their  birthdays are during ...

Going back to school after a long vacation is always hard. For me the winter break is particularly challenging as it's one of the few times that all five of us are together. After the holidays are over and my daughters go back to the US, it takes a few days for me to adjust to that empty feeling that invariably engulfs me wherever I turn. However, this year, I've been able to manage the shift from being with family 24/7 and no alarm clocks to spending most of my time with students and getting up early by hiding out in my classroom. Before you tisk tisk my decision, let me say that it has helped me transition back into the routine of school life. I have had two good days with my students and we have accomplished important work. Here's a list of the top five highlights of these past two days in no particular order: My 7th graders have started reading their books for our Mock Newberry Award. The teacher librarian at my school and I chose 15 books for my students to read...