Learning Together....AWWWWW.

One of the major things I am learning during this beginning of the school year period is that first grade is teaching ME as much as it is teaching my youngins! I'm constantly adjusting things to better meet their needs and mine and I can really see things falling into place and working. Woohoo!

So, since we have been working a lot with the number 5 (discovering pentagons, finding different ways to break 5 apart, making different ways to show 5, etc.), I will share 5 things I have learned so far in first grade. 

1) Using paper isn't as easy as it looks. Do you remember learning that you couldn't just write diagonally down the middle of a paper and call it acceptable? Neither do I. But it turns out we learned that. Or at least my friends did this week!

2) My firsties really do care about me! I told them once that I like the mountains, and they draw mountains in  all their pictures. Every day someone asks me if I want a bite of their lunch because they feel bad that I bring the same thing for like 3 days in a row. The day after I had a doctor's appointment, one asked if I had to get any shots. Actually, he said, "How many shots did ya have to get yesterday?" It was pretty dang cute because no one had said anything about shots. For the record, I didn't have to get any. :) They show concern for me and they give me AWESOME hugs and they really brighten my day!

3) My line is not ever going to be 100% perfect... And that is okay. I'm coming to terms with the fact that having 19/20 of my kids NOT pretending to ice-skate down the hall is quite an accomplishment. After all, they're 6. School is barely 2 weeks in. And ice-skating is way more fun than walking. 

4) Talking to parents can explain A LOT. I've discovered all kinds of things about my kiddos by trying to establish a good relationship with parents. From allergies to parent problems and everything in between... It helps me help them SO much. I used to be really scared of parents, but I'm seeing that they are a huge resource!!!

5) No matter how crazy the world gets, kids are still kids. And kids are funny and weird. A quote to finish us off? "Ms. Stanton, can I have my treat?"

"What's your treat?"

"I wanna smell your hair!"

:)