Disaster Strikes!

Today was supposed to be one of my easier days. I get to go into work late and leave early on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When I woke up this morning, I was anticipating a relaxing day. Little did I know how wrong I would be...

My first two classes I teach are Science classes. You'd think this would be quite simple, but here are the facts.
Fact #1: The A/C went out yesterday in the three middle classrooms, so since then, we've had to combine two classes together in the playroom at the end of the hall, rotating out every 40 minutes. The playroom is quite large, and you can probably imagine what kind of exciting distractions are in there...(slides, toys, monkey bars, Legos, sponge blocks...). Ideally, two classes go into the playroom and face in opposite directions, in the hopes that the lesson can still be taught and the children will be focused.
Fact #2: Science class doesn't involve a book of any sort, or even much discussion at all. It's purely hands-on, arts and crafts kinds of activities, where the students learn through making something and using it.
Fact #3: My students are 4- and 5-year-olds.
Fact #4: Today...we made bottle rockets...

As you can see, this was a complete disaster waiting to happen. I managed to keep my students focused for the first half of the lesson. We went step-by-step, only taking rockets pieces out of our bags when Jamie Teacher took them out of her bag. The students were SO EXCITED because I had demonstrated what their rocket would look like at the end. I even shot the rocket off once so the students would be more engaged and motivated to make one of their own. We had just finished putting all the pieces together, when the last piece came out of the bag. This piece required those sticky dots that come pre-stamped on a slip of paper. The students tried to take the sticky dots off themselves, but soon realized they would need my help. While I was helping other students, two of them decided they would wander over to the playground area and check out the monkey bars. I was able to call them back over and get them focused again, only to find that the students who had finished were now shooting their rockets off all over the room, with no care at all about the other class in the playroom. Students began arguing over whose rocket was whose, and then...the tears came.

I quickly managed to organize the class into separate lines, and we had everyone count down together from five. Then, one at a time, each person would shoot off their rocket, and we would measure how far it went. The kids were really into it and couldn't WAIT to have a turn! And then, I was saved by the bell! Another one of those Science classes was next, but at least I had learned from my first time around, right?

By the time I finished my second Science class, I was completely exhausted. Luckily for me, the students were having a great time making the rockets, and they were so happy. And...it was my lunch time. I went to lunch with Angie Teacher, the one who goes to the same church as me. We took a break and relaxed a bit after we finished lunch. Then, it was back to the school!

My next two classes were Arts and Crafts. I TOLD you Tuesdays and Thursdays were supposed to be easier for me, right?! No. Way. I taught Arts and Crafts, and we were making caterpillars today. I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar book to the students first, and then we made our own caterpillars. Of course, we can't possibly just have a pre-cut caterpillar with glued on legs. Nooo....We have to use scissors (a skill that my students have yet to fully master) to cut out the bubble-shaped caterpillar body. No straight lines, all curves. After we finish THAT, we can't just glue on some legs and be done. Nooo...we have to use metal brads and individually attach each leg to the body, without poking any extra holes in the caterpillar or tearing a leg. And, obviously, my kids can't do this on their own without ripping anything. This Arts and Crafts activity quickly became the Jamie Teacher activity, while the students lost interest. Wonderful. Perhaps next time I'll have to create my own caterpillar that's much easier for my students to put together. At least their mommies and daddies will be proud! :)

After Arts and Crafts, I had a break. Lisa Teacher and I escaped to a coffee shop close-by. We talked about how ridiculous these Science classes and Arts and Crafts activities are. They are very impressive when they're finished, but definitely not practical or age-appropriate for our students.

My last two classes of the day were older students who had BOOKS!! :) They went by very smoothly, and all the students were really focused. In my last class, we finished reviewing for their test later this week, so we played a board game. It was really fun, and I realized how competitive they were! They took the game very seriously and didn't cut each other any slack if they mispronounced a word or used strange words in a sentence. Little did they know, I had created this board game as another way for them to practice for their test. I think it was so effective, I'll start using these kinds of board games on all their review days. It proved to be quite helpful!

At 5:15pm, I was basically running from the Teacher Room to head home. It had been a long, exhausting day, and I was ready to relax. I went home, made dinner, and watched a movie on my computer. When my movie finished, I got up to wash my dishes. Washing dishes soon turned into completely cleaning the entire kitchen, going through all the cabinets, and reorganizing the shelves. This was a task I had been putting off since I'd moved into my apartment. It was a complete mess, and I didn't know where to start with any of it. For some reason, I decided that tonight would be a good time to do it. Two hours later, I now have a clean, organized kitchen. I'm even more tired, but it's been a really productive day. I'm thankful that my Tuesday's over, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow!! :)