Our Place In Space

Today was a HUGE day. After a couple rough days, Shannon and I were able to pull together an amazing lesson called Our Place In Space that had the kids absolutely enthralled. We have had the task of integrating a social studies unit into a classroom where little to no social studies is to be found. This has been a challenge, however today our master teacher set aside an hour for us to introduce our unit on the globe and maps. Although there were a few hiccups, overall the lesson was extremely successful with few things we would change. Then as we were teaching, Shannon was called to substitute in another classroom- completely unprepared. It was very exciting. I was able to visit the classroom, and boy did she have her hands full, however she said that in the end it was a great experience. As for myself, I am still deciding if the initial $100 is worth spending to get the substitute permit, but a day like this really makes me feel that it would be worth it. Another event that occurred today that was especially key in making this day memorable is that our master teacher discovered that our class overall is substantially lower then all the other second grade classes. This was good information to hear so that we as the educators could go from where we are and have a reasonable goal. Also, this information really shed light on why we have been so challenged with certain groupings of children. The challenge is coming purely because these are students who are truly struggling with so many educational concepts, and although this should only effect one part of their learning, it effects EVERYTHING from their morning, how their behavior is, what they listen to, who they work with, etc. Knowing the details about how much lower these students really are, should help us reach them more accurately. So to close the busy week and the oh so successful last two days, it has been the worst week and the best week wrapped in one, and i look forward to starting Monday with a little more knowledge under my belt, and a bit more confidence in my step.