So Blessed...

            This week we lost another student.  My heart was broken because she was part of my Book Club, and she was finally getting to the point where she was comfortable enough to ask for help when she needed it.  We, my cooperating teacher and I, were not even aware that she would be leaving us until the withdraw notice came yesterday.  Monday was her last day.  I hope that she will excel in her new school.  She will be sorely missed!

            Yesterday, during the teacher workday, I was able to sit in on the team planning meeting.  The three 5^th grade teachers planned the next units for the remainder of the 2^nd nine weeks and the beginning of the 3^rd.  It was so comforting to see how they struggled and worked with one another to make the lesson plans (outlines really) come together.  It made me feel more at ease knowing that I have great sources to help me in my endeavors.  It also made me feel as if I was not alone in my own struggles to make a clear and concise lesson plan. 

            The high point of my day, which almost made me late to class, was listening to the curriculum facilitator and the 3 teachers come together to reform the guided reading groups.  It was reassuring to know that the teachers had some input in forming these groups and that it wasn’t just about EOG’s, lexile scores and SRI assessments.  I have seen in many schools where the teachers’ voices are not heard, and I am glad that this is not the case here.  The students are first listed by lexile and SRI scores, but then the teachers can say, “This one reads at a much higher level than the scores on paper.”  That way the student gets placed in the correct guided reading group, and there is room for them to grow or if they need to be placed in a lower group, that can happen as well.  The groups are not set for the whole year, as I have seen in other schools, and I think that is very important for the students to be able to move up or down as they need to, based on scores and performance.

            This week has been full of joys and sorrows, but, as my students have learned the past few weeks, we can persevere through the tough times to make it to the happier times.  If it were not for my love for these children and the passion I feel for helping them learn and learning new things myself from them, I do not think I would have made it this far into this semester.  I am just so blessed with this great group of children, fabulous cooperating teacher, and supportive colleagues.