Sometimes, my students are such ungrateful jerks that I don’t want to do anything nice for them. Other times, I get inspired. 

I just spent an hour creating a super-awesome Math textbook scavenger hunt for them to do with the sub while I am out Friday. Hopefully, they realize that I could have just left them a bunch of bookwork without any flair, but I doubt most of them will see it that way. At least I can feel happy about it!

As a 4th grade teacher, I am under a tremendous amount of pressure this year. The kids have to take the state test, which they must pass in order to pass 4th grade. I have no doubt that MANY of our kids will pass, but some of them came to me not knowing how to add or subtract, and I am not sure that I’ll be able to get them ready in time. The hardest part of preparing my students for standardized tests is improving their critical thinking skills. They struggle with that more than anything else, yet is an essential component of the test. It’s not enough to know how to multiply and divide 2 and 3-digit numbers; they have to be able to read a short paragraph, find the hidden multi-step problem, and solve it. I know that’s important for life, and that’s why I don’t feel as bad about “teaching to the test” (even though that’s not REALLY what I am doing, but I do have to present questions to them in a LEAP-like way, so that they can be successful on the exam). 

ANYWAY, I got a little sidetracked, but what I am trying to say is that I have been a little short on patience this year because I am stressed. When a child wastes my class time, I go a little crazy. I need to be a little more fun. This multiplication and division unit is killing me though. It’s like pulling teeth with some of them (because they refuse to go home and learn their multiplication facts, which would make all of our lives easier). Thank goodness it ends next Wednesday. BRING ON GEOMETRY! PARTY TIME!