Candy Land?

I had an amazing long weekend away in Wasilla/Anchorage.  I brought back a few goodies for the kids.  Two weeks ago my mom sent a Candy Land game for the kids.  Well they were all gaga over playing Candy Land.  So, I made sure to pick up an extra Candy Land game when I was off Black Friday shopping.   I also picked up a few candy canes.  During an independent reading time I was so impressed with two kids that stayed on task the whole time.  I gave them my new treat (candy cane) and told the other kids they could earn one during math.  One kid took forever finishing up math and when he did he told me this, "I never got candy land".  I asked him "do you mean a candy cane"?   He looked at me like I was crazy and then said "yes, I never candy land".  

Doodle

I have been working hard on getting my students to be able to sound out words and learn some high frequency words.
I have learned something about kids this week.  They love stickers and they yell the word they think it is with some serious conviction.

So, yesterday I had a group of three students in the library with me.  We had their reading books and I would read the story to them.  I was stopping on "random" words and the first kid to tell me the word gets a sticker.  One student had his knees on the book and was staring intently at me.  I had to tell him, "I don't have the words written on me, you have to look at the book".  He starts to get a bit perturbed since one of the other students is getting a good amount of stickers.  Here comes a major sigh and then I have to remind him that the other student is following along, that is how he is getting all the words.  This students is bound and determined he is going to get a word.  He stares intently at the book and I stop at the word "of".   He shoots his head up and yells "doodle".  I tell him "no, that is not doodle, that is of".  We continue on and I stop at the word "the" he shoots his head up and yells "can", again I tell him "no, that is the".  We continue on and I stop at the word "to".  He shoots his head up and yells "doodle".  I can no longer take it and I just start laughing.  I tell him "no, this story does not have doodle in it".  Needless to say I broke my teacher mode and then proceeded to crack up at a few other words the kids were yelling out.  The kids laughed with me, but I have a feeling they did not really know why I was laughing.

Stranded..... Sort Of

On Thursday I got an email asking if I would like to help chaperone for the NYO (Native Youth Olympics) on Friday and Saturday in Bethel.  Sounded like a nice idea to be able to get out of the village for a little bit over a day.  We were going to head back home today at 2pm.   The weather has other ideas.   Right now the wind is just howling outside and it sounds like it is not going to stop.


What does that mean?  Another night sleeping at the school here in Bethel.  I really can't wait till I get back to my bed.

Now, I could be stranded in a much worse of a place.

I have good internet

a coffee shop not too far away

a Subway restaurant

multiple grocery stores

and a warm place to sleep.


I will try not to complain!

Power Outages and Pancakes?

Last night the power went out in our village for a little bit.  It was pitch black.  Guess who was prepared and who was not?  I will give you a hint, it was someone other than me.

Must get flashlight.  I had to use the light of my computer to get ready for bed.  Not fun.  

This morning I decided to mix things up.  I normally make pancakes on Sunday.  This Sunday I decided I would try something different.  I made biscuits and gravy.  My first attempt at making gravy and I think it went well.  

Dangers of living in Alaska

Today I figured out some dangers about living in Alaska.

I woke up to a blizzard warning.  Blowing snow and some nice winds.  It was interesting walking to school.

Another danger is ordering things off the internet.  I found myself on I Tunes.  I wanted to see the new Gavin DeGraw album, then popped up a link to One Republic, and the Fray.  Needless to say, I am a proud owner of all of those now.  I am sure it evens out since I haven't been in a store for a few months.

Then I went online to check my email.  I was trying to be quick so I could get done with my lesson plans.  I saw an email from my sister about a link for a contest on Pottery Barn kids.  Win a trip to the arctic.  To be funny, I sent this response back to my sister "Why would I want to win this?  I live in the arctic", and I hit send.  My email asked me do I want to add Pottery Barn Kids to my contact list.  I then realized I just responded to Pottery Barn and not my sister.  My response was "Nooooooooooo" and then some good laughter.  I am sure I will be disqualified from that contest!

The power of a first grader

We have a plan in the school if a student is being a disruption that they will be sent to another class.  Most of the time the kids come into the room and get the work done that they need to do.  It is actually very effective.  For this story I have removed any names to protect the innocent and not so innocent.

I had a 6th grade student come into my class to finish their work.   Here is how it went down.

6th Grader: (walks into the room and just grabs a seat that is open)

1st Grader whose seat is taken: (is on the floor with another teacher unaware his seat was just taken)

1st Grader: (gets up to go back to his seat)

6th Grader: (makes no move to get out of 1st graders seat)

1st Grader: (comes up behind 6th Grader and points to his desk)

6th Grader: (still not moving)

1st Grader: (taps the chair and begins to pull it out)

6th Grader: (gets out of 1st Graders chair and has to walk across the room to get another chair)

Needless to say I was trying not to laugh when I saw this interaction.  Nice to see someone is not buying a tough student act.

Halloween Fun

My roommate and I made cupcakes for our classes.  They were a hit.   The frosting was suppose to be black and orange.  It was more like grey and peach.   Halloweenish, sort of.

Jill and I had big plans for our Halloween costumes.  The result was a bit different.  We were suppose to be night and day.  This was the result.

We look more like some sort of super hero wannabes.  Oh well, as a teacher would say, A for effort.

Here is the end result of all the Halloween fun and hard work to get all those cupcakes to school.