This week was the first week of MEAP testing for my class. Testing week(s) are always rough on the kids, because they hate it --- and I can feel for them, I remember taking these tests in school. A new thing for me this year was the lack of snacks for 5th grade. I remember getting snacks after MEAP in 5th grade, but since we are part of the middle school...we are too mature for snacks. Poor kids.
In the midst of testing, the kids were troopers as I worked my hardest to keep the rest of the day active and engaging to offset the silence of the testing times. We added a new friend to our class this week - his name is Geoffrey.
He's a human anatomy model, with removable organs/bones. I am head over heels in love with him and he has taken our science study up like 100 levels! We have been learning about the systems of the human body and now, Geoffrey offers us a hands on approach to learning the pieces of these systems. Today our discussion on the brain/nervous system was awesome because I was able to take out Geoffrey's brain and pass it around, so everyone could see a cerebellum up close. :) SO SO COOL.
Sadly, I do have 2 students who are TERRIFIED of Geoffrey and they refuse to look at him. It's slightly adorable to watch them stare in a completely different direction as I talk about Geoffrey -- and they are so polite when they say, "Ms. Brown, can we get that out of here...it's kind of scaring me a lot."
I am enjoying just having discussions with the kids and sharing with them the things that I think are awesome --- like the brain. We talked about tumors, brain surgery, concussions, and how all of these things can affect the brain. They love it, I love it -- everyone is ecstatic.
In case you weren't aware. October is National Anti-Bullying month. We have been really emphasizing the importance of creating a positive climate in the classroom and today we watched a video during our Advisory time. It's amazing how smart these kids are and how well they can verbalize their suggestions and they had really great ideas. One boy suggested that to stop bullying you, "just don't bully." So profound. Here is the video we watched -- if you haven't seen it, check it out and pass it on! Bullying is a serious problem in our society and the aftermath of it is tragic.
Life is good. The weeks are flying by and I've never been happier. :)
I went to a student's soccer game this week -- such a great perk of being a teacher. Go Comets!
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