i needed them

I drafted this post on March 1st. I kept waiting and waiting for the perfect time to post this because it means a lot to me and it is a vulnerable post. Now, it's March 31st, and so I've got to post it. When we are learning to be teachers, I feel something that is…

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“i tripped”

Yesterday, I introduced a new "check-in" chart, per say, to my students. The chart is called "Above the Line/Below the Line" and it is simply a vertical line with a perpendicular line in the middle. It's basically the right side of a full graph. The idea behind this is for students to be able to…

what they will remember

As I've been writing these posts about all of my experiences as a teacher and interactions with my students, I stopped and paused to reflect on what I remember of my teachers. Immediately, I go back to my fourth grade year. I don't remember a ton from that year - mostly certain smells, colors, and…

amnestic second chances

I was in the hallway talking with my principal and partner teacher, deciding what to do about a situation that occurred at lunch with one of our students. Therefore, my attention was off of my classroom. After that got taken care of and I was about to re-enter, I had another one of my very…

“teach me”

I always do a board message each day for my students to answer. Today's was "Thoughtful Thursday". Usually, I write, "What is something thoughtful you can do for others today?" However, today I wrote, "What is something thoughtful someone else has done for you this week?" in an effort to focus their attention on what…

a special moment

I had a special moment with a student today. Or, at least it felt special to me. He is one of my kiddos who is challenged by reading and therefore, really does not like it. He's also a talented hockey player. However, this student has put in A LOT of work this year and has…

the silent game

This was a very challenging week with my students. I love them dearly and have great relationships with them, which I think in turn has made them feel very safe to be themselves in my classroom. Of course, this is the goal. However, sometimes I feel students can get too comfortable and forgot to treat…

a short poem

She sleeps with notebooks books pens, and pencils next to her. Isn't that poetry? The words seeping Into her dreams. love always, caitlin

giggles

I think the most beautiful part of my day happened after lunch. Our students were filtering back to the classroom, getting what they needed, and going to the bathroom. One of our students - who talks a lot, asks endless questions about everything, helps us make sure we drink enough water in the day, you…

“you wouldn’t look good like that”

Today, my students had a "good" day. I put that in quotations because it was a good day for them and what works for us as a classroom community. Someone else might enter my classroom and say it was a "bad" day. Despite their good day, they were more chatty than normal. And, not just…