Some blogs contain adorable printables and activities. Some blogs have great lesson ideas and clever organizational strategies. Some provide inspiration to be a better, more creative, more engaging, more technology-using teacher.
My blog may not have these things, but it does have wisdom. It has hard-earned wisdom that I have paid for with my blood, sweat, and tears this year. (Okay, I haven't bled. I've sweated and cried though.) Allow me to lay down a little of the wisdom I gained last week:
Wisdom #1: Class pets will die. This will probably occur riiiight about when most of the students are in love with aforementioned pet.
Wisdom #2: Every child in your class will have a theory about how the pet died. "T fed it an eraser." "N squeezed it too hard." "C poked it with a pencil." It's better to just say, "Hamsters just don't live that long. It was her time," and ignore these theories.
Wisdom #3: Children expect a respectful burial and funeral for the class pet. Under no circumstances should you suggest that you might throw the dead pet over the fence behind the school before it starts to smell. Never say that.
Wisdom #4: If, for some reason, you DO happen to throw the dead pet over the fence, lie about it to the kids. If you don't, children that you have never spoken to, never even seen, will approach you on your morning duty, at recess, and in the hallway to ask if you REALLY threw the pet over the fence. SAY NO.
Check back with me in ten years or so to see if I am creating instructional resources. Until then, feel free to learn from my mistakes.
Also, please enjoy this video one of my students made of me petting a a turtle and uploaded on MY youtube account, which I apparently left logged in- oops. I guess this means we'll be trying videos for our next project!
No comments:
Post a Comment