The Big Announcement

Me: I have something special that I would like to tell the class.
Student: Oh, this must be good.
Me: It is great news for me and very exciting. I want to tell you all that I am having a baby in May.
Student: Sweet! We will have a substitute and less homework!
Me: Unless the substitute gives you more homework. (Student grimaces.)
***The sound of gears turning in students heads is almost audible.***
Student: So... Is the baby already in your belly?
Me: Yes, but it's only about this big (motion with fingers about 3 inches)
***Audible gasps and sounds of disbelief from the crowd.***
Student: May I tell the class something?
Me: Sure.
Student: That baby started out even smaller than an ant. (Others give ponderous looks.)
Me: So the baby has a lot of growing to do.
Student: So... Do you have to be married to have a baby?
Me: Well, no, but you have to love someone a lot.
Student: So... Did you have to go to the doctor to ask to have the baby?
Me: No, I didn't go to the doctor until I knew I was going to have the baby.
Student: Well, I am very glad for you that you are having a baby.
Girl Student: I hope it's a girl.
Boy Student: I hope it's a boy.
Final Student: I don't ever want to have a baby. It's going to hurt a lot.

Dear Soldiers

Thank you for giving peace to the world.
My favorite color is purple.
Great job. Keep working hard.
I collect finger puppets.
Do you like puppets?

Thank you for keeping our country safe.
If you're losing in war tell the mistle company
to make a powerful mistle to blow up the enemy base
in 1 second.
I hope you have a happy holiday.

Thank you for saving our country and being so brave.
Can you keep working hard?

Keep up your braveness.

Love, Your Second Grade Fans

What's not to like?

I asked my kids to journal today about what they don't like.

Most answered things like broccoli, or spinach, or mushrooms because they're slimy.

One answer broke my heart.

"I don't like smoking and garbage on the ground.

I don't like pollution and I don't like to see people die.

I don't like to hear what happened in Haiti.

There was an earthquake

but we can fix it.

We can fix everything that needs help."

Thanks goodness for this generation of hope.

Let's all do what we can to fix it.

and what my kids are up to

Country School students donate to TIS

Published: Thursday, March 5, 2009 8:41 AM CST

EASTON Second graders at The Country School in Easton have collected nearly 20 boxes of food and raised $300 for Talbot Interfaith Shelter.

Students of Emily Cranwell and Diane Klingelhofer chose TIS as their service project for the year, and have been working since the beginning of January to support Talbot County's first emergency cold weather shelter.

The students and parents recently held a Valentine's Day bake sale that raised $300 for the shelter. Classes have also been collecting breakfast and lunch food items in the classroom, and families have signed up to provide perishable foods such as milk, fruit and lunch meat. The classes have collected enough to provide at least two boxes of food to TIS each week.

Canned goods and other nonperishable foods that TIS isn't able to use have been donated to the Neighborhood Service Center in Easton, said Cranwell, who is also the TIS site coordinator for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Easton.

To support the food drive, the second graders created posters to hang inside the halls of The Country School, and are also sorting the donations by food groups, a topic they are studying this year.

TIS, which will remain open until the end of March, is also in need of monetary donations, both to expand its services in the future and meet current needs.

"All donations are being put to good use," said John Hobson, TIS program coordinator. "For example, along with The St. Vincent De Paul Society, we are supporting a family at a local motel until we have room for them at our facility or until DSS can find them housing. This was not part of our original plan, but it's very hard to turn families out into the cold once you have begun to work with them."

Pictured from left are Country School second-graders Morgan Smith, Charlotte Oxnam, Olivia Keller, Samantha Gang, Malachi Graham, Lou Britton, Henry Esterson and Eddie Quick.

Be Ware

Be Ware.
Don't say that the kids didn't warn you about the sharks in here.
We had full size creatures of all shapes and sizes-
tiger sharks, dolphins, manatees, sea horses, puffer fish, angler fish...
you name it.

After a quiet year feeling my way in a new school,
I am happy to be back at home working
at what I feel I do best.
Designing developmentally appropriate projects
and engaging kids in creating a vision.






The technology at me new school is really what takes it to the next level.
Researching on the computers and
creating posters in microsoft publisher...

but really, its just about watching kids do their best work
because they care about what we are creating.

and the public-
i.e. the rest of the school community-
lavished them all in praise
well deserved.

I am a happy teacher this Friday.
I've earned my week-end.

a glittery day

a perfect day at work involves a whole lot of glitter and the joy that it brings.

we made cards to send to the troops in iraq, and after writing letters,
that included messages like:
you are pure awesomeness
you are army strong
shoot the people in iraq with your tanks
i want to be in the air force one day and maybe i will meet you
and
i'm sure your family misses you but hopefully you have friend who will stand up for you.

we created our snow scenes,
and added a full dose of glitter.

add holiday music and a boy who intentionally filled his head of hair with glitter
and you have pure magic.

self-flattery

well, it's not self flattery if i post someone else's words...

tomorrow is the last day of school and I asked the kids to write about what they liked best.
here's my favorite, self-inflating, answer:

My absolute favorite thing about second grade was having Mrs. Cranwell as a teacher. She helped us with math and language arts. She helped us with our lines in the play. She made second grade possible.

We raised money for the Chesapeake bay and Mrs. Cranwell helped with that as well. She helped us with the volcano we made. She cheered for us on field day. We traveled to Mexico and Kenya and she helped with that, too.

She helped us research animals. She helped us when we raised our hands and she would answer us. She would set examples when we most needed them. She supported us when we did our play and if we were stuck on a word, she would help.

September was the month of meeting her. My favorite part of second grade was having Mrs. Cranwell for a teacher and all of the memories I have of her.

(photos taken by students)

simple gifts

conferences can test a teacher's capacity for handling stress.

i survived my day with
regular coffee
sliced oranges
a beautiful bouquet of flowers
ibuprofen
chinese food
a coke
and a simple gift of fresh asparagus.

its the little things that keep me going.

feliz navidad

i am on break!
i am free!

our final day was celebrated in mexican style,
(sombreros, serapes, robozos)
complete with Las Posadas, a procession with mary and joseph seeking an inn,
and ending with a place to stay in the gym,
complete with pinata.

our afternoon was full of christmas cards and gifts
and chipmunk christmas carols
and guacamole and salsa
and inflatable cacti, to complete the effect.
what a day.

i am so happy to be at home and relaxed and at peace.
i am ready to celebrate.

we leave tomorrow for chicago
and our days will be full of little ones
and snow
and gift wrapping
and family
and love.

Rock On

When we studied rocks, we wrote rock stories... of all kinds.

I thought I'd share a few that I had typed up.

Its so amazing to be a teacher

and watch what these kids create.

Rocky and the Rock Band

Rocky was a dog, just a dog, until one day a rock band came by. They said “Do you want to join our band?” Rocky said “yes.” Rocky played the drums. George played the guitar. Henry played the drums with Rocky. They got put on T-shirts and hats. They got put on TV. They traveled all over the world. They wrote a song called Learning in the Car. They decided to name their band Rock Out. The End.

D's Rock Book

The bank was robbed. “It’s time for a bat case. To the Rock Mobile!” “There they are!” “You will never get us,” said the robbers. SMASH! “The robbers got caught,” said Bat Rock.

The Stolen Wife

It was night when Rockman’s wife got stolen. He was asleep. The Rock was mad. He was on the case. He found tracks which led to the mystery man’s house. Rockman took care of him. Then in happened again. He left his wife there.

first snow

It came down yesterday
and the kids were beyond excitement.
Catching snowflakes in their mouths,
scrounging snow off of benches to make snowballs.
Their energy level was off the walls,
with snowflakes melting in their hair,
and all of us traipsing back inside, wet and tired.

Last night at home,
there was a hush.
The snow still fell lightly
the tea kettle whistled
the iron steamed
the incense burned.

This morning, there is only a dusting, ice, and a two hour delay.
I am sipping my coffee
feeling rejuvenated.
It was a day when I woke up before the alarm went off anyway.
I made my phone tree calls,
greeted with excitement and negativity,
and was reminded once again, that i wish i had a waffle maker.

Now I brace myself for another day,
beyond excitement.

exhaustion

first, i apologize for my MIA status as of late.
i am exhausted.
happy, but exhausted.

things feel abundantly joyful around me,
peace and happiness at work,
a caring community of friends, new and newer,
kids who follow directions,
praise from my supervisor at work,
hope for new things to come.

today i went on a fieldtrip
with 34 children and 22 chaperones.
we were spoiled.

my partner and i wandered around the
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
looking at gems and dinosaurs
amazing photography
and were just filled with wonder for the world around us...

while the parents all had their kids.

we drank coffee in the cafe,
and shared jelly bellies...
savoring each new flavor
and loving to guess what each one would be.

a return to childhood,
a day to enjoy the support around us,
and sip a cup of coffee with a new work friend.

How do grown-ups change?

After reading a social studies passage about "growing and changing" the kids were asked,
"How do adults change?"

The top three answers were:
1. They run slow.
2. If they drink alcohol.
3. They do it and then they don't have any energy.

Kids crack me up.

parade of parents

its conference time again.

exhausting, challenging, tiring

this smile is enough to make my cheeks sore for the next two days.

we met until 8 last night and we go all day today.

i love the chance to communicate,

but i am never quite sure how what i have said has been interpreted.

and then there's the girls' cliques and clubs to work out-

ah, second grade.

my husband was sweet enough to brighten my day.

my business:

the calender marks all the fun we are having, birthdays and conferences, picture day, and ice cream parties, programs on bullying, and then halloween, of course.

all, of course, as we finish out our rock theme and move into dinosaurs.

i am in preparation for boy nephews, i suppose... all these dinosaurs.

the things we learn when we're teachers...

comparison

well, in reading this post by karen, i thought it would be fun to do a comparison shot in my classroom. while karen teaches kindergarten, and i am teaching second grade, our kids do some things the same. white boards. kids love 'em. my kids have a bit of free time to use them when we finish a math activity that requires them, and so the other day, i took some pictures just for fun... just for comparison.


its so fun to see how such things change over time...


and how trends catch on...


and how they are all just so darn cute.


and does it get any cuter than this?
at parent night tonight (a teacher's most difficult day of the year in my opinion) a parent told me that her daughter came home on the first day of second grade and told her mom that the very best part of school was listening to my voice.
really, does it get any sweeter?

i adore these kids.

my first week

its been a roller coaster ride of emotion this week.
monday we were off, but i was nervous as h---, so not too relaxed.

tuesday was our first day and we were off to a running start.
after all,
kids are kids,
anywhere you go.
and these kids were ready.
one pair of teary eyes
and lots of smiles as they came to be a part of "our" classroom.
i could not have felt more welcome.
i was given apples-
and two sets of flowers this week.
one delivered at the beginning of the week as a welcome
one at the end because i made it through my first week there.

and i did make it through.
and i made it through happily.
i was more nervous the second day than the first, now a bit more sure of what to expect
but not how i would handle it all.
but, by the end of the day, i was feeling old hat.
kids are kids,
anywhere you go.

confidence and kindness, kindness and confidence.

i made 17 new little friends this week.
how i love learning the intricacies of each of their personalities
and how they will all work as a group.
we are developing a community at rapid speed.
and we are getting along.
and we are able to work quietly and independently.
and we are able to set goals for ourselves this year.
and i was able to see at least one light already go on for child.
its a magical moment when you see it light up their face with understanding.

and so i have also been loving my increased amount of planning time during the day
and the help of an assistant,
a wonderfully competent and organized and thoughtful assistant.
and i have enjoyed coming home
after such a short drive
and breathing deep breaths
and feeling relaxed and calm.
its almost joyous.

kindness and confidence.

kindness and confidence

nina has a habit of making me think at times.
(time referenced in this post not pictured)

this time, when she came up with another personal mantra,
it made me wonder,
what is my mantra?
i needed a mantra.
i didn't have a mantra.
the panic of lack of self-definition set in.
where was my mantra?

today i heard it.
i went to service with todd,
a new and peaceful ritual that we have added to our sundays.
its a diverse group,
full of open minds.
including the couple that wears their renaissance clothing,
and us, sitting in the back.

anyway, as the school year is starting,
the mantra that i heard was
kindness and confidence.
and immediately, i realized that this is my mantra.
my calling.
what i spend my energy seeking and instilling.
as i enter the next few weeks of school
the first weeks of school,
these will be the only things that matter.
they will be the curriculum.
including mine.
kindness and confidence.

laughter and pride

laughter is coming more easily
more deeply
more freely

i am feeling relaxed.



my principal also just called to tell me that my class performed
*by far*
the best in the school
on the required tests this spring

i am feeling proud.

schoooool's out for the sum-mer

its' over!
what relief!
i did it.
i survived.
looking back to august, i wasn't really sure if i could...
but i did.

i am so very relieved.
i am waiting for the relaxation to sink in.
i am waiting for the stress to melt away.
deep breaths.

i am really off.
i am really on vacation for the next ten weeks.

this is one of the best parts of being a teacher.


yesterday was the last day and they reminded me of the other good parts too.

my favorite quote for the day was:
Mrs. Cranwell, I don't think I turn into anything at night. not really.
I do have a magic tree in my backyard, though.
It has knots on it and when you rub them with your eyes closed and make a wish,
then you can become that on the next full moon. You turn into it.

I also asked my kids why they thought I was feeling sad and proud and happy... and my favorite answer was one that I was happy that they remembered...

Mrs. Cranwell, you are happy because now you can sleep. You can sleep late and you can take naps.

How well we all know one another after a full year!

i'm out

well, there is an announcement that i have had to wait to make on here...
i am out to my boss, so now it can be said:

I have a new job!!!
Of course, it starts next year, but I am grateful to be able to say that I found a position at the local private school and I am really excited.


I have been working in a public school and have had an awaking this year. It has been continually challenging, working with some very low income families and very needy kids- behaviorally, emotionally, and academically. So, there is a lot to deal with daily. I have grown tremendously because of it, but the stress has been difficult and the feedback has been almost non-existent (which is hard for someone like me who really needs it on occasion). I haven't been impressed with the tenor of the school community... and its been hard to not feel supported.

Anyway, all that has led me to a job search and being hired at the local private school. I feel a bit like I am taking the "easy way out", but I am looking out for myself in a lot of ways. The school looks great. they are well-established and the salary is good (which is unique for private schools). They were impressed with me in my first interview (and told me so) and then brought me back for a full day interview. I interviewed with most people in the building for 20 minutes at a time (each grade level, specialist teachers, etc.). I taught a sample lesson that they observed for the classroom that would be mine. They spoke with the director at my last job and by the end of the day I was exhausted.

They sat me down and asked me my feelings on the school and the teacher who would be my grade level partner. Then the headmaster immediately said "Well, I know right now I want to hire you." "This is only once of two times in my career that I have ever offered someone the job on the spot but we are very impressed with you. After observing your lesson and speaking with M (my old boss) we truly feel that you would be a great fit here. We have interviewed a lot of people for this position and they were all qualified, but we feel that you truly have a GIFT that we want you to use here."

Now, let me tell you that this was the highest praise I have received in my professional career and truly felt redeemed after feeling so challenged in this past year. So I feel like it will be a great move. Its a second grade position and I will have a half day aid and 17 students... I am also looking forward to the 5 mile commute rather than the 25 mile one that I currently drive everyday. With all this in place, I am still working hard where I am, but with the hope of better things to come.