I was bored today. And frustrated due to the boredom. Every year, it seems as though by the end of 2nd grade, my kids are finally "getting it" and becoming so independent. When it feels like we are finally "there", the school year comes to a close and I get a new class.
I am always VERY excited about getting my new class. But, quickly, my excitement turns to frustration when I realize that I don't have almost-3rd-graders; I have pretty-much-1st-graders. They are very needy and aren't used to independence. The concept is completely foreign to them and they can't seem to make a single decision on their own. They try so hard to impress me (and they do!) but I long for the day when they start making educated decisions without having me walk through every step of the process.
This happens every year. And every year I am frustrated. When am I going to remember that this is COMPLETELY normal.
Back to today. We had a bat exploration unit this week because we found a bat outside of our school (as well as snakes and tarantulas). The kids were full of questions so we had "Bat Day" which turned into "Bat Week". It was actually pretty awesome and the kids did really well. They created these bat books and they are FULL of new information.
I wanted to give them a new way for them to account for their learning and to share what they did. I had them create podcasts using GarageBand. Last year, my kids had a blast doing this and I figured we could do these all year long. This year, the kids are NOT into them... AT ALL. It wasn't even cool in the slightest bit. One student even said to me, "This day is long. When do we get to go home?" That's what I was thinking... when will this day end? When do I get to go home? I hate those days. There's always Monday.
