I love my job....

It is the best job in the world.

OK, sometime it is hard for a teacher to say that, but so far for 5 weeks I have had the best job in the world. I LOVE what I do. Good grief I never thought I would feel that way again.

So, today, I am teaching the children of Green Acres about the Bill of Rights. We are having a blast. They are bringing up great questions and in general doing a wonderful job of discussing the first 10 amendments to the US constitution. Seriously, I am teaching 5th graders and they are coming up with wonderful examples.

I am using a book called "Adventure Tales in America" to help me teach the Bill of Rights. It teaching history in almost a cartoon form. I think it is set up great for the kids to learn. Anyway, in one of the pictures this guy is on a box labeled soap. Now that is important to know. These kids have never heard the phrase of getting on a soap box. I have to explain what the soap box means before they understand the cartoon. Then I had a student that I get a soap box for them to use when they want to state their opinion about something. WHAT A GREAT IDEA!?! So I am thinking about getting a box and label it soap for them to use if we debate. Seriously, these little people are neat. And if we don't ever use the soap box, it will just be a fun thing to have to remind the students of what "getting on a soap box" means.

Yesterday when we were going over Rules, Rights and Privileges...defining the words, then classifying things as each, the kids came across some things that were hard to classify. It is wonderful to hear them justify their answers. There was a light bulb moment for me though with one of my classes. I ask a student why they thought something was a privilege and not a right or rule. He paused (you know that deer in the headlights look) and I told him "You aren't wrong, I just want to know what you think". He looks at me, smiles and says "That gives me to confidence to tell you my thoughts." Light bulb moment....how often do we as teachers, parents or adults want to know what a kids thinks (just to get inside their head a little) but we don't let them know it is safe??? Think of how much more conviction our children could have for the things they believe in if we made it safe for them to speak their mind a little more often. I am going to strive to make my classroom a safe place for my students to speak up without fear of judgment so they can learn to advocate for themselves and tell people what they think with confidence.

Peace out my peeps....have a great HUMP day!