I Have the BEST Job...

Whew! I LOVE my little friends!!! We had such a fabulous week together! Lots of musical learning going on, plus --and I am extremely proud and I will be tooting my own horn on this one-- but my friends came back from the winter break and retained information!!!!

Now, I know that there are some pretty awesome kids out there that can do this with no effort at all, but my friends have seen their share of distractions. They go home each day not knowing if there will be food for dinner, not knowing if mom or dad will be doing drugs in the next room, not knowing where they will be sleeping that night, and somehow managing to get themselves up the next day to walk to school. I know I demand a LOT from my friends (all 400 of them), and I cannot begin to imagine the struggles they go through daily.

Kindergarten is doing one of my favorite lessons of the year. We read/sing the book together, Mary Wore Her Red Dress, play our circle activity, and the next lesson we create our own class book! I took individual pictures of each little friend, and once I print them out -- new class book! I have been thinking about creating music stations (possibly for those few days that I am out on professional development), but this book could be one of them!

I also put together a Lyric Station from short songs and rhymes that we've covered so far this year. I have one for my classroom, and made one for each first and second grade teacher as well. The students seem to really like them, but I haven't gotten to really see them in action!

OH!! I don't know how I could've forgotten!! (Even though this week has been the faster part of a whirlwind...) I have been funded for a grant!! I have been wanting to use a listening center in my classroom, and I can't wait to get started and put it to use! Woo hoo!!!!!

First graders took their first adventure with Freddie the Frog, but fourth and fifth grades are the ones who really wow-ed me. We played our first round of Music Round Robin and THEY ROCKED IT!!! Our fastest times were unbelievable! They were so excited to see their progress! After the cheers and smiles...... oh, I love it. I love it.

Tomorrow is our regional honor choir concert, and I hope it's another day of wonders! ...For the students and the teachers.