Little Behind

Hey! So as usually I'm a little late on my blogging! I don't know why I can't keep it together this year! It has been such a busy school year though! Last week we had the Dr. Seuss week and our spring carnival and the week before we had dental health week and picture day. Mix into all that I had an informal observation.

During dental health week the kids learned all about teeth and why it is important to take care of them. When the dentist came to visit with her dental assistants they got to brush large teeth and a stuffed dinosaurs teeth. They were most excited about the awesome gift bags though. I wish I got a picture of the gift bags they were so cute! They were little bunny bags tied up in colorful ribbon with a toothbrush, toothpaste, stickers, and floss inside. I also get the Colgate Bright Smiles Classroom Kit for my class each year which includes books and toothbrushes for every kid in your class. There is just something about getting new toothbrush that makes kids smile. 

Later in the week I had an informal observation. It is the dreaded pop-in. At my teaching level I have two informals each year. One in the fall and one in the spring. Our assistant principal who is in charge of doing my observations (our admin team splits up who observes who) has been out on pregnancy leave since December. She did my other informal in October (awesome bat lesson) and then she told me she would do my other informal in March when she returned and my formal observation in April. 

Well that changed when we got a interim assistant principal. I've never heard of this before but he is a traveling assistant principal he covers people's maternity leaves and other long term leaves. So he came to our school for 9 weeks to cover for her leave. I was not under the impression he would do an observation on me because I don't have to have as many as some other teachers and I knew that he would be trying to get to all of those people. Let me just tell you I always felt really uncomfortable around him too because he came from a middle school and would never smile and isn't very friendly. So NOT elementary school. 

Anyways he popped in to my room one morning and came for our shared reading lesson on the story Lost! It's a fiction story about a bear who is lost in the city and a boy who tries to help him find his home. It's a cute story and my children did a fabulous job reading, asking questions, answer questions, participating, and doing their reading responses. It was a great lesson but I got applying level on my observation because my learning goal wasn't specific enough to my lesson. (Marazano stuff if you don't know it's cool you don't want too.) 

After the observation he sent me a very nice e-mail and ask me to meet with him the next morning. Now this does not usually happen at my school. We usually get an e-mail and just the observation form with comments. So I thought this is actually quiet nice or I'm in deep trouble. You know how it is when you're called in the principals office especially after an observation....oh the thoughts running through my mind. 

The meeting actually went well though and it turns out he is quiet the talker and a nice guy. It changed my whole perspective on him which was defiantly for the better. He actually did mention that I smile all the time and doesn't know how I keep my level of excitement while maintain a calm classroom environment with students who are engaged. (YEAH ME!) Sometimes you got be your own cheerleader! 

That all that has really been up with me! We have another big week coming up with St. Patrick's Day and our field trip to Gatorland! More to come about both! Have a lovely Sunday before you have to wake up extra early for school tomorrow!