You know it's going to be a good day when you walk in to find the class fish sunken to the bottom of the tank. RIP Nemo.

But the blessing was that today was a wonderful day, that this week has been a wonderful week, and that I feel a little more like a regular classroom teacher this week. Our compliment chain added 5 links today, and we are about halfway to the floor.

And this is a big

I don't like to give too many details because my kids deserve their privacy, but last week was one that I've prayed for and against all too often - I pray that my kids are never that hurt, confused, and and lost ... and I pray that the ones who need it will finally get the help they need. That's what last week was. For one of my kids, one you have all ready about all too often, hit a point that can only be described as traumatic. The amount of anger, loss, confusion, and terror in one child - that it can exist in a young child -- is a lifechanging thing to see. This little boy who has been robbed of life's most simple necessities and rights, who has been burdened with pain and abuse, and who has not only been served a life of hardness and despair but also lacks the mental and emotional abilities to deal with this life -- this little boy is one of mine and I watched him hit rock bottom last week without any understanding of why. It was one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life, and yet in a terrible way I was grateful. Because in this imperfect world, imperfect school system, imperfect school ... rockbottom is what it takes you get help, sometimes.

It breaks my heart how often we force people to lose it all before giving them a little to get by, that people are supposed to fall all the way before we pick them back up, even when we see it coming. I (and not just I) have been trying to get help and attention to this child for the last year, and all I get is "improve your classroom management" or "are you differentiating enough for him?"

Finally, this child is getting medical attention and psychological help to understand and deal with the biological and circumstantial burdens that have plagued his emotional intelligence. He came in today with a big smile, an Iron Man bookbag, and a feeling of gratitude that I've seen from him before. But never this big.

The rest of my week went fairly routine, with many ups and downs and a smooth course. Our grades were terrible on the Thursday Test Day after a short, rough week and a difficult concept (main idea). But it did help me refocus on purposeful, individualized academic plans once a lot of the help that needed to be given was.

And now this week, I keep moving my class forward as I watch our classrooms become more and more emptied. We are currently at less than half capacity, with only 10 regular classrooms plus pre-school. It hit home pretty hard today when one of my students, a favorite challenge of mine since last year, didn't return from last week and was taken off my roster. His house was in the crossfire of a neighborhood shooting last week, and the family had to relocate.

Devastating are the circumstances we find ourselves in sometimes. It's devastating that a little boy has to live a life so hard, especially when put on top of chemical issues that keep his emotional intelligence to be independently able to handle his experiences. It's devastating that Matthew had to be afraid in his own home, and is now no longer attending our school where he had a family - especially without a goodbye. And it's devastating that a school that has been the center of this neighborhood for over one hundred years now stands half-empty with the staff working its hardest to keep the doors open and the children learning inside.

Our kids need and deserve more than that.

Today is just going to be a little bit of a brag board. Wow, my kids have come SUCH a long way since I met them last year. They are incredible!

This week had an incredibly strong start. We had full days with clear, purposeful work that led us to real understanding and inquiry. All of my children were ready, all of my children were answering deeper questions about our reading, and all of our children were practicing asking why questions and because answers. One of my students who never ever ever follows our reading, raised his hand every day this week to answer at least one question about "Chyrsanthemum" (which is, by the way, the most awesome teaching book).

And while math is always the struggle because it is after our late recess, we did make much bigger strides this week. This week had rounding and two-digit addition on the planner, so to say that I approached Monday with a big of trepidation is an understatement at best. But, I have to say, the little buggers did really well. Some of my slower learners in math just got it right away, and watching their confidence shine all week as we got further and further in was amazing. One student in particular usually fidgets nonstop in class, is our class clown, and never does any work due to serious lack of confidence in school. This week he was really active in reading class and ROCKED rounding. I mean ROCKED IT! Four weeks ago he could not read the number "248" and yesterday in differentiated practice I gave him the advanced rounding sheet, and he rounded "248 to 250" with ease. It was AWESOME!

Watching my kids come around, showing their parents at Open House where their diagnostics had them when we met and where they are today ... it's an incredible experience. While I may disagree with many things that happen in my school, I will eternally thank my principal for allowing me to loop with this group of kids. Watching them go through 50 2-digit addition problems in a Quick Math quiz (and many of them with ease), watching them work in purposeful groups on their Story Maps, and watching them all try to pick chapter books in library time ... they may not be where they need to be, but they are going to be there.

And now that I've focused so much on their behavior and academics the past few weeks, I realize that this week their investment in me as their teacher, in understanding my true purpose for them and love for them needs to be a big focus. That's my big goal this week - more serious conversations with my children about my plan, purpose, and belief in this incredible group of children.

PS: Please check out my DonorsChoose project and give in any way you can. Spread the work. Right now we have decades old books that are falling apart and books at random levels. I'm requesting help financing a small project that will give my students a new leveled library so that each student can understanding where they are and where they want to be, and can grow in their reading by reading books at a level that will appropriately challenge them. PLEASE help get this project to its goal so that we can get to work!






It felt really good. No, the end of my week was no quite as stellar, but such is life (especially after a five-day week after a four-day week, a 13-hour day at school for me, and busy busy planning to stay on top of the good week).