What a difference a day makes...

Was called to return to the third grade classroom.  I've been there before, with the young boy who can log us all into the computers and into the SmartBoard.  Welcome to the digital age where the young will surpass the (slightly) old! 
   I arrived early to check out the plans that were left (no surprise field trip today) and I headed down the back stairs to pick up the class on the playground...As they say my face and knew I was their "guest teacher" for the day, they cheered!  What a wonderful surprise welcome from the third grade class, after having left sixth grade a few days earlier - many of those kids had asked me "are you going to be here tomorrow?" (as in, We Hope Not!).  We headed up the to the third floor and I got some nice hugs as the kids entered the classroom.
   We did have one special treat in store for the day.  We were going to be able to watch a preview of the Public School Film Festival, we would watch the videos made by the kids at this school.  Some of my favorites: Never Say Never (about a young boy who doesn't give up when trying to learn to ice skate and learning to ride a bike), No Bully Club, and a take off of Lady Gaga where the kids made their own lyrics focusing on the wonderful world of  verbs (this was my favorite film!)...Great respectful listeners, cheering and laughing and great kids being supportive of each others efforts.
   We headed back upstairs to begin our work in reading groups.  Great organization - one group at reading table, one group working on independent work, one group working at individual work "choice" stations.  And, we rotate groups every 25 minutes...   We read a story about a young girl wearing a traditional kimono (gift from her grandmother) to school on the first day - how she was so proud and how some students teased her because of her strange clothing...Did we really know how well this would tie into our just having viewed the Bully Film?  I don't think so, but it was a really great discussion.  And, we also had an opportunity to talk about different cultures how we learn more about how our grandparents lived and where they came from (special traditions, special cooking, special celebrations..) 
    Twenty-two students, different skill levels, and yet, one teacher and one time block in which to get all students working toward goals.  Phew!  I'm a good rule follower, so detailed teacher notes are my best friend.  Not everyone likes to follow along, though - like the boy who sat on the floor during reading group and didn't want to read along (he did his independent work without balking, tho!), or the young girl who asked if she could take an optional cat-nap during the timed math facts practice (um,,unfortunately for her I had to decline), or the boy who activated his rubber bouncy ball during morning meeting when it really shouldn't have been seen until recess...Good efforts to push some boundaries by some members of the class, always nice to test a substitute's knowledge of the workings of the classroom!  And if you hesitate for even one moment, you'll have opened up chaos with twenty-two students telling you what you really should be doing! 
   It was a pleasurable day, lots of laughs (internal laughing, not laughing at kids), and at least this time I didn't go home with someone having thrown something at my head!