Over vacation, my sister Robyn (a preschool and ballet teacher) and I talked about a class she took. The question posed of all participants was: What inspires you? We talked about how we have the inclination to throw out the usual answers – our children, our students, music, etc… But the answers we talked about didn’t seem specific enough….
Specifically, what is it about our family, or our students, or anything else that inspires us? What is it that inspires people to run a marathon, to fight an illness, to create a masterpiece, to overcome adversity in life? The answer is different for each individual.
Even more important, what inspires our children? In the “Self-Esteem Pie”, I believe inspiration is one of the necessary slices. Feeling inspired is motivating, it cultivates creativity, and it is a very powerful feeling for children.
For example, Kendyl is currently inspired by everything having to do with The Beatles. Her inspiration reaches far beyond the band itself to include topics such as England, Germany, the BBC, guitars, poetry, the 1960’s, etc… Her confidence level soars when she can make connections to that which inspires her.
So, what inspires you? What inspires your child? Spend some time talking about it… you’ll be glad you did!
What’s to Come:
🙂 Please don’t make me write June dates on our calendar!! I love your children this time of year, but looking at June on the calendar makes me very sad. 🙁
🙂 Today, my friend Jerry Blumengarten visited our classroom (see pics below). He shared his enthusiasm for writing with my little friends in Room 204 and I felt so proud, having him visit. Talk about exciting!! Check out “CybraryMan” online, and see what all the inspiration is about!
Stand Tall,
Mrs. Brooks
One of my VERY favorites. I think you people are ready!
Homework?? Ugh. Yes, there’s homework:
Here are some pics from this morning’s author visit by Jerry Blumengarten!
Introductions
Great questions and answers by 204 Friends!
Talking about the writing process - lots of work, lots of fun!!
It was exciting to meet an online friend in person!
During computer lab today, students created a “thank you” card on Wallwisher – check it out!!
http://wallwisher.com/wall/Thanks2CybraryMan
And last, but not least – I received my first Paper Tweet, hee!!
The kids got a kick out of this 🙂
Hi Mrs.Brooks!,
I just got home from gymnastics and I am eating a donut!! I haven’t eaten dinner yet! I AM REALLY HUNGRY!!!! Have u seen the hunger games yet?? I almost did but my mom doesn’t want to sit down in a movie theater for 2 an 1/2 hours long but I have a feeling that it would be worth sitting through! Well got to go eat dinner see u tomorrow! Sorry I can’t help u!:( but I love having recess and I work so hard that I really want to go outside!
Love,
Casey the awesome one!
Hi there Awesome Casey,
First off, don’t even apologize for not coming in to help during recess. We all deserve a break from our hard work everyday. Enjoy your recess time, your friends and the fresh air!
The Hunger Games – I took Kendyl and Carson to see it when it opened. I think it was a wonderful movie, but it is very, very intense. I think your mom is a clever lady, waiting until it comes out on DVD. My guess is that she wants to see it before you, because she’s smart like that.
Donut for dinner? Yum! I had a butter crunch donut this morning – so bad for me, but it was good! Mrs. Gagne is driving me to work tomorrow, I hope she’ll stop at DD’s so I can get my iced coffee (no donut, though).
Have some dinner and head to bed, young lady! I’ll catch up with you in the Hall!
Love,
Mrs. Brooks the sleepy one!
Dear William, Mrs. Brooks and class – I LOVE your blog! What a wonderful way to learn all that is happening in class and to share ideas and work with each other! William, I think that your cartoons are so creative! No I know what you are doing with all of those Lego sets that you get for birthdays and Christmas :I I love following the story and am looking forward to the next installment. Also, it’s a good thing that your Dad knows so much about computers and different applications because he can help you find some great tools to make your blog posts awesome. We are all watching your blog at Patrick’s school in Connecticut. Keep reading, keep blogging and keep doing well in school and you’ll have lots of amazing opportunities!
We’ll keep checking back. …
Love, Aunt Debbie
Thanks, William’s Aunt Debbie! We love our Home on the Web, and I’m glad you were able to check out William’s work and the goings-on in our class. Your comments mean a lot to all of us!
Enjoy your weekend,
Mrs. Brooks
Hey Mrs.Brook’s!
I really miss being in your class! I do like my teacher in all but she always catches me talking to one of my friends! And on Wednesday I tried so hard not to talk and when we were doing a practice mcas I asked if I could change my answer with out raising my hand and then I got my name on the board! I was so MAD!!!! and then u never gave me minutes unless someone caught me being bad with other people like talking when we wern’t supposed to be looking up on the stage! But now she always gives me minutes! I am mad!
Love Ya,
Casey
Oh, my Friendly Casey…
This is the time of year when teachers have stopped teaching skills like self-control (and other behaviors) and are looking to see if students can manage those things on their own. At the same time, students are starting to dream of summer vacation and can hardly contain their excitement. When we mix the two activities together, it can be so tricky!!
Self-control is something that is so important to learn in school. Your teacher, whether that is Mrs. Brooks or someone else, is trying to help you figure it out on your own. Some days, as hard as you try, you still might mess up. We all mess up (a lot!) when we are learning something new that is difficult. Try not to be So Mad, and just know that your teacher is just trying to be helpful.
A social, friendly, confident personality is a gift you are lucky to have, Casey. Discovering the best times to chat might be hard for you now, but you’ll get the hang of it as you grow.
I miss you, too and am so glad you stopped by the blog and my classroom to say hello!
Love,
Mrs. Brooks
(who used to have her name on the board for reading when she shouldn’t have!!)