Dear Friends, Please Excuse My Absence, I've Been Busy Teaching My Heart Out.

Hi everyone!
What's that?
You didn't recognize me?
Yes, I know.
It's been a while, but the struggle was real.

You see, I've been a first year teacher all over again this year {kind of}.

Third grade has been wonderful, but since November (aka my last post), I've been feeling the weight of:
THE DREADED COMMON CORE TEST.

Every last bit of my energy has been put into coming up with creative ways of NOT teaching to the test.  It hasn't been easy, especially for my little blog.

This week is spring break.  When we go back, it's test season.
Are we "ready"?  Yeah, I think so.

In a recent conversation one of my students asked, "If we get a bad grade, does that mean you get a bad grade?  My parents told me that this is really a grade for you."

Ouch. Tough one to answer, but here's what I said:

"After the test, if you can tell me that you felt prepared by all of the things we did together in class, then I've got my A+."

So here we are, and you know what?  I survived, and they will too.

Can I help it if the tests contain tasks that are developmentally inappropriate for third graders?
No.

Can I voice my opinion about the absurd quantity of work asked of these kids?
Yes (and I have...c'mon, how many paragraphs {8!} and extended responses {2 with 3 paragraphs each!} do third graders have to complete for you to assess that they know how respond to literature?)

But now, as I reflect back upon my year so far,  I AM feeling lighter....

I've taught my heart out so far this year and my kids have THRIVED.  What more can a teacher want?

Looking back at some of the pictures really helped put that into perspective.
Despite it all, we've had FUN!  Take a peek at some of the happenings in my classroom by clicking the sideshow link below.

OH!!!! And I'll be back on April 2 with some GREAT NEWS, so stay tuned!

Have a great day, everyone!