Carpe Diem!

Another week has passed and I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my new role. There is still a lot to do, but some things seem to be clicking. Last week was interesting. Mr. Pitts, my student teacher, started Monday, but I couldn't be there. I had to appear for jury service. I was eventually dismissed and back to school by Tuesday.

Mr. Pitts had Mr. Young to help with Monday and I was back on Tuesday to lead the class. We reflected on our experiences with the "Finding My Place race", the scavenger hunt that never seemed to end. We also filled out collaboration rubrics evaluating our performance and the performance of our teammates during the scavenger hunt. After that, Mr. Pitts had a chance to introduce himself and answer some questions. Off Campus Learning fee sheets and planners also went home. I postponed all presentations until the end of the week since I wasn't there on Monday.

The second part of the week started with Essential 55 presentations. Nearly every group had a chance to present a review of the Essential 55, some more creatively than others. Most groups just read the rules and then "acted' them out. I was a little disappointed especially since so many people had told me how good this group was at this type of creative presentation. After the groups were done presenting, we went through their planners some. We looked at different elements and how to use the planner effectively. We also added a bunch of Friday activities and other important dates.

Friday was a good day, though I did hear a game of witch hunt almost got out of hand. We started the day with a presentation to kick off our Magazine sell. It's a good opportunity for our students to help the school and help themselves. Students will receive $10 for every $50 worth of magazines sold for their end of the year Road Trip! After that, we spent the morning team building through game play. After lunch we watched Dead Poets Society. I asked students to view the film thinking about the 6 areas we will explore through our book, The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make.

I'm looking forward to this week and our first of three University visits!!