Well, week one of teaching 6th grade is over and done. But with 2 snow days and a late start to begin the week it flew by really! I have noticed a few differences between 6th grade where I spend pretty much the entire day with the same kids and teach multiple subjects and 7th grade where I had the luxury of only 1 prep. With multiple subjects I really have to stay on my toes and know what's coming next...and be prepared! It's a little trickier planning 15 lessons in a week rather than 5. But on the plus side I do not get bored of the monotony of saying the same thing 4 or 5 times in a day. Each lesson is new and fresh. I have a couple ideas for units in English and Reading that I am excited about. Math is the tougher subject. I'm really having a hard time communicating the concepts (improper fractions to mixed numbers is the hang up right now!). Hope that gets better!
Another aspect that has been surprisingly nice is the time in the morning before school. I was afraid of having to get up at a certain time everyday and have to be somewhere at a certain time again. But really I have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the morning and since, let's be honest, I thrive on schedules it has been nice to be in more of a routine.
I was able to spend one of my "snow" afternoons down at mom's working on the quilt. Here are some updates of the progress:
The pieces laid out on the bed. The left row is sewn (into three squares, just not together). Now I have six of the nine squares put together.
Here I am working away!
Ok, Jude is coloring the stones by the fireplace, gotta run!
Math just isn't fun, Shannon. There's no dressing it up. Maybe do something with visuals for improper numbers, like cutting some whole things up into a certain number of pieces, then putting them back together and seeing the leftovers. Good luck with the 6th graders!
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