While I'm Waiting: August Update

This is the August edition of my Spain series. To read the previous update, click on the link below:
July update: The Comeback

Last night, I had a hard time falling asleep. I'm sure you know the feeling -- too many thoughts bouncing around in your head. What's interesting is that some of the thoughts keeping me awake were none other than first-day-of-school plans!

I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise, but, as my coworkers sit through trainings with national brain expert Eric Jensen, host Open Houses with cute glow sticks, and sit around kidney tables with their teammates to collaborate, I feel ... left out!

That's one part of me. The other part -- FREEDOM! -- is very content to sit this one out.

I mean, to all the teachers out there, do you have time to puzzle over a Sudoku for an hour each day? I thought not.

In this month's post, I bring you:
1. Status Check
2. While I'm Waiting
3. Episode 2 of FAQ's
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1. Status Check

I still have an appointment in early October with the Spanish embassy in San Francisco. This appointment is an interview to obtain my Religious Worker's Visa. The main document I need for this appointment is my FBI background check, which I am still waiting for.  There are also some documents from Spain that I am waiting on. I am praying that everything arrives in time for my appointment!

2. While I'm Waiting

I'm not just sitting on my buns, waiting for documents to arrive, surfing the web, and munching on potato chips (although these activities do consume more of my time than I care to admit)!

I'm actually keeping pretty busy, and I'm enjoying this short season.

First, you should know that I moved out of my condo almost 4 weeks ago, and I am now living with my parents (and Oliver) again. I've made it my mission during my time here to make a significant dent in the mounds of fruit overflowing from freezer shelves and refrigerator drawers. Can you say - raspberry pie? Blueberry muffins? Nectarine crisp? 

I was informed by my property management company that the renters moved into my condo earlier this week. Yay for additional income to cover my mortgage while I am unemployed!

One thing about having more time on my hands is I can give myself fully to projects. Normally, I would have the shadow of schoolwork and classroom prep looming over fun events and often limiting my participation. It's been very freeing to give myself more fully this summer. For example, in July I got to help my church put on its first vacation Bible school! Also this summer, I got to throw a bridal shower for my engaged (now married!) cousin, share some memories with my high school classmates at our 10-year reunion, and participate in another cousin's classroom set-up for her first year teaching! I really like this season of being open and available. 

That said, I am picking up a job starting this Friday, working in the orchard under my dad's supervision. I'll be behind the pickers this pear harvest, checking the trees for unpicked fruit. It's a small job that I've done before, and it only last a few weeks, but I'm grateful for it, because every little bit helps!

One last thing: while I'm waiting, I'm praying for Spain, and for the people I will meet there. I've heard it said: "What you pray for, you get a heart for," and, especially after the recent tragedy in Barcelona, I see that God is giving me a heart for Spain.

3. Episode 2 of FAQ's

FAQ: What am I doing with myself now that I'm not getting ready for a new school year?

See #2 above. :)

FAQ: What's it like living with my parents again?

It's like I never left, except in one regard: I feel less entitled now after having had my own home, and more like a guest in their house. I think this is a healthy change!

FAQ: Am I going to come back with a handsome Spaniard on my arm?

I swear, this is the MOST frequently asked question, in all its variations, often not even posed as a question. (It's funny - the non-Mexicans will ask this with an "Oooh-la-la" flair, while my Mexican friends and relatives spit it out with a look of disgust.)

So, people, let's settle this once and for all. Of COURSE I'm not opposed to the idea, but - please! If you know me at all, you know I am not actively looking for a husband (obviously - if I was, I'd have one by now). 

And that, ladies and gents, concludes my August update. Please chime in below ↯if you have questions I didn't answer, and tune in next month for more of the same ;)

Hasta pasta, 

Dahlia

First-rate and Flops: A Reflection of the Year

It's hard to believe the school year ended already! My classroom is bare and empty, and 24 chairs will sit cold until 24 little bottoms warm them again in September.

I've already moved on to next year in my mind - and in my classroom! After a weekend to relax while camping, I was re-energized to get into my classroom this morning. I doled out last year's files to the 5th grade teachers and created new files for my incoming class.

Before I go any further down the road of preparation for next year, though, I'd like to take some time to reflect on the last year - what worked and what didn't.

Here's what worked:

Sock Snowmen

As a culmination to our fraction unit and a salute to the winter, we measured fractional amounts of rice to create these adorable sock snowmen! The kids cradled and loved them, PLUS they went home as decor for the holidays! This was a fun way to put our basic fraction learning to practice. I wrote all about it here.









C.I.A.

After reading The Read-Aloud Handbook, I was more convinced than ever of the importance of read-aloud for kids of any age! I was fortunate enough to come across a reading program that uses a shared reading of a novel to teach key CCSS reading AND writing standards! It's called the C.I.A. approach. You can read more about it on the C.I.A. website.

Anyway, I put this to the test and tried my first deep study of a read-aloud/shared read novel. Each kid followed along with a copy of the same book I was reading from. Together, we analyzed the main character's feeling, inferred his motivations, deduced the author's message, and summarized our findings. Complete with sentence stems and turn and talk partners, we were finally able to have intellectual conversations about a novel, and EVERY child had access to a grade-level text!

I am planning on doing two C.I.A. units next year.



My Favorite No
My colleague showed me how she did exit tickets. She calls it "My Favorite No." It's a quick way to sort your exit tickets and turn them into a learning opportunity for all. I wrote about it here. What's awesome is the kids were super engaged during this activity!

Calendar Math
I used Stephanie's 4th grade calendar math template this year and saw my kids master skills I couldn't have made happen otherwise! Factors, multiples, median, mode - easy peasy for these guys, thanks to Calendar Math!


Rolling our Numbers

We followed in the footsteps of Kipp Journey Academy and rolled our numbers routinely to help us memorize the multiples of the numbers 1 through 9. Again, this activity  had high engagement, which is half the battle! Also, it was great to see kids reciting the chants as they practiced their multiplication facts.

I felt empowered through these chants to help kids who struggled with basic facts move in the direction of memorizing them. I knew the chants had been successful when one such student declared, "oh, 4's are easy!"









Basic Facts Banana Splits

Speaking of multiplication facts, a huge motivator for my kids to master their facts was our basic facts banana split party!

As we studied each fact, students had the opportunity to test out of that fact. As they did, they earned their way to a banana split.

For their 0's, they earned a place mat. For their 1's they earned a bowl. For their 2's, they earned a banana...and so on until they earned an entire banana split!

This was culminated with an actual banana split party, where each kid got to enjoy what they had earned! This was the most motivating thing I have found for basic facts! Kids were practicing facts at home and requesting to stay in from recess so they could re-take a fact quiz!




Aaand, here's what flopped:

Writing entry task
I began the year with high hopes that my students would become writers! With this vision, I instituted a daily writing entry task! That's a great idea, you think! Yes, it is! So, why did it flop? Well, simply because I did not have enough time to grade and provide feedback on student work often enough to make it worthwhile. It's as simple as that.

Communication Journals
This was another step toward my vision of creating a classroom full of writers. Each kid had a journal they would write to me in once a week. And I would write back. Yeah. That's the catch. Once again, I just could not keep up with the pile of journals to respond to. However, I did LOVE interacting one-on-one with my students in this way. Our conversations allowed me to see into their lives in a beautiful way. I'm thinking I'll try this again next year on a more infrequent basis!

Team Tasks

As a GLAD-trained teacher, I went all-out and had teams work on open-ended tasks while I worked with a small group of students. The problem: poor quality. I WILL try this again next year, but perhaps with some more guidelines and/or sample products for the kids to follow.








I-Time Independents

Similarly, I needed something for the majority of my class to do while I met with a small reading group every day. So I came up with this GREAT idea - each kid had two weeks to complete 3 projects: a book report, a writing piece, and a poem recitation!

This was actually really fun and (I believe) has great potential. However, like with my other flops, the problem came down to not being able to provide guidance and/or prompt feedback. Imagine grading 3 projects for each of 10 kids in one day! That's insane!

So there you have it - the first-rate successes from the year, and the unfortunate flops.

Reflection is always motivating!

Already the wheels are turning... what will the coming school year hold?

Linking up with Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6!

My Favorite No

Teachers are always looking for ways to turn a mistake into a learning opportunity.

And this is not just teachers of school stuff. It's teachers of life stuff, too. (Duh!)

My colleague has recently shared something with me that I tried for the first time today, and that I feel I'm going to LOVE.

It's called "My Favorite No."

So here's how it works (in 5 super simple steps):

1. Give the students some sort of quick exercise (I'm using this with exit tickets, but the teacher in the video I'll post uses it with the opposite - warm-up activities).
2. Either right in front of the kids, or while they are working on something else, quickly separate the student work into 2 piles: a "Yes, they got it!" pile, and a "No" pile.
3. Pick your favorite "no" - the answer should be wrong, but it should also show some good work, and/or a really common mistake.
4. Either copy the student work onto a blank sheet in front of the class, or put the original work under the document camera, with the student's name covered.
5. Have the class help you analyze the work, identifying both the good work and the mistake.

And there you have it!

With a class mix of perfectionists, embarraseds, deniers, and cluelesses, this daily or almost-daily activity has the potential to remove those insecurities, remind kids that everyone makes mistakes just like theirs, and teach us that we can learn something from every mistake.

Life application:

For those non-teachers of school out there, for you teachers and students of life, how can this apply to you, to us?

It's simple: We remember that our mistakes are not the only "no"s out there. Our mistake is in a pile of so many others of similar variety. And, who knows? Maybe we're God's favorite "no." Let Him pick us up, search us, tell us why He loves us so much, and then tell us what He's going to do to make us right.

Rice + socks = sock snowmen

I am excited to share with you my latest classroom endeavor:

Sock Snowmen!!!

Here are some reasons you might want to make sock snowmen:

1. You have a class of 22 fourth-graders and desperately need a winter-but-not-necessarily-Christmas-themed craft for them to take home with them.

2. You just want to make a cute winter craft.

3. You know a young one who could use some practice with fractions! (You'll see that part later).

You can guess what my reason was for making them, but, whoever you are, I'm sure you have a little kid to call yours, be it a child, sibling, cousin, or kid next door. And this is a great adult-guided activity for kids.

And it's just plain fun!

Here's what you will need:

(Left to right)

1. About 3 lbs (or 6 cups) of rice per snowman

2. Yarn for the scarf, about 1 1/2 feet per snowman

3. Measuring cups, to bring in the fraction practice

4. Pom poms for decoration. I found mine at Wal Mart.

5. Wide-mouthed funnels

6. Buttons (3 per snowman)

7. Noses - I broke off the orange tips of candy corn and used those. Other people I know used orange golf tees cut in half.

8. Tube socks, 1 per snowman (also found mine at Wal Mart, in the men's socks)

9. Googly eyes, 2 per snowman (Wal Mart again)

10. Rubber bands (3 per snowman, not pictured)

11. Black permanent marker for the mouth, and a hot glue gun (also not pictured)

And now for the directions:

Step one: Choose a measuring cup to start with. This is where the fraction practice comes in! Since I had a whole class doing it at once, I had four stations set up, each with a different measuring cup: 1/4, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/8. The kids worked in teams, creating a snowman at one station, then rotating to the next station to make another snowman.

Using that measurement and a funnel, fill the tube sock with 3 cups of rice. It was great practice for the kids to have to "count-by" a fractional amount. 

Pat the rice down until it forms a ball inside the sock, then seal it with a rubber band. 

For the next ball, do 2 cups of rice, and seal with a rubber band.

For the top ball, do 1 cup of rice, and seal with a rubber band.

(Sorry for the creepy faces in the photo, but I have to protect my students' safety :)

Step two: Let the kids measure and cut 1 1/2 feet of a yarn of their choice. This is another great way for them to practice using fractions. What is 1/2 of a foot? How can we know for sure? 

The kids will also select 3 buttons and a pom-pom or two.

Step three: Use a hot-glue gun to attach the googly eyes, candy-corn nose, buttons, and pom-poms to the snowman.

The kids can use a permanent marker to draw on the mouth.

And then you have your completed snowmen!

Here are a few variations on the pom-pom usage, from on the scarf, to around the hat, to ear muffs!

Once the kids finished making these, they carried them and cradled them as if they were babies. It was sooo cute! 

And don't forget: they also work well as Christmas decor at home that parents can store and bring out year after year. 

So what are you waiting for?

Get yourself a kid, and make yourselves some snowmen!

Merry Christmas!

Thoughts on a rainy Wednesday

Some thoughts to share with you on this rainy Wednesday:

- I love how, now that school's out, I can post more than once a month! 

- I love how, now that school's out, I get to use my iPad! (As opposed to leaving it in my classroom every night, functioning as an  MP3 player... Thankfully, I now have a school-owned iPod to use for that.)

- I dreamt last night of my students, and the last day of school all over again....they say you never forget your first class. I sure hope I don't. They were a special group of kids.

- I was impacted by the following words this morning, from A.W. Tozer:

“It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God 

that the sense of sin is so weak 

and that no motives have power to help you

to hate and flee from sin as you should.”

Isn't that so true? I had to ask myself -- do I HATE sin? Do I flee from it? The answer was...no. I don't.

That led to a prayer from the heart, a Psalm 51 prayer.

And I was reminded what it is to have a conversation with God that is not hasty or superficial.

And I was reminded of what a good, good Father we have.

These are some thoughts from me, for you, on a rainy Wednesday.

Picnicking and packing up

Well, folks, it is finished.

First year of teaching = over (as of Thursday).

Crazy!

I spent a few hours yesterday packing up my classroom for the summer...reflecting on memories from the year and making plans for next year.

Like the pen pal picnic.

The kids loved meeting their pen pals. We face-timed between classrooms the day before, to build anticipation. It worked! But then it's funny how, when the kids finally meet, they are so bashful. Mario and I have come upon a keeper. You can see from the photo that Oliver (and my mom) got to accompany us. Some of my girls loved doting on "Ms. Avila's little brother."

I was not able to find a picnic basket locally, and even online they were mostly out of stock. But that was okay. My aunt lent me her wonderful traditional picnic basket, and I have my eye on one that I want to buy for next year.

So ends the first episode of Ms. Avila: Fourth grade teacher.

Tune in next September for episode two. :)

In the meantime, summer holds some promising memories of its own...

Pen Pal Picnic and other news

My brother Mario and I have had this plan forming in our minds and conversations.

It's gone something like this:

Our pen pals need to meet.

Yeah. Not much of a plan.

You may or may not recall that Mario and I are both fourth grade teachers within the same school district, but at different schools. Also, since Christmas, his kiddos and my kiddos have been communicating via snail mail, a.k.a. pen pals.

And we have been trying to think of a way to get our kids together, in the same spot, at the same time, to MEET!

But it's been a little tricky to figure out -- no field trips together, lack of money for transportation, yada yada yada.

Earlier this week, however, as Mario and I were hiking together after school --- [side note: NO, we are NOT granolas] --- we hiked up to the top of a rock, from where we could see the entire river valley beneath us. We located his school...then my school...and then our brains started churning.

A couple of hours later, with the help of google maps, our plan was formed: Pen Pal Picnic!

Both classes will walk about a mile to a central park to meet, exchange our final pen pal letters, and picnic and play together!

Best idea ever, or what?

So, anyway, permission forms have been sent out and [mostly] returned, sack lunches have been ordered for those who aren't bringing a lunch from home, and I am in the process of locating a large picnic basket.

If I remember correctly, my friend Ellie had one....let me see here...ah, yes. Here it is:

But, this dear friend [and her picnic basket] is much too far away, so Target it is...or Walmart?

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In other news:

1. The state test is finished!

Each testing day, my students walked in to four items on their desks: a note from me, a small gift [pencil, correcting pen, pencil grip, pencil eraser], a small candy, and a stick of gum.

2. I am so enjoying knowing I will be here again next year!

We have sticky-note conversations in our staff bathrooms. I was blessed by this one.

Also, I am already thinking ahead to next year -- I've got some great ideas up my sleeve that I feel are God-inspired! But more on this later --- like once THIS school year is finished!

3. I am loving being a tia to this little girlie.

We got to have her for a couple of hours last night while Armando & Lisa went out to dinner. She is so precious!

4. I'm getting more and more excited for my next adventure with this lady:

North Dakota: Completed.

Michigan: Completed.

Prince Edward Island: In progress.

And, for today, that's a wrap.

Or a sandwich. PB&J. For the picnic. :)

Road of teaching

My poor students have been subjected to The State Test this week - two days (so far) of sitting. At their desks. Testing.

Can I go to the bathroom?
No.

Can I get a drink of water?
No.

Can I pick up my pencil? It dropped.
No. I'll pick it up for you.

Seriously. That's how it's been. We [teachers] feel bad for being so militaristic during The State Test, but [first of all] we have to, and [second of all] I would argue that we make up for it by buying the kids treats and letting them chew gum, and going outside to line dance during our breaks.

In the midst of the testing, our community is celebrating our annual Apple Blossom Festival.
Carnival + Food fair = crazy kids! Throw The State Test into the mix, and things get even more interesting.

So, one morning (Wednesday to be exact), I walk into the school office to retrieve my testing box. My boss is in there, checking the boxes out to us.

I pick up the cardboard box and am about to head out of the office when my boss says, "Oh, while you're in here, Dahlia, I'd like to offer you a continuing contract at fourth grade."

As my friend Bek would say, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!"

But what I really said was "Oh my goodness - thank you," or something like that.

"I assume you accept?"

Of course!

As a witness would later comment, I had the biggest smile that morning as I carried my testing box to my classroom.

So, Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! I get to continue on this road of teaching.

And now I get to go walk in the Apple Blossom parade with my students. Ciao!

Fantastic Friday

I greet my students every day with what we call "The Morning Message." It usually begins with

Good Morning, Class,

and usually ends with,

Love,
Ms. Avila

and in between I inform the kids what we'll be doing today, complete with transition words and usually at least one instance of alliteration.

Have a merry Monday...terrific Tuesday...wonderful Wednesday...thankful Thursday...fantastic Friday...

You get the idea.

All that to explain the title of this post.

And now perhaps a little more illumination on today's events will help further explain why today was fantastic.

1. It was my first day as an auntie.

PC: My mom, ntbka (now to be known as) "Grandma"

Little Brynn Loree Avila was born last night, weighing in at 8 pounds, 0 ounces. She got to be my first experience holding a newborn. My brother Armando got to show me how.

The only down-side to her birth is that my sister-in-law Lisa is still recovering from her C-section delivery. :( Not fun.

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2. This is funny.

Earlier today, my mom was searching for my little brother, Oliver. She searches in the house, in the yard, in the driveway...where could he be?

You know where she found him? Curled up, asleep, with Pepsi (our dog)... in the doghouse!

I wish I had a picture of this. It gives a whole new meaning to the saying "in the doghouse."

For another funny anecdote, be sure to read Bek's latest Funny Friday.

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3. You know how, when someone's gone, people all of a sudden start saying nice things about them?

Like, "She was always so nice."
Or, "He always found a way to make me laugh."

Well, now that my one-year teaching contract is almost up, I kind of feel like that person who is gone...or leaving.

People I've known and related with all year are beginning to say,
"Oh, you've done such a great job."
"We hope we can keep you."

And it's really encouraging! But - who am I kidding? I really have had a wealth of support and encouragement this entire school year, from friends, family, and colleagues -- even parents of my students, and the students themselves...

This lovely daffodil graced my desk a couple of weeks ago. I asked around to identify the gifter, but I found out zilch. So I just enjoyed it. [I've discovered I love receiving flowers.]

...which is one of the reasons I love the school I am at...and one of the reasons I am so grateful to God for His goodness...and one of the reasons I have, as of today, applied for a continuing position at this school!

What next year will bring, only God knows. He clearly opened the doors for me to be where I am right now, and I know He'll be faithful to continue guiding me according to His will.

Lead on, Lord.

And that was my fantastic Friday.

A simple Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Day party DID happen! It nearly didn't, but one girl stepped forward to save the day with her research about Saint Valentine. Needless to say, the class was grateful to her.

It doesn't take much to satisfy young hearts. I did not plan anything for our Valentine's Day party. Seriously. This is how low-key it was: Those who wanted to stayed in for their morning recess to decorate - wait for it - a paper bag! This was their valentine's day card holder. Every single student chose to stay in that recess. And nobody complained. Except the kids who hadn't turned in their homework and had to go to study hall for recess.

For the actual party, They brought treats, passed out cards, and opened cards. And that was it.

Well, I did try reading an inspirational picture-book called Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.

It was a great book. The kids might have thought so, too, if it wasn't for Ms. Avila's grave mistake.

You see, not thinking too clearly, I had the kids tape their decorated paper bags to their lockers (to minimize the distractions at their desks). Then, they filled each others' paper bags with loads of candy and cards.

The wise thing would have been for me to let the kids take their bags right after they were filled. But I thought it would be great time for a classroom-bonding, community-building, mushy-gushy Valentine's Day read-aloud.

Wrong.

As I was reading facing the kids, who were facing their lockers, one by one the paper bags, laden with candy, crashed to the floor, like icicles that have gotten so heavy that they crash down. It was all I could to to suppress their giggles and turn their attention back to the book.

Looking back, I should have just given up on the book. But I kept on. And I'm actually glad I did. It was a good story, with a sweet message, and I think God was helping me out, because, miraculously, no bags fell during "the moment," in the middle of the story, where Mr. Hatch has his transformation. And, for that moment, you could have heard a pin drop (or a candy-filled paper bag).

And then they got to retrieve and empty the contents of their paper bags. And they were all just as pleased as if I had gone all-out and planned a fancy activity.

Thank you, Lord, for the simplicity of children.

Sunny Saturday

I intended to follow in my friend Bek's footsteps and post a Funny Friday, BUT Friday was full of everything but blogging, so that didn't happen.

However, I do have a funny moment to share on this sunny Saturday.

One day last week, during lunch, I sat down at a cafeteria table with some of my students. It wasn't long before the conversation turned to Valentine's Day.

"Teacher, are we going to have a Valentine's Day party?" asked Ariana.

"Yeah, are we?" chimed in three other girls.

I hesitated. I've been wondering about that myself, ever since I resolved to celebrate only national holidays in my classroom. Valentine's Day, like Halloween, is wide-spread but NOT a national holiday by any means.

But there was an idea I was mulling over, so I asked, "Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Becuase!" exclaimed Ariana. "It's the month of LOOOOVVVEE!" The other girls giggled. Then, she turned to me and asked, "Well, why do we celebrate Christmas?"

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" spouted Tori.

"Why do we celebrate Easter?" someone else asked.

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" repeated Tori.

"Again?" The girls giggled.

"NO!" said Tori. "Easter is Jesus' birthday, and Christmas is GOD's birthday!"

And that settled it. The girls went happily back to eating their lunch, and I coud hardly contain myself! Such misconceptions they have!

I want to capture more of these moments, be it on a Funny Friday or a Sunny Saturday, or Mundane Monday, or whenever! Too often I let these moments slip by, and then I forget them!

Oh, and, you might still be wondering if we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day. Well, I left that up to them. "If you do the research, and present your research - with sources - to the class about what Valentine's Day is about, and then if you convince me that we should celebrate it in class... then, we can have a party."

What do you think? Typical teacher answer? Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll let you know what their research turns up.

Pen Pals

When you are in college,
enrolled in the teaching program,
reading about tons of super-fun ways to teach otherwise-monotonous stuff,
and excitedly exchanging ideas with like-minded, naive, and optimistic classmates,
you say to yourself,
"When I am a teacher, I will do THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And..what the heck,
I'll also do THIS!"

And so you begin your first year of teaching with a head full of ideals, imagining 24 sweet smiles turned towards you, thrilled to discover that you are the most wonderful teacher ever and that learning in your classroom will be pure fun.

It is not long before your ideals are crushed.

After the first day of school, the "sweet smiles" become mischievous sneers, blank stares, or submissive terror.

Between making sure ADHD George is in his seat,
just-from-Mexico Juan and Lucia understand what they're supposed to be doing,
spacey Joey and Elijah are actually using their math tile to practice multiplication instead of building towers,
mean-girl Kate has apologized for making sensitive Julia cry,
and special-education Gary isn't just sitting there clueless,
you feel lucky if even one student demonstrates the skill you are teaching,
and any thought of idealistic, touchy-feely, hands-on, extra, fun stuff goes out the window, along with your temper.

I'm not exaggerating. At all.

So, I am happy to announce that I have managed to implement ONE of my college-days ideas - pen pals!

And the kids are LOVING it (plus it's such a sneaky way to teach about proper letter-writing format and the importance of punctuation, spelling, and grammar).

My two older brothers and I all happen to teach 4th grade this year (crazy, huh?) So, one day, my brother Mario and I were talking about the possibility of being buddy classrooms, and so the idea of pen pals was birthed.

I announced the idea to my class just before Christmas break, and they were thrilled with the idea! (Although more than a few were like, "What's a pen pal?") Our classes exchanged Christmas cards, and just this month Mario and I paired our kids up, and the letter-writing began. It was cool to see kids like Elijah, who reads at a 2nd grade level and spends most of his time at home playing video games, actually excited to write! He was even one of the more conscientious ones when it came to revising and editing his letter. He wanted it to be great for his pen pal!

We just sent the letters last week, through the school's delivery system, and Friday, at the end of the day, my kids got to open their pen pal letters.

Oh. My. Goodness! You would have thought it was Christmas morning. Hardly any of the kids were sitting down. They were walking around the classroom, hands clutched to their letters, earnestly reading the words aloud. After every sentence, they'd look up grinning and exclaim to the nearest body, "Oh, he likes soccer, too!" "Oh, my gosh! He's a dare-devil!" "Teacher, she likes Monster High!"

And now, as much as I hated to spend precious instruction time deviating form the writing curriculum to work on these letters, I have to say it was worth it.

I'm looking forward to continuing the letter-writing. Mario and I decided to try for exchanging letters once a month, so I'll have a couple of weeks' wait, and a couple of weeks of the daily, "When are we going to write back to our pen pals, teacher?"

But that's okay. I can't wait to start again, either.