Board Game Presentations

One of the greatest fears in the world is public speaking.  Even some great speakers have terrible fears of going in front of their fears.  I always chuckle a little when I find someone who teaches all day who refuses to stand up in front of their peers to speak.  I don't mean chuckling to make fun of them, but rather I am very curious to know what causes this feeling within us.  Can we find the point in our life where we stopped being willing to take risks in front of our peers.

I think it is very important for kids to have a good experience in front of their peers explaining something.  I asked them to approach their board game presentations like a commercial to get someone to want to play or buy their game and a few took that to the extreme in a good way.  It was a quick presentation in which the student knew more than anyone in the class about what they were explaining.  In this way, they could truly be master of the information.  It seemed to go well for each student and I hope it provided them a good stepping stone to become a better public speaker.

There are so many benefits to this creative outlet.  I am still working on the rules writing part of the assignment, but I was very pleased at the creative ideas and the explanations went very well.  Thank you for being supportive at home and helping these come to life.  I look forward to the designs in the future that students come up with for projects whether they are games or some other creative venture.

Happy Mother's Day

I truly hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day.  I know I would be no where without my mother.  She has molded who I have become and been my best friend along the way.  I had the ultimate role model and mentor and am always happy to see when she has time to come in and see my class.  She helped us plant your flowers for Mother's Day.

It is always nice to reflect on where we have come from, but we have six more weeks of hard work ahead of us.  I can't believe it has come down to so few days.  I am starting to get emotional as I know I only have a few more weeks to help mold these wonderful personalities of your children.  It is at this time that we talk about how room 106 will always be a home for them.  These students have become part of my family and I can't wait to see the great things that do in the future.  I am going to give them a great last 29 days, but I hope it is just a small part of the time we will have together in the future catching up.

I want to thank you for being the kind of supportive families that I grew up in.  Please let me know if I can ever help in the future as these children hit new walls that they have to climb over.  I encourage you to send them back to see me next year and beyond to say hi during school functions and when they need another person besides you to convince them that they are amazing.  We all hit spots in our life where we need another cheerleader.  I have been fortunate in my life to have that kind of support and I want to see everyone of my students feel that throughout their life.