There it Is

I've been waiting for a bit of flow since the school year started, but we're almost to the end of October and things have still been feeling a little hard. Students are tardy, unprepared for class, and unwilling or unable to follow directions on assignments. It's been a bit of a slog establishing daily routines, too. 

With 17 kids in my homeroom, it's been especially challenging to build the supportive community that can be such a positive start to the day. And I confess to feeling a little dread at the thought of spending five and half hours with them at school and on a field trip today. 

Even so, this morning started well; the students were very excited about going on their first field trip in two and a half years. They listened attentively to the announcements, completed the SEL survey, and tolerated the repeat of the Mount Vernon slide show they had already seen in U.S. History. They were even pretty engaged in selected short videos from the Mount Vernon website to watch, and we listened sorrowfully to an honest account of Washington's enslavement of hundreds of people.

The mood lightened a bit as we clicked through videos demonstrating how to make hoe cakes, pumpkin pie, chocolate, butter, and chicken pudding. Then I asked each to watch a video of their choice and share out. Even after checking on lunches, eating our snacks, and using the restroom, we still had half an hour until the buses arrived. So I pulled out a favorite group game from last year, Left, Right, Center, and gave everyone some game chips and Jolly Ranchers.

We were all sitting in a big circle on the floor when the principal announced we were in a secure the building situation because of police activity in the neighborhood, and it was clear that the buses would be delayed. No one was upset though, as we rolled the dice and passed game chips and candy around the circle and into the pot. With so many people playing, it took a while, but we chatted and rooted for candy to come our way until someone finally won. And what she did next kind of stunned me. Rather than gleefully hoarding all the candy she had won, she started giving it back to all the other kids. I supported her generosity by offering to trade them if they didn't like the flavor they got.

By then, the building was reopened and the buses were on their way. We had a loud, but fun, ride to Mount Vernon and our group spent a lovely 2 hours exploring the grounds, completing a scavenger hunt, and participating in some Colonial Days activities. The ride back to school was just as loud, and one of my homeroom kids tapped me on the shoulder. "What is it like to be surrounded by crazy sixth graders?" she laughed.

"Girl!" I answered, "I've been doing this 30 years. It's awesome!"