The End

Dear Readers,

Hello! It's been awhile, right? I have been ridiculously busy between the demands of school, home, and field work. It sometimes felt like there was no end to the crazy busyness!

But now, the end comes all too soon.

Already I am in the penultimate week of the semester, which means that next week is the last time I will be with my second graders. I feel like crying, but I'm not quite sure if it's from sadness or relief.

I've had some very trying times in this classroom and experienced so many things I didn't know could happen in a single classroom. I've heard students issue death threats. I've heard students say they wanted to kill themselves. I've even heard students talk about getting beat up by their siblings and friends over the weekend.

It scares the crap out of me!

But I do what I do - I listen. And I talk to them, giving my best advice or running to the host teacher as the situation warranted. There was hardly a day I didn't hear something horrible.

Other days, though, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I received the Pomme de Triomphe. I got called "Miss Fisherman" and "Miss Fishy" and even "Miss Fissssshhhhhhh." I heard one student say he was going to wear a tiger costume and help the tigers kill hunters to get them "undangered."

It's been a roller coaster in second grade, with so so many ups and downs. I have earned a lot from these students, and won't likely forget them anytime soon. (Especially the tiger helper!)

As I said, though, it's the end. I won't be making another post after this because I won't be in a classroom. On one hand, I'm happy to be done with the semester and not have to get up at 6 in the morning.

On the other hand, I will miss these kids. It's hard to part from people you get to know well, and I know these students very well because they are so open and trusting. I was accepted in their community from Day 1, and it's difficult to imagine not being told about 20 different weekend adventures at the same time.

So there's a 4-month hiatus ahead of us, dear readers. While you wait with bated breath to read the fist post of the new school year, I highly recommend you try something very risky this summer - GO OUTSIDE. There's a big world outside of the classroom and the Internet!

It will be like this the first time you go out. Sorry.

Breathe some clean air. Run in the grass. Swing on a swing. It's summer, after all! The longest recess of the year. Au revoir...
 

Ms. Fisher

 Image credits: ReactionGifs.com and ReactionGifs.com

Wednesday Art: Farewell to Kindergarten

Dear Readers,

Happy Wednesday! Yes, you get a Wednesday art post on Wednesday this week! Fortunately the kindergarten police let me off with a warning, but I have to make sure not to be tardy with my posts again. This week was frightfully fun, as usual, but also a little sad.

Today I finished kindergarten.

Starting on Monday, you will be reading stories about my students in... Second grade! I have simply loved being with the kindergarteners, but it is time to move on and meet some second graders.

But first, let's admire the talents of these wonderful little artists!

His name is Chompy

Once again, you are viewing a beautiful coloring by Erran*.

In case he ever finds this blog and recognizes his coloring, I want to leave him a short message:

  Dear Erran*, 

HOW DO YOU COLOR SO NEATLY??
     
     Ms. Fisher

Unlike the snowman bookmark, this is definitely a product of great love and respect for my magnificent personage.

And yes, I'm sure. I asked! (He seemed a little bewildered when I said "magnificent personage," but nodded nonetheless.)

I actually received several drawings from the children because they learned it was my last day with them. So what the hay, here's another artwork!

Nikki* is the creator of this excellent piece. I admit, the drawing was overwhelming the first time I saw it.

So let's take a moment to look at the creative use of color and empty space.

To try and understand the underlying truth the artist is attempting to convey in so few crayon-strokes.

After I had an inkling of what she might have been thinking while creating this masterpiece, I asked Nikki* for an explanation so I might be rid of my ignorance.

She said, "That's a flower and that's a bug and that's you. You're tiny like a Who [down in Whoville] so you ride the bug. He's a nice bug, don't you think?"

After assuring her the bug must be very nice to give me a ride, I was left to ponder over the artist's response.

Why am I tiny? I know we read Horton Hears a Who  in honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday, but we also read Green Eggs and Ham. Why couldn't I be eating a plate of green eggs and ham, or even a feast of roast beast like in How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

It could be worse. I believe another student drew the teacher's assistant being eaten by a dog once because, I kid you not, he said that, "my dog eats witches and she is a witch!" Riding a bug is a lot better than being eaten by a bug!

Hopefully I will have as many artworks and delightful stories to share from my adventures in second grade. But don't worry about any delays in future Wednesday art posts - I made sure to save a few of the kindergarteners' pictures in case of an art drought.

Oh, and be sure to check out the poll in the sidebar, below the About Me section. I would love to know what kinds of stories you lovely readers want to hear in the future! This poll closes next Thursday. If you don't see an option for the type of stories you want to read, leave a comment and let me know! Until next time...
 

Ms. Fisher

Weekly Work of Art

Dear Readers,

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you have had a nice morning and early afternoon. My morning, as you might have guessed, was spent in the company of my favorite kindergarteners. I would like to share with you a special heartwarming story of what happened today at school.

Before saying anything else, though, I want to clarify that all names given now and in the future are false. I would never reveal a student's name (or my own). All names you will see will have an asterisk * to remind you that they are pseudonyms.

Every morning we have the children do writing centers. They write down words and sentences that are focused on some topic we are studying in the classroom. (This week it's arctic animals.) If the children finish their writing early, they can do puzzles, brain games, or coloring pages that reflect the topic.

Well, this morning was really hectic for me. I left the house late, got stuck by a train, and just had a bad morning before I even stepped foot in the school.

My morning in a nutshell

 
While I absolutely love working with the kids, teaching is very draining - physically and emotionally. During centers, the room was really noisy and I just felt overwhelmed. I'm by no means claustrophobic, but I could feel the walls slowly closing in on me. What was I to do?

The "Purple-Winged Awesome Penguin"

Then it happened. Brynn*, came up and handed me this picture she had colored. It was so unexpected, and I was honestly speechless (for once).

In that moment I needed a reminder of why I voluntarily wake up at six in the morning and place myself in a box of noise and germs and drama.

I'm doing this for the kids. For laughter and love and huge smiles. For brighter students and a brighter future.


I'm doing this for the art.


Unfortunately, art and other extracurricular activities are often neglected in order to emphasize academic subjects that appear in standardized tests. This is a practice often called "teaching to the test."

Do the teachers agree with this? Of course not. There are many who make an effort to include art activities in the regular classroom routine to expand their students' educational experiences.

This is especially true in lower elementary grades, where art can be used to build on written words and make new ideas more understandable and enjoyable.

Since my students' artworks have such a profound effect on me, I decided I want to make this a weekly feature. Every Wednesday I will post a new piece of art and accompanying story for you to read, and for me to remember why I'm doing this. Keep an eye on the tag Wednesday art for future posts. Until next time...
 

Ms. Fisher

GIF credit: Giphy

About This Blog

Dear Readers,

Hello! I assume that you're reading this post because you're curious as to the purpose of this blog. Well, there is more than one clue in the title. Obviously this acts as a diary for me to document my experiences as a student teacher. I want to be an elementary teacher, and as part of my education I am placed in different local classrooms to gain some real-life experience working with children. The reason I made this blog is so I can remember and share my adventures (and misadventures) with others. Hopefully there are some other teachers-in-training who can learn a few things from my experiences and mistakes. Hopefully there are some experienced teachers who can share some of their knowledge and advice with me. Hopefully I will make it through this semester in one piece!

 I already ordered my sign

Image source: ahealthykitchen.com

Another clue that might be gleaned from the blog title is that this diary is, well, secret. Ish. Secret-ish. Sharing my stories with the world seems to be the exact opposite of being secret. If anyone can see it, everyone can see it! But on the other hand, I'm not sharing any pertinent personal information that would allow readers to figure out my identity or exact location.

Good luck finding me here!

Image source: fanpop.com

So check back here every so often - I'll update with a new hilarious/horrifying/humiliating story every week. Until next time...
 

Ms. Fisher