Second Grade Highlights

Happy Thanksgiving from Kenya! I must admit it felt odd to wake up in Kenya on Thanksgiving morning...I am missing all the familiar people and events (though not the smells) of Thanksgiving at home. Surprising enough I am missing the fresh feel of the cold air that is most likely blowing around Chicago these days.

Our term ended yesterday and though I love my students and greatly enjoy the ministry of loving students who are away from their parents, I am so excited to read, rest, find some fun, be still, make my home feel like home, and catch up on sleep. I have plans to be in Uganda to visit some friends and to raft the Nile...crocs and hippos here I come!

Spending much of my day with 2nd graders I hear and read funny words all the time. My favorites often times are the inventive spelling and the spontaneous laughter just because we are in 2nd grade. In my opinion one student has come up with a much better spelling of pneumonia (which I had to look up on dictionary.com) Her rendition - nomoniya...not bad. sment for cement. And one student asked how to spell intendent...I stewed for awhile, asked some leading questions and he responded "you know, super intendent"...oh, you mean Nintendo!

Aside from the "stop picking your nose" pep talk, I have also been asking for and encouraging better listeners, showing me that you are listening with eye contact and responses, etc... One little boy who likes to space might have finally gotten my point. He looked intensely at me and said "Miss Crockett, I'm listening" as he proceeded to walk backwards (so he could continue to look at me) to his desk with a smirk the whole time...he knew what he was doing.

School just wasn't designed for little boys. Being in Africa I have more freedom to take my class outside to do school and we do a lot of moving, but with 7 boys and 4 girls next term I'm thinking I will need to get real creative in my approach to learning :-) any ideas are more than welcome!