Oh, Maria, it seems I have forgotten you! I don't want you to worry about me, but sometimes I get so caught up with other things that my journal time gets lost along the wayside. I'm sorry, and I'll try to check in more often.
It is Friday afternoon. Today was the last day of our first academy session. I am really pleased with how our academies went, and I'm looking forward to our next session. I wonder what classes will be offered and how the students will react to the new options.
Yesterday we went on a field trip to South Ridge Farms. I loved it. We went on a wagon ride into the orchards where we received a short lesson (10 minutes or so?) on agriculture - pollination, cross pollination, bees, organic/non, grafting . . . there were a lot of topics covered, and honestly, for the size of our group, and considering the fact that we had a lot of little kids, the farmer went on for a little longer than he should have. Even so. Afterward we walked through the orchard, and each child got to pick an apple off a tree and eat it, and then they could just throw the apple core back into the orchard! They got a kick out of that. I suspect that many of my children have never before had the opportunity to pick and eat an apple off the tree. We then visited the pumpkin patch and then rode the wagons back to the barn. To finish off, each child got a fresh apple cider donut. It was just about right on level for my students, and I totally intend to go back next year.
We had a peace lesson today on name calling. We've had a lot of aggressive behavior in the classroom (which I mentioned last week), and name calling has been a big part of it. I read a story and talked about my own childhood as the picked on kid. The students were attentive, and I am hopeful we will see a change.
Ah, Maria, there is so much more, but it's time to go. I'll try to check back in over the weekend so I can fill you in on my plans for the coming week.
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