Suddenly in the last few weeks, I can’t keep enough band aids stocked in my classroom. It seems like every time I look over, I see one of my students putting a band aid on a hangnail, paper cut, or other miniscule hurt. "My eye hurts,”“my leg aches,” and”my arm is itchy” are common complaints these days. I’ve spent enough years teaching third graders to recognize that complaining about aches, pains, and injuries is a common characteristic of nine year olds. My students are getting older.
It's still summer, but I'm thinking ahead to winter. I'm picturing writing workshop time mid-way through the year: Students are busy at the computers, working with an intensity that's balanced by smiles and the occasional excited whisper, "Did you see my comment yet?" Each student is fully engaged in writing comments that provide helpful feedback on their classmates' writing and I am just where I want to be at this time in the school year: being a guide on the side.
