We've survived our first day of the ELA MCAS...and it was a long one. I literally left school on Thursday with aching eyes and a headache...and I wasn't the one testing! I was exhausted simply watching the kids work. It's crazy what's expected of kids across the state with these tests, but it's an unfortunate reality that I do my best to handle as a teacher. While I try to instill confidence in them and voice that doing the best they can is all that matters, I do know that the anxiety was still very much there for many kids. So to try to keep things light and convey this message to the kids, on Wednesday, we did a little activity on the rug. The class formed a circle and sat down to share some of their worries about the following day. We talked through some of those concerns, then I had them "channel" their worries into a piece of paper. They were then told to crumple those worries into a ball...and throw them at me as I stood in the middle of the circle. It was pretty amusing, and to the right, you'll find a photo snapped of the aftermath. That day, we also joined classes to do some review jeopardy, and pictures of that are included below.

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Emma and Mason. Oh, Emma. I couldn't have been prouder of her on Thursday. Emma is so incredibly bright, but like many people, she can sometimes lose sight of that when she's feeling stuck. We've been working on developing a growth mindset and positive thinking when facing challenges, and the MCAS is undoubtedly challenging. Well, she stayed calm, worked hard, and blew me away with how she dealt with and persevered through those testing jitters. Mason is also wonderful. Just thinking of Mason makes me smile, because he's such a positive presence in the classroom. He is kind, flexible, goofy, and respectful, and he seems to be genuinely appreciated by his classmates and teachers alike. Nice job, you two!