Coming back to school in the midst of a heat wave is not ideal, but we prevailed! This week consisted of more opportunities to get to know each other, self reflection, and goal setting. Everyone brought in their Brown Bag Autobiography on Tuesday, which was wonderful. This is the first year I've done this activity, and I definitely plan on making it a yearly tradition. It's such a nice way for students to share a little about themselves by bringing in five items from home that represent interests, hobbies, people, and memories special to them. Not only that, but it allows for students to practice speaking in front of each other, listening to each other, and asking/answering questions related to the items shared. I did a bag too, and I may or may not have bent the rules a little and brought in six items instead of five...whoops...

We had a student questionnaire and self reflection homework assignment that required students to think about their strengths in school and areas they hope to improve in this year. These also gave me insight into what they value in teachers, the types of assignments they prefer, how they learn best, when and where they feel most confident, and the important people in their lives. I asked parents/guardians to fill out similar questionnaires, and I'm so grateful that so many people put time into filling those out. All of these have been highly valuable in getting to know my new students so that I can be the best teacher I can be for each one of them. Using the in-class questionnaire and self evaluation homework assignment, students set goals for themselves for the 4th grade school year. I could help provide each of them with ideas based on what I noticed in their self reflections as well as their parents' responses. We worked hard to make the goals SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. And I don't use the word hard lightly...because this was a challenging assignment! We also created action steps in achieving this goal, and we eventually created colorful banners to hang up and display our goals for the school year. They look great.

We picked our first Bucket Fillers of the school year this week! I love seeing the kids' reactions when they win Bucket Filler of the week. I use this method of positive reinforcement every year with my students. On the first day of school, we read the book “How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids”, which introduces the idea that we all have invisible buckets over our heads that fill up and empty throughout the day depending on our feelings and interactions with others. Over the course of the week, I write down the names of students who stood out to me for working hard, being kind, helping out, etc. and put these names in a jar. On Friday, I randomly pick a name from each homeroom and they are the Bucket Fillers of the week. They get the option of picking out of a prize bin, doing show and tell, or having lunch with a friend and me the following week. Our first Bucket Fillers were Ryker and Mason. Ryker has stood out to me for continually following directions. I've noticed that I can count on him when it comes to appropriate classroom transitions and participation without shouting out. Mason comes in each day with enthusiasm and energy that is contagious. He has also been participating, which is always appreciated! I can't wait to get to know all of my new students as we get more comfortable with each other and kick off our first reading, writing, and social studies units next week.