Last full week of teaching

Hi everybody!
Well I have successfully completed my last full week of teaching at Salem. My coop was rarely in the room this week and it went by really well. I guess as I sit here thinking about my week, nothing new or really exciting happened. I didn't have any disciplinary actions this week and didn't do any spectacular projects or assignments. In social studies we took a test on Central America. The students didn't do as well as I thought they would so I was a little bit surprised. So I threw out 2 questions and gave them an extra credit opportunity. In religion we watched a great movie on Jesus' life and talked about the word "passion". In language we finished Biztown lessons so we can go to Biztown this coming Tuesday. I'll tell you more about that later, when I know what it is ;) We also just worked on their country paragraphs some more.

Outside of school, I had a pretty exciting week! On Wednesday, Matt, Ian, and I went to an Astros/Cubs baseball game at the Minutemaid field. That was pretty cool! Matt got some free tickets for being an administrator and we got to sit in the Coke Box. I also saw President Bush senior and his wife...from a distance. It was the closest I'VE ever been to a president. On Saturday, I went swimming, yes swimming in an outdoor pool. On Sunday, after church we went strawberry picking, which Ian absolutely LOVED! For lunch we had boiled crawfish. I was told I had to try it before I could leave Texas...well Honeck family, I did. I had probably four of them before I decided that they were not good enough to go through all that work to eat it. Matt, however fully enjoyed the meal. An average person eats 3lbs. of crawfish in a sitting, which I did not even come close to but at least I gave it a shot!

My last piece of exciting news is that Jon and Lindsea are coming to Texas for Easter! I am so excited!

I took some pictures of my classroom, the baseball game, strawberries, and crawfish. Enjoy!

Last two weeks

Well, no pictures to share yet, but it has been an exciting two weeks. Outside of school, Kim and I went to the amazing Chocolate Bar in downtown Houston. We decided it would be a terrific place for a first date but it was super hard for us to choose what we wanted to get. Anything chocolate was there! Kim and I also went to the Holocaust museum. They didn't allow photography so I can't show you, but there were some amazing things inside. It just blows my mind everytime to think about how a nation can go so crazy as to allow an idea like exterminating the Jews in a Holocaust. Our tour guide pointed out to us that 1/3 of all Jews in the world were killed and that many more than we realize were innocent little children. Just this weekend I went out to dinner with the other student teachers at Salem. That was really nice to catch up and swap stories. My Grandpa and Grandma Jan also came to visit on Saturday. We went out to lunch and to a few antique shops of course:) They also brought me a few grapefruits from Phoenix. Today (Sunday), Kim, Ian, and I stopped by Old Town Spring. It was a pretty area with many little shops selling all sorts of things.

Okay, to the stuff you really want to know about...school! In World History, we are studying Central America and the Caribbean. I had them create Wordles to help them remember the culture and economy of these regions. They enjoyed the seemingly "brainless" activity. In religion, we are writing letters to missionaries. Two weeks ago, we talked about persecution and my class brought up missionaries. So I went to the LWML site and found that all the missionaries have blogs. So my students were able to pick a missionary and then write a letter to him/her/them. Tomorrow (Monday) they are going to post the letter on the missionary's blog. It has been a very interesting and rewarding experience. I even learned that I know a few missionaries! In Language Arts we are deep into our country paragraphs. These projects won't be done before I leave but it is so cool to hear, "Miss Vaudt, did you know that in my country...?" I can hear and see the learning taking place. I am teaching full days now and often Laura Honeck (my coop) leaves the room for long stretches of time. I have had to write a few blue slips and even talk to a couple of parents, but it has been a great experience.

Professor Kromminga came on Thursday from Seward, to observe me, along with the other student teachers. He gave me some good advice, along with making me 20 minutes late for my next class! The story is that he and I went to debrief and had a great conversation. I looked down at my watch and realized that I had missed the bell (you can hardly hear them!). So we walked back to my classroom. Just before my hall, I see the 8th grade teacher pacing the hallway. Then the math teacher sees me and says, "Did you know you are late to class?" "Yes," I say. She says, "Do you know that you are 20 minutes late to class and your class is still out in the hallway?" Oh no! Laura hadn't come back after going to a drama production with the students, thinking that I would be fine by myself! So my students waited like they are supposed to outside the classroom for a very long time. They asked if I had gotten lost! :)

My 6th graders and I made Wordles to help us remember the economy and culture of Central America and the Caribbean.  Wordle said to paste this link so maybe you will be able to see the one I made.  We hung the student's in the hallway.  I will take some pictures and post those too!