Time, like an ever rolling stream...

We're more than halfway through the 2nd quarter already. Parent Observation Week looms before me and after that, we only have one more full week of school before quarter exams begin. The year is starting to fly by.

Speaking of time flying, my childhood friend, Sunday School buddy, churchmate got married on Saturday! It didn't seem real when her brand new husband stood up and said, "I will serenade my wife" at the reception before he sang. I'm used to all my college friends getting married, but this is weird since she's the first of the MCBC kids to get married.

The wedding was quite the affair, but hours before that, I was busy running at 3k for our school Fun Run. Sneakers in the morning... dress in the evening. What a full day. :P

And now to stop procrastinating and do something. I don't have school today because it's Teachers' Day. I wouldn't have had school anyway because there's a typhoon. What a waste of a perfectly good rain day!

PS -- Dresses, heels, suits, barongs might make us look grown up... but we're  not! (First picture credit: Joash)

Let's hear from the corndog lover again...

If I brought a dragon to school…

I would slide down its tail and I could also play tag with it. Make sure he’s in your team so It’s super fast speed. But it may be to excited it might burn fire from it’s mouth. I could have fun by playing rough with It and so the teacher will be so scared she/he will ignore us.

We could be a little creeped out of the dragon’s teeth. But we could train it how to dance. We can also get food for free in the canteen for the scariest face. But it might eat all my classmates and mistaken me as a corndog so I will run, run, run all around the school. It also might not even fit the door. And there is no sit that can fit his size anyway.

We can have a restling mach with it. The dragon defently win. He will go out of control for winning 1^st prize and squesh everyone. And plus where in the world am I ever gonna get a dragon? Howell where was I ho ya.

If I brought one It could defenetly fly around the classroom and crash through everything. It might turn green and get sick because of bumping it’s head on the wall. And theirs on doctor to qier him. but still I would love to bring one to school.

I would like to bring...

This is the final copy of an in-class report on bringing an animal to school.

I would like to bring a blue whale that can breathe on land to school.


I think it's a great idea because he can crush the bully. I hope it'll happen, but how will I do it? Another problem is there's no bully. So no bully-crushing for Mr. Blue Whale.


More problems -- he can squish me. I won't let him. I'll tell him not to squish me.


There's more. He's too big for any chair. If he had a chair, the chair will break. That means he can't have a seat.


He also might eat us. Me, I., G., J., J., I.... anyone! I said (or "I wrote"...) 
ANYONE!


I hope it won't happen. 


But I'll bring him!

More on Kid Writing

Jericho reflected on blessings for which they do not usually thank God.

Our cockroach-lover friend from last time has a thankful heart. Here is his list of blessings and reasons.

Blessings

Hands

1.)    Some people’s hands got cut of. Some people got no hands at all.

2.)    Some people are born without hands or fingers. I if had no hands I would be dead by now.

3.)    I will be crying buckets of tears right now. I even might be dead by now.

Breath

1)      If not we will be dead by now. Some people have a hard time.

2)      So we will have life in us. Some people are running out of oxygen.

3)      It is very important to us. Or scientists would not do anything.

Food

1)      If not we will be dead by now. It is very important to us.

2)      It gives us life. Helps us stay alive. Supports the body posture.

Writing Growth

Sometimes the kids are pretty frustrating. At the start of the first quarter, most of the kids couldn't write a coherent sentence. I scratched all my beautiful writing projects I had planned for the first quarter and just tried to get them to write. Class C has a lot of readers and writers. Class B is just a nightmare. Class A is not the brightest out of the 3 sections, but it also is the class that shows the most progress. They are becoming my best writers because they are really learning how to write.

I want to share an example of writing growth in one particular student. We began the activity by reading Never Bring Your Elephant To School and discussed pros and cons. Then the students made lists for bringing an animal of their choice to school. They had to pick a total of 6 pros and cons combined. In the next class, I told them to take 4 of the pros and cons and write 4 separate paragraphs. They thought I had given them a death sentence.

This is the first draft of one student: (Spelling is left as it appears in his notebook, minus the ones that auto-correct fixed.)

I would like to bring a cockroach to school.

If I brought a cockroach to school the teacher will get freacket out and dismiss us early. Everybody will thank me for it. And everybody will need to tell me that they need him.

(Describe the teacher using verbs and sound effects.)

And if I  bring a cockroach to school the school bully will totally be freaked out. And he will promise to never bully again. So nobody’s lunch money or life will never get bulied again.

(Why would the bully get freaked out? Would you throw the roach at him? Try to describe the situation.)

I am not sure if I can bring a cockroach to school because somebody might kill him. I will be very x 1,000,000 sad. If they do they will feel my wrath. (except Joshua of course).

(How would it get killed?)

I am also not sure if I should bring it because I will not be appresheated anymore. And my friends will alwas stay away from me and never like me again. And the teacher might give me detention.

(Why would they stay away? How would you feel about detention?)

(Your writing is really improving! Your details all support your topic sentences. Try to add some more descriptive words to your details. Avoid starting all your sentences with ‘and’.)

The comments in red were what I added in the margins of his notebook. I gave it back to him and told him to read my comments and see what he could add. Below is his second draft. (I'm sorry to say that in his enthusiasm, his spelling, grammar, and punctuation went out the window.)

I would like to bring a coackroach to school

If I brought a cockroach to school the teacher might get freaked out she’ll scream so loud like AAAAHHHHH! while running around in circles. She might even dismiss us early. Every body might thank me for it and carry me to the Hallway shouting Bryce x5.

Alsow if I brought a coachroach to school. I will freak out the school bully by throwing the coackroach. He will scream to deth like AHHHH (girl scream). I will tell him “He will not stop until you will stop bullying.” He will say “Ok’ Ok Ok I will stop.

Mabby I should not bring a coackroach to school. Somebody might step on him really hard he/she might not notice it is stuck on his/her shoe. I might stay in school finding him.

Maby I should also not bring a cockroach to school because everybody will hate me. They might get grossed out and faint. Alsow when the next teacher comes in she’ll see him and give me 2 hour DETENTION.

Maybe there's hope after all for these kids. :) Maybe they'll be ready for 4th grade after all.