Today I had the opportunity to visit my grade 2 class before winter vacation. Mrs. S allowed me to come in to spend the day, as I had been away sick for the past 2 weeks. It was so nice to be back in the classroom, and I could tell how much the students missed me. They even made me a get-well place-mat on my desk! 🙂 Once I greeted the students at the door, I got lots of hugs and they were all excited that it was finally Friday, the day before break. The students came in and exchanged some gifts for the teachers and other classmates. We started off with the morning meeting, which I taught. It was a bit difficult for the kids to get settled, as they were all looking forward to the afternoon movie in the gymnasium. Once show and tell was over, the students worked on a math sheet which included using their calendar chart. They had to find the missing numbers which included using a lot of good mental math strategies. I have noticed that many of the students ask for extra assistance during math class, and have a difficult time being patient for myself or Mrs. S to assist them. Next time I will reinforce the importance of asking their partners for help while they wait, so they can work on scaffolding each other’s learning (quietly though, of course)!

After recess, I read the students a story called “Daddy Christmas, and Hanukkah Mamma.” I specifically picked this story because we have a Jewish boy in our class, and the rest of the students celebrate Christmas. I also thought it was important for the other students to learn more about the Jewish holiday. By incorporating these two traditions into a storybook, the students became more aware of different celebrations that occur around the same time as the Christmas holiday. The students enjoyed the story, and the boy who celebrates Hanukkah was especially excited to elaborate on what the story entailed. After the story, the students worked on their winter landscape pictures, where they learned how to use different green colors to shade in trees. It is great to see how talented so many of the students are in drawing and painting- there are definitely some artists in the making!

During the lunch break, I brought the students some Christmas-themed donuts from Tim Hortons, and they loved it! There were almost too many treats going around and the kids were jumping off the walls! Mrs. S and I also had some time to exchange Christmas gifts and enjoyed coffee. When the bell rang, students lined up to go to the gym where all the grades watched “Inside-Out.” This gave Mrs. S and I lots of time to take down Christmas decorations around the class, and we changed the desks around for a fresh start come January! We got lots done in the time that the students were in the gym, and we gave out some presents as they left for the day. It was great that I was able to join in for the day before Christmas vacation, and it was also very helpful for Mrs. S. I can’t wait to see my students again after the break!