What you Look for You may Find

Day 17: I am really thrilled that things are falling into place so nicely with my sabbatical projects. I will be training tutors Monday afternoon and the manual is done for that. I have poured over NECAP data (our state testing data) looking for appropriate students to include; I think I have a nice group. Scheduling this will be a challenge, I'm sure. I will tackle that next week. Since I am so grateful for tutors I have allowed them to tell me when they are available and I'll try to fit tutees in the time slots they gave me (mostly after school). It will be a challenge but nothing I am not used to - scheduling is truly nightmarish in the schools these days. It's really wonderful to have so many services for kids (OTs, PTs, speech therapists, counselors, adapted PE teachers, ESL teachers, reading specialists, special educators, etc.) but a long and frustrating process to schedule it all in. I'm hoping that because most of the tutoring is after school, the schedule will be a challenge but not too difficult to put together.

We are going to start using the M3 materials next week and I previewed the lessons Friday. They look really excellent. My colleague worries that we will wander away from all the fun we have had making up the after school program. I think that's a good worry and I will keep that in mind as we delve into the M3 curriculum. One of the drawbacks of any curriculum is that the teacher may no longer feel that he or she is being creative and having fun teaching. So, the M3 materials will be guide not a bible.

I also finally remembered my camera during the after school program last week so we have excellent pictures to go on our website. Here is a picture of math and art. Students learned how to make a shape that reflects on itself. Then they tesselated it (made it into a repeating pattern). Looks like a budding Escher, don't you think?



I am still looking for a test that would help us identify the grades 1-2 students. But, that will come, I'm sure.

The process and experiences of this sabbatical, thus far, have reminded of how much life has to offer if you just start looking for it :) Imagine it and it will come :) Seems to be some truth in that!!