Have you seen us on Facebook?

I did set up an account on Facebook. I am just more familiar with it, so, hopefully, I can use this as a way to share things about our days, etc. and Facebook will be for pics and dates and times and announcements.

We are really enjoying our talks about Christmas! I was really impressed that, when I asked my class if they knew why we celebrate Christmas, I got a few different answers, but none of them were Santa Claus or presents!! A few said that it was Jesus' birthday, and some said to be with family, and some said decorations and Christmas trees. I thought those were pretty cool answers. Now, they probably all will tell you that it's to celebrate Jesus' birthday! We do enjoy talking about Santa Claus and other traditions, but we do make a point to be sure they understand that none of those things would have ever come about if not for the birth of Jesus.

Today, in my class, we had a talk about children who do not have all of the things that we have. It was a GREAT discussion! I asked them what they thought that Jesus would do if he walked down the street and saw someone who didn't have the things that they needed. One child said that they thought He would make sure they had heat. One said, (this one melted my heart) "I am not sure what Jesus would do, but I think that we could look at our toys and bring some of them to those kids who don't have as much!" I loved that, since I was working on a discussion about our family we are helping. I have to share my one little cute story, because it was very sincere!! He thought about it for a long time, and then he said, "I think Jesus would call Santa Claus and tell him to bring them some toys!" Isn't that precious? Anyway, we talked a lot about it, and the kids all agreed that we should help some people. We have 3 little girls to help this year. They are 5, 4 and 2. I don't have sizes here, but I'll send them tomorrow. They asked for clothes, shoes, and toys. The oldest needs school uniforms. If you have gently used clothes or toys in good shape, we will certainly take those. If you would send $10 or so, it would go a long way toward making sure these kids have a great Christmas. We do this project every year, and it is a really meaningful and special time for the kids.

I went to an overview today for a training that I learned about through some of my Meriwether Co. teacher friends. It is expensive, but it seems like an amazing method of teaching reading. I am planning to attend the 30 hour training in Feb.. We will probably have a dinner or something in order to help pay for it (along with the materials I will probably need), but I think we will all be pleased with the results. I am going to begin to try a few of the techniques they discussed in the next couple of weeks, but I;m so excited about the ideas I will learn. I voiced my concern about training as late in the year as Feb. but she assured me that I will still be able to make amazing gains with the kids in the spring! It is offered through the Institute of Multi Sensory Education, and it's called the Orton-Gillingham approach (I think that is right). I look forward to sharing it with each of you once I complete the training.

Have a great night!