slice #13

My school system is participating in writing pilot program offered by our state department this year.  The pilot focuses on exposing students to, not only a variety of genres, but also writing to a "stimulus" & responding with "evidence from the text."  One of our favorite phrases this year, right?  Today the 6th grade teachers had the "opportunity" to attend a training related to the pilot program.  The training for this pilot program consists of watching videos that explain the four-point trait dominant rubric, then reading 2 sample essays for each point within each trait, scoring sample papers, & finally scoring the writing of your own students.  That process happens for each trait.  All four of them.  It's a little tedious.  Did I mention it is an all-day training?  There are some benefits.  We get access to several prompts & sample essays that we are able to use with our students.

But, do you know what today was?  The final day of the Iditarod.  The day my 5th graders have been so anxious for.  The day all their hard work over the past two weeks has led to.  The day they got to see what the final standing of their musher will turn out to be.  And I wasn't there to share in their final day of excitement.  I have a full-time assistant, so I know they got to see how it all ended, but I wanted to be there with them.  I didn't want to listen to a video tell me how to score writing.  I wanted to be with my sweet 5th graders.  I kept checking the updated standings all afternoon & wondering what the kids were thinking about the final rankings. 

I always like to find the positive, even on days like today.  The positive of this is that my students will get to fill me in on the outcomes tomorrow morning.  I'll sit back, listen to their chatter, soak it in, & be happy.