My kids rock

I don't often race home to blog about my day.  In truth, I didn't really race home today.  But I looked forward to creating this post after the day I had.

Today was the first day I combined my 2nd and 3rd grade gifted classes.  Previously 3rd grade had been on their own.  2nd grade was with my 1st grader.  Because of my own daughter being placed as a kindergartner...I had to move 2nd in with 3rd.  I was a little worried about it because there are some potential personality Collisions in my future.  I capitalize with purpose here.  Clash seemed to tame a word.

If any of you have ever had a gifted child in your classroom, you will know what I mean.  They are more different than they are alike despite having many common characteristics.  I have super hypersensitive kids.  I have underachievers.  I have kids who love to please.  I have kids who argue that the sky is a Celadon blue if I say it's really just blue.  I have kids who barely speak.  I have kids who wont stop speaking.  Needless to say that with all the extremes in my class, I can have a very tumultuous day.

They never cease to amazing me however.  The 2nd graders jumped right in with the slightly older kids.  Once of the kids favorite activities is Stories with Holes.  It was first time I had done them with the 2nd graders.  They asked great yes/no questions and figured out many of them.  I think the 3rd graders were shocked at how tenacious the 2nd graders were.  I was impressed with how my quiet non-talkers suddenly came alive. 

I am excited to teach them like this because the options for cooperative work are vastly different now.  I did a lot more share structures than I normally do today.  It felt really good.  I even witnessed many of them coaching each other through some problem solving.

Which brings me to my favorite story from today.  Gifted children often struggle with accepting their failures.  Whether they have been labeled underachievers or perfectionists...they struggle with things get hard.  Last week, one of my 5th grade students kept saying how hard the math was.  We were doing some pre-algebra problems.  She just wasn't grasping the trial/error method the particular problem posed.  She struggles with her confidence in math as well.  I told her she was no longer allowed to use the word can't.   Immediately, the little darlings in that class start listing all the synonyms they would use instead. 

We abandoned our math, pulled out the thesauruses and iPads.  I sent them out to find all the synonyms of can't they could come up with.  We may a huge list and posted it on the wall in the room.  They aren't allowed to use negative works to describe their learning, conversations, or relationships in the room. 

I talked over this lesson with the 2/3 group today.  Later in the day, one of my strong math students was struggling with an algebraic thinking problem.  He said, "Mrs. Parker these are so hard...Oh!  I'm not allowed to say that!  Mrs. Parker, these problems are challenging!"  We discussed the work hard and challenging.  They decided that challenging implies that they can success at it even if it's "hard".  While the word hard just sounds like complaining.

I love these kids!