School is in session!!

Well... I have what is probably the coolest, most exciting story about school that I will have for a little while anyway. As most of you know, I am a fifth grade teacher. I have just started a new school year with all new kids. It is a strange time of getting to know them and them getting to know me... a lot of awkward misunderstanding of Mrs. Keenan's sense of humor (what? A teacher who jokes around that much? How do I take it?)

Well, the first week was a bit difficult at first. These kids are young and much less mature than what I ended the year with last year, but as the week went on I began to realize that I will love these just as much as I have the past two classes of mine!

Here's the great story: Thursday I was teaching a thrilling math lesson on decimal place value through thousandths. I do my math lessons on a Promethean board. It is an interactive white board which makes things more organized and more fun for the kids. However, my lesson was painstakingly long... an hour and a half later, I was done. As I finished my lesson and closed the flipchart that we were working on, I turned around and said, "the end" or something devilishly clever like that. When I turned around the entire class was applauding my math lesson... it was bizarre!! I was a little bit proud at that moment! I love kids!!

Also... I received my first apple from a student. It looked very similar to this:

I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year!!

Oh... say a little prayer for me tomorrow... it's "Get the Facts" Night where I have to talk to a rapt audience of parents about the year and all the great things that we are going to do! Nothing makes me more nervous!! Although I know that it will be fine... your prayers don't hurt!