That was fun, but so tiring
It happens every year...field day. A day that pretty much every student looks forward to, and I am usually beat by the end of it. It is a day of extra excitement, and tons of fun, but also a lot of child-wrangling and management skills. My hat is off to the fantastic gym teachers at our school who organize this event every year, as well as all the parents who volunteer to run the activities. We had beautiful weather this year! The students are overwhelmed with joy and competition during the various activities, which include both whole class vs. whole class as well as small group relay events. The events include an obstacle course, fox tail toss, beanbag tic-tac-toe, some water activities (always popular), a scooter challenge, and a bowling pin/frisbee challenge. I usually participate in a few activities, and this year was no different. However, this year I had a new favorite game, which was also the first time it was at the field day. It was a "Critter Grab." The teams needed to throw a frisbee through a hoop, and if you got it through you get to run over and grab a critter (rubber animals) from the opposing team's pile.
As a whole, I would say field day went well. With it being field day, however, the students needed a lot of reminders about expectations in the morning (our 3rd grade classes participate in the afternoon). I didn't hesitate to let the students know that if I felt that they couldn't handle following our regular classroom expectations, it wouldn't be hard for me to limit their access to the field day activities. That reminder generally works, and, as a whole, I was very proud of how the students behaved, but there were a few students who tried to push the envelope, so they participated in some "time out" versions of the activities while we were outside. There were also a few students who "didn't feel good" during certain activities (usually because they are not very successful with what needs to be done), so they chose to utilize relaxation techniques while the others played the games. But, lo and behold, their illnesses were very short-lived, and by the next activities they were right back in their with their teams!
As tiring of a day it is, it is fun, and I like seeing how much fun the students have doing it. I will miss not being able to do it next year...
Mindfulness thought for the week: Help is a good thing. It's just a little unfamiliar and uncomfortable getting there sometimes. --Tom J Deters, ProYou Podcast
***Extra shout-out of thankfulness to Tom for the guidance he has offered in his podcast. I was able to use his lessons about the "voice" in our head with a student. This student has some VERY HIGH math anxiety. This student is rather shy, and in the past, the anxiety mainly just popped up around test time, though she usually ended up doing okay and just needed that little extra emotional support. However, as of late, it was been showing up during our regular class lessons (and more that just math). I think this is because we are getting close to the end of the year and she is already worrying about 4th grade. During a rather long discussion, it was incredibly clear that this student had a very strong voice in her head trying to convince her that she wasn't good at anything. So I used some of Tom's words and advice to coach her through it. She has a long road ahead of her, and I just wish that I had more than 2 weeks to help her with her voice.
As a whole, I would say field day went well. With it being field day, however, the students needed a lot of reminders about expectations in the morning (our 3rd grade classes participate in the afternoon). I didn't hesitate to let the students know that if I felt that they couldn't handle following our regular classroom expectations, it wouldn't be hard for me to limit their access to the field day activities. That reminder generally works, and, as a whole, I was very proud of how the students behaved, but there were a few students who tried to push the envelope, so they participated in some "time out" versions of the activities while we were outside. There were also a few students who "didn't feel good" during certain activities (usually because they are not very successful with what needs to be done), so they chose to utilize relaxation techniques while the others played the games. But, lo and behold, their illnesses were very short-lived, and by the next activities they were right back in their with their teams!
As tiring of a day it is, it is fun, and I like seeing how much fun the students have doing it. I will miss not being able to do it next year...
Mindfulness thought for the week: Help is a good thing. It's just a little unfamiliar and uncomfortable getting there sometimes. --Tom J Deters, ProYou Podcast
***Extra shout-out of thankfulness to Tom for the guidance he has offered in his podcast. I was able to use his lessons about the "voice" in our head with a student. This student has some VERY HIGH math anxiety. This student is rather shy, and in the past, the anxiety mainly just popped up around test time, though she usually ended up doing okay and just needed that little extra emotional support. However, as of late, it was been showing up during our regular class lessons (and more that just math). I think this is because we are getting close to the end of the year and she is already worrying about 4th grade. During a rather long discussion, it was incredibly clear that this student had a very strong voice in her head trying to convince her that she wasn't good at anything. So I used some of Tom's words and advice to coach her through it. She has a long road ahead of her, and I just wish that I had more than 2 weeks to help her with her voice.
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