Daily Reflection
One of the things I do on a regular basis in class is have my students write daily reflections. This is a little different than a writing prompt. I begin by showing them a mirror. I have them look into the mirror and describe what they see. I then have someone else relate a story that happened to something they see in the mirror. The third student I ask to make up a story about something they see in the mirror. Of course they do a lot of giggling because I am asking them to write about themselves. Each time we do a daily reflection I choose something else. Usually it is something boring or silly like a thumbtack or feet. I once did a series of school supplies and ended up with a student writing several chapters of "DiLoni and the Attack of the School Supplies" ! I am always amazed at how wonderful these writings can be. Often students want to write more than one reflection on an object. I, however, never have a chance to write my own reflection except for the short time I model the assignment. Here is my chance. I hope to have the opportunity to complete many of the writing assignment I ask my students to complete. Will posting them here affect how I write, or the fact that I write at all...we'll see.
Pencil
As a teacher, the pencil is an important instrument. In my class, math must always be done in pencil. I ask this of my students, but I have to admit that I secretly prefer to do my math computations in pen. Sometimes I wonder if my rule is founded in a sound principle that students will need to erase so pencil is a must. Ah, but these are musing for another time.
There was a time when pencils were usually yellow in color and had the number 2 printed near the top. Now pencils come in varying colors and textures. I always buy birthday pencils, welcome to 4th grade pencils, Christmas pencils, teacher pencils, sparkly pencils, and my new favorite, fuzzy pencils. I bought a pack of the fuzzy pencils to give as rewards for my students and found they were a huge hit. So much so that I quickly ran out of fuzzy pencils and not everyone in the class had the chance to get one. As you can imagine this created conflict between my students. I could no longer find the small package that I had bought in Michael's so I had to order a box online. When I opened the box, I have to admit I was a little excited about the colors they came in. I chose for myself a vibrant red fuzzy pencil and began writing. I finally realized why they were such a hit. The pencil was soft and warm to the touch. It was a pleasure to hold and its color made me happy. I still have some fuzzy pencils left and I am sure they will go fast as rewards this year. I am however eyeing the purple one for myself!
Even though the feel of a fuzzy pencil brings a smile to my face, I would gladly give it up for my drawing pencils. These do not come in different colors or textures, but rather they come in different degrees of hardness and softness. These pencils I keep in a small purple pouch together with my gum eraser and small sharpener. They are all black in color and have different numbers printed on them. On these pencils you might find a 2H, 3B, 4B, or my personal favorite the 6B. The 6B is the softest pencil. It glides smoothly across the paper leaving a thick smudge of graphite. I use this pencil for shading objects. This is the pencil that brings one dimension into three. It breathes life into the lifeless. The smallest of the bunch, well sharpened and well loved. When I open my purple pouch I immediately smell the wood shavings that have been lovingly taken off each pencil. It is a smell that brings me a sense of calm. As I pick up the pencils and begin to decide which one I will drag across the paper first, my mind floods with possibilities. This is the moment I love most, before the graphite touches the paper. The moment anything might appear
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