Summer School has Ended!

Yesterday, June 30th, summer school came to an end. This was probably the most trying experience in summer school that I have been through due to a very few but major discipline issue children. However, in the end I could see that good did come from it.

The majority of the stuendents in my class were from bilingual classes and were in summer school to help them continue to improve in their English language skills before being moved into ESL (English as a second language class). This is when they will be taught in regular classes with support to assist them be successful as they continue to learn the English language. These were actually my hardest working students and were not my discipline issues. Three of these students raised three reading levels in fifteen days.

All of the students greatly increased their math scores and all increased in their science scores as well.

The side notes were left by two sweet little girls. There may be spelling and grammatical errors. However, based on the fact that these children are 7 and 8 years old, are just leaving bilingual classes, and have families that speak Spanish at home - I think they are awesome.

Now I am starting my summer. I will now have the opportunity to get to the projects that I normally don't have time for.

• Painting a bedroom
• Cleaning the outdoor ceiling fans
• Pulling the weeds out of the flower beds
• Making some new curtains for my kitchen
• Spray painting the cheap brass cafe curtain rods black
• Painting the back door
• Cleaning out the garage
• Working with my own children on some educational needs
• etc..., etc..., etc...
  

Second Grade Summer School Poetry

During RATT -Read and Think Together time (love academic acronyms) which occurs after SURFF - Silent Uninterrupted Reading For Fun, my students worked with me to create two new poems.

Summer School - An Acrostic Poem
by Mrs. Reitzel's Milam 2nd grade summer school students

Science in the afternoon,
Cycles of water we have learned.
Haiku poems we have learned and read.
October is a month in fall.
Ones, tens, hundreds,
Library time is special.


Summer School Haiku
by Mrs. Reitzel's Milam 2nd grade summer school students

Summer school is fun.
We read and write the whole day.
It is fun to learn.

Adventures in Summer School

I am very thankful for the opportunity to teach summer school because it provides a much needed extra income source. However, this last week has been the most trying time I have experienced as a teacher for a long, long time.

I am currently teaching second grade students that are entering third grade. I only have fifteen students but two are major behavior issues and three are being moved out of bilingual classes into regular English speaking classrooms in third. This would not be a problem except that they currently are below level in their native Spanish language, not to mention that I am trying to increase their English language and reading skills to the appropriate incoming third grade level.

Friday was so emotionally and physically exhausting that if I wasn't afraid that I would never have the opportunity to work summer school again if it were absolutely necessary, I would have resigned.

The positive side is that I have a new appreciation for the wonderful students that I will have returning to me in August because of our looping (having the same students in fifth and sixth grades.)