Can I call a do over?

UGH! Can I please get a do over? Please... I really want to do today over, but without my room being broken into over break, and glass everywhere and plywood over the windows. Please, I'm really not asking a lot!! I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but I work at a very low income school. I love my babies but sometimes I want to move them out of the environment that they are growing up in.

In the last 5 weeks (including 2 weeks of vacation) we have had 3 break ins! All the classrooms had smartboard and projectors installed. They were up all last year and not a single break in. This year, not the same story. Almost all of the projectors have been removed by those breaking in the school. You know... I just don't get it. Back when I started teaching, an education was thought of as a way out and families wanted their kids to have better than what they had. It doesn't feel that way now. Now it feels like no one cares if children are educated or if our schools have what tools we need to educate those children. Sorry to vent... it just really is frustrating. And my babies are MY babies... I want them to grow and learn and be productive citizens one day.

Ok venting over... I LOVE my job! I have some BIG challenges  but today I got to look a chance to do some mid year assessments. I was blow away from their growth!! Yep we are STILL big time not were we are supposed to be but OH HOW WE HAVE GROWN! The majority of my kids knew no numbers. They could count to 5 or so, but they couldn't write them or identify them. Today all but 1 child could identify the numbers 0-10!! (Oh that one child was absent ;) ) They can write the numbers 1-10 and can make sets!! GO babies GO!! I am so proud of them!! Now lets get really excited 'cause my babies can add and subtract!!

Every morning we do Calendar Math that Counts. Way back I started working with 10 frames and wanted a way to create a number daily. Now that 10 frame will have 2 colors or shapes filling the squares. I call it the "How many game". I start by asking the kids how many. I literally say.. Ok who can tell me how many. While waving my hand in front of the ten frame. We write down the number. Some kids can look at the ten frame and just know the number. Some know that the top line being filled up means that there are 5 and they count the rest from 5. And some need to count every dot (or square, heart, snowflake etc). Since there are 2 different shapes or colors we can see how to make a number out of it's parts. We then talk about what would happen if Mrs. Day gave away all the red dots. We then write a math sentence for both the addition and subtraction.I'll try to remember to take some pictures tomorrow.

Thank you for letting me be human and vent about this... I needed it! (and I feel SO much better too)