all in a day's work

Dearest Reader,

Lately (okay, over the last year and a half) I have been tweeting and putting together our newsletter instead of blogging about our adventures in The Little Green Schoolhouse. Well, amongst other exciting things. Anyhow, I have sat down a few times here to write, to add photos of our beauty-filled and wonder-filled lives lived along the trail, to express. And something would call me away. Here I am with somewhat of an update today. Hoping to make it more of a regular thing again.

This post is a bit of a hodgepodge of ideas about work.
Peruse.
Wonder.
Think about childhood. About adulthood.
Humanhood.

Thank you for checking in with us,
Ms. Hadfield

an impromptu group from the west class works to build a structure along the trail -autumn 2016

Where do you work? What are you working on? What should I do when I'm finished my work? Why aren't you working?! Is my child doing enough work? How was work today? Have you found work/life balance?

This past month we had the second of our two formal conversations with parents about academic achievement and/or concerns, work habits, and behaviour. If the school year were a road to be travelled, these conversations would be rest stops in which we would pull over, pause, celebrate success, identify any challenges and hazards, and plan for the rest of the trip. This connection between home and school is especially important: it allows all involved to have a voice, define their roles, and work toward the common goal: a meaningful and mindful school experience for each child.

"Work is a constant conversation. It is the back-and-forth between what I think is me and what I think is not me; it is the edge between what the world needs of me and what I need of the world...it is constantly changing and surprising me by its demands and needs but also by where it leads me, how much it teaches me, and especially, by how much tact, patience and maturity it demands of me."

-poet and philosopher David Whyte in his book,  

"The Three Marriages: Re-imagining Work, Self and Relationship"

As winter slowly turns to spring, educators seem to be most conscious of their work. Not only directly with students and families, but in our involvement with divisional budget conversations (as employees and ratepayers), school planning, and professional goals. Pondering this, I think about the commonplace questions posed above. Work is a constant conversation whether we are in the education field or not. Whether we are an adult or not.

I am a helper.

Others need me.

I need help and I am a helper.

I need to take a break.

first skate of the season -January 2017

I can do things on my own.

Things that I couldn't always do.

I had to be held up.

I had to fall.

Today I am doing it all by myself!

I am strong.

building capacity and finding joy, January 2016

I am curious.

I wonder.

I wander.

I am responsible for my own questions, my own learning, my own experience.

I can stick to a project and see the fruits of my labour.

“Where is the book in which the teacher can read about what teaching is? The children themselves are this book.”

-Rudolf Steiner, Rhythms of Learning

May we continue to have the opportunity to ask mindful and thoughtful questions about the work we ask of ourselves, eachother, and our children. AND, as immense as this topic is, may you find meaning, joy, and surprises in rhythms of each day.  

Spring Inspirations and Awakenings

The smell of spring, and the new colours in the grasses and plants, inspired us...

...to paint spring paintings and write spring poetry.

The dinosaur lands we made indoors this winter....

...inspired us to make lands outside this spring, 

and film our own movies!

Under all that snow, there was a geocache!

 And a caterpillar.

Here we are playing our new favourite card came, "Who has more?" Thank you, Logan for making the sign to remind us what makes a happy math game. We came up with this list together.

I am happy to report we are all loving and caring for our new class pet, Gloria Leafy Argyle. 

We have learned a lot from this little crested gecko.

Here, Jack gives her a misting. We mist her terrarium twice a day.

Making the most out of our Indoor Space

February, warm clothing or not, seems to be an indoor kind of month in Manitoba. So, we make the best of it...building and playing in our community (which now has a clinic and lemonade stand), designing lands, painting, sorting and counting.

 

Bring in a dinosaur book and soon someone sets up a dinosaur land. Set up a dinosaur land, and soon there are all sorts of lands all over the room! 

 

Got a sore leg? Need a Band-Aid? Visit Mykayla in the community clinic. After that, swing by the lemonade stand!



We are so fortunate to have a K-2 dad that works in conservation. These posters were a reminder of all the animals we hope to see again come spring.

 

February Valentine and Friendship Celebration...

 

 

100 Days of School. Here we are grouping the 100 objects we collected. Groups of 2...5...10...25...50...it was a morning of counting!

A sweet treat from Samuel and Benjamin to mark the occasion:

And here we are yesterday, with one of our favourite art tools: watercolour pencils. Painting pictures for our beloved music teacher.

 

 

Never is it TOO cold to go outside for a little while...

 



This is Us, 2015

This is us.

This is what we do and where we go,

this is how we play,

how we explore,

where we can be quiet

still

listen, 

yet never more together as one.

 

Goodbye, 2014

Oh dear readers, how I have missed you and our little blog. This school year I have spent less time writing here, as you probably have noticed. After a full day of planning, prepping, playing, working, walking, and creating, evenings have been used for sleeping and recovering, playing and reading. I hope you find these collections of photos enjoyable. It always fills my heart with love and happy memories to look back through photos of our learning. And it is with this joyful heart I am inspired and motivated to go forward.

 

In December, we were fortunate to have the support of our families and friends for the 100th Christmas celebration, concert, and brunch. We held our first (hopefully annual) lantern walk, rode on a horse drawn wagon around the community, and worked in our gingerbread workshop.

 

at the rink, post lantern walk

parents and teachers warm by the fire

 

walking to the community centre

Sam and Ben show their beautiful lanterns

Writing out the recipe for Easy, Excellent Gingerbread

Rob rolls out the gingerbread dough

feeling the warmth of the dough

Rolling out the excess dough to make more squares

and more squares

assembling the homes

Candy Shop

Autumn spends the last of her money at the candy shop

A home for a horse, all under a $2.00 budget

cow shelter

UPDATE: Thanks to the veggie fundraiser last fall, we have purchased these woodland and farm animals and the blocks you see below. A few of the students have been playing a game they invented called "The Great Stack". They are challenging themselves to see just how tall the animals can be stacked. We measure and record in centimetres each time we play the game.

the great stack game

This is just one example of the creating and building happening with our new blocks. This castle even has its own moose pen.

Walking towards the busses on the last school day of 2014