900 Days of School: Individual Composites (Part Two)

900 Days of School: Individual Composites (Part Two)

“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. ”
― Oprah Winfrey

One of the things that I want to instill in my students each year is the importance of individuality.  I love to get to know what makes each of my students

900 Days of School: Play

900 Days of School: Play

“Play is the highest form of research.”
― Albert Einstein

One of my favorite times of each school day is recess.

As the demands of the academic program have become more and more rigorous for first graders during my tenure, recess is one thing that has remained constant.  Recess is a time when kids can be kids.  I am always so amazed at the abundance of energy that

900 Days of School: Winter and Spring Holidays

900 Days of School: Winter and Spring Holidays

“I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.”
― Fred Rogers

Holiday celebrations are such a big part of first grade.  It seems there is

900 Days of School: The Dollhouse (Composite 30)

900 Days of School: The Dollhouse (Composite 30)

“You can’t crawl back in the dollhouse–
You’ve gotten too
big to
get in.
You’ve got to live here
Like the rest of us do.
You’ve got to walk roads
That are winding and new.
But oh, I wish I could
Crawl back with you
Into the dollhouse again.”
― Shel Silverstein

The dollhouse has been in my classroom for years now.  It is a favorite choice for my students when we have indoor recess.  It has seen many hands and has lost a door and pieces of furniture along the way.  The lack of perfection doesn’t deter the students from selecting the dollhouse as a place to spend quality time.

I thought the dollhouse would be an important picture to include in my project 900 Days of School in which I 

900 Days of School: Morning Commute

900 Days of School: Morning Commute

“If you can find a way to add some adventure to a mundane daily commute, I suggest you do that. Life is too short, my friends.”
― Robert Hurst

At least an hour of each of my working days is spent commuting.  If I am traveling at a time when there isn’t heavy traffic, I can drive from my home in South Carolina to my school in 

900 Days of School: Fall and Winter Holidays

900 Days of School: Fall and Winter Holidays

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

Children anticipate each holiday.  Many of our school activities are planned around holidays in first grade.

In the fall, children always anticipate

900 Days of School (Composite Twenty-One)

900 Days of School (Composite Twenty-One)

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!”
― J.M. Barrie

My first school composite, created as a part of my 900 Days of School project, began