6th grade graduates!

this past fall of 2010 i did my student teaching in north salt lake at foxboro elementary. it was the hardest but best experience of my life! kinda like a mission, of which i have never experienced, but am sure it's a sound comparison...

so i taught 6th grade math and had 3 rotations of 80 hormonal preteens and then my homeroom class consisted of 27 great kids where i was able to teach spelling, language arts, writing, and other matters of wisdom which i thought i should bless their lives with.

so today [JUNE 3rd, 2011] my little, big kids all graduate!! so in memory of my student teaching experience i though i'd share my favorite memories (:

• the effect you can have just by searching for and listening to your student's needs
• how obsessed the student's were with trying to find out my first name, guessing in the middle of every lesson
• how even more obsessed my student's were with finding out information about my "boyfriend"... [ok class, what are the two formulas we can use to find pi?] [so miss brassell can you please just tell us his name! is he strong? can he throw a football? (boys) is he handsome? does he buy you flowers? (girls)] [for the last time, i am married and have 8 kids] [yeah right ms brassell, we know you still live at home with your parents!]
• WWII week, those kids didn't know a thing about the holocaust, much less who anne frank and hitler were. i threw my teachers book on the desk, stopped my lesson, pulled them all into a circle and gave them probably one too many details about the holocaust and concentration camps... can't say i've ever had a more attentive class, those little jaws all dropped as they ignored the recess bell... i might have over-done it a bit with my dramtic re-tellings, but needless to say, not even one parent called to complain and now they are more cultured. (:
• the day i was running late because i picked up a big mcdonalds bag from off the road to put in the trash, come to find it was loaded with those blue bud light cans of which i spilled all over myself and the car. so much for my efforts of trying to help make the world a cleaner place. i ran to pick up the kids for the morning bell (hands and jacket still tainted) as each child either high-5ed or hugged me as they walked into class... did i mention we had the DARE (drug abuse resistance education) officer come teach that day?
• the hardest thing about being a teacher is having your student's be bullied. you love each of them so much and want to protect them. teaching your students not to bully and how to stand up for one another is an on-going life lesson, but if there is [one] thing i hope my students remember ms brassell taught them it would be to look out for those who need to be loved.
• i love teaching so much. i had the best cooperating teacher who helped prepare me for the big leagues in every way possible, every type of student to love and learn to love, a great education from BYUI behind me, and a strong passion and love for teaching ahead of me.

love, miss. brassell

(our awesome shirts, my teacher is the first, then me, then all the kiddos)