Today, I had pep talks with all of my students before we did their timed reading test (1 minute to read a passage). I set goals far beyond the norm for each child and they almost all met them. 

SS surpassed her goal and LO increased so much that we had to put her tracking pin on the wall and off the chart. I didn't make a chart with high enough numbers!  

In perfect Friendly Letter format, JR wrote the following to me today:

                                        December 19, 2008

Dear Ms. V, 
    You are the best teacher I have ever had. In fact your the only teacher that makes all subject very easy and this is the first present I ever gave to a teacher. Your the special one. I never told you this ever but I respect everything you do and make. Your the one who taut (this word is circled with an sp next to it...an editing skill we learned) me how to wright a letter. 
                                         Your Friend, 
                                               JR
P.S. Merry Christmas! I will miss you. Sniff. Sniff. 

MP's Letter Home: 

Dear Mom, 
   To let you know, I been doing good on reading, math, and social studies. I got to work on writing and writing my spelling letters. Guess what...I finished my first story!!! I been doing good on my attitude, integrity, sense of possibility, plus exhibit discipline. I been learning a lot from my teacher. I love you mom and thats all I need to let you know. 
 
                                          Your son, 
                                           MP

P.S. I'm proud of finishing my frist story!!

KH's letter to his family: 

Dear Family, 
    I am doing good in math like long division, order of operation, input and output and I do all the steps Ms. V teaches for them. I have a little trouble with compare fraction, least to greatest, and greatest to least. What I am not having trouble with in fractions is improper to mixed number, add and subtract, and simplify. What I used to have trouble with in reading is cause + effect and drawing conclusions. I mostly had trouble because of my bad attitude in all my subjects when I thought something was gonna be hard. It's not my teachers fault it's my fault. But my teacher is fun because she makes up dances to help us learn things, she lets us buy pillows to read on and lets us buy lunch with her. She makes funny jokes, vocab games, play bizz buzz for math and gives us multiplcation songs. She is fun. I'm learning. 

From: KH

JL's Letter to her Family for Parent-Teacher Conferences: 

Dear Family, 

I have been doing so well in school because I follow directions the first time. I remember the first week I came back to school that Ms. Valenzuela had to call you and tell you that I was not being good. I have learned so much from Ms. Valenzuela when I have a good additude. 
                                        From, 
                                        JL

While playing a memory game on holiday vocabulary words:

KH: "We aren't doing too well. We really need to kick it up a notch! Hey, that's an idiom. It means to step it up! Oh, shoot. That's another idiom." 

Ms. Wright: "Ms. V, this is from Eddie. He's too embarrassed to give it to you (hands me a necklace with a little jingle bell wearing a santa hat on it). I'll have you know he only had enough money to buy one and so he bought one for you." 

We think I officially have a 3rd grade admirer. These are the moments that make teaching hilarious.