Black Belt!

Last night I went to Norwalk with Matthew to watch him test for his 3rd degree black belt. I'd actually never seen him "perform" before - I don't know what verb you use for "doing karate." It was awesome to see him in his "gi" (sp?) and he's so GOOD! (of course! haha)... There were only 3 black belts getting tested, all for their 3rd degree. I enjoyed watching - my favorite part was the board breaking... they say it's really not hard, but I find it pretty impressive! Matthew is the one on the far right (in case you didn't know!)

The Cat in the Hat Returns

How fitting that after a 2 month haitus (no, not HAIKU, haitus), I return to write again on Dr. Seuss's birthday! Today I wore a Cat in the Hat suit to school all day (although we did have an early dismissal b/c of snow!). I read The Cat in the Hat Comes Back to my students (and There's a Wocket in my Pocket, which is my personal favorite!). I think the kids got a kick out of it.

We're gearing up for the CMTs next week, so I'm hoping my little students will "do their best, on their test" as our motto is! We'll be doing a mini science fiction unit during testing, reading stories like "All Summer in a Day" and "Monsters are Due on Maple Street." Then we'll be starting Poetry Writing - which is my favorite type of writing, but difficult to teach, I've learned because of negative attitudes students have (already!) developed! OH well - time to push them a bit, right?

Hopefully I'll get myself in gear to write more, and to start the Illustration Fridays again. Bye now.