My Kids Love Centers

I haven't been able to post lately because I still don't have internet (or cable) in my new apartment. I wanted to post this last week . . .

So I recently started centers with my second graders and one of the centers is the Writing Center. Students can choose what they want to do at the center as long as they are writing. One of the things they can do it write a letter to someone. We were brainstorming who they could write to and one of the girls suggested their old ESL teacher. All of the kids chimed in that they were going to write to her too. Here are some of the letters they wrote.

I miss you so much. Even when you write to me I feel real sad because I want to see you. Ms. G I want to see you in school again because your the only ESl teacher that's funny and The only esL teacher who likes to play with her students.

We want you to come back. I wish I was with you.

I have been learning alot but it's not so much fun to learn aney more please come back

You would think that my feelings would be hurt that "learning isn't fun aney more" or that Ms. G is the only "funny" (fun??)teacher. I have heard from other teachers that Ms. G was really good. I can tell by the things that she left in her room for me and the organization that she must have been. The kids really loved her and I think that is great. Last week I thought to myself that I know the kids do like my class they just haven't gotten to know me for long enough to really love me. The next day one of the students wrote a letter to me telling me that there are so many fun things to do in my class. (They really love centers.) The real proof that they enjoy ESL though was today when I picked up the students all of them were in different "special classes" (gym, library, computers) and all of the kids came running when they saw me at the door. They didn't care at all that they were missing their "fun" classes.