The Message Center {for the 3rd Time}

I went back to school yesterday.  Because Spring Break is over.  {insert wailing and moaning and crying and alarm clocks here} I have to admit I was a bit nervous and unsure of how the whole day was going to play out — but it went great.

We had a grief counseling team on site for the entire day, as well as a roving sub for any staff member that needed it.  

I am happy to say that being with my kids was the best thing for me.  I was busy, I was needed, I was teaching, I was reading, I was modeling how to make new shapes from old shapes (geometry!!), and I almost never sat down.

In other words, it was a normal day.  And I guess I needed that.

Not to mention, it’s good for my ego when my kids say they missed me more than life and their spring break was oh-so-boring and they me hug me tighter than a hug should be so that I have to say stop hugging me now.

Today, I introduced the Message Center to this crop of kids.  I’ve blogged about it twice already.  You can check out the original post {HERE} and last year’s post {HERE}.

I am thinking I must have reached every teacher on the planet by now and surely this is old news and you don’t need to see it again.

Surely.  And Laverne.

But . . . just in case . . . if you don’t know what the Message Center is, then this post is for YOU.  I consider this my duty.


This year, I am using four notebooks from Walmart that were 88 cents each.  You’d think I’d have notebooks or Real-Estate-pads-that-were-left-on-my-door or some kind of list-making pad somewhere around here, but I don’t.  That is because if I make a list, I lose it.  Which means I can’t find any of the notebooks, Real Estate pads, or list-making pads anywhere.  And I did have the thought of asking parents to donate some writing pads, but I was not on the ball, shall we say.

In fact, there wasn’t even a ball.

It was more of an oh no, I need some new centers, shoot, I thought I’d taken care of this before break, what can I do that won’t take any time at all, goshdarnit, think, think, THINK! situation.


So there you go.

Today, one of my groups that got to go to Message Center for the first time ever, they are so lucky, I can’t wait until it’s my turn, had a partnership that was on the . . . well . . .  let’s just say that this duo struggles in writing.

Well, wouldn’t you know – they didn’t struggle today!!!!  It was a WRITING MIRACLE.  {cue the applause}

Talk about getting kids engaged in writing!

I think I need to do Message Center whole class.  And I’m not kidding.

Really.  I’m not.