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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Birthday Blessings and a Field Trip!

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you have all had a lovely week! Thank you all for the birthday well-wishes. I had a great day. When I arrived at school on Monday morning I discovered this on my door.

My homeroom moms had come back after school the day of our Thanksgiving break to decorate the door for my birthday! How sweet is that? Each post-it was a note from a student or a parent telling me what they enjoy about school. It was such a blessing. One little boy wrote that "I hated to read, but now because of you I love reading." Talk about bringing tears to my eyes! I don't know about you, but some days I feel like I don't make a difference, so this was really a blessing. This motivated me this week!
http://headoverheelsforteaching.blogspot.com/2013/12/spark-student-motivation-homework.html

My students and I also went on our first field trip on Wednesday. We took a two and a half hour bus ride out to our state capital, Harrisburg.

The students and I (along with 10 parents) went on a tour of the capitol building. We were able to go into the House, Senate, and Judicial rooms. Then, because our senator was there we were allowed a special trip onto the Senate Floor to meet with him. The kiddos had a blast!

After our tour, we spent the afternoon at the Pennsylvania State Museum. The museum had a great scavenger hunt for the kids to complete. They were able to fill in some facts they already knew, but also learned some new things along the way. It was a great trip that really made history come to life!

What field trips do you take your kids on? How do you spark student motivation? Be sure to check out Joanne's blog for more motivating ideas!

11 comments:

  1. what a great surprise to come back to!
    Elizabeth

    Hodges Herald

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  2. That door decoration is so sweet! (Happy belated birthday!) Your field trip sounds like a great one.
    Aylin
    Learning to the Core

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  3. Happy belated birthday, my dear friend! That door decoration is oh-so-cute! It's so nice to know that you are appreciated and that what you do matters!

    Your field trip looks awesome - how fun that your kiddos got to meet the Senator!

    Happy weekend, Bethany!

    ~Jessica
    Joy in the Journey

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  4. Happy belated birthday to you! That was so awesome of your parents and students! Thank you has such a powerful impact on us, never can be said enough. Your field trip looks amazing, what a wonderful life experience for the students.

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  5. Awe!! That door is the sweetest thing EVER! Happy belated birthday. :) Harrisburg...you are not too far from me (compared to so many other bloggers since I am right by the PA line!).
    ~Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper

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  6. Happy belated birthday, Bethany! What a wonderful surprise to see that door. That would make any teacher's year! It's nice that you're being recognized by the students' parents, who had to coordinate efforts to get that done.
    I'm only about 40 minutes from Harrisburg. Maybe we can try to link up again next summer (or before!) and I'll try not to be on vacation this time!
    Marion
    MentoringintheMiddle

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  7. Love the door and the sweet surprise. Thought I would stop by after seeing you on Head Over Heals. Cute site!

    Renee at the Science School Yard

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  8. Oh wow!! Our fourth grade field trip is to Harrisburg as well!! It takes about 1 and 1/2 hours for us to get there. :)

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  9. Happy belated birthday! How sweet of your students and parents. What a special comment from your student about loving reading. That truly is the very best feeling!
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

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  10. My gosh! I even started tearing up when I read about your birthday door! What a special way to acknowledge your birthday!!

    Jennifer
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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  11. Happy Belated Birthday my friend! That door is the SWEETEST EVER! What a treasure! What a thoughtful way to show their appreciation! What a great field trip-so fun! How was that 2 1/2 hour bus ride??!! LOL! You had a great week! Thanks for sharing and linking up!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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