Ticket Out of Class

Parent: "What happened at school today?"

Child: "Nothing."

Has this ever happened to you?  As a teacher, there is nothing more frustrating than to hear a student say nothing happened at school that day.  All the hours of planning and prepping - for what?

Thus the "Ticket Out of Class" was born.

At the end of each day, I ask the students to reflect for a moment on the day.  Together, we review the day's schedule, remembering the new things we learned, the fun we had and the challenges we faced.  The Magical Minds then document the most important event(s) from their day at school, ready to share something with their folks at home.

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This year, Mr. H has added a fabulous extension to the Ticket Out of Class - the Ticket Into Class!  The second half of their ticket requires some thinking at home, and conversation with parents.  It's a small way to keep the home-school connection alive.

One of our favorite moments of the day was Quiet Time.  After hours of absorbing new information, figuring out routines and procedures - EVERYONE needed a break.  As you can see in the photos below, even Mr. H needed some down time.  Inspired by The First Weeks of School, I mindfully built quiet time packets for each of the kids.  Inside they found blank white paper, crayons and a selection of three books.  How they used their quiet time was up to them.  Some chose to fold paper airplanes, others read while some drew pictures.  I, for one, closed my eyes and took several long, deep breaths.  

What was your favorite part of the first day of school?