What an amazing first day of school; probably the best I've had in the last four years! My class is intelligent, well-spoken, polite, and respectful. Not to mention FULL of personality! We were meant for each other. I could go on and on, but I want to touch on one special moment from today.
Winston the class pet. He's a Webkinz sea turtle. And probably more popular with the students than I am. I couldn't believe the enthusiasm and excitement this stuffed animal generated among my class. I introduced him after we returned from music and although I'd only planned for a few minutes, we spent about 20 minutes discussing his well-being and maintenance. Let me explain.
I got the idea for a Webkinz class pet from a former colleague. She used Webkinz (and the accompanying website program) to provide students with the experience of having a class pet without any true risk to the classroom environment. It was a win-win situation; students could practice responsibility without the added stress of food, illness, death, or even worse, babies. Her Webkinz, Bubbles, became a huge part of the classroom community. I knew that was something I just had to try.
So here we are, on the first day of school, and I'm thinking I'm winning my audience over, but one look at Winston, and I knew I had lost to a stuffed sea turtle. They passed him around with such a gentle hand. They smiled and welcomed him our room. And when I explained that the class pet manager would be taking him home over weekends? Forget about it. My students explained in great detail exactly how they would care for Winston when it became their turn as his manager...they sounded like little adults. I felt SO grateful to be grouped with such a sensitive, caring, and giving class.
At that point, it didn't matter that Winston stole my thunder.
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