|
After the last day of school - and before Summer School begins - a classroom must be packed up and the carpets have to be cleared. Sometime after Summer School, the custodial staff will clean those carpets, and the room can be unpacked once again in time for school to begin in August.
0 Comments
I'm not sorry that my students left the classroom in tears yesterday. The day ended beautifully.
I do not take pictures of our last farewells. I choose to be in the moment with my children. I want to listen to what they have to say. No one else sees it - no parents, no administrators, no other teachers or students. Just our little classroom family. People would be surprised to see who the first kid to speak is; they may be shocked to see tears before he ever opens his mouth to speak. They would be impressed to hear how eloquent his words are. A visitor would wonder at the words. Things like:
This was the first class where I felt like I was free to be who I am. I'm scared about next year: I may have to go back into that shell.
I can't do it justice with a few little blurbs written from memory hours after the event. The moment is always so memorable and meaningful. Other classes can be heard cheering through the walls and in the halls, but we share such an emotional moment. All I say at the end is "Circle up," and "Bring it in," and the class proves that everything we just heard is true.
Students had a final bit of play time during our time at the nearby parks. Some of them got a game of basketball going with our assistant principal, Mr. Garrett. Some were definitely tired and sore by the time we headed back to the school in time to catch buses and rides - or do more walking - to get home.
Today is Fly Up day at Cecil Floyd, in which I will get to spend some time with my incoming fourth graders. On this occasion, I will introduce myself and get a feel for the new class. I will set the mood for the next year. I will get them excited for their fourth grade year.
To us, Mercy Park, across the street from Cunningham Park, is curious place. While Cunningham displays the story of the 2011 Joplin tornado, Mercy appears to celebrate life. The Rotary sculpture park boasts a collection of novel art pieces. Students took a walk around the park, wondering why a naked kid was riding a giant snail, why a pair of giraffes was running wild in our fair city, and why more than one girl seems to be lifting off into the air.
"Be where your feet are."
Michele Smith (Olympic Medalist) Originally Posted in 2017  Teacher friends, the sooner you start counting down to the end of the school year, the longer it will seem to take.
Sometimes we make things harder for ourselves, resulting in our own frustration, than we should. And it's really not that hard to figure things out. We find ourselves in the lame-duck days of our year - those last weeks when mandating tests are complete and the last day of school is still ahead of us. Now is the time to experiment with your dream lessons and test new methods. Now is the time to step out of the comfort zone a bit more than usual. But it is not the time to relax your expectations and stop teaching. As much as you anticipate the end of another year, please don't make it public. Not only will you make this period seem longer for yourself, but you will send the wrong message to your students. It may be a perceived message, but it is a message, nevertheless.
I have a dream that one day I will come to class and people will surprise me with the news that it is the last day of school. I don't want to see it coming. I would rather my students leave me with a different message:
When we analyze even the most innocent of our actions and habits, we may find that we do more harm than good. That's why we need to analyze what we do. That's how we develop more sophisticated philosophies, and it's how we can answer more fully when challenged. It is important that we consider adult behaviors in our school, and not only student behaviors. Leave the countdowns for the Christmas calendar - not the end of the school year. Even then, don't start more than 10 days ahead of the event. If you start too early, you're just fertilizing anxiety and distracting your students. Friday's visit to Cunningham Park took a more serious turn when we respectfully entered the back corner of the park to see the memorial items relating to the tornado that devastated Joplin ten years ago. Students read historical markers, contemplated monuments, and appreciated the flora of the area for a few minutes.
One area of Cunningham Park is the Boomtown area, built by the Extreme Makeover crew in response to the 2011 Joplin tornado. This wooden structure is themed to Joplin's mining days. Students spent much of the first hour or so exploring the structure, climbing, hanging, and sliding. I love how such a diverse group of personalities can occupy the same space and be so crazy together. The fourth grade walked to Cunningham and Mercy Parks, last Friday. Our thanks to our school resource officer Gooch for providing a safe escort. We planned the event on a day with excellent weather. As soon as we arrived, we broke out our sack lunches and spread out to enjoy the setting. Our day was quite pleasant and filled with special moments.
Thursday was a great day for a field trip. It's too bad we couldn't take one. One current and one former Hoggatteer, however, made their way to Oklahoma City along with their family. While there, they visited the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum.
I hope the visit was made all the richer because of the time we spent in class covering this important event in history.
|
AnthemThis is THE ROOM
WHERE IT HAPPENS! OH SAY, CAN YOU SEE? The Hoggatteer Revolution is our extensive, award-winning, digital platform for a fourth grade class of curious and inimitable Hoggatteers at the distinctive Cecil Milton Floyd Elementary Academy and Laboratory for Encouraging and Developing the Arts and Sciences in beautiful, friendly Joplin, Missouri, IN THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE Our site is described as
"a fantastic site... chockablock full of interesting ideas, hilarious anecdotes, and useful resources." 
...to like, bookmark, pin,
tweet, and share about us...and check in regularly for updates, posted before DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT, daily! 
Campus Map
Our School: Cecil Floyd
The Cecil Floyd Historian
Your Source for At-Home Learning during Social Distancing for the Spring of 2020
Joplin Schools
School Bell School Hours
7:45 am - 2:55 pm 
VISIONEngaging a community
of learners through high expectations, integrity, and empowerment, in the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY 
MissionBuilding a high-performing
INDIVISIBLE community of learners, engaged in their future through a culture of continuous improvement of LIFE, LIBERTY, and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS 
ObjectiveSOARing as lifelong,
innovative thinkers who are compassionate, productive citizens, for LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL 
IN ORDER TO FORM
A MORE PERFECT classroom, and to INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH that we will... Show Respect
Observe Safety Accept Responsibility Resolve Conflict 
Passing Notes
Order Online - Class Code DLRZG
Wish List
Trophy Case
2021 Missouri History Teacher of the Year and National History Teacher of the Year Nominee
Selected Participant for 2020/1
September 2021
Recognized in Joplin Globe, February 2021
Dazzling Discourse, February 2021
Since 2021
Citizen Archivist, Since 2020
Recognized 2020
Prize Recipient, 2020
Since 2019
Teacher Institute Participant, 2019
Ancestry Classroom Grant, Since 2018
Summer Residency Participant, 2018
"The Bus Stops Here" Grant, November 2018
Summer Residency, 2018
Microsoft Innovative Educator, 2018
2017-2021
Recognized 2017
2017/8
Recognized 2017
Since 2017
MSTA Media Award, KOAM-TV's
"Manners Matter", Featuring Our Class, May 2017
Third Place, 2016 Film Festival
Recognized 2016
Since 2015
Since 2015
Awarded 2014
 2014 Recipient
Slide Certified, 2012
2009 Outstanding Class Website
2005 Nominee
2005 Joplin Teacher of the Year and Missouri Teacher of the Year nominee
2004 Recipient
2002 Excellent Education Program
2001 Nominee
1996 Outstanding Classroom Video
Grant Recipient, 1993
BookshelfAl Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea Charlotte's Web by E. B. White Chippin Cleats by D. Ed. Hoggatt Crumbling Spirit by D. Ed. Hoggatt Echo by Pam Nuñoz Ryan Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Holes by Louis Sachar The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Loser by Jerry Spinelli Love That Dog by Sharon Creech Mumsket by D. Ed. Hoggatt Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse Out of the Wind by D. Ed. Hoggatt Petey by Ben Mikaelsen Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman 
Archives
December 2021
Fireside Chats
Choose Your Platform:
Anchor Apple Podcasts (iTunes) Breaker Google Podcasts Overcast Pocket Casts RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher 
Executive BranchSuperintendent
Dr. Melinda Moss Assistant Superintendents Dr. Kerry Sachetta Mrs. Sarah Mwangi Principal Mr. Chris Bozarth Assistant Principal Mr. Kris Garrett 
Checks & BalancesLinks to external sites
on the internet are for convenience only. No endorsement or approval of any content, products, or services is intended. Opinions on sites are not necessarily shared by Mr. Hoggatt or Joplin Schools. (In fact, sometimes Mr. Hoggatt doesn't agree with anyone.) |
