Fills Like Summer

So far this summer I have received exactly no letters from students. I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that I haven't gotten to hear about camp or driving to Grandma's. The kids are at their best in letter form, because they're as entertaining as during the school year, but I don't have to tell anyone to sit down, get in line, or stop playing rough. Well, I'll settle for dipping into the ol' mail bag from past summers.

Dear Ms. Garb
Thank you for the pen I love it I can’t wait to see you after the trip you know what it doesn’t even fill like summer but school past bye fast well I hope you’re Doing good. If you Are you going to see your parents please send me a postcard.
Matthew
P.S. can you send the envelope Back I lik to colecte the stamp’s
Thanks

I Don't Love You

From grade three we now go to age three...

This week we visited some friends in Massachusetts who have a three year old boy, Declan. We were chatting with them in their living room when Declan was dropped off from his preschool summer camp. He sat down on the couch and set about taking off his shoes--the first step in getting down to some serious playing. I was pretty sure he didn't remember me since our last visit a whole year ago, so I introduced myself. Declan answered by clarifying what I would not be getting out of this afternoon's relationship. The actual conversation went as follows:

Sarah: "Hi Declan! Do you remember me? I'm Sarah."
Declan: "I don't love you."

I'm assuming the conversation from Declan's perspective was this:

Sarah: "Hi Declan! Do you remember me? I'm much taller than you and a stranger who doesn't look like anyone in your family. Should we love each other?"

Declan: "Easy, lady. You are definitely not my grandma and I'm 85% sure that you're not one of my aunts. Those are the people that I love, but you are none of them. So, if you're thinking that you're just going to walk into my life and I'm going to embrace you, you are mistaken. We could probably play my Dora the Explorer Memory game, but that's the level we're at."

But That's Math...

Ah, summer. The season of visiting pretend towns with your family. I’m personally familiar with such pretend towns, having grown up close to Old Sturbridge Village, where colonial-garbed women spin wool into yarn and a blacksmith perpetually hammers away at a new shoe for his horse. You can tour the old homes and purchase quills and ink at the general store. I even went to summer camp at one of these old-time setups and learned how to churn butter. This summer, these old fashioned villages will surely be brimming with girls such as Milena, who one year saved up her money for months to dress as a girl from the 1700s.
   Milena was explaining one day at lunch about her family’s upcoming trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and about how you can rent old fashioned clothes there. Milena was saving her money and although she wanted to buy some other things, was putting those on hold until after the Williamsburg trip. She was very serious about those colonial dresses. She listed off the money that she had saved--$8 from Tyieshia for her recent birthday and $5 from Becky--and explained there was still five weeks of allowance to be had before the trip. I asked how much, then, she would have total with the birthday cash plus allowance. Milena looked at me as if I had asked an absolutely ridiculous question that she couldn’t possibly be expected to answer and said, “Well, that’s math, so….”

Fourth of July

Somehow, in book club one day, the need arose to refer to our nation's birthday.  Byron made sure to clarify for the other group members what he was talking about.   

"The Fourth of July--when the Earth was created."

As with many holidays, children know there's something special about them....but aren't always 100% solid on what that something is.