All Hallow's

Well, I don't know how things went at your house/s, but I got about a quarter of the trick-or-treaters that I've had in the past. I'm left with a whole bunch of candy that I'm not even allowed to share with your kids. Warning to anyone that I tutor: your kid is getting some candy.

I was really happy with how my kids did today. We had some lunchtime drama today, but I'm so happy that my homeroom was no part of it.

We also watched the first part of that Nova episode today, and the kids seemed to be directly interested in it. They learned about Werner von Braun and John Hoboult, who died within the past year.

We did not receive a visit from our First Grade Buddies today, and we have yet to find out why, but that's okay. We all know that our little chums are eagerly awaiting our visit next week.

Speaking of "eagerly awaiting", we are waiting until Monday to reveal our Student Council members. It seems Mrs. Shearman was waiting until Mr. Vahle's class voted (he wasn't here yesterday) before telling who the new members are. Special notice for people who actually read this blog: All four kiddos who ran will be very happy to hear these results.

In the Night

Happy Halloween to you all. Hope it's an awesome and safe night for everyone.

(And by the way... Colton, is that you playing one of the bears in this video?)

Season of Mist and Mellow Fruitfulness

What a great show the kids put on this evening! I was so proud of how well 5-1 was represented on stage today. It's so great to see my students' talent come out like that. It was great to talk to so many parents and get caught up with you as well.

Speaking of talking with parents, this weekend I will start sending out emails to set up conference meetings. I like to meet with all of the parents of my students between about now and Christmas.

We watched the rocket explosion today--that was pretty nutso, wasn't it? Interestingly enough, the spot where it took place was close to Hatorask, which is on Roanoke Island. Right now I am reading a book called Roanoke: Mystery of the Lost Colony. I love how stuff ties together.

One highlight of my day (and this is my favorite kind of day, with so much going on) was when we went to the library later on this morning for a book check-out. While the kids were checking out, Mrs. Kleinschmidt asked what we would do when we got back to the room. I told her we would do our SSR time (Sustained Silent Reading). Normally, when the schedule gets so wonky, we would skip SSR, but I knew things would be so crazy today that we would all need that down time. Mrs. K suggested that we just do our SSR time in the library. The kids loved this idea. Mrs. K and I talked for a little while, and we decided to corroborate on a project that will benefit both of us during our upcoming Unit 4 for Reading. The theme of that unit is "Justice", and we have some cool things planned for it. She found me a related book about the U.S.S. Indianapolis, and I sat down in one of the incredibly comfortable chairs with the kids started reading myself. I was reading in peace, while all around me, my students were also reading. I was in heaven. Any time I can totally lose myself in what I enjoy, while my students can do the same, and it's considered "leading by example"...wow. Two-birds-one-stone is all I need to say.

During our normal Reading time, we continued to read a story about the sunfish. "The" sunfish is not what we think of as a sunfish here in Indiana. Here's what it is:

We have read some bizarre, even grossly hilarious facts about the sunfish over the last couple of days. Ask your kids how this thing eats. It's pretty bizarre. Also, the reading book keeps referring to this fish as having "a hard beak". I think we can all see pretty clearly that it actually just has a hole in its face.

We took a Science quiz which will wrap up our astronomy unit for now. (The astronomy unit kind of permeates the whole year...) We will be watching a video over the next few school days about NASA's trips to the moon which is a Nova episode from 1999. It's an incredibly well-done documentary.

I just want to take the time to say that I love this class every bit as much as I knew I would at the end of July when I checked out my student list online. I am so proud of what they do, how they behave, and who they are. I love who they are becoming, and I love watching them change every day.

That's enough for one day. Everybody earned their night's sleep tonight.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Today I am passing along messages galore!

First, this one from the desk of John Williams. (This is the John Williams who is the principal of Carmel High School; not the composer of the music from Star Wars. Just think about how cool that would be, though.):

Hi this is John Williams principal Carmel High school. I'm calling to invite you to Carmel High School's Community open house on Sunday November the second from one to three pm. We will have representatives from all aspects of a typical day at Carmel High School. You can start with our rigorous core curriculum and view the various programs we offer. You can also see the numerous amounts of electives we offer. Just about everything you can imagine. It's also great time to shop in our spirit shop. Join us on Sunday, November 2, from one to three pm. To explore our opportunities and experience the excellence of Carmel High School. Thank you.

Second, this one comes by way of PTO Prez Mrs. Pletcher. She asked me to put this up on my blog and I am ashamed to admit that I didn't realize I hadn't done it yet. 

What: The PTO Silent Auction Night
Where: Brookshire Golf Club
When: November 1, 2014 @6:30

Circuit Thursday will be playing their rockin' tunes that night. Food, beverages, and friends will all be there. You can participate in the live auction, but you can also participate in the online auction, which can be found by clicking here.

The above picture is from our class's awesome little project headed up by Mrs. Pletcher herself. Thank you!

And last but not least, here is a word from the librarian's desk of Mrs. K.:

The Scholastic Book Fair will take place in the Woodbrook Media Center from November 10^th to 14^th. Our class will shop during  Media Specials time  on Thursday, November 13. Everyone is invited to come to the Special Family Night Event on Tuesday, November 11^th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Information fliers will be sent home with students prior to the start of the Fair. 

More announcements:

• Science Quiz tomorrow! Study guides should be with your students (the ones they did for homework the other day).
• Fifth Grade Program tomorrow! Starts @7pm, be here @6:30pm.

Election To the Supreme Council

Well, I made a big knuckle-headed move and messed up the scripts for the Veteran's Day Program. I will hand out the amended scripts tomorrow.

In the meantime, we have Student Council elections coming right up. They have to write a speech by Thursday (this is beyond my control, but we talked about the commitment and drive it will take to be a student council member yadda yadda), where they will read it to the class and then the class will vote. We had many people interested, but only two can be members. Tough situation, so we also discussed that the odds are stacked against them.

Okay, that's about all the news for now. Math quiz tomorrow, Science quiz Thursday, and States and Capitals and Spelling on Friday.

Until later, I am outta here.

Collision Course

Today started out strong and ended a little weaker, but I'm going to dwell on the strong part. This morning we did the writing lesson; it went pretty well. We did the reading lesson, which went relatively well also. We also took some words and sent them to the grave where they couldn't be used anymore (nice, said, bad, and big), and we replaced them--up from the ashes--with much better words for our writing.

For Science, they should have brought home a study guide for the big science quiz on Thursday--as well as their Science notebooks, which I'm sure have the information all written in them. They can ask me tomorrow if any of them missed the notes, or if there are any questions that they're not sure about. 

Lastly, they received their new states and capitals list. There are eight states and capitals on there for them. Quiz Friday.

Happy Monday!

Choirless

Choir has been canceled this week. Come on, give Mrs. Ratner a break! She has a big fifth grade musical to do. When is this fifth grade show, you ask? It is at 7pm on Thursday. Many of you will be camped out starting at 5:30pm (seriously?), but they won't even let you in until 6:30pm.

So that's why there is NO CHOIR this week, which was meant to be the main theme of this post. I was asked to pass it along.

The Week In Preview

Welcome to a new week of school. This week will be a big one, both in terms of learning and the general busy-ness outside the normal schedule. But more on that in a minute...

We will be starting a new writing program this week. It's a pretty neat program, and I spent a considerable portion of the past week reading through the materials. We will see how it goes. From what I've seen so far, and also from the strength of our group as a whole, I expect great things.

Also, we will continue in our Reach for Reading books (a.k.a. our Crab Books), and I'm excited about a few things we will be trying in our Daily 5 time for Language Arts this week. We will continue to develop richer vocabularies, to read more in-depth and more carefully, and search for information in what we are reading. Look for new assignments to be made in the novels the kids are reading throughout the week.

For Math, we will have a quiz on Wednesday regarding the follow-up "chapter" after the previous test. On Thursday, we won't have Math because of the program, and then on Friday, we will do something special for Math and then start in with chapter four next Monday.

For Science, we will have a quiz at some point this week, and at the end of the week I want to show an episode of Nova about the lunar landings of the 1970's. It's a fascinating one that I've shown every year that I've taught.

We all know that the fifth grade program is Thursday night at 7pm. The kids have been working hard; I'm looking forward to seeing it. 

Here's this week's spelling list:

1. agitate
2. attribute
3. canine
4. despise
5. extinct
6. graze
7. instinct
8. mutual
9. native
10. unique

Let's have a fantastic week!

Good Folks

 Here, at long last, are the pictures I took of my group (well, the kids in my class from my group) at Jameson Camp a full month ago. They turned out pretty well, even if I didn't take very many. I guess I was too into what was going on to take too many pictures.

Four and Three Quarters of a Year Into Your Future

This came across the wire today and I was asked to pass it along to you all:

Join Carmel High School for their Community Open House on Sunday, November 2, from 1-3 p.m.  Everyone is welcome – families of children in all grades and community members are invited to explore Carmel High School and learn more about the opportunities available! Visitors will be able to walk around the building and ask Carmel High School staff their questions. This event only takes place every other year, so mark your calendars!  The CHS staff look forward to seeing you there.

Reminders In Red

Tonight's homework is:

• Study for the States and Capitals Quiz.
• Caesar's English Quiz tomorrow also! I've had extra lists laying out the last two days, and I don't see many taken, so I'm hoping everyone has a list at home. 
• Read 20 minutes.

I did have "possessives page" written down on the assignment notebooks, but I did not get them handed out by the end of the day today.

Lastly, tomorrow is Red Day for Red Ribbon week. Let's paint the classroom red tomorrow!

Wait, Why Is Aquaman Flying?

Tomorrow is super-hero day! Come dressed up as your favorite super-hero to show bullies that their deeds will be thwarted, and that we are too super for drugs.

Tips for the rest of the week:

• Remember to study for the states and capitals quiz on Friday! Northeastern States this time. 
• Also, don't forget about Friday's big Caesar's English quiz. I didn't have many takers on the extra lists, so I assume they are all at home and on fridges all across the Woodbrook district.

In the Forests of the Night

Don't forget to wear ANIMAL PRINT tomorrow.

It's Red Ribbon Week around here, and we in 5-1 are stomping out drugs and bullies.

If you have any animal print, it would be a great day to wear it. If not, then you're in good company!

You Might Even Learn a Little Something

Everybody come on out to the fifth grade movie preview night, where you can see the movie the kids will get to watch when we go to Ruth Lilly in May. If it sounds exciting, that's because it is!

You will get to see the following things:

Goal   Students develop a positive attitude and an appreciation for the wonder of life.

Objectives

• Explain similarities and differences in growth and development within and between

genders during puberty.

• Describe the basic structure and function of the male and female reproductive systems.

• Define fertilization using simple terms.

• Identify the basic role of heredity in reproduction.

• Examine growth and development from conception to birth.

• Give a simple overview of labor and delivery.

• Review the emotional changes that take place during puberty.

• Recognize how emotional changes can affect relationships with friends, parents, and

others.

This program, 90 minutes in length, will be presented to students, boys and girls separately, next semester.  If you would like to preview this program, please plan to attend this Parent Preview Night on the date listed below.

Your student is scheduled to attend the Ruth Lilly Health center on Tuesday, November 11, at 7pm. 

*Please Note:  We will only be offering ONE viewing of this presentation.

Moving Ahead So Life Won't Pass Me By

Welcome back everyone for another four-day week at Woodbrook Elementary.

The usual trappings of a normal week will occur--although still no spelling (we will have Caesar's English once again this time), and the kids will also be asked to know the states and capitals of the American Northeast (a.k.a. New England).

I was really proud of how the kids did on their Caesar's English last week--a vast improvement overall from the previous lesson. And to my Math class, I was really proud of how well you all did on your test as well.

Tomorrow we won't exactly start a new chapter in Math. We are going to pick up the residual lessons from Chapter 3, the ones that didn't really gel with the rest of the chapter. These lessons are about Greatest Common Factor, Lowest Common Multiple, factor trees, etc. This should be a relatively short "chapter" of Math, and we will probably have a quiz-test (quest) next Tuesday, and begin Chapter 4 the following day.

We will be doing Science this week, delving further into space, and setting up the following week for our human skeleton/NASA robot funky little chapter, which has some really sweet little experiments involved.

Lastly this evening, Chase, PJ, and Ty (and I will bet this is the first time Chase has ever thought about how long his first name is...) want to urge you to sign up for the Ghosts and Goblins Run, which takes place this Saturday morning. This will benefit the Carmel Clay Education Foundation. The cutoff is October 22, which reminds me--I need to sign up tomorrow! Nothing like waiting until the last second, huh?

Drugs Are Bad; Bullies Are Mean

Next week is Red Ribbon Week to spread the word about the dangers of drug use. This year, they're also throwing bullying into the ring. So to show that we are too cool for drugs and that we hate bullies, Woodbrook is going to have a Spirit Week for the four days that we are in session.

Tuesday: Basketball Jersey Day
Wednesday: Animal Print Day
Thursday: Superhero Day
Friday: Red Day

Not sure how many boys have animal print as a part of their wardrobe (or girls, for that matter...), so you might have to get creative on Wednesday!

Run Baby Run

Erik, Maddi, Regan, and Colton want YOU to be at the Ghosts and Goblins 5K/2K on Saturday, October 25. Sign up here!

Dynamite Comes In Small Packages

This is for all you who are still following this blog from last year (I know you're out there!). Close to my heart, Miss Emma is representing the United States right now in an international karate competition taking place in Poland. She was asked onto U.S.A. team after her performance this summer at the AAU Nationals. Her mom posted this to Facebook, and I have to share it here, because it makes me really proud.

You see, I first met Emma at the karate dojo years ago. She was a Kindergartener. It was so cool last year when I got to have her as my fifth grader at Woodbrook. These are always some of my favorite kids. I definitely know them better than I know so many others, just because of the sheer amount of hours we spend in training in addition to school. It has been a lot of fun to coach her and to teach her over the years. 

Go get 'em, Emma! You have the drive and the desire (and, as we all know, the determination) to clobber all of those other guys from all over the world. I am so proud of you.

Anyone who thinks girls can't fight has never seen Miss Emma in the ring.

Oozma Kappa

We celebrated the end of the first quarter of good behavior in 5-1 by watching Monsters University today. It doesn't seem like it has been one fourth of the year already. Great day. I hope you all have a great fall break and come back ready to go at it again on Tuesday. Get some rest.

Shake, Rattle, Roll

Most people were able to pass their test today for their states and capitals today. Not that it was one of the harder ones, but still it's okay if they wanted to take it tomorrow.

I do hope the kids were able to practice their Caesar's English roots for tomorrow also. We will have a very brief study session before the test, but it probably won't be enough of a cram to get those who didn't study.

Tomorrow is the Great American Shake-Out. I'm sure everyone will feel the rumbles at 10:15am!

Until then, have a great evening.

Quadrophenia

• Flyers went home today about tomorrow being picture day. Don't forget to look your prettiest, handsomest, and have your award-winning smiles brushed and your luxurious hair combed and gelled to perfection. We get our pictures taken in 5-1 at 10:15 am. 
• Don't forget our four-state states and capitals quiz is set for Thursday. I told my class that they will be given the option of taking it tomorrow if they think they are ready. As I also told them, one of the states and its capital is Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They should be good!
• Caesar's English Quiz on Thursday also. Lists went home yesterday!
• Happy Birthday to Michael from my Math class! We whisper-sang to him today, and I hope he has a great birthday.

Take Courage Tomorrow

For now, all you need to know is:

• quiz Thursday on States and Capitals (four--see yesterday's post)
• Caesar's English quiz on Thursday
• Math test (see study guide sent home today)

That's what I posted right after school today. 

As I said yesterday, I continue to be busy working the grades. Commenting, double-checking, and crossing all of the t's is always (EVERY time) more time-consuming than I thought it would be. I came out on the other side being even more proud than I thought I would be going in.

Can't believe we are already a quarter through this school year. I'm looking forward to what I have left to work with!

Even What Can't Be Defined

Well, the end of the quarter is upon us. Trust me, it's just about all I've done today. (Still not finished, so careful checking those grades right now. Don't get too excited nor too depressed just yet.)

Tomorrow is the start of a new day, though. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to make just a few little changes to our daily routine with the intentions of getting them to be a little more responsible for their own work on a daily basis.

I will hand out the kids' American Southwest maps for a big states and capitals quiz on Thursday. "Big", however, may not be the best way to describe it. While the Midwestern States contained twelve states and capitals to memorize, the Southwest has only four: Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico. While this test will be pretty small, it probably wouldn't hurt to go over these quickly in the car or at the dinner table a few times throughout the week.

We will also be reviving our Caesar's English lessons this week (any partial week, you may remember). Kids will be coming home with a list tomorrow.

 

Lastly, these ladies would like to remind you that October 25, a Saturday, is the Ghosts & Goblins 5K/2K at Carmel High School. Be there! I've heard this is a great event, and I'm looking forward to it this year. 

 

Generation Next

This is my class with their First Grade Math Buddies. They are Mrs. Haberfield's Math class. This is always a highlight of my students' week. Watching the pair-ups interact, watching my students become the teachers, and watching the first graders idolize my fifth graders are all wonderful things to see.

What I really like about this is the fact that my fifth graders were amongst the first class who were my First Grade Buddies several years ago. The fifth graders have talked about who their Fifth Grade Buddies were at the time. It's part of what has made this year pretty neat for me as their teacher.

As I was taking pictures, Mrs. Haberfield told me, "You really need to get one of these three right here. I think this group is my favorite." (The bottom picture.) I hadn't looked at them, but I have to admit I see my six-year-old niece as one of those little girls, and I have to agree with her.

Blood Moon, Giants, and Wayfaring Comrades

Well, today seems like a long time ago at this point. I am very thankful to the incredible Mrs. Hynes, who agreed to come in for me this afternoon. She is another person who told me at one point, "Any time you need a sub, I will gladly do so for your class!" (This is the best thing about having the best class in the fifth grade!)

I read a smattering of an assignment I had them do today in their journals. In the reading book, it gave an example of an origin myth (a pourquoi tale) about two giants who were jailed underground, where they pound on the walls of their prison. This, according to the story, is where earthquakes come from. I've read some great ones already, and tomorrow we are going to start reading them out loud.

 

Today was National Hike and Bike Day, and Woodbrook came out in spades! Even though my homeroom had a rather slight participation (clears throat loudly), there were quite a few kids and parents out front and center today on this chilly morning. Thank you to everyone who participated! 

And while everyone was waking up early for the big hike to school, I hope you all caught a view of the beautiful (and haunting) Blood Moon.* We have been learning about eclipses lately, and this tied directly into Science. Nice timing, Sun, Moon, and Earth!

*And, by the way, Erik brought up the totally awesome in which, what if a Blood Moon happened on Halloween? How awesome would that be?  Unfortunately, this seems like something that all of our great-great-great grandchildren will get to experience at some point.

Mighty Girl

Happy Birthday to Izzy! Izzy is my third student in one week to have a birthday, and she is also the third in a row whom I have had the honor of teaching for two years now. Izzy is an extremely bright and helpful student. She has a confidence and cheerfulness about her that makes her instantly likeable.

Izzy is a girl who is competitive with a smile on her face. She is a soccer player, and I'm sure that competitive spirit makes her a formidable force on the field.

Our classroom is a better place for having Izzy around. Hope your birthday is fantastic, Izzy. You deserve it!

Run Like You've Seen a Ghost

Everybody come on out to the 6th Annual Ghosts and Goblins 5K/2K and Wellness Fair! The event will take place on Saturday, October 25 at Carmel High School. It is presented by the Carmel Education Foundation. You can register here, or type in www.CarmelGhostRun.com. It should be a fun time. On-site registration and and packet pick-up will take place at the high school on Friday, October 24 from 4:30-8:30pm, and then Saturday morning from 7-8am. The 5K starts at 9am, and the 2K begins at 9:15am.

This race will raise money for the Carmel Education Foundation, and it sounds awesome. I've never done this event, but I may have to give this one a shot.

Self-Assembling Hyper-Story

Sometimes the kids come in talking about stuff that can be thought of as way over their heads. And because of this, as adults, we normally just tell them to stop talking about it because we don't want them saying things that aren't accurate. This isn't always for the best, though.

For instance, take the ebola virus. The kids have come in over the last couple weeks talking about how we're all about to be wiped out by this horrific disease. No matter how much I try to get them to stop talking about it, I'm not with them every second during their lunch time nor recess.

Here is a link to the story we read today in class.  I like this website because it provides stories written for kids that relate to science and social studies. It went a long way to clarify for the kids how we are not in any true danger here in the United States. While of course we want to be sure not to eat any rotten meat (as if this is something new) nor touch any ebola victim's open wound (again, not really a good idea before, either), we are all pretty safe where we are, it turns out.

We had a good conversation today about arming with knowledge.

In addition to this, we compared two other stories in the reading book with graphic organizers.

We learned what a second person point of view is. Everyone knows what first person and third person are, but ask your child what is meant by second person. They should know this!

Lastly, we did a demonstration of a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse, and the kids studied for a little bit using their flash cards for their states and capitals. On this very blog, to your left on the sidebar, you will find an online game for testing your states and capitals.

Today in Math, we learned about everything from Galileo to grocery shopping. In this, we discovered that you can usually make a good prediction based on what has happened so far (in the form of a graph, especially), but then again, it can be pretty dangerous to assume, especially when there are unknown factors involved.

Solar Nachos

Just an FYI, after school today I will have a staff meeting, so I probably won't be able to do a post until later this evening.

So far this morning, we have read about making a solar oven--which doesn't seem like it can really get very hot. It is an effective use of the sun's energy, though. We also worked on our vocabulary this morning, but as I said before, we are skipping Spelling this week.

The kids climbed the rock wall in gym this morning, so we have some well-worn hands today. Then again, it's nothing compared to climbing the big wall at Jameson Camp a couple weeks ago.

Homework tonight should be a study link as well as studying for their states and capitals. A little bit each night, and the kids should have those easily memorized for Friday's quiz.

We Will Start Right Here At Home

Ordinarily, this is where I would post this week's Spelling list. This week, as I said last week, we are not going to have a list nor a test for Spelling.

You may want to, however, use the time you would normally be studying for Spelling and use that time to study for states and capitals. This Friday, we will have a quiz on the Midwest Region. I will send home the practice map/s tomorrow. Students will be expected to know both where the state is, and then also what the capitals of that state is. The kids will be given a word bank for the quiz also. 

What's On the Surface

In Math on Friday, the kids found the surface areas of different difficult objects around the room. The complete surface area of a bookshelf, of the exposed area of a wall, or the surface area of my podium. The kids had to use their formulas--the ones for trapezoids, rectangles, etc., and subtract the areas not needed.

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to Colton today! Much like Ty (see below), Colton is a student I also had last year. He is a great kid who loves football. He is a good Purdue boy and even than that, he is a Colts fan and comes by that honestly. He is the youngest of three brothers (I also taught his oldest brother, Trey).

Everybody likes Colton, and he is a wanted man on any team on the playground. He's a fast little man. 

Happy Birthday, Colton. I expect you will probably be heading downtown to the game sometime soon. Hope it's a great day for you.

Titan

Happy Birthday to Ty! Ty is a great kid. He is one of the ones who I had last year as well, so I have known him awhile. I've always said hi to him in the hallway since I had his older sister Reilly...a long time ago. (Sorry, the amount of years back escapes me, but it was awhile.)

Ty "Titan" Harrington is not only a natural leader in any given situation, but he is also one of the nicest and friendly kids around. He ought to be a salesman someday.

When Ty isn't shaking hands and winning people over, you can find him tearing up the tennis courts and occasionally putting himself out there and trying something new--like karate (see photo).

I hope your birthday was fantastic, Ty. You're one of the good ones.

Emergence

Well, we accomplished quite a bit today, but still didn't manage to cram everything in. I feel good about the amount that the kids are learning, though. With these kids, I'm trying to turn more over to the kids and spend less time in direct instruction and acting more as a guide during certain parts of the day. With groups in the past, I haven't really been able to do that until the spring--then again, I never tried, either.

Tomorrow we will have a Spelling test and a Math quiz.

Ty, I will put your birthday greetings up later tonight. My phone has serious problems sending a picture to my email from this building.

Building Bridges

One week ago today, here we were. These are some of the team-building activities we took part in during our day at Jameson Camp.

I had to send the pictures to myself in threes, so there are more to come. It was a great day!

Simply the Best

Well, today did not end the way I thought it would way back when it began. But in the end, it was all good, really.

We ended up having a sub in the afternoon, having the sub in the morning canceled, and just a few other changes.

That said, I stopped in the school this evening between tutoring appointments to see the note left by the substitute. She said, "I was amazed by how polite and helpful the children were."

Just before I left this morning, the secretary who brought her down whispered in my ear, "This is her first time ever subbing." I assured her that my class was great, and she was in good hands.

I'm so happy to know that it's not just me. My class is the best one. (That goes for my Math class as well...)