The Ranch Year

     Many people ask me how I come up with each year's theme.  That has always been super easy for me.  I usually find my inspiration sometime during the summer.  I see an object at a gift shop that speaks to me, or a visit to the Dollar Store sparks an idea.  When my mind is quiet, the ideas just flow.
     This year I created my 19th door.  The question I get the most often is, "Are you ever going to repeat a theme?"  The answer is always, "No way!"  First of all, I have no problem coming up with new ideas, and secondly, I want each new class to be represented by their own special, unique theme.
There will only be one class that is my Carnival Year or my M & M Year.  I remember my classes by their themes and all of the activities we do together that go with that particular theme.
     One year, the Ranch Year, I had a pretty challenging group of students.  They were wonderful kids, however, they had a LOT of energy!  I always remember that year as the "Whack a Mole" year.  Once I got one of my students calm and focused, another one would pop up and need attention.  There was SO much energy in that room.  I found myself going home in the afternoons, day after day, saying to myself, "When I'm in my classroom,  I feel like I'm in a jungle!"  The following year's theme was born in those moments!
     The funny thing was, my Jungle Year class was the farthest thing from a jungle.  They were the quietest, calmest, sweetest class I ever taught.  I would always tell them that I got their theme wrong.  They should have been the angel year!  Those sweet little Jungle kids are now seniors in high school and will be heading off to college in the fall.
     When each year has it's own theme, each student feels like he/she belongs to something special.  I believe that that is the key to making a connection with students.  When they feel like they belong, they develop a sense of pride.  I have heard old students of mine speaking with each other.  They will say, "You had Mrs. Monks, too?  What was your theme?  Mine was the Lighthouse Year!"  They remember.  It's a small part of how they define a part of their elementary school years.  It warms my heart.