Gleaning Facebook: The Things You Find In My Classroom

Here are some odds and ends from my classroom. As I pack away years of accumulated stuff I whipped out my iPhone camera. I had some red cloth so I set up a little backdrop so I could easily photograph them as I sorted through a collection of mementoes from 1969-2013. Totally random.

From the wall of my classroom. The shelf is mostly wonders kids brought me from their vacations.

A poster that appeared in my room on the last day of school.

Katelyn Storey's family actually owned the emu (or was it an ostrich?) that donated this feather.

How many bird's nests in zip locks did I receive since 1969, I wonder. I discouraged these -- I think it may be even illegal to take them -- but every year at least one comes in.

Assorted fossils and sharks' teeth.

Children often bring in real artifacts and "imagined" artifacts. I've had untold dnations of vaguely triangular rocks and shards of concrete proclaims to be arrowheads. Hear is an actual "beaver stick" and a likely imagined one.

I've forgotten who brought in the railway spike.

Belle Tanner  painted this butterfly in oils for me a few years ago.

Any doodad with a nature theme, especially if also reading or doing math, was a perfect gift for Mr. Shaw. I aways liked this fellow.

I have a large collection of students' portraits of me. This is a recent one. I wish my beard were so black. And my forehead so small. Notice my signature hightop hikers and the conspicuous carabiniere keyring hanging from my belt. I'm glad I don't have to button this many buttons daily.

And these notes can bring sunshine on the cloudiest day.

Ten-year-olds love bones...

The Knobbed Whelk, our Georgia State Seashell.

Beaver skull from the Oostanaula

A virtually complete bobcat skeleton donated by a student just last year.

A virtually complete bobcat skeleton donated by a student just last year.

Native American maize

King Cotton

Our class motto "There's a star in you; make it shine!" (several years ago I edited "let" to "make".

Color-coded popsicle sticks for choosing kids for recitation in my classes.
Red: Ms. Minshew
Blue: Ms. Payne
Green: Mr. Shaw

Sir George has been a fixture in our class for over a decade.

Sir George was rolled WHILE I was attending a funeral!

Lordy, look at the shoes not the dust. During the first few days of school my students always gave "Brown Bag Reports". I had them fill a small brown bag with artifacts from their lives and stand in the castle to present and explain their artifacts. My artifacts were all around the room and I could count on questions that would allow me to introduce myself. These are the spray-painted, Salvation-Army Thrift-Store shoes that were my costume shoes as a "pirate" in Peter Pan at RLT in 1991.

Alyssa C. brought in this pic of herself and the product of her 3rd grade cabbage seedling she started at school.

Ally B. gave me this little pic in a magnet-backed frame on the last day of school. Her Mom took the pic as we stood in the doorway to the dining hall at Nature's Classroom.

Mole Cricket

The kid that these hands belong to is brilliant and talented, and was having difficulty keeping school a priority in his life (above sly puns, impractical jokes, and off-topic socializing of any kind). He had a great Mom who one day sent him to school with this good-natured reminder. I, of course, had to record it for posterity. We got him into the program for the gifted and he became a key member of our quiz bowl team that year. School may have nudged a little higher on his priority list toward the end of the year. [Autumn McClure Baker: Haha I remember this!]

I was not, however, the greatest spelling teacher. 

More Show 'n' Tell...

This flint "tang" knife has corner notches that would have allowed it to be attached to a leather thong or other cord... .

..One source I read said women wore them around their necks for easy access in using for food preparation. Anyone else have good info on this kind of knife?
A great Show 'n' Tell...
Michael J. Burton: Way cool. First one I have seen.