Our New Year's Resolutions

We talked about New Year's Resolutions. A resolution is a promise we make to ourselves. It can be something we will do (like eat less candy), or something we will not do (like not hit our brothers and sisters.) (I did not make that one up; just recording the discussion.)

We decided that we would make a resolution for personal change, family change and changes in school. Here are our 2010 lists:

I will save up my money. I will clean up my room. I will listen to the teacher. (Erik)

I will make good decisions. I will clean the house for my mom or dad. I will not cheat on tests. (I reminded her that she never cheats on tests: she said she wanted to keep that up!) (Emma)

I will not eat bad food. I will clean up the house. I will help the teacher. (Alena)

I will run more. I will help my sister and brother. I will push my grade level up. (Thomas)

I will try not to eat candy. I will wash the table. I will help clean the room. (Olivia)

I will read more. I will help clean. I will sit still and look at the teacher. (Luca)

I will clean my room. I will take out the trash. I will read better. (Connor)

I will get dressed all by myself. I will help my family take care of my sister. I will work harder in school. (Eliana)

I will not be sneaky. I will do what my Mom says. I will listen to the teacher. (Ian)

I will eat better. I will listen to my parents more. I will not change my color. (Emma Kate)

I will do more exercise. I will take the trash out. I will pay attention to the teacher. (Gracie)

I will clean up my room. I will help my mom with the table. I will follow rules. (Joseph)

I will exercise more. I will help rake leaves with mom. I will listen to the teacher. (Jake)

I will steal more chocolate. (This is a little joke.) I will get my big brother a hamster. I will do what the teacher says to do. (Cade)

I will not bite my nails. I will help do the dishes. I will take care of the books. (Bella)

I will try to get good grades. I will never eat a hot bellpepper. I will do what the teacher says when she tells me. (Jacob)

I will try to be a better athlete. I will listen to my mom. I will follow the rules. (Liam)

I will be a better person. I will help my mom and dad clean. I will give Ms. O'Brien chocolate. (Elliot) (Added by teacher: make sure there are almonds in that chocolate, please!)

I will play nicer with my sister. I will respect my family. I will do my work. (Romi)

And there you have it: our three-fold goals for 2010. The original copies are on display in our classroom and will be added to our writing portfolios. Look for black and white copies to come home in the blue Finished Work folder next Tuesday. (These resolutions are accompanied by the pictures where we are wearing the 2010 glasses that were on your calendars!)

I was amazed at the wonderful writing! Sentences started with capitals, ended with periods and made sense. Spelling was as accurate as possible, and the writing was very creative. It's beginning to look a lot like (dare I say it?) second grade around here!