Today, I interviewed Mrs. Perro, a wonderful third grade teacher here at Mansfield Township Elementary School. I wanted to see what she thought about teaching and why my little brother, who is one of her students, loved having her so much.

The first question that I asked her was what brought her to Mansfield Township Elementary School.

She said, “Well, when I was younger I went to school here and I lived in Mansfield, so I wanted to stay where my roots were”.

I really liked her answer because most teachers at our school came here because there was an opening, but I like that Mrs.Perro came here because she had a great experience when she was a kid.

The next question I asked was one that I just thought would be interesting. When I asked if she could dye her hair either neon green, neon pink, or neon blue, it didn’t take long for her to come up with a response. With no hesitation what so ever, she answered,”Pink”. Her answer was not surprising, but also not what I was expecting. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but pink definitely wasn’t it.

I am running out of ways to start these paragraphs, but the third question that I asked was whether kids asked her questions that she didn’t know the answer to. Mrs. Perro honestly answered,”If a student asks me a question that I don’t know the answer to, I tell them that I don’t know the answer and I do some research on the question. Once I find a good answer, I make sure that they understand it.”

I really like this about Mrs. Perro because most teachers at Mansfield either just get a quick Google answer or tell you to research it on your own. It really sounds like Mrs. Perro is a caring teacher because she wants her students to really learn and know the answers to their questions.

I also decided to test this wonderful teacher. I asked her to explain why 6 times 5 equals 30. In reply, she laughed a little before saying,”Okay, so if you had six groups of five, you would have thirty and that would be six five times.” There was nothing unusual about this answer. That is really what someone would say when explaining what six times five equals. Really, no comment.

Well,about now, you might be wondering where Mrs. Perro went to college (probably not though). You can stop wondering now, because I asked her! For those of you who are wondering, she went to Ryder University.

All you Spongebob lovers out there better plug your eyes somehow (or just shut them) and not read this next part. So, I asked her whether or not she would let Spongebob Squarepants cook for her, and she gave a flat out “no”. Really? I would love to try a Krabby Patty! Anyway, she answered this devastating way because she thinks that Spongebob is annoying, which, I guess is fair, for an adult, anyway.

Also, it turns out that she taught second grade before teaching third, and loves to teach math to her students.

These were all of the questions that I asked this third grade teacher who I wish that I could have at some point. She really cares about her students and can’t wait to teach her students more things this year. In fact, her “favorite thing about teaching is watching the students mature and grow. By the end of the year, I always notice a spectacular change for the better in every one of my students.”

Mr. Steve is our school custodian. We wanted to acknowledge his work because he works hard every day of his life. Like we work hard on school work, he works hard on cleaning our messes so we wanted to appreciate him in a special way. We asked him a few questions. We asked how long he worked at the school and he said 13 years. Wow he actually said that that's a long time. His full name is Steven Woolston that's a nice name. He was born in Trenton City that is very interesting. Mr. Steve’s favorite color is purple that is a great color right? Guess what Mr. Steve has been married for twenty years, isn’t that a long time? He has lots of friends at this school so he is not lonely. His favorite sport is football and hockey. He loves to eat hamburgers and a lot of people can relate. He rides his bike in his free time. That sounds like fun! He likes everything about his job. He is very easy going. His hardest part of the day for him really depends on the task. What he gets motivated by in his life is that he loves life the way it is. His most difficult part of his day depends on the job. He is not shy. So the least thing you can do is say THANKS Mr.Steve.

Who is Mrs. Macauley? Mrs. Macauley is a 4th-grade teacher. Who has made a difference in many kids lives, including mine. That is the reason I am writing about her because she made this possible. If you're in her class then you are very lucky. If you are not in her class then you probably have seen her smiling in the hallways.

What college did you go to?

"I attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee."

What did you major in?

"I majored in early childhood education and special education."

What do you specialize in?

"I specialized in multi-sensory reading while I completed graduate school classes."

What is your favorite part about being a teacher?

"My favorite part of being a teacher is meeting new students every year. Even when you teach the same grade for continuous years, each year is amazingly different because new personalities walk through the door. It is so exciting to see these students grow throughout the year."

What is your least favorite part about being a teacher?

"My least favorite part about being a teacher is the “homework”. I thoroughly enjoy driving to school every morning and spending my day in my classroom, but when I get into my home, I want to spend time with my family, exercise and walk my dogs."

What do you like to do for fun?

"I enjoy hiking with my husband and dogs, reading books, cooking for my family and going to the beach. I also like to travel to visit my children in whichever state they are living."

What is your favorite place you visited?

"My favorite place is Nashville, Tennessee. I lived there for four years. The live music scene is amazing! There are so many talented singers and musicians hoping for their big break, that you can find live bands every night of the week. Bands of every genre of music, not just country."

What do you like to do with your family?

"We try to have dinner together every night. We walk our dogs in the neighborhood. Our favorite family game is Bananagrams."

What are your summers like?

"I usually teach the Extended School Year program during the month of July. This summer I also traveled to the Scottish Highlands and lived in a castle for a week. I also traveled to Rhode Island to spend time with my extended family."

Any extra facts:

"I currently have 4 dogs living in my house. There are more dogs than people. I call my house the “canine cottage”.

"I have worked in Mansfield Township School District for 10 years. I have taught second, third and fourth grade."

Interviewed: Mrs. Cleary

What is it like to be an Art teacher?

"Being an Art teacher is fun, exciting, and sometimes messy. I love being able to create Art with students all day long."

When did you get into Art?

"I always loved making Art as a child. I knew I wanted to become an Art teacher in high school. I had an amazing Ceramic teacher who challenged my creativity, encouraged me to go to college for Art, and inspired me to become a teacher. I am still close with her to this day."

What is your favorite kind of Art?

"My favorite kind of Art is Ceramics. I majored in ceramics in college and I love to make functional Art."

Who is my favorite Artist?

"There are so many to choose from! One of my favorite artists is Frida Kahlo. Frida was not afraid to be herself and it always shown through in her unique paintings."

I’m lying on the ground,

So safe, and so sound,

And as I hear the wind blowing,

I think of the sun glowing,

Over the trees and up above me,

At least now I can see,

Since before I was blind,

The other people weren´t so kind.

This past summer I read a book called Refugee by Alan Gratz. The book is about 3 characters named Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud. Josef is jewish and lives in a time period where the Nazis invaded Germany. Isabel lived when Fidel Castro ruled Cuba. Finally, Mahmoud lived in Syria during a long war. I recommend this book to all students in MTES.

Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

Polar bears are endangered because people are polluting the earth and that causes global warming, there habitat (ice) is melting. And because of that, there population is decreasing. Can you believe that there are only 20 thousand to 25 thousand polar bears left in the world? Some reporters believe that the ice cap will completely melt within the next one hundred years. 40 percent of the polar bear population has decreased. Things just get even worse, is the ice cap endangered yes,yes it is. The real question is how many polar bears die each year? The answer to your question is five hundred -to six hundred polar bears each year.

So what can we do to save them? We can stop littering and polluting because it will only make the situation worse, and stop hunting for polar bear skin. Also,some polar bears are having an extreme shortage of food,which makes it harder for them to survive. They have a really hard time living in their habitat. Researchers say that the changes in sea level are affecting polar bears. Since the ice cap is melting, the sea level is rising.

Because of melting sea ice,it is likely that more polar bears will soon STARVE. A new study realizes that that these huge polar bears need 60 percent more food than they actually have. Polar bears take in about 12,325 calories a day! That’s a lot of food for one polar bear!

In conclusion,these polar bears need our help to survive,without us they will soon be extinct. So if you are going to school,try to walk or ride a bike don’t pollute the air and use a bike so we can save the polar bears from extinction!

Kittens

A kitten is a juvenile cat. After being born, kittens are totally dependent on their mother for survival and they do not normally open their eyes until after seven to ten days. After about 2 weeks kittens quickly develop and begin to explore the world outside the nest. After a further three to four weeks, they begin to eat solid food to grow adult teeth. Domestic kittens are highly social animals and usually enjoy human companionship. Kittens can’t see and hear fully until 2-3 weeks old. Kittens sleep around 18 hours per day. Kittens can be right or left pawed. Kittens can fit their bodies anywhere they can fit their heads. A kitten’s whiskers are as long as their bodies are wide. All kittens are born with blue eyes. Kittens have 26 teeth. The average kitten litter is 1-9 kittens. Kittens are actually easy to potty train. Fleas are especially dangerous to kittens. Kittens meow to communicate with their mother cats at first. Generally, kittens weigh around 3-4 ounces at birth and gain around 4 ounces per week. They should then gain around one pound a month up until they are 6 months old. Kittens whiskers helps them navigate easily in their area and also especially help when they begin to adventure out.

Kittens are thought to be pretty smart, and with a brain 90% similar to the human brain. They are fans of milk, but many are lactose intolerant. Americans really love their pet cats. There are around 14 million more house cats than dogs in the US. When Abraham Lincoln was US President, he had 4 pet cats which lived with him in the White House. Cats can see very well in the dark, which explains why they are always wandering around at night. House cats can run at a speed of 30 miles per hour. There are cats who have survived falls from over 32 stories ( 320 meters) onto concrete, A group of cats is called a clowder.

Cats have over 20 muscles that control their ears. Cats sleep 70% of their lives.

If you like to act, dance, or sing, you will love Drama Club!

Best part is that if you have homework and you are at Drama Club and your like,”I can’t do all this homework!” You are right but you will at least get to finish up half of your homework at the beginning of Drama so your life will be easier when you get home. Drama starts at 4:00 to 5:00 and you get to learn awesome dances and acts! Plus do not worry, you get to bring a snack because after school you know you deserve a victory snack for completing all that hard school work but remember school is not over yet!

The teacher of Drama Club is a lot of fun and will always bring a smile across your face! For one reason why she brings a smile across your face is because she gives you awesome parts! She will give you amazing parts that she knows you will love and if you you don’t like it then just tell her. Sometimes she will give you extra parts for fun! She told me this year that for 5th and 6th we are going to be doing Alice in Wonderland! I am excited and I bet you are excited too! Also, if you are in 3rd or 4th you can still do Drama Club! Just not in fall like 5th and 6th. You see, you 3rd and 4th graders are going to be doing Drama at the end of the year. 5th and 6th graders are going to be starting in Fall or Winter. You got that? I hope you did!

If you want to sing you totally can and you totally will!

The people that help out with Drama Club love to teach everyone dance’s and yes, of course they use song’s to this day! When I was in 3rd I did Drama Club and I had so much fun! We did “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and I had so much fun with my friends! So if you like to: dance, sing, act, and play with your friends, then you will love Drama Club!