Eraser Challenge

I typically try to keep my blog posts upbeat and positive....because that is who I am.  I love being cheerful, carefree and lighthearted , but unfortunately tonight I must take a different approach.  As I type this blog post my heart is not light and happy...but rather full of concern.   The cause of  my despair is called "The Eraser Challenge."   Have any of you heard of it?  If you have any interest you can type "Eraser Challenge" into YouTube and see what pops up.  I would have embedded a video into this post...but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Basically the "Eraser Challenge" is a dare that students give to one another.  The students take an eraser and see how long they can rub it on their skin before the pain becomes intolerable. Sometimes students spell the alphabet with their eraser or try and sing a whole song in their head before they stop.  As you can imagine the friction of the eraser on the skin creates a terrible burn.  This burn then turns to a scab and in some cases a scar.

Like I said....I hate being so downcast, yet I feel it is important that we as educators stay informed on what could potentially put our students in danger.  The "Eraser Challenge" is a form of self harm and should be addressed if you see any signs.  We have a fabulous counselor and principal at our school....as I am sure you all do to.   I would highly, highly, highly recommend any signs be reported to your school counselor or principal...this way we can make sure our kids stay safe. :)

Now....let me end on a positive note. I am so, so, so, sooooooooo proud of my sister!  Today she ran her very first marathon. We are talking 26 miles....of straight running!  Yeah-----running....for 26 miles! Impressive!

My sister's first marathon!!  We kind of look alike, don't we??? 

 I also was able to complete two products for TPT.  The first one is a pack of ELA centers for Halloween. Whenever it gets close to the holidays I want to have fun with my kiddos, but I want to make sure they are doing something educational at the same time.  I plan on using this pack with my intervention kiddos.  Included in the pack are two great fluency activities, some grammar games, writing prompts and an informational text on the history of Halloween.  I must say I learned a lot when while researching the history of Halloween.  :)

The second product I finished was more interactive notebook pages.  These pages are all about getting kids to think about their thinking.  Hello metacognition! :)  The pages can be used with any text--and are perfect for comprehension! :)

I hope everyone has a great Columbus Day tomorrow!

Katie