During the last week of school I ask my students to write down any advice they have for next year's class of students. I tell them that their advice will act as a "survival guide" to Mr. Olson's class the upcoming school year. The comments below, coming from kindergarten, third, and fifth graders, represent some of the advice that has been shared over the past decade plus!
~Mr. O
~Mr. O
Consider yourself warned!
From Mr. Olson's 2006-2019 Classes...
Dear 5th Graders,
Expect the unexpected from Mr. Olson. Seriously, you never know what he's going to do!
You are really not allowed to say can't or won't. Instead he wants you to say that you will try.
He will teach you about the power of, "Yet." ...like I haven't figured this out, "yet."
Don't say "Give me," but instead say "please".
Mr. Olson tries every single day to be a better teacher for us.
Listen to Mr. O when he says not to worry about being popular. School is so much more fun if you are just you!
He will expect a *clean classroom*, and he will want you to walk "Georgia Style" in the hallway. *He taught in Georgia one year!
You probably won't have a single boring day all year!
If you try and turn something in that isn't your best work, he will usually know and make you do it again. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be your best!
There is no place I'd rather be...
He always believes you can do better. He usually wants you to figure things out with hard work and lots of trying.
Mr. Olson is a person that is always there to talk to. He will eat lunch with you whenever you need it!
The books he chooses for literature are EPIC...so good.
He's funny, awesome, perfect, and just right for you (you're really lucky to have him).
The "Golden Rule" in his classroom isn't to treat others like you want to be treated, it is to treat them better!
He kind of reminds you all of the time that his classroom isn't always equal, but he will do his best to be fair. He will also remind you that real life isn't always fair.
His favorite thing in the world will be seeing you smile!!
There will be a lot of teamwork in his class. He likes us to solve problems together!
The classroom will feel like home. You will even have a couch!
Be nice to Mr. Olson. We don't ever want him to lose his sparkle!!
Sometimes he is strict, but he just wants you to learn.
He loves you like you are his own child. He has two boys by the way, they are 5 and 6 and super cute!
Just about every day he says that his classroom is the safest place in the world to make a mistake. He wants you to learn from the mistakes though. He says, "Always make NEW mistakes." I like that.
A memory is when he tried to be funny and only one person laughed...that's Mr. Olson for you! He will make about 200 jokes. Some of them are funny.
Try to laugh, or at least smile, when Mr. O tells a joke. It will make his day!
He finds stuff to love about everyone in his class!
You won't do many worksheets in his class, like almost none of them. Its nice!
If you walk loudly in the hallways, you will get to try again.
Mr. Olson ALWAYS forgives. Even when you are bad, he is really happy to see you the next day!
He tells us that the important thing is not where we are on the ladder, but how far we climb by the end of the school year. You will climb very far this year!
Mr. Olson is one of those teachers who really cares about his students.
He is all about "life lessons." The stories are usually funny and I think we almost always learn something big too.
Choose Kind!
By the end of the year you will be sad that you are leaving his classroom, but you will be ready for middle school. He will make sure of it!
Don't waste time when you are in his class...you have so much to learn and not enough time!
Choose Kind. Use the power of "Yet." Try your best.
He will know when something is wrong and he will be there for you when you need support. He'll always help make it better, not worse. Trust me!
He doesn't just care about you this year. He will always care about you your whole life. You can go to him any time you need to.
He is one of the best teachers out of a million. Trust me, you'll love his class!
~ Mr. Olson's 2006-2019 Classes ~
From Mr. Olson's 2006-2019 Classes...
Dear 5th Graders,
Expect the unexpected from Mr. Olson. Seriously, you never know what he's going to do!
You are really not allowed to say can't or won't. Instead he wants you to say that you will try.
He will teach you about the power of, "Yet." ...like I haven't figured this out, "yet."
Don't say "Give me," but instead say "please".
Mr. Olson tries every single day to be a better teacher for us.
Listen to Mr. O when he says not to worry about being popular. School is so much more fun if you are just you!
He will expect a *clean classroom*, and he will want you to walk "Georgia Style" in the hallway. *He taught in Georgia one year!
You probably won't have a single boring day all year!
If you try and turn something in that isn't your best work, he will usually know and make you do it again. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be your best!
There is no place I'd rather be...
He always believes you can do better. He usually wants you to figure things out with hard work and lots of trying.
Mr. Olson is a person that is always there to talk to. He will eat lunch with you whenever you need it!
The books he chooses for literature are EPIC...so good.
He's funny, awesome, perfect, and just right for you (you're really lucky to have him).
The "Golden Rule" in his classroom isn't to treat others like you want to be treated, it is to treat them better!
He kind of reminds you all of the time that his classroom isn't always equal, but he will do his best to be fair. He will also remind you that real life isn't always fair.
His favorite thing in the world will be seeing you smile!!
There will be a lot of teamwork in his class. He likes us to solve problems together!
The classroom will feel like home. You will even have a couch!
Be nice to Mr. Olson. We don't ever want him to lose his sparkle!!
Sometimes he is strict, but he just wants you to learn.
He loves you like you are his own child. He has two boys by the way, they are 5 and 6 and super cute!
Just about every day he says that his classroom is the safest place in the world to make a mistake. He wants you to learn from the mistakes though. He says, "Always make NEW mistakes." I like that.
A memory is when he tried to be funny and only one person laughed...that's Mr. Olson for you! He will make about 200 jokes. Some of them are funny.
Try to laugh, or at least smile, when Mr. O tells a joke. It will make his day!
He finds stuff to love about everyone in his class!
You won't do many worksheets in his class, like almost none of them. Its nice!
If you walk loudly in the hallways, you will get to try again.
Mr. Olson ALWAYS forgives. Even when you are bad, he is really happy to see you the next day!
He tells us that the important thing is not where we are on the ladder, but how far we climb by the end of the school year. You will climb very far this year!
Mr. Olson is one of those teachers who really cares about his students.
He is all about "life lessons." The stories are usually funny and I think we almost always learn something big too.
Choose Kind!
By the end of the year you will be sad that you are leaving his classroom, but you will be ready for middle school. He will make sure of it!
Don't waste time when you are in his class...you have so much to learn and not enough time!
Choose Kind. Use the power of "Yet." Try your best.
He will know when something is wrong and he will be there for you when you need support. He'll always help make it better, not worse. Trust me!
He doesn't just care about you this year. He will always care about you your whole life. You can go to him any time you need to.
He is one of the best teachers out of a million. Trust me, you'll love his class!
~ Mr. Olson's 2006-2019 Classes ~