Before I get sucked in to more teaching stuff (and skip out on the gym AGAIN)....a quick post so I can claim my piece of the blogger-sphere.
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Just Teach It (Whole Group Style)
Have I mentioned how much I adore summer? J
I’m kidding! I know I’ve mentioned it only a gazillion times already, but holy
guacamole I love, love, love all of the fun it brings. The only thing better
than hanging out by the pool with fabulous friends is going to a summer wedding
with your fabulous friends (after hanging out at the pool). Throw in a little
road trip and you have how I spent yesterday in a neat little party sized nut
shell. Yesterday was a day of celebration for the first grade team- - one of
our own became a Mrs.! A sea of alligators, spiders and cockroaches couldn’t
stop me from taking part in the festivities (and I’m deathly afraid of all 3).
A little bit of sun and a whole lot of fun is good for the soul…bad for your
energy & motivation the next day, but hey! You only live once! Now that I’m
in my comfy clothes, the hubby is watching golf, and my super sweet fur babies
are curled up at my feet reality is hitting that I have a pretty daunting to do
list approaching for the week (first and foremost: major grocery
shopping…barf)! Before I start orchestrating that fabulous outing I figured I
would link up with Leigh at the Applicious Teacher for the third week of the
Apple a Day blogging linky. This week’s focus: Whole Group Instruction.
Step 1: Location is Everything
You wouldn’t bake a cake in the microwave (even though
Pinterest has those cakes in a mug thingies…I remain a skeptic) and you
definitely wouldn’t bake one in the bathroom. Location is everything with W.G.I.
It needs to take place in an organized space where you can maximize your “baking”
time. I’ve found that with first graders it’s too much for them to be spread out
around the room at their various tables while I’m trying to teach the entire
group. For that reason I’m a huge fan of carpet time. They’re all right in
front of me and I can reach out and tap them if they need extra reminders to
stay with me. My polka dotted rug is our gathering place and it’s at the front
and center of my classroom (right by my Smartboard). I’ve gone through plenty
of rugs in the 7 years that I’ve been in the classroom (our custodians run over
the edges of them thus making them into a curled up magic carpet ride that the
safety inspectors don’t think too highly of). I’ve finally found one that they
haven’t been able to destroy- -it’s not as fluffy as it was 3 years ago, but for
the most part it’s winning the battle between the vacuum cleaner. If someone
just absolutely can’t sit still or manage to focus (we all know this happens) I’ll
ask them to sit at their seats, but for the most part they’re on the carpet…right
in front of me…in the middle of the action && I like it like that.
Step 2: Preheat
You pre-heat an oven for one purpose- -to get it to the
right temperature to bake your cake. “Pre-Heating” your students is when you’re
prepping them to be ready to learn. This involves the laying of ground rules
(and the constant reminders of said rules). I don’t have assigned seats on the
rug in first grade. I did in Pre-K because well you can imagine the melt downs
that happened when Julian sat on Parker’s red dot and it was his red dot- -no
other red dot would do. By the time our babies make it to the first grade
classroom they’re a little more mature- -some days more than others, but
overall it’s not as crucial to sit on the same red dot every.single.time. Just
because I haven’t assigned seats in the past doesn’t mean that I won’t have to
in the future. Every class is different and you have to do what works best with
that class. I DO expectations about where you can sit and who you can sit by.
It’s a simple rule: don’t sit next to someone that you can’t learn next to. If
you want to sit next to your BFFL cool beans, but if you’re playing and not
listening I get to make the decision of where you sit. My boys were awful about
it this year. They weren’t allowed to sit next to each other under any
circumstances because it always ended badly- -think rock, paper, scissors in
the middle of a read aloud. All it took was one look and they would scatter
faster than cockroaches when a light is turned on. They just couldn’t handle
themselves- -they knew it, I knew it, we all knew it. My other expectations are
equally simple: sit criss cross applesauce with your hands in your lap, eyes watching,
ears listening, brain thinking, and voice turned off.
Step 3: Time It Right
Timing is everything when you’re baking a cake && it’s
equally important in the teaching world. There’s so much to cram into any given
day so time really is a virtue. It can definitely slip away from you easier
than a popsicle melts in the hot July sun. It’s good to hold yourself
accountable for staying within a given time frame, but it’s also fabulous to
make your students aware of your time frames too because lord knows they can
take all day doing the smallest of the tasks (because cutting paper into
millions of tiny pieces is far more important than anything else in the world…well
except for eating pizza).
My W.G.I. almost always requires the kids to either write
an answer on a dry erase board, find a page in their reading book, cut
something out to use for the lesson, turn and talk to their neighbor, etc, etc,
etc. Sometimes I use my simple little teacher timer (I really need this super cute flamingo timer), but other times I like to
spice it up a bit with visual timers. Online-Stopwatch is a website that has
some really cool visual timers. True they’re not the fanciest of all graphics,
but my kids loved them to the moon and back (especially the firework one). I
use them a lot during small group instruction when they’re rotating through
centers independently, but they’re good to keep track of W.G.I. tasks too.
Step 4: Ingredients
Nothing can ruin making a cake faster than not having an
ingredient. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to get an ingredient, it’s
not there, and I have to make a mad rush trip to the grocery store. Frustrating
doesn’t even begin to describe it. Making sure you have everything ready to go
for your lesson is a must do. Keeping it all organized- -well that can get a
little cray cray. Before I leave school for the day I get all of my read alouds
and materials that I’ll need for the next day placed into the basket by my Adirondack
chair. My kids know not to go into it (doesn’t mean that they don’t look in
it), but they don’t touch anything in it. It’s nothing fancy just a cute woven basket with handles that sits next to my chair
on the floor for easy grab and go of the things I need for the lesson. The rest
of the week’s stuff is stored on a shelf by my desk.
This area is getting a
serious upgrade this summer- -either my dad or my husband WILL be making me
something like this. That’s pure cuteness with a colorful cork board hanging
above it. I’m in love already!
Step 5: Share the Sweetness
Hopefully you share your cakes after you bake them- -I love
sweets more than anything, but even I always share. The same goes for your
classroom- -give everyone a chance to enjoy the sweet lesson that you’ve cooked
up for them. In my room it always seems to be the same friends who want to
share with me. They’re my eager beavers and I love them, but I also want my
quiet loves to participate too. It’s easy to call on the one kid who’s waving
their hand wildly in the air like they just don’t care, but it’s really
important to me to have everyone participating. To help me keep track of who I’ve
already called on I use the popsicle stick method. Every friend has a popsicle
stick with their name written on it. All of the sticks go into a cup and I pull
a stick each time I need help answering a question or figuring something out.
After their stick has been pulled, it goes to the side until everyone has had a
chance. It really works out great with games on the Smartboard when everyone is
dying to get a chance to play because after all, all is fair when popsicle
sticks are used…and life doesn’t always have to be unfair. Of course my plain
little cup that I’ve been using for forever is due for a face lift too &&
you would be nuttier than a jar of crunchy peanut butter to think that I didn’t
have something in mind already. My love of chevron is only rivaled by my love
for mason jars. There’s just something about those things that have attached
themselves to my heart. Here’s my “PIN-spiration”- -I’m thinking a chevron bow
is definitely making its way on to my new and improved stick jar! I’ll post
pictures later this week when I get it fancied up!
Until next time friends!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Perfect Summer
Things I love....
1. Summer Vacation
2. Summer Vacation
3. SUMMER VACATION
Oh my heart is full up on love...after all what's not to love about summer time? Yes it's hot and the mosquitoes and fire ants are out in full force (those little jerks just don't stop)...but summer time is beautiful! It's easy to focus on the not so enjoyable things...lord knows nobody likes to sweat... But it's far easier (and more enjoyable) to look around and appreciate the beauty of the season. My love for summer has deep roots in the memories of my childhood. Life was easy, brilliant, and full of watermelon in the summer. I swam all day without a care in the world. Afternoon thunderstorms were the perfect opportunity to grab a quick nap with a favorite book and let's be honest life is always a little sweeter with a tan (if you can't tone it tan it right???). Although I'm not a little kid anymore the chirping of the crickets at the end of a hot summer day snaps me back to that carefree state of mind. Nothing can ruin that care free feeling faster than a back to school commercial when it's not even July yet....come on Kleenex pump the brakes on that for a hot little minute!
I decided to ease the shock to my heart that Kleenex caused with a little time on Pinterest (&&& ok, ok a glass of Biltmore wine). While browsing for the better part of an hour I came across THE perfect pin. It was called.... A Teacher's Guide to THE PERFECT SUMMER. The caption included a hash tag (#) and given my current obsession with those little things I knew it was too perfect to not reflect on and blog about. It's broken down into 15 simple steps...everybody loves simple right!?!?
Before the list even starts it says...RELAX you've enjoyed it. Check...triple check got that covered!
Now the fun begins....
1. Read a Book that Has Nothing to Do with School.
Already on my bucket list so I hit up my Nook and found The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank. I've read a few of her other books and loved them (the settings of the books are mostly in Charleston) and so far this book is just as good as the rest. My next goal is to read The 5 Love Languages...not a fun read but I'm fascinated by the concept. Neither of these are school related so check that one off too.
2. Go to the Movies on a Weeknight.
This is easy too...popcorn, coke, and sour patch kids=my language. The Hangover 3, The Heat and Despicable Me 2 are on my list...definitely none of those crazy devilish haunting movies...I don't get the obsession with evil themes. It creeps me out, I have nightmares, and then I have to sleep completely under the covers (not even with a foot hanging out for cool air) out of fear that the creepy thing will grab my toe because its under my bed...yes I'm a baby and yes I'm ok with it.
3. Sleep Past 5 A.M.
I have this one under control...I've succeeded every single day of summer break with reaching this goal. Today I slept until 10 (my internal Kathy Lee and Hoda Woman clock woke me up I'm sure of it). My super sweet and early bird husband suggested we get up at 5:30 and go run together and I looked at him like he had five eyes and underwear as a hat (much like the looks I get from my kids during the school year when I ask them why they tried to glue their hands together). I'm forcing myself to love cardio again, but it can wait until a decent time of day. I should probably note that I usually don't sleep until 10...I'm usually up around 8 or 8:30.
4. Take a Walk Outdoors
This is on my summer bucket list too and so far I've failed at making it happen. We're still in the process of getting our townhouse rental ready (because I want our renters to love it as much as we did). I hate walking both dogs by myself...seriously they're little but they act like they're gigantic and always ALWAYS find a way to tangle me up in their leashes and embarrass me like no other...I think they are conspiring against me for not giving them enough frosty paws lately. Once all of the face lifting of the rental is through a nightly walk after dinner is a definite do...for all 4 of us.
5. Pin Something Other than Teaching Ideas
Got it covered... from my secret baby board (I'm not trying to have babies yet so I don't need any rumors starting--I'm a planner and like to have ideas going before the actual event takes place) to my Put a Straw In It (everybody likes a drink now and then) I've got the non teacher related pins covered. Have I mentioned I love Pinterest??? Because I do, I do, I do-ooooo!
Next, Dream:
6. Reflect--Ask Yourself Questions
What kind of teacher do I want to be? What kind of teacher am I now? How am I going to bridge the gap? Well this year is full of changes--we're taking Common Core by the horns and riding the bull that it is. So to start I want to be more thoughtful with the activities that I use. Am I pushing them enough? Am I teaching the standard with enough rigor? Do I want to crumble up the unit plans made by the district and put them in the trash? Maybe. I hate the thought of being told what to teach and how to teach it...they say it's not going to be that way, but there is a smidge of "big brother" lurking around the corner that I can sense. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem teaching to the same pacing guide as everyone else in the district is. I have no problem giving the same major assessment that everyone else in the district is giving. BUT I do have a problem with spending time on tasks that are designed to trick my kids (not push them to greatness) and tasks that are not meaningful enough to occupy the amount of time required to complete them. Telling me what to teach...fine...telling me how to teach it...not ok. End of rant...positivity back on my radar.
7. Think BIG
I always think big...I'm constantly thinking about ways to make what I did last year bigger and better. So yes, I'm checking this one off too.
8. Immerse Yourself In Positivity About Teaching and Kids
As I stated before, it's easy to focus on the negatives in life, but it's a beautiful thing to focus on the absolutely fabulous things that exist around you. No need to go into a lengthy explanation.
9. Make Your Passions Part of Your Teaching
I have a lot of passions- -loving others, crafting, and loving yourself. Making it part of my daily classroom life is easy. I'm always preaching the golden rule (it should be tattooed on my body somewhere I say it so much) and I'm constantly coming to the rescue of my students who doubt themselves. It breaks my heart to hear a 6 year old say that they "can't" when they haven't even had a chance to see what makes them amazing or how powerful believing in themselves can be. Crafting is a no brainer...if you've read my blog before you know I throw a craft in on the weekly...the district's blah blah plans won't take that away from me. It's a part of me that makes my classroom what it is and I love giving my kids a chance to learn with their hands.
10. Take an Online Course
Grad school is too fresh in my mind to take any online courses so I'll pass on this too. I have however been eyeing cake decorating classes and sewing classes. There's plenty of summer left so we'll see where it takes me.
Finally, Plan:
11. Complete One Back to School Task Every Day
Easy...I started making new labels for my classroom library today. All of my scrapbook paper is at the school and I can't get back into my classroom this early with getting a lot of dirty looks so it's to the craft store tomorrow and I'll have this one in the bag. (well atleast part of it in the bag).
12. Make a Calendar
Done...the template is made, but the planning still needs to take place as a grade level to make it fully functional.
13. Meet with Your Grade Level
Oh this is so easy it hurts. The entire grade level is headed out of town (and staying in the same house) for a team member's wedding this weekend. A grade level that plays together stays together...planning is more in line with what this goal is about, but that'll come later. Work hard && play hard...lord knows we've earned the right to play for a little bit.
14. Introduce Yourself to Students
If only we got our class rosters to do this early enough. Sadly, this is one I won't be able to complete. #sadface
15. Forget Elaborate Decorations
Ok this one I absolutely can't do. I love decorating...it's one of my biggest passions. If I didn't decorate and have a classroom that I was in love with something would be missing. Besides, kids (and parents) love a well put together classroom. If it's inviting and has that warm/welcoming feeling some of the anxiety of back to school is eased and excitement takes its place. So, I'll keep the decorating...because it doesn't take away from my summer being perfect. I'm itching to get back in there and put the pieces back together. . .the planning, ehhhh not so much.
&&& that's it! 15 simple steps to make your summer perfect. The dishes in the sink are screaming my name (not a part of a perfect summer, but a clean kitchen is)...Until next time, live, love and make your summer absolutely perfect. :)
1. Summer Vacation
2. Summer Vacation
3. SUMMER VACATION
Oh my heart is full up on love...after all what's not to love about summer time? Yes it's hot and the mosquitoes and fire ants are out in full force (those little jerks just don't stop)...but summer time is beautiful! It's easy to focus on the not so enjoyable things...lord knows nobody likes to sweat... But it's far easier (and more enjoyable) to look around and appreciate the beauty of the season. My love for summer has deep roots in the memories of my childhood. Life was easy, brilliant, and full of watermelon in the summer. I swam all day without a care in the world. Afternoon thunderstorms were the perfect opportunity to grab a quick nap with a favorite book and let's be honest life is always a little sweeter with a tan (if you can't tone it tan it right???). Although I'm not a little kid anymore the chirping of the crickets at the end of a hot summer day snaps me back to that carefree state of mind. Nothing can ruin that care free feeling faster than a back to school commercial when it's not even July yet....come on Kleenex pump the brakes on that for a hot little minute!
I decided to ease the shock to my heart that Kleenex caused with a little time on Pinterest (&&& ok, ok a glass of Biltmore wine). While browsing for the better part of an hour I came across THE perfect pin. It was called.... A Teacher's Guide to THE PERFECT SUMMER. The caption included a hash tag (#) and given my current obsession with those little things I knew it was too perfect to not reflect on and blog about. It's broken down into 15 simple steps...everybody loves simple right!?!?
Before the list even starts it says...RELAX you've enjoyed it. Check...triple check got that covered!
Now the fun begins....
1. Read a Book that Has Nothing to Do with School.
Already on my bucket list so I hit up my Nook and found The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank. I've read a few of her other books and loved them (the settings of the books are mostly in Charleston) and so far this book is just as good as the rest. My next goal is to read The 5 Love Languages...not a fun read but I'm fascinated by the concept. Neither of these are school related so check that one off too.
2. Go to the Movies on a Weeknight.
This is easy too...popcorn, coke, and sour patch kids=my language. The Hangover 3, The Heat and Despicable Me 2 are on my list...definitely none of those crazy devilish haunting movies...I don't get the obsession with evil themes. It creeps me out, I have nightmares, and then I have to sleep completely under the covers (not even with a foot hanging out for cool air) out of fear that the creepy thing will grab my toe because its under my bed...yes I'm a baby and yes I'm ok with it.
3. Sleep Past 5 A.M.
I have this one under control...I've succeeded every single day of summer break with reaching this goal. Today I slept until 10 (my internal Kathy Lee and Hoda Woman clock woke me up I'm sure of it). My super sweet and early bird husband suggested we get up at 5:30 and go run together and I looked at him like he had five eyes and underwear as a hat (much like the looks I get from my kids during the school year when I ask them why they tried to glue their hands together). I'm forcing myself to love cardio again, but it can wait until a decent time of day. I should probably note that I usually don't sleep until 10...I'm usually up around 8 or 8:30.
4. Take a Walk Outdoors
This is on my summer bucket list too and so far I've failed at making it happen. We're still in the process of getting our townhouse rental ready (because I want our renters to love it as much as we did). I hate walking both dogs by myself...seriously they're little but they act like they're gigantic and always ALWAYS find a way to tangle me up in their leashes and embarrass me like no other...I think they are conspiring against me for not giving them enough frosty paws lately. Once all of the face lifting of the rental is through a nightly walk after dinner is a definite do...for all 4 of us.
5. Pin Something Other than Teaching Ideas
Got it covered... from my secret baby board (I'm not trying to have babies yet so I don't need any rumors starting--I'm a planner and like to have ideas going before the actual event takes place) to my Put a Straw In It (everybody likes a drink now and then) I've got the non teacher related pins covered. Have I mentioned I love Pinterest??? Because I do, I do, I do-ooooo!
Next, Dream:
6. Reflect--Ask Yourself Questions
What kind of teacher do I want to be? What kind of teacher am I now? How am I going to bridge the gap? Well this year is full of changes--we're taking Common Core by the horns and riding the bull that it is. So to start I want to be more thoughtful with the activities that I use. Am I pushing them enough? Am I teaching the standard with enough rigor? Do I want to crumble up the unit plans made by the district and put them in the trash? Maybe. I hate the thought of being told what to teach and how to teach it...they say it's not going to be that way, but there is a smidge of "big brother" lurking around the corner that I can sense. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem teaching to the same pacing guide as everyone else in the district is. I have no problem giving the same major assessment that everyone else in the district is giving. BUT I do have a problem with spending time on tasks that are designed to trick my kids (not push them to greatness) and tasks that are not meaningful enough to occupy the amount of time required to complete them. Telling me what to teach...fine...telling me how to teach it...not ok. End of rant...positivity back on my radar.
7. Think BIG
I always think big...I'm constantly thinking about ways to make what I did last year bigger and better. So yes, I'm checking this one off too.
8. Immerse Yourself In Positivity About Teaching and Kids
As I stated before, it's easy to focus on the negatives in life, but it's a beautiful thing to focus on the absolutely fabulous things that exist around you. No need to go into a lengthy explanation.
9. Make Your Passions Part of Your Teaching
I have a lot of passions- -loving others, crafting, and loving yourself. Making it part of my daily classroom life is easy. I'm always preaching the golden rule (it should be tattooed on my body somewhere I say it so much) and I'm constantly coming to the rescue of my students who doubt themselves. It breaks my heart to hear a 6 year old say that they "can't" when they haven't even had a chance to see what makes them amazing or how powerful believing in themselves can be. Crafting is a no brainer...if you've read my blog before you know I throw a craft in on the weekly...the district's blah blah plans won't take that away from me. It's a part of me that makes my classroom what it is and I love giving my kids a chance to learn with their hands.
10. Take an Online Course
Grad school is too fresh in my mind to take any online courses so I'll pass on this too. I have however been eyeing cake decorating classes and sewing classes. There's plenty of summer left so we'll see where it takes me.
Finally, Plan:
11. Complete One Back to School Task Every Day
Easy...I started making new labels for my classroom library today. All of my scrapbook paper is at the school and I can't get back into my classroom this early with getting a lot of dirty looks so it's to the craft store tomorrow and I'll have this one in the bag. (well atleast part of it in the bag).
12. Make a Calendar
Done...the template is made, but the planning still needs to take place as a grade level to make it fully functional.
13. Meet with Your Grade Level
Oh this is so easy it hurts. The entire grade level is headed out of town (and staying in the same house) for a team member's wedding this weekend. A grade level that plays together stays together...planning is more in line with what this goal is about, but that'll come later. Work hard && play hard...lord knows we've earned the right to play for a little bit.
14. Introduce Yourself to Students
If only we got our class rosters to do this early enough. Sadly, this is one I won't be able to complete. #sadface
15. Forget Elaborate Decorations
Ok this one I absolutely can't do. I love decorating...it's one of my biggest passions. If I didn't decorate and have a classroom that I was in love with something would be missing. Besides, kids (and parents) love a well put together classroom. If it's inviting and has that warm/welcoming feeling some of the anxiety of back to school is eased and excitement takes its place. So, I'll keep the decorating...because it doesn't take away from my summer being perfect. I'm itching to get back in there and put the pieces back together. . .the planning, ehhhh not so much.
&&& that's it! 15 simple steps to make your summer perfect. The dishes in the sink are screaming my name (not a part of a perfect summer, but a clean kitchen is)...Until next time, live, love and make your summer absolutely perfect. :)
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Managing Crazy Town & All of Its Craziness
Riddle me this, riddle me that...What's something that's nearly impossible to learn about within the walls of a college classroom, something that changes from year to year &&& something that will ruin a classroom faster than an open canister of glitter left unattended? CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT...duh! For the second week in a row I'm linking up with Leigh Langton over at the Applicious Teacher for her Apple a Day blogging fiesta. This week's topic is none other than classroom management. There are so many different nooks and crannies of classroom management that it's definitely tough to narrow it down to fit on this blog (and not put anyone to sleep).
Before I even think of typing another word, first things first...I'm not claiming to be the classroom management guru...I'm certainly not perfect. Secondly, I'm also not claiming to have any brand spankin new twists on managing a classroom. Finally, in my 6 years (moving into the 7th) of teaching my kids have never been perfect, they've always talked a lot, and next to talking wiggling is their favorite thing to do in the world BUT they always know what my expectations are and they always know what the rewards/consequences are for their actions. Seriously...they're so good (or I'm so repetitive) that they can recite what I'm going to say in response to any given behavior before I speak a word.
When I first started teaching (7 years ago) my school adopted a school wide positive behavior model. With this model, anything we do focuses more on rewarding the positive than the negative. If you think about it, kids want attention...some crave it more than others, but they're all seeking attention. Our school wide behavior model operates on the belief that if you spend the majority of your time calling attention to the good behaviors/actions your kids are more likely to seek that positive attention and abandon the negative behaviors that don't get them recognized. True, it doesn't work for every kid, but it's a good start and it definitely doesn't hurt to reward your sweet little loves in the process of attempting to transform your littles that think any attention is good attention. In order to recognize the good behaviors and choices of our students we hand out PAWS tickets (our mascot is a bulldog so there's a reason behind the name). At the end of every month the kids get to spend their PAWS tickets at the PAWS store. They have to have atleast 10 tickets to shop which after a month of saving everyone always has atleast that- -the more tickets you have the more/bigger prizes you can buy. If you've read my blog before you know that I can't stand clutter...it makes me panicky. As you can imagine saving paper tickets for a month can get pretty messy and clutter-rific (the stuff nightmares are made of). To fight back against the clutter, I give each of my kids an envelope to store their tickets in and at the end of the week we take them out and count them up.
Their paws balance is placed on their "credit card" and they turn their paper tickets back into our PAWS basket (recycling at its best). They take their PAWS punch card (credit card) with them to the store where the clerk uses a hole punch to punch through the amount used (each block is worth 10 paws cards). It's nothing fancy, but it has been a sanity saver for me. Even simpler, all I do is sign my initials in each box to prove that they have indeed earned those 10 paws. Keeping it simple...love it!
As much as I love the paws system, it's just not enough to keep a classroom moving in the right direction. I know that I've blogged before about what a cohesive unit first grade is so it shouldn't come as a surprise that we've all adopted the same behavior management technique...right??? Keeping in mind that whatever we use has to be positive we chose to use the "clip chart" idea floating around on Pinterest. It's not an original idea, but it's a fabulous idea and really helped to keep my kids aware of their behavior and their choices. My biggest thing in my classroom is that attitude is everything. I always, always, always tell my kids that life can be sweet or it can be sour and that their choices pick the flavor for their day. Just in case you aren't familiar with the clip chart method, here's a simple breakdown...
1. Every student has a clothespin that starts the day clipped onto green "Ready to Learn."
2. Based on their choices, they can either clip up (blue, purple, or pink) or clip down (orange, yellow, red). Up is good...down is not so good.
3. Anything green and above earns a sticker at the end of the day.
4. The kids can move up and down throughout the day...there's always room for improvement (the world doesn't end because you're on red...you can always work your way back up...if you choose to).
5. Anybody on pink at the end of the day gets to sign their name on a BINGO square- -the winner gets a special prize at the end of the week.
Oh so simple and oh so perfect! I know that there are people out there that hate the clip chart, but when it's done correctly (focusing on the positives) it's a beautiful tool for classroom management. I don't have a picture of the actual one hanging in my classroom, but it looks a little like this (just with more colors). This one's from Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten...anything with a bow and I'm there.
In my simple description of the clip chart I mentioned stickers for good behavior. If you've ever seen a man on the side of the road holding a sign saying "will work for food" wellllll kids should have one saying "will work for stickers" because they work their booties off for that daily sticker. The stickers don't have to be anything fancy...a simple smiley face sticker does the job on most days. On Friday (and holidays) I pump up the sticker excitement with special themed stickers or smelly stickers. You gotta keep them on their toes with their sticker collecting you know?!? Anyone that has earned a sticker for each day of the week gets to visit my treasure box for a prize of their choice.
There are tons of other little things that go into making a class run smoothly (well as smoothly as possible when 6 year olds are involved), but these are the major ones in my classroom. &&& with that I need a nap in the sun while it's still shining.
Until next time...live, love, && enjoy the summer sun! :)
Before I even think of typing another word, first things first...I'm not claiming to be the classroom management guru...I'm certainly not perfect. Secondly, I'm also not claiming to have any brand spankin new twists on managing a classroom. Finally, in my 6 years (moving into the 7th) of teaching my kids have never been perfect, they've always talked a lot, and next to talking wiggling is their favorite thing to do in the world BUT they always know what my expectations are and they always know what the rewards/consequences are for their actions. Seriously...they're so good (or I'm so repetitive) that they can recite what I'm going to say in response to any given behavior before I speak a word.
When I first started teaching (7 years ago) my school adopted a school wide positive behavior model. With this model, anything we do focuses more on rewarding the positive than the negative. If you think about it, kids want attention...some crave it more than others, but they're all seeking attention. Our school wide behavior model operates on the belief that if you spend the majority of your time calling attention to the good behaviors/actions your kids are more likely to seek that positive attention and abandon the negative behaviors that don't get them recognized. True, it doesn't work for every kid, but it's a good start and it definitely doesn't hurt to reward your sweet little loves in the process of attempting to transform your littles that think any attention is good attention. In order to recognize the good behaviors and choices of our students we hand out PAWS tickets (our mascot is a bulldog so there's a reason behind the name). At the end of every month the kids get to spend their PAWS tickets at the PAWS store. They have to have atleast 10 tickets to shop which after a month of saving everyone always has atleast that- -the more tickets you have the more/bigger prizes you can buy. If you've read my blog before you know that I can't stand clutter...it makes me panicky. As you can imagine saving paper tickets for a month can get pretty messy and clutter-rific (the stuff nightmares are made of). To fight back against the clutter, I give each of my kids an envelope to store their tickets in and at the end of the week we take them out and count them up.
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As much as I love the paws system, it's just not enough to keep a classroom moving in the right direction. I know that I've blogged before about what a cohesive unit first grade is so it shouldn't come as a surprise that we've all adopted the same behavior management technique...right??? Keeping in mind that whatever we use has to be positive we chose to use the "clip chart" idea floating around on Pinterest. It's not an original idea, but it's a fabulous idea and really helped to keep my kids aware of their behavior and their choices. My biggest thing in my classroom is that attitude is everything. I always, always, always tell my kids that life can be sweet or it can be sour and that their choices pick the flavor for their day. Just in case you aren't familiar with the clip chart method, here's a simple breakdown...
1. Every student has a clothespin that starts the day clipped onto green "Ready to Learn."
2. Based on their choices, they can either clip up (blue, purple, or pink) or clip down (orange, yellow, red). Up is good...down is not so good.
3. Anything green and above earns a sticker at the end of the day.
4. The kids can move up and down throughout the day...there's always room for improvement (the world doesn't end because you're on red...you can always work your way back up...if you choose to).
5. Anybody on pink at the end of the day gets to sign their name on a BINGO square- -the winner gets a special prize at the end of the week.
In my simple description of the clip chart I mentioned stickers for good behavior. If you've ever seen a man on the side of the road holding a sign saying "will work for food" wellllll kids should have one saying "will work for stickers" because they work their booties off for that daily sticker. The stickers don't have to be anything fancy...a simple smiley face sticker does the job on most days. On Friday (and holidays) I pump up the sticker excitement with special themed stickers or smelly stickers. You gotta keep them on their toes with their sticker collecting you know?!? Anyone that has earned a sticker for each day of the week gets to visit my treasure box for a prize of their choice.
There are tons of other little things that go into making a class run smoothly (well as smoothly as possible when 6 year olds are involved), but these are the major ones in my classroom. &&& with that I need a nap in the sun while it's still shining.
Until next time...live, love, && enjoy the summer sun! :)
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday Made It!
If you know me personally than you know I'm constantly making things...either on the computer or crafting. So of course when I discovered 4th Grade Frolics "Made It Monday" linky I had to jump on the wagon again...second linky party in 2 days...I'm out of control!
My focus of making stuff has shifted over the years. I was really obsessed with painting, then really obsessed with scrapbooking, and now I'm really obsessed with TPT. I also have a closet obsession...and that's my love of chevron. It's been growing over the year and now I just can't hide it! It's exploding into every facet of my life- -clothes, picture frames, containers, labels, and now bows! I don't need any rumors starting that I'm having a mini me, so let me clarify. On Saturday I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time with my mom. It was like stepping into heaven. Cute stuff was every where...and chevron...ohhhh the chevron! I ended up buying a lot of little things that added up to a not so little bill (it happens to the best of us). Among my collection of random pretties was a roll of chevron printed burlap ribbon. It was gorgeous, I had to have it, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.
Before we decided to move I made a wreath for our front door. It was pretty simple- -a turquoise O and a burlap bow. The burlap bow was fabulous looking for a bow making virgin, but it took a beating from the wind and pretty quickly became less of a bow and more of a hot mess of floppy burlap. The burlap I bought wasn't wired ribbon so I'm positive that was what led to my bow's untimely demise (not that I completely suck as a bow maker). Now that we're finally settled in at our new home I decided it was the perfect time to give our old wreath a makeover. I kept the wreath and the turquoise O, but the droopy pile of burlap had to go. I used the new chevron burlap (wired) to make a new and absolutely fabulous bow. My bow making skills are still pretty subpar, but with the help of wire and some hot glue (ok a lot of hot glue) it turned out to be something I could be proud of.
Eventually I will learn how to use a more sophisticated method of bow making, but for now the Macgyver method works for me. I love, love, love it and the husband likes it too- -who knew that chevron could work for extremely feminine me and extremely masculine him?!? I'm even more in love with it!
Of course I didn't just stop there. . .I had to get something school related done so that the part of my brain that's all things teacher could take a break for a little while. A few blogs ago I talked about word building being an activity that my kids do throughout the year. The beginning of the year is all about training them to be independent center workers- -we don't jump into the meat of first grade until a few weeks into the school year (atleast not independent learning centers). During those first few weeks I train my kids how to complete the word building center's assignment with themed words. The one I blogged about was classmate names. I've managed to put together a packet of themed word building activities for August-December. It's packed with word building packets that will have your kids reading, building, and writing color words, animal names, back to school items, and various other themed words appropriate for the months listed. Starting in September, spelling units start and I use the spelling pattern to create a list of words for my students to build. Buuuut the themed words are awesome for early finishers or as a challenge for my loves that knock the spelling pattern out of the park and don't need extra practice. I'm working on creating a packet full of spelling pattern words now, but the themed words are itching to be snapped up.
If you have a word building center within your daily literacy center rotation my Word Building Mania pack is up and available in my TPT store.
Now that it's almost 7:00 I guess it's time to get to my next Monday Made It...Dinner: Split Chicken Breasts with Veggies and oven roasted potatoes. Until next time! :)
My focus of making stuff has shifted over the years. I was really obsessed with painting, then really obsessed with scrapbooking, and now I'm really obsessed with TPT. I also have a closet obsession...and that's my love of chevron. It's been growing over the year and now I just can't hide it! It's exploding into every facet of my life- -clothes, picture frames, containers, labels, and now bows! I don't need any rumors starting that I'm having a mini me, so let me clarify. On Saturday I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time with my mom. It was like stepping into heaven. Cute stuff was every where...and chevron...ohhhh the chevron! I ended up buying a lot of little things that added up to a not so little bill (it happens to the best of us). Among my collection of random pretties was a roll of chevron printed burlap ribbon. It was gorgeous, I had to have it, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.
Before we decided to move I made a wreath for our front door. It was pretty simple- -a turquoise O and a burlap bow. The burlap bow was fabulous looking for a bow making virgin, but it took a beating from the wind and pretty quickly became less of a bow and more of a hot mess of floppy burlap. The burlap I bought wasn't wired ribbon so I'm positive that was what led to my bow's untimely demise (not that I completely suck as a bow maker). Now that we're finally settled in at our new home I decided it was the perfect time to give our old wreath a makeover. I kept the wreath and the turquoise O, but the droopy pile of burlap had to go. I used the new chevron burlap (wired) to make a new and absolutely fabulous bow. My bow making skills are still pretty subpar, but with the help of wire and some hot glue (ok a lot of hot glue) it turned out to be something I could be proud of.
Eventually I will learn how to use a more sophisticated method of bow making, but for now the Macgyver method works for me. I love, love, love it and the husband likes it too- -who knew that chevron could work for extremely feminine me and extremely masculine him?!? I'm even more in love with it!
Of course I didn't just stop there. . .I had to get something school related done so that the part of my brain that's all things teacher could take a break for a little while. A few blogs ago I talked about word building being an activity that my kids do throughout the year. The beginning of the year is all about training them to be independent center workers- -we don't jump into the meat of first grade until a few weeks into the school year (atleast not independent learning centers). During those first few weeks I train my kids how to complete the word building center's assignment with themed words. The one I blogged about was classmate names. I've managed to put together a packet of themed word building activities for August-December. It's packed with word building packets that will have your kids reading, building, and writing color words, animal names, back to school items, and various other themed words appropriate for the months listed. Starting in September, spelling units start and I use the spelling pattern to create a list of words for my students to build. Buuuut the themed words are awesome for early finishers or as a challenge for my loves that knock the spelling pattern out of the park and don't need extra practice. I'm working on creating a packet full of spelling pattern words now, but the themed words are itching to be snapped up.
Now that it's almost 7:00 I guess it's time to get to my next Monday Made It...Dinner: Split Chicken Breasts with Veggies and oven roasted potatoes. Until next time! :)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
I'm Obssessed With Design...This I'm Sure Of!
Ever since I can remember I've been obsessed with decorating and making things look cute. When I found The Applicious Teacher's blog post about a classroom decor linky I knew that I had to jump on the boat! It's the first linky of her "Apple a Day" series and I love it!
I might not have gotten my Mom's blue eyes, but I definitely inherited her Martha Stewart gene. My first year of teaching I walked into an empty room with a little over a month to make things happen. It was a blank canvas that I struggled to make look the way that I wanted. I had big design plans, but those plans were no match for what my first year of teaching had in store for me. Sadly the room never looked as good as I wanted it to. It didn't look like a dump...my Dad built a gigantic tiki hut (complete with built in shelving) that my kids absolutely adored...and the fire marshall hated despised. I've been searching all day, but I can't seem to put my fingers on a picture of its fabulosity. Just know that I would give my right arm to have it back in my room it was that fabulous. The next year I moved to first grade and dove head first into making my classroom what I wanted it to be. I've found that if you're not happy with how your space looks, your days will never be as great as they could be. (Of course how your class runs is crucial for happiness too, but this blog is about what it looks like).
I'm very visual and I need clean, clutter free spaces. I also love, love, love bright colors and fun patterns- -with white concrete block walls they're a must to warm things up and breath some life into what could be a very sterile environment. I'm entering my 7th year of teaching and I can finally say that I've gotten my room to look exactly the way I've always wanted it to...well for the most part. I do have a few upgrades that I want to make for the upcoming school year, but who doesn't? If you don't think that you have room for improvements you're crazy...or I'm crazy for constantly wanting to improve upon or completely change things!
Currently my classroom is all packed up and shoved to one side for summer cleaning. I won't be able to get in to set it up until the cleaning is done and that could take until the end of July (major bummer). Buuut I do have pictures from last year-which give or take a few changes is how it will look again once I get back to work.
My room definitely has an islandy/beachy/tropical feel. Instead of the typical rocking chair I have an adirondack chair for my read aloud seat (made even more comfy with a giant flamingo pillow). There are even kid sized adirondack chairs in my listening center because nothing says beach like an adirondack chair! I've pulled in tropical colors everywhere I could put them to keep up with the island feel--rugs, pillows, tissue paper poms- -you name it, it's colorful. There is even an umbrella palm tree. Is it ok to be absolutely in love with your classroom because I am head over heels in love?!?
Instead of desks I opted to have round tables. They still tend to migrate across the room by the end of the day, but they're less messy than desks and they take away the cluttered feel that I feel desks can sometimes bring to a classroom. My kids always sat in groups even with desks so the seating arrangement wasn't something that I had to adjust to. I did have to adjust to the lack of storage. Cubbies can only hold so much without looking like a hot mess so my wonderful Grandma created chair pockets sized perfectly to the chairs in my classroom. They are absolutely fabulous and I don't know what I would do without them. They're made out of heavy canvas fabric and hold a lot of stuff. However, just because it fits in the pouch doesn't mean it needs to. After a year of wear and tear more than half of my chair pockets need to be sewed back up, but they are wonderful...seriously the stuff dreams are made of.
My room wouldn't be what it is without the help of my extremeley talented Dad. I'm definitely a daddy's girl. What I ask for I get...because he can make it himself! I mentioned the tiki hut and the shelving already. The tiki hut had to go a few years ago (witchy fire marshall), but the white shelves got to stay. My class library is stored in baskets on these shelves by topics: animals, people, abc, numbers, science, Clifford, Eric Carle, Arthur, etc. The labels on the baskets are something that I'm re-making this summer. My dad also built a computer table for me. I HATE and absolutely DESPISE the bulky metal computer tables so I had a cute little table that matched my round tables housing my computers. BUT technology came in, took it away, and replaced it with one of those gigantic ugly metal tables over the summer last year. I flipped out and dad came to the rescue (again). He built me a sturdy but cute table that matched perfectly with my design scheme. Of course the white concrete wall block above my brand new computer table needed some love too. It took a while, but I finally found some "Pinspiration" and made my own chalkboard/corkboard/colored canvas work of art. All of the squares are canvases attached to the wall with velcro dots. Super easy and super cheap because the canvases just happened to be on sale at Michaels when I bought them.
I could go on for days about my class and how much I love it, but who wants to hear that mess? Definitely not my starving husband and walk deprived dogs. So, until tomorrow...live, love, and decorate your little heart out!
I'm very visual and I need clean, clutter free spaces. I also love, love, love bright colors and fun patterns- -with white concrete block walls they're a must to warm things up and breath some life into what could be a very sterile environment. I'm entering my 7th year of teaching and I can finally say that I've gotten my room to look exactly the way I've always wanted it to...well for the most part. I do have a few upgrades that I want to make for the upcoming school year, but who doesn't? If you don't think that you have room for improvements you're crazy...or I'm crazy for constantly wanting to improve upon or completely change things!
Currently my classroom is all packed up and shoved to one side for summer cleaning. I won't be able to get in to set it up until the cleaning is done and that could take until the end of July (major bummer). Buuut I do have pictures from last year-which give or take a few changes is how it will look again once I get back to work.
My room definitely has an islandy/beachy/tropical feel. Instead of the typical rocking chair I have an adirondack chair for my read aloud seat (made even more comfy with a giant flamingo pillow). There are even kid sized adirondack chairs in my listening center because nothing says beach like an adirondack chair! I've pulled in tropical colors everywhere I could put them to keep up with the island feel--rugs, pillows, tissue paper poms- -you name it, it's colorful. There is even an umbrella palm tree. Is it ok to be absolutely in love with your classroom because I am head over heels in love?!?
Instead of desks I opted to have round tables. They still tend to migrate across the room by the end of the day, but they're less messy than desks and they take away the cluttered feel that I feel desks can sometimes bring to a classroom. My kids always sat in groups even with desks so the seating arrangement wasn't something that I had to adjust to. I did have to adjust to the lack of storage. Cubbies can only hold so much without looking like a hot mess so my wonderful Grandma created chair pockets sized perfectly to the chairs in my classroom. They are absolutely fabulous and I don't know what I would do without them. They're made out of heavy canvas fabric and hold a lot of stuff. However, just because it fits in the pouch doesn't mean it needs to. After a year of wear and tear more than half of my chair pockets need to be sewed back up, but they are wonderful...seriously the stuff dreams are made of.
My room wouldn't be what it is without the help of my extremeley talented Dad. I'm definitely a daddy's girl. What I ask for I get...because he can make it himself! I mentioned the tiki hut and the shelving already. The tiki hut had to go a few years ago (witchy fire marshall), but the white shelves got to stay. My class library is stored in baskets on these shelves by topics: animals, people, abc, numbers, science, Clifford, Eric Carle, Arthur, etc. The labels on the baskets are something that I'm re-making this summer. My dad also built a computer table for me. I HATE and absolutely DESPISE the bulky metal computer tables so I had a cute little table that matched my round tables housing my computers. BUT technology came in, took it away, and replaced it with one of those gigantic ugly metal tables over the summer last year. I flipped out and dad came to the rescue (again). He built me a sturdy but cute table that matched perfectly with my design scheme. Of course the white concrete wall block above my brand new computer table needed some love too. It took a while, but I finally found some "Pinspiration" and made my own chalkboard/corkboard/colored canvas work of art. All of the squares are canvases attached to the wall with velcro dots. Super easy and super cheap because the canvases just happened to be on sale at Michaels when I bought them.
I could go on for days about my class and how much I love it, but who wants to hear that mess? Definitely not my starving husband and walk deprived dogs. So, until tomorrow...live, love, and decorate your little heart out!
Talk, Talk, Talk It Out!
Talking...oh talking. It can drive you crazy at times, but have you ever stopped to think about how important talking is? Now think larger than just talking...think about how important communicating is period. Either spoken or written, communicating with others is what makes life worth living. I for one take the ability to communicate with others for granted on a daily basis. It's something so simple- -something so basic to those of us that it comes easily to that we don't think twice about it.
The purpose behind this post is something much deeper than I typically choose to blog about. I don't think that I've ever blogged about my Grandfather- -my Poppa.
My Poppa, my Dad and my husband are 3 of the greatest men on the face of the Earth...I'm certain of this...you couldn't tell me any different. My Poppa is a WWII Navy veteran..he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese. My Poppa's health began to decline shortly after he turned 90 (he's now almost 94). My family had to make the decision to move him into a Veteran's nursing home in Walterboro, SC a year or so ago. He hated it and we hated it, but it was the best thing for him. The constant care and therapy that he receives has really helped him thrive- -at almost 94 he's got the clearest mind that I remember him having in years. With the set up of the rooms, every resident has a roommate. My Poppa's roommate (Mr. B) couldn't communicate with anyone. I'm not sure of why, but he couldn't speak or write. My mom sent me a text message last night letting me know that Mr. B passed away sometime this week. I've never spoken to this man and I don't know much if anything about him, but I felt so much sadness for him. Living a life where you're trapped with your own thoughts unable to share anything with anyone is one of the saddest things that I could ever imagine.
After hearing of his passing it really made me stop to think about how important communication is in every aspect of life- -especially in the world of teaching. Keeping the lines of communication open between yourself and your students' parents/families makes the difference between a successful classroom and a not so successful classroom. Communicating with your students and co-workers is of equal importance. At my school, communicating with your co-workers, your students, and your students' families isn't just something that is encouraged...it's required. Honestly, it's something so simple that I would still do it without being "made" to. Isn't that just part of being a teacher or am I crazy? Anyway...communicating with my co-workers is easy. I work with some of the most fabulous ladies on the face of the planet so that isn't a chore to do. We talk to each other all the time...seriously all the time. Group text messages are something that iPhone created because of us..well that's not entirely true, but I am very thankful for that option existing. Even if we didn't like each other as much as we do, each grade level at our school is required to hold weekly PLC meetings where we get together to discuss the data that we've gathered from our common assessments and brainstorm ideas for enrichment/remediation.
Communicating with my students and their families requires a little more effort and creativity. I try my best to talk TO my students and not AT them. I'm not claiming to be perfect...sometimes my patience wears thin and I'm not as chipper as I should be. Hey, we all have our moments where the witch has to ride in on her broom for a split second. I sit with my kids at lunch and we talk despite their mouths being full and ketchup being on their mashed potatoes (I gag behind my napkin at some of their food combination choices... don't we all?). I write them notes on their papers encouraging them to keep up the great work- -telling them what I love the most about their story that they worked so hard to write. I'm constantly working to give them positive feedback so that they want to keep going and furthermore (and most importantly) so that they believe in themselves. A simple I'm proud of you goes a long way with the kids...not so much with their families. Communicating with the families in your room (I use families because not everybody lives with their parents) is time consuming and sometimes exhausting, but when it's done righteverybody mostly everybody is happy...you can't please everybody, but you should atleast try. How do I communicate with my parents? Nothing earth shattering over here... a few tried and true classics that everyone has heard of.
#1 Student Agendas
-My school district gives every student an agenda planner. They're awesome for older kids to write their homework in and even more awesome as a keeper of stickers for the younger ones. My kids earn a sticker if they've had an awesome day and that sticker goes in their agenda for the day. If they don't earn a sticker I always write a note explaining why. Good notes go home in the agenda too so everybody keep their heads attached to their necks please. Their parents/family members are responsible for signing the agenda every night. It keeps all of your written correspondence in one place so if there ever comes a time that you need to go back in the past for something, it's right there in the book. &&& the kids get a pretty sweet sticker collection by the end of the year. I'm all about organization so I LOVE the agendas. &&& yesssss teachers use the agendas too! (Well atleast this one does).
#2 Phone Calls Home
-My school requires that we make atleast 1 positive phone call home each week. It used to be 1 positive phone call home per day and I was the worst at it. I sound like such a goober on the phone and always stumble over my words (especially on the dreaded answering machine), but 1 phone call a week worked for me. Some weeks I made one phone call and others I made more. I also did a lot of face to face positive talks and counted those as well. I used a really simple sheet to keep track of who I called, what I said and when I called them. Again, nothing earth shattering- -pretty common knowledge that positive phone calls home rock parents' socks off.
#3 Tuesday Folders
Of course saying how awesome a kid is only goes so far. You have to prove the extent of their awesomeness with their work! At the beginning of the year each kid gets a Tuesday Folder. It's nothing fancy...just a large manilla envelope with the school's information, logo and weekly dates printed onto it. Every Tuesday I sent this folder home with work from the previous week graded and packed in. The folder was supposed to come back to school the next day empty and signed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
#4 Emailing/Class Website
At the beginning of the year I give each parent my email and class page information. Emailing is such a quick and convenient way to touch base with parents. I've found that I can respond much quicker to an email than to a voicemail that sometimes never finds its way to my box. It also gives me a way to respond to parents that have questions after work hours. I never ever ever under any circumstances give out my personal cell phone number to parents. I also don't friend parents on Facebook...not that I have anything to hide (my life is pretty vanilla), but you lose a sense of that strictly business relationship when you cloud it with personal numbers and access to your personal life. The class website gives those digitally saavy parents access to what we're doing in class with a few clicks of the mouse. It's nothing fancy- -I'm not a professional website builder- -but it's cute and it gets the job done.
#5 Weekly Newsletters
My weekly newsletter is a blurb attached to the bottom of my weekly homework sheet. The homework sheet gives the homework for each night (so there aren't any questions) and the blurb at the bottom provides the spelling words for the week and any upcoming important dates.
Again, definitely nothing earth shatteringly new..just a few tried and true methods for keeping the lines of communication up and running. Of course it goes without saying that you have to be consistent and timely when using any of these methods. You can't respond to an email a month later and expect a parent to be knocked off their feet by how impressive your communication skills are.
I didn't add any of my personal style to the communication log this past school year (bigger fish to fry), but this summer it's on my list of things to do because Times New Roman font is just not cutting it for me. I'm thinking a little chevron and dotted letters will pump it up to something that might make me want to make a few extra positive phone calls home.
Until next time...live, love, put the teaching aside, &&& enjoy summer break!
The purpose behind this post is something much deeper than I typically choose to blog about. I don't think that I've ever blogged about my Grandfather- -my Poppa.
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| My Poppa on his 93rd Birthday! |
My Poppa, my Dad and my husband are 3 of the greatest men on the face of the Earth...I'm certain of this...you couldn't tell me any different. My Poppa is a WWII Navy veteran..he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese. My Poppa's health began to decline shortly after he turned 90 (he's now almost 94). My family had to make the decision to move him into a Veteran's nursing home in Walterboro, SC a year or so ago. He hated it and we hated it, but it was the best thing for him. The constant care and therapy that he receives has really helped him thrive- -at almost 94 he's got the clearest mind that I remember him having in years. With the set up of the rooms, every resident has a roommate. My Poppa's roommate (Mr. B) couldn't communicate with anyone. I'm not sure of why, but he couldn't speak or write. My mom sent me a text message last night letting me know that Mr. B passed away sometime this week. I've never spoken to this man and I don't know much if anything about him, but I felt so much sadness for him. Living a life where you're trapped with your own thoughts unable to share anything with anyone is one of the saddest things that I could ever imagine.
After hearing of his passing it really made me stop to think about how important communication is in every aspect of life- -especially in the world of teaching. Keeping the lines of communication open between yourself and your students' parents/families makes the difference between a successful classroom and a not so successful classroom. Communicating with your students and co-workers is of equal importance. At my school, communicating with your co-workers, your students, and your students' families isn't just something that is encouraged...it's required. Honestly, it's something so simple that I would still do it without being "made" to. Isn't that just part of being a teacher or am I crazy? Anyway...communicating with my co-workers is easy. I work with some of the most fabulous ladies on the face of the planet so that isn't a chore to do. We talk to each other all the time...seriously all the time. Group text messages are something that iPhone created because of us..well that's not entirely true, but I am very thankful for that option existing. Even if we didn't like each other as much as we do, each grade level at our school is required to hold weekly PLC meetings where we get together to discuss the data that we've gathered from our common assessments and brainstorm ideas for enrichment/remediation.
Communicating with my students and their families requires a little more effort and creativity. I try my best to talk TO my students and not AT them. I'm not claiming to be perfect...sometimes my patience wears thin and I'm not as chipper as I should be. Hey, we all have our moments where the witch has to ride in on her broom for a split second. I sit with my kids at lunch and we talk despite their mouths being full and ketchup being on their mashed potatoes (I gag behind my napkin at some of their food combination choices... don't we all?). I write them notes on their papers encouraging them to keep up the great work- -telling them what I love the most about their story that they worked so hard to write. I'm constantly working to give them positive feedback so that they want to keep going and furthermore (and most importantly) so that they believe in themselves. A simple I'm proud of you goes a long way with the kids...not so much with their families. Communicating with the families in your room (I use families because not everybody lives with their parents) is time consuming and sometimes exhausting, but when it's done right
#1 Student Agendas
-My school district gives every student an agenda planner. They're awesome for older kids to write their homework in and even more awesome as a keeper of stickers for the younger ones. My kids earn a sticker if they've had an awesome day and that sticker goes in their agenda for the day. If they don't earn a sticker I always write a note explaining why. Good notes go home in the agenda too so everybody keep their heads attached to their necks please. Their parents/family members are responsible for signing the agenda every night. It keeps all of your written correspondence in one place so if there ever comes a time that you need to go back in the past for something, it's right there in the book. &&& the kids get a pretty sweet sticker collection by the end of the year. I'm all about organization so I LOVE the agendas. &&& yesssss teachers use the agendas too! (Well atleast this one does).
#2 Phone Calls Home
-My school requires that we make atleast 1 positive phone call home each week. It used to be 1 positive phone call home per day and I was the worst at it. I sound like such a goober on the phone and always stumble over my words (especially on the dreaded answering machine), but 1 phone call a week worked for me. Some weeks I made one phone call and others I made more. I also did a lot of face to face positive talks and counted those as well. I used a really simple sheet to keep track of who I called, what I said and when I called them. Again, nothing earth shattering- -pretty common knowledge that positive phone calls home rock parents' socks off.
#3 Tuesday Folders
Of course saying how awesome a kid is only goes so far. You have to prove the extent of their awesomeness with their work! At the beginning of the year each kid gets a Tuesday Folder. It's nothing fancy...just a large manilla envelope with the school's information, logo and weekly dates printed onto it. Every Tuesday I sent this folder home with work from the previous week graded and packed in. The folder was supposed to come back to school the next day empty and signed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
#4 Emailing/Class Website
At the beginning of the year I give each parent my email and class page information. Emailing is such a quick and convenient way to touch base with parents. I've found that I can respond much quicker to an email than to a voicemail that sometimes never finds its way to my box. It also gives me a way to respond to parents that have questions after work hours. I never ever ever under any circumstances give out my personal cell phone number to parents. I also don't friend parents on Facebook...not that I have anything to hide (my life is pretty vanilla), but you lose a sense of that strictly business relationship when you cloud it with personal numbers and access to your personal life. The class website gives those digitally saavy parents access to what we're doing in class with a few clicks of the mouse. It's nothing fancy- -I'm not a professional website builder- -but it's cute and it gets the job done.
#5 Weekly Newsletters
My weekly newsletter is a blurb attached to the bottom of my weekly homework sheet. The homework sheet gives the homework for each night (so there aren't any questions) and the blurb at the bottom provides the spelling words for the week and any upcoming important dates.
Again, definitely nothing earth shatteringly new..just a few tried and true methods for keeping the lines of communication up and running. Of course it goes without saying that you have to be consistent and timely when using any of these methods. You can't respond to an email a month later and expect a parent to be knocked off their feet by how impressive your communication skills are.
I didn't add any of my personal style to the communication log this past school year (bigger fish to fry), but this summer it's on my list of things to do because Times New Roman font is just not cutting it for me. I'm thinking a little chevron and dotted letters will pump it up to something that might make me want to make a few extra positive phone calls home.
Until next time...live, love, put the teaching aside, &&& enjoy summer break!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Wheels in My Brain Go Round & Round All Summer Long...
Not all of the training made me want to switch careers and become a bank teller though. Most of it reminded me of all the fun stuff that I get to teach in first grade. It also reminded me of how many fabulous teachers our county has that are devoted to making learning fun and memorable for their kids. Needless to say the wheels in my brain are spinning about the beginning of the school year and I can only pump the brakes for so long. I figured if I limited myself to a small portion each day I could still enjoy summer break without jumping into lesson planning like I'm all jacked up on Mt. Dew.
There were a lot of things that I wanted to get do last Fall and just didn't get the chance to. One of those things was a center activity for the beginning of the year. I have 5 different center rotations in my room that my kids rotate through on a daily basis. Word building is something that my kids do every Monday at the "Yellow" center. The yellow center is my word center where they build words, sort words, put words into ABC order, etc. Back to word building--the words that the kids are building change each week according to what spelling pattern we happen to be learning about. This gives them extra practice with their spelling words (reading/spelling them & using them in sentences). At the beginning of the year we haven't officially started a spelling list yet and they're definitely not ready to jump right into independent center work so as an introduction I have word building lists of a couple different things. I had big plans last summer to create a huge word building packet for the beginning of the year with several different themes, buuuuuut it didn't happen...well not all the way. I did manage to finish 2 word building center kits: Names of Friends and Color Words. My kids loved, loved, loved them...especially the packet where they built their freinds' names. &&&& it just so happens to be the one that I'm focusing on in this blog...(I could go on and on forever about the different possibilities of packets, but until I have an actual product to show for it I'm not trying to put anyone to bed early out of pure boredom). Since I'm not trying to get fired and I don't know who is in my class for next year yet I had to doctor up a few to make this post worth while.
Directions are simple: pick a name card, build the name on your card with the letter cards, write the name down onto your recording sheet, pick a new name and repeat the process. I laminated all of the cards (name and letter) to make them last through the glue stick covered fingers. Then I punched a hole into each name card to put them on a ring. The recording sheet has a spot for 6 names. I chose to put all of the name cards on a ring and to make 4 sets of the cards (4 kids are in each center at a time). You could put 6 cards on each ring too if you wanted to save some paper and ink. Either way your kids will only be making 6 names...It sounds like a really easy assignment, but it's the beginning of the year and they're learning how to get things done before the timer goes off. We focus a lot on letter formation at the beginning of the year so this is an awesome time for them to take their time and write neatly. As the year goes on I add more words (typically 8) and a bonus box that requires my loves to use one of the words that they built in a sentence. I'll include both versions in the packet so you can differentiate for what your babies are capable of doing (not everybody gets the same mix). At the end of the week I take the name cards off of the ring and store the name and letter cards inside a labled (&& laminated) manila envelope. I'm a little OCD so I attach velcro to the lip to keep it closed inside of my monthly tubs- -completely unnecessary, but I love me some velcro and organization.
My goal is to have a huge packet of word building throughout the year ready by the end of this week (meaning Saturday). We're in for tons of rain so next to laying out, making stuff is my next favorite thing. Until next time, live each day to the fullest and love with all you have. :)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Summer Bucket List &&& a Surprise Sale
Holy sun tan lotion I love summer break! Every year I forget just how glorious it really is. Don't get me wrong I definitely remember that it's awesome, but I forget the extent to how amazing it feels to not have any small minds to be responsible for. I can wake up whenever I want to (not at 5:30), I can drink my coffee while watching Kathy Lee and Hoda Woman (love love love them), and I don't have to hear Missssssssssssssssss Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowen until sometime in August. Summer is glorious isn't it? I started to make a mental list of how to make the most of my 8 weeks away from the teaching world at the beginning of May, but teacher duty called and I quickly abandoned it. Today I forced myself to focus on what I wanted to accomplish and came up with this list. It's not all or nothing...things can be added or deleted, but it's a start. Most of the things on my list are self explanitory....pretty vanilla..I'm not going to Hawaii, Vegas, and LA this summer, but you can't live like a rockstar all the time. Here are a few of my must dos:
1. Celebrate Mom's Retirement
My mom is finally retiring after working her butt off for a really long time. My dad retired a few years ago so they'll finally be able to enjoy doing whatever it is that retired people do. &&& of course there's a party involved--who doesn't love a party???
2. Go on a Cruise
I've never been on a cruise before so of course I wasn't missing out on a chance to go to the Bahamas. Especially for a Bachelorette Party cruise...anybody's got time for that! We're setting sail right before we have to go back to work and not coming back until it's time to get back to work. No joking, we get back the day before our first teacher work day. Umbrella drinks by the pool? Yes please!
3. Learn to Shoot a Gun
I'm not trying to go all red-neck-a-nize on everybody, but my Poppa has been on me for years to learn how to shoot a gun. You know when your Grandpa uses your full name everytime they talk to you about something it's serious business. "Amy Elizabeth it's about time you learned to shoot a gun." I've shot a gun before without hurting myself, but I want to learn how to accurately shoot one. I wouldn't mind getting my CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) because lets face it, the world isn't getting any safer...there are tons of crazies out there. My Poppa would be so proud of either accomplishment, but I'll start with learning how to shoot first.
4. Soak Up the Sun
Exactly as it sounds...I'm soaking up the sun. In my backyard, at the pool, at the beach, on a boat. . .wherever I can I'm getting some Vitamin D. Of course with the proper skin protection/exposure ratio (aint nobody got time for skin cancer).
5. TPT
Besides keeping up with the products that are already listed. I plan to upload a few more before the beginning of the school year. And since summer has me in such an amazing state of mind, everything in my store is 15% off from now until Friday.
Happy Summer Friends! Until next time....live, love, take a break from teaching & jump into summer fun!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Tie Dye, Tug of War, Popsicles, Pizza &&& Awards... This is What the End of the Year is Made Of!
As I sit here with my cup of coffee, my 2 pups, Kathy Lee and Hoda Woman in the background, and millions of boxes surrounding me I have one thought....I made it...alive...and all in one piece. The end of the school year is a crazy, crazy time. Any teacher out there can account for that. My to do list would be enough to give anyone nightmares, but it's finished! My keys are turned in, my room is packed for the summer, and the birds are singing happy songs...right? Well, kind of...I'm stoked out of my mind about summer break (I would be nutso if I wasn't), but my nightmares about being made to move grade levels again have started. Once you've been moved unwillingly 2 weeks before school starts you never quite get over it. I know that a lot of people have been given less notice than that and my hat is off to them for keeping their sanity and living to tell their story. However, regardless of the time given to move, my fears tend to get the best of me around this time of year and my anxiety peaks about all of the "changes" that are in store for the 2013-2014 school year. Silly, I know...but when you are a smidge OCD (self diagnosed) changes are just not something that you look forward to when you spent countless hours organizing your files during the school year so that the next could run as smoothly as possible. Just in case I haven't posted my adventures in teaching before here goes...
Fresh out of college I got a job teaching Pre-K. I student taught in a first grade classroom and first grade had always been my focus. Pre-K was a shock to say the least... I was a fish out of water and I shudder to think about how completely incompetent I looked. The first day of school I busted into the cafeteria with kids hanging off every appendage (one having a serious melt down)...it's the stuff movies are made of, but it was my life. I survived somehow and was moved to first grade (thankfully...for more than one reason). I taught first grade for the next 2 years, loved it, met some of my best friends in the entire world, and then the rug was ripped out from under me when I was moved to second grade unexpectedly. I spent the year with some of my favorite babies from first grade so it wasn't all that bad. At the end of the year I was given the choice to move back to first grade or to stay where I was. I chose to move back to first where my heart had never left. I've been back for 2 years... bringing me to the grand total of 6 years completed. I'll be starting my 7th year in August && hopefully I'll be in B-104 for many more years (it's my home away from home).
Now that I've gotten that off of my chest let's visit the last week of school. Field day was Wednesday so I spent my Monday off of work cutting, rinsing, and washing the tie dyed shirts my loves made for field day.
After about the tenth shirt I questioned why I do this every year, but seeing all of them together on field day in matching shirts made my aching back and dye stained fingers worth it. For field day we had 4 events: dancing, batton relay race, water relay race and tug of war. The music for the dancing portion is so old school...and it's the same every year. We didn't win any of the relay races, but the kids had a blast, I lost my voice, and of course we looked fabulous! We did manage to win one of the tug of war matches and that was the cherry on top of the sundae. My kids were so excited...seriously filled my heart for years to come seeing them jumping, cheering and high fiving each other. Obviously I can't post any pictures of my tie dyed army of 6 and 7 year olds, but this is me swallowed up in all of their tiny t-shirts.
On Thursday we had awards day. I gave out my academic related awards at the grade level Awards Ceremony and then handed out my "Warm and Fuzzy" Awards in class later that day. (I blogged about these a few blogs ago). I try really hard to make sure that every student gets an academic related award by the end of the year. I don't believe in giving the same kids awards time after time because if there's one thing you learn when you're teaching it's this: There is no growth too small to be celebrated! My reading award doesn't always go to the "highest/fastest reader." Sometimes it goes to the next highest or the student that reads with the best expression. Simply put, I believe in making each of my kids feel validated about themselves as a learner and it's easy as pie to do. Anyway, as a teacher you'll eventually learn that you won't be the only one teaching. Your kids will teach you a lot along the way as well. I've always felt in my heart of hearts that academic awards didn't compare to the awards that recognize students for who they are. Call me a flower child at heart, but there's something to be said when someone recognizes you for what makes you special--what makes you, you! From day one of school I'm of course paying attention to what my kids can do academically (that's my job), but I'm also paying attention to their quirks. What they like and don't like. Who they are and what makes them special in my heart. My warm and fuzzy awards are my way of saying thank you for being you- -I love you for who you are not what your test scores are. Until this year, I haven't had a parent comment on the awards. I gave my awards out on Thursday (the last full day) because 5 of my kids weren't going to be there on the last day of school. On Friday morning one of my parents came to my room to drop of snack bags for the kids. She shared a few pictures of the award that I gave her child for being the "Class Sweetheart." The first was a picture of C with her award smiling. The second was a picture of the award framed and sitting on C's nighstand by her bed. C also received an award for being a Star Reader, but that award wasn't in a frame. Call it what you like, but for me it was God validating what I've always felt in my heart...that recognizing the whole child is much more important than focusing so much on their test scores. Test scores aren't everything...I remember all of my teachers for their kindness and for them making me feel loved. No doubt they taught their butts off and molded me into who I am academically, but they also made me feel loved...and that's what I remember the most.
The last day of school was a half day so it pretty much went like this... breakfast, clean up, dance party, finish writing in our memory books, clean some more, pack, lunch, finish Finding Nemo, &&& go home. Of course I had an end of the year gift for my loves. Nothing special, but just a little something wishing them a cool summer.
None of my friends cried this year. Their hugs were a little tighter than usual, but no tears were shed. I don't think they realize that they aren't coming back to our class next year. That's how it was for me when I was their age. I remember skipping out of school on the last day after giving my first grade teacher a hug. I swam all afternoon in my Grandparents' pool and had a blast. Summer was awesome! It wasn't until I was sitting in the tub later that night before bed that it hit me...I was a second grader now...I wasn't going to have the same teacher next year...and I cried buckets.
Speaking of crying buckets..I might not have cried with my kids, but as a grade level we sure cried buckets after school when the reality that 2 of our team members weren't coming back next year sunk in. One is retiring and one is getting married/moving. All I can say is retirement has never been done bigger or better at our school. ..go big or go home! Long story short, we decorated her door, put together a really sweet slideshow, had her family come to the school for the send off, and rented a limo to take us to happy hour. It was the best last day ever!
First grade won't ever be the same, but we made some memories that will last a life time. #forever1stgrade2013
Now that I've successfully avoided unpacking for 2 hours I guess it's time to get busy. Living in the land of boxes isn't exactly the look I was going for with the new house. I'll be back at some point this week to blog about what else...SUMMER! && maybe about next year...if my brain can handle it! Until then...live, love, &&& enjoy summer vaca!
Fresh out of college I got a job teaching Pre-K. I student taught in a first grade classroom and first grade had always been my focus. Pre-K was a shock to say the least... I was a fish out of water and I shudder to think about how completely incompetent I looked. The first day of school I busted into the cafeteria with kids hanging off every appendage (one having a serious melt down)...it's the stuff movies are made of, but it was my life. I survived somehow and was moved to first grade (thankfully...for more than one reason). I taught first grade for the next 2 years, loved it, met some of my best friends in the entire world, and then the rug was ripped out from under me when I was moved to second grade unexpectedly. I spent the year with some of my favorite babies from first grade so it wasn't all that bad. At the end of the year I was given the choice to move back to first grade or to stay where I was. I chose to move back to first where my heart had never left. I've been back for 2 years... bringing me to the grand total of 6 years completed. I'll be starting my 7th year in August && hopefully I'll be in B-104 for many more years (it's my home away from home).
Now that I've gotten that off of my chest let's visit the last week of school. Field day was Wednesday so I spent my Monday off of work cutting, rinsing, and washing the tie dyed shirts my loves made for field day.
After about the tenth shirt I questioned why I do this every year, but seeing all of them together on field day in matching shirts made my aching back and dye stained fingers worth it. For field day we had 4 events: dancing, batton relay race, water relay race and tug of war. The music for the dancing portion is so old school...and it's the same every year. We didn't win any of the relay races, but the kids had a blast, I lost my voice, and of course we looked fabulous! We did manage to win one of the tug of war matches and that was the cherry on top of the sundae. My kids were so excited...seriously filled my heart for years to come seeing them jumping, cheering and high fiving each other. Obviously I can't post any pictures of my tie dyed army of 6 and 7 year olds, but this is me swallowed up in all of their tiny t-shirts.
On Thursday we had awards day. I gave out my academic related awards at the grade level Awards Ceremony and then handed out my "Warm and Fuzzy" Awards in class later that day. (I blogged about these a few blogs ago). I try really hard to make sure that every student gets an academic related award by the end of the year. I don't believe in giving the same kids awards time after time because if there's one thing you learn when you're teaching it's this: There is no growth too small to be celebrated! My reading award doesn't always go to the "highest/fastest reader." Sometimes it goes to the next highest or the student that reads with the best expression. Simply put, I believe in making each of my kids feel validated about themselves as a learner and it's easy as pie to do. Anyway, as a teacher you'll eventually learn that you won't be the only one teaching. Your kids will teach you a lot along the way as well. I've always felt in my heart of hearts that academic awards didn't compare to the awards that recognize students for who they are. Call me a flower child at heart, but there's something to be said when someone recognizes you for what makes you special--what makes you, you! From day one of school I'm of course paying attention to what my kids can do academically (that's my job), but I'm also paying attention to their quirks. What they like and don't like. Who they are and what makes them special in my heart. My warm and fuzzy awards are my way of saying thank you for being you- -I love you for who you are not what your test scores are. Until this year, I haven't had a parent comment on the awards. I gave my awards out on Thursday (the last full day) because 5 of my kids weren't going to be there on the last day of school. On Friday morning one of my parents came to my room to drop of snack bags for the kids. She shared a few pictures of the award that I gave her child for being the "Class Sweetheart." The first was a picture of C with her award smiling. The second was a picture of the award framed and sitting on C's nighstand by her bed. C also received an award for being a Star Reader, but that award wasn't in a frame. Call it what you like, but for me it was God validating what I've always felt in my heart...that recognizing the whole child is much more important than focusing so much on their test scores. Test scores aren't everything...I remember all of my teachers for their kindness and for them making me feel loved. No doubt they taught their butts off and molded me into who I am academically, but they also made me feel loved...and that's what I remember the most.
The last day of school was a half day so it pretty much went like this... breakfast, clean up, dance party, finish writing in our memory books, clean some more, pack, lunch, finish Finding Nemo, &&& go home. Of course I had an end of the year gift for my loves. Nothing special, but just a little something wishing them a cool summer.
None of my friends cried this year. Their hugs were a little tighter than usual, but no tears were shed. I don't think they realize that they aren't coming back to our class next year. That's how it was for me when I was their age. I remember skipping out of school on the last day after giving my first grade teacher a hug. I swam all afternoon in my Grandparents' pool and had a blast. Summer was awesome! It wasn't until I was sitting in the tub later that night before bed that it hit me...I was a second grader now...I wasn't going to have the same teacher next year...and I cried buckets.
Speaking of crying buckets..I might not have cried with my kids, but as a grade level we sure cried buckets after school when the reality that 2 of our team members weren't coming back next year sunk in. One is retiring and one is getting married/moving. All I can say is retirement has never been done bigger or better at our school. ..go big or go home! Long story short, we decorated her door, put together a really sweet slideshow, had her family come to the school for the send off, and rented a limo to take us to happy hour. It was the best last day ever!
First grade won't ever be the same, but we made some memories that will last a life time. #forever1stgrade2013
Now that I've successfully avoided unpacking for 2 hours I guess it's time to get busy. Living in the land of boxes isn't exactly the look I was going for with the new house. I'll be back at some point this week to blog about what else...SUMMER! && maybe about next year...if my brain can handle it! Until then...live, love, &&& enjoy summer vaca!
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