Revisiting Summaries

We've needed another refresher of summaries.  Perhaps it's because of winter break, but my students seem to have forgotten that summaries are more than 4 words long.

Sigh, review time.

I used Lon Po Po so we could learn about folk tales from other countries while also reviewing summaries (RL 3.2).  I like opportunities to imbed multiple skills at once.

We read the story and I had students work in partners to write a summary.

 

The next day, I read all the summaries and we gave feedback to one another.  From there, I took all their ideas and created an anchor chart:

 However, we took it one step further with color coding the parts (somebody, wanted, but,so, then).  

I had student helpers:

By including my students in the process, there is more engagement.  While the anchor charts aren't always pinterest quality, there is a benefit of making them with the students.  If you present a pre-made one, they have no investment.  It's something the teacher did.  However, if you make it with them and include their ideas, they feel more connected to the content. 

On day 3, we read this book:

We reviewed summaries, started talking about the lesson learned (pre-teaching theme), and compared and contrasted the story with Disney's version.

Many of my students have cultural ties to Mexico, so by chosing this story, not only am I addressing the multi-cultural parts of the standards, but I'm validating and embracing their culture.  We talked about the beautiful art work, I had student helpers read the Spanish phrases in the book, and my students felt celebrated.  

 

Rules, Rules, Rules

Teacher confession here:  I hate going over all the rules the first day.  The kids tend to be experiencing a Taylor Swift-range of emotions and are quite frankly overwhelmed.  Simply sitting and receiving information isn't the best plan.

Instead, I switch it up with a few hands on activities.

The Scavenger Hunt

Instead of pointing out everything in the classroom,  I have students find a partner, grab a clipboard, and go on a scavenger hunt.  I stand back and let them find things around the classroom.  

Granted, I don't have the scavenger hunt made yet. I've got to set up my classroom first...but I've got last year's to revise.

They'll talk about their answers as a table and then we go over the answers as a class. It's a perfect time to incorporate listening and speaking norms. I model standing up, facing the class, introducing myself, and speaking clearly so the class can hear.  From there, students will practice public speaking in a non-threatening environment.  Finding different things in the classroom (pencil sharpener, telephone, etc) is completely safe.  They are almost guaranteed to have the right answer and as a class, we can practice cheering and applauding one another.  At the end of the activity, not only do students feel more comfortable in the room because they know where things are, but empowered because they found them with a partner and were celebrated for their correct answers.

While yes, this takes more time in comparison to me standing in front of them pointing things out.

But here's all the things the lesson also teaches or incorporates:

1) Teamwork (they work with a partner)
2) Using materials appropriately (they'll use clip boards and practice putting them away appropriately)
3) Movement (I don't sit well and neither do they)
4) Sharing ideas
5) Celebrating others (class cheers)
6) Agreeing with others (hand signals)
7) Active listening
8) Shared sense of ownership over our classroom 


The Rules

While every teacher has basic rules in mind about the classroom, it's important that students feel that they help create the classroom   (and that includes the rules).

To do this, I set out large pieces of paper with the following questions:

1) What do I expect from my teacher this year?

2) What do I expect from my classmates?

3) What do I need to have a good school year?

4) What does it mean to be a good student?

5) What do I expect from myself this year?

6) How should I treat other people and materials in this classroom?


I lay the papers out around the room and introduce the concept of a gallery walk.  I split the class into smaller teams (not with their table teams) and give each group a pack of markers. Every student will have a different color (for accountability).  I go over answering the question (spelling doesn't count, which puts many at ease), talking at an appropriate volume, and that I'll be setting the timer (usually for 2 minutes).  

At the timer, I call for everyone's attention.  I go over capping the markers and looking for direction.  I go over the rotation pattern because the students will be rotating to each large piece of paper.  I have them silently practice rotating to their next piece of paper.

Before immediately writing down their own answers, I introduce my expectation that they'll read their classmates answers first.  If they agree, they just put a check mark.  If they want to add more, they can add bullet points underneath.  If a student's idea is not on the sheet, that's when he/she may add a new comment.  I have them review my expectations as a group.  I then give them 90 seconds at their second rotation.

At the timer, I go over the expectations for transitions again.  I repeat this after each rotation.  I have them repeat the expectations to one another.

After all the questions have been visited by all the groups, I bring the class to the carpet.  We look at each sheet together and discuss what stands out.  From there, we create the rules.  (Spoiler alert, I already know what the rules are. Most of the time they come up with exactly what I want them to do but if not, I gently guide them to what I want to emphasize.)


School Rules

School rules and expectations are a little different because they're set in place by administration. 

However, just because I can't change them doesn't mean we can't have fun going over them.  I split the class into eight teams (different pairings then their table teams so they can mingle with each other) and give them a sheet with true/false statements.  As a group, they go over the statements and mark their answer choices.

I then teach answering procedures using {the cups}.

I don't love when everyone shouts out answers.  By using color coded cups (from the Dollar Tree), all students get a chance to answer without speaking.  

It's another opportunity to incorporate classroom procedures, but with a clear purpose (answering the game questions).  They answer with green (true) or yellow (false) cups.


Recapping Everything

By Friday of the first week of the school year, we've pretty much covered all the classroom procedures, rules, and students know where things are.  To recap everything, I once again split the class into teams to teach kahoot.

Kahoot.it is free for educators (my favorite) and requires some prep work.  You create questions and put in answer choices, marking which is correct.

Students will use iPads (assuming they're ready for student use) to answer trivia questions on the web-based platform.  Each game has a specific code, teams can create their own names, and they get points for how quickly they answer the questions.

Kahoot is great for reviewing concepts before tests, but I want the first time we use it to be for fun.  While it's not tied directly to academics, knowing the classroom procedures and expectations will save loads of time as the year progresses.  I'd rather spend a good chunk of the first week(s) setting the foundations in place for the rest of the year. 

Yes, it's important to get into the academics and the whole learning thing. But it's also important to ensure that there is a classroom foundation where students know the expectations, feel safe, and are empowered to take risks. 

Nine for Nine

As I'm savoring the last few weeks of summer break, I'm looking ahead to year nine.  Yikes, nine?  Sigh!

Last year I had the most amazing year with thirty six fifth graders.  We had some bumps in the road, but overall, I had amazingly supportive families and loved co-teaching with Ms. S for PBL (project based learning).  We tried curriculum units with moderate success (the timing, planning, and copying was more intense than we anticipated).  I had a lot of fun with my students, they learned a lot, and I'm proud of the work we did.

I've enjoyed my summer.  I tackled some craft projects, crafted, napped, vacationed, saw friends, and read books.  

But now it's time to look ahead to the 2017-2018 school year.  I've got my bulletin board ideas mapped out (thank you Pinterest) and will ease into the school year by headed back early.  (More information about my super short summer and decision to return early is found {here}.
In honor of year nine, I've decided on the following goals:

1) Have a clean desk on a more consistent basis.  Read more about my struggle {here}.

2) Continue with my {teacher instagram} account.  

I had great success with class dojo last year, but I want to step out a little more and use social media to create more of a classroom environment.

The idea was inspired by Your School Rocks, So Tell People! and approved by my administration.  It wasn't approved so much as I texted my principal that I was going to do it and wanted to make sure they were in the loop. In my opinion, it's always better to ask for forgiveness than permission.  

I then recommended the book to her and let her borrow it, so she's able to see the rationale behind it.  To be fair, I've got an amazing principal who encourages us to take risks and try new things.  She doesn't micromanage (which is good, I need freedom and creative opportunities to be successful).  As long as she is told the "why" or purpose behind the action, she tends to be on board.

So my purpose for a teacher Instagram account? To share the awesome things my students are doing with the outside world.  I'll continue to use class dojo for close up face pictures of my students, but post the artistic (non FERPA violating) pictures on my teacher account.  That way aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc can still see all the things my kiddos are up to.  

I will also use this as a forum to post inspirational messages.  I have friends that battle with depression, so seeing supportive messages may help.

Read my thoughts on the book {here}.

3.  Provide more prompt feedback with writing tasks...maybe.

I'm not supposed to say it...but I hate grading writing.  I'd rather do literally anything else.  In fact this is how I feel about grading writing:

Hopefully it'll be better in third.  There won't be as many essays to grade.  They won't be as long. I can give smaller, more frequent assignments and focus more on the mechanics of writing instruction.

With smaller assignments, I can (theoretically) grade them faster and provide faster feedback.  Fingers crossed!

On a side note, I totally bribe myself with Panera when I'm grading writing.

I am not ashamed.

4. I want to take a more active role with community involvement this year.  I went to most of the social events last year, but only the girls' soccer games.  I'd like to be more prevalent at school events.  This will go hand in hand with our school's new house system, based on the Ron Clark Academy.  

As a member of the Reveur house, I'll be bonding with not only  my own students, but kiddos across the school. 

(More on the RCA {here}.  Fair warning, it's a long post and Ron Clark information is at the end.)

5. Provide my students with more computer time.  One of the benefits of being in the pod is that computers are right outside our door.  Third grade will also be the first time my students take standardized testing on the computers, so I want to give them ample opportunities to be familiar with computers.

6. This one is a little tricky for me.  I want to collaborate with my grade level, but not do all the work.  This balance is something I've struggled with my whole teaching career.  I want things done right for the benefit of my students, but I don't want to do everyone's work.  This commitment to excellence means sometimes I pull more than my fair share of the weight. I want to learn the new curriculum, continue to build my {TpT store}, collaborate with new team members but not be taken advantage of.  

7. Along with goal six is setting limits.  Last year, I sold all of my preps to be a Read by 3 strategist. I loved getting into classrooms and mentoring new teachers.  It also meant I needed to juggle a lot and be flexible with when other teachers wanted to meet and discuss classroom events.  While my contract time is 8:26-3:36, I unofficially made my work hours 7:10-4:45.  Living close to school means I was home by five and left work at work (most of the time).  I'd like to keep to that schedule this year, even though I'm still in limbo if we will have Read by 3 again.  We're waiting on funding from the state to determine if I'll be a teacher/strategist again this year.

8. Continue to build up my PLN (professional learning network) with twitter chats (specifically #TLAP on Mondays), blogging, Instagram, book chats, and the DEN on facebook.  My husband loves me, but he really doesn't want to sit around discussing teacher philosophies and classroom ideas.  (To be fair, I don't want to engage in an in-depth analysis of his fantasy baseball stats or how his latest round of video games went.  We stick to the highlights.)  I've got a stack of books to read, 4 of them being related to teaching (and one being for our honeymoon plane ride):

I'm excited to implement Ron Clark Academy principles in the classroom.  I'm excited to learn more about Google Classroom.  I'm excited to try to create video updates (another idea from Your School Rocks) instead of (boring) paper newsletters.



9. Be open to change.


What are you looking forward to this year?

Play Like a Pirate (book review)

I was introduced to Play Like a Pirate by the author at ASCD in March, bought the book on site, finished it within a week, loaned it out to friends, implemented new ideas, and promptly forgot about actually finishing/publishing this blog post.  Oops!  

We'll blame it on teacher brain...

At ASCD, the title of the presentation immediately caught my eye:

And by far, it was one of the best sessions I attended.  Immediately my wish list for graphic novels grew and I started a donors choose project shortly after.

After this magical 1 hour session ended (and my frantic tweeting paid off because I won a free Teach Like a Pirate shirt), I wandered down to meet Quinn and Dave (Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate). 

We chatted, I followed them on twitter, and I won't lie, I had some fan-girl moments when they retweeted or replied to me. 

Since then, I've shared lots of ideas with fellow teachers.  I wasn't necessarily asked, I just couldn't contain my excitement about the ideas and how I wanted to implement them in my classroom.  I was really eager to share my plans to make teaching fun again (what a novel concept!).

I'm not really sorry about my over-zealous attitude toward the awesomeness that happened in my classroom (or that's going to happen next year).  In all honesty, I'd rather be surrounded by equally passionate weirdos who are innovative, creative, and honest.  Those are my people.  That is my tribe.

 

One and Done!

As {previously mentioned}, I've got some professional reading to tackle this summer.

This afternoon, I sat down with  Your School Rocks...So Tell People! with the intention of tackling a few chapters.

 

 Two hours later, in one sitting, I was done.  

It was a good, quick read that reaffirmed a lot of what I am already trying in the classroom.

My take-aways?

1) Continue to use class dojo to communicate with families about all the awesomeness that's happening in the classroom.

2) They aren't reading the paper newsletter.  Find a different (digital) way to communicate.  I like the idea of weekly podcasts.  I like the idea of them being limited to 2-3 minutes even more.  I'm hoping to figure out how to link them to Instagram instead of posting to Youtube.

3) Respect FERPA. Get permission before posting face pictures and don't use last names.  When in doubt, take artsy, behind the head shots.  It's hard to identify backs of heads & hands.
 
4) Create a classroom/teacher Instagram account.  I've got a personal one that I use and I'm already snapping pictures of class events for dojo, so why not?  In addition to this book being in favor of using social media, dozens of other respected educational articles back up this idea.

I didn't check with administration first, but created one that's totally separate from my personal account.  I shared a message on class dojo with last year's class and explained that families are welcome to follow me, but I won't follow back (thus ensuring their privacy).

One of the big "a ha" moments while reading was how often teens are on social media, so why not use that as a positive force.  One chapter focused on teachers/schools that were sending daily positive affirmations to help students start their days off right.  I have a teacher friend in Texas who has been doing this for years within the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) with massive success.  Why couldn't the same ideas be applied to the classroom?

I'm eager to see how this evolves, but I've got my branding hashtags ready (classroom specific, school specific, and the 50s pod specific). 

I stumbled upon this:

Which I plan to use.  I want the account to feel like a classroom account, so I will be sending students out with the iPads to take pictures.  I'll have them send to me and then I'll post from there. I also like the idea of them writing the captions and mini-blog posts.  Students tend to put forth a lot more effort when they have an authentic audience (meaning not just me the teacher). 

I've got two followers so far, one parent from last year and one teacher friend's professional account.  She used twitter last year and was my inspiration for the project (and who recommended the book to me), so it's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of in the realm of technology.  Thanks Mrs. K!

New product...in progress

As a pinterest-loving teacher, the idea of these doodles on the board every morning is inspiring...

...and for me, unrealistic.  I'd do this for maybe a week, then have an emergency meeting, forget to do this, and be sassed by the little ones.  

For those teachers that can manage to not only have a clean board space every morning, but create these elaborate doodles, hats off to you!  I am not this teacher.

Plus, the sheer amount of post-it's we'd go through if I did this weekly makes me cringe.

But, I love this idea.  I think it'd go a long way towards promoting a classroom culture where sharing is encouraged.  It'd be an easy way to get them writing in the morning because I plan to have a special journal just for these warm ups.  At my school, we serve universal breakfast, so this could be their activity while I call tables for food.  After I've gone through the class roster, they would have the opportunity to share their ideas with their tables.  Depending on time, I could also have class volunteers.

Not only would this get them thinking, talking, and sharing first thing in the morning, it would have the second benefit of encouraging on time attendance.  Tardy students would get to hear the conversations, but not participate if their journals aren't done first. 

So some time earlier this week, when I was having trouble sleeping, I decided to start this product.  I'm making a power point with daily prompts.  A ppt, created in advance, eliminates a majority of my time management issue with creating the prompts.  Furthermore, I can display this on my smartboard (which is always clean). 

I'm making this product for my classroom (upper elementary) and based on our school 
calendar (180 days).  Since it's a ppt, it will be completely editable for purchasers.  I'm through the middle of October (it's a labor of love), but here are some sneak peeks:

Stay tuned! I only have 140 days to go...

Something New

The past three years I've been blessed with the opportunity to grow as an educator...in the form of very difficult students and a lot of escalating classroom drama.

So this summer meant a nice break from teaching in the form of complete disconnect. 

I didn't sub.  I worked on long range plans for about two hours a week, but only with a friend.  I read a few books but they were ones I wanted to read.  I spent a lot of time thinking about who I want to be (and a lot of time with Netflix).

As a result, I'm headed into August feeling excited about a new year.  (Exhausted, but excited.)

One of my new things for the classroom this year?

Less colors. 

While bright colors are welcoming and create a warm environment, I think they had an adverse effect on some of my students and only heightened their dramatic personalities.  

This year, I'm going with calming grays and blues.  I'm strongly leaning towards a nautical theme, so I see hints of red and white dispersed throughout the room. 

I'm headed into my classroom on Thursday (after a planning meeting with the other coaches) and am excited to get started.  I will also need to be very honest with myself because I'm still healing from surgery and will not get everything done in one day.

Something else that's new?

I'll be co-teaching with the GATE teacher.  I won't have any SPED students (except possibly speech) and instead of my students leaving for GATE (Gifted & Talented Education), they'll receive their extension services as a push-in model. 

I also just finished this:

I borrowed it from our counselor.  The teacher version has been on back order for what seems like forever, but Amazon tells me it will be shipped out soon.  Some of the stuff wasn't super applicable to the classroom, but there were some good ideas for shifting my instruction.

The biggest take away was choice.  Giving students the opportunity to choose between two options (both of which I'd be okay with) and allowing them to feel control over their classroom and life.  

The second big take away was to get away from the savior complex in which I'd want to solve all of their conflicts.  In doing so, I deprive them of the opportunity to grow and practice creative problem solving.  I'm hoping by setting the norm that I won't be interfering with their small problems will eliminate me hearing about most of their small problems. This doesn't mean I won't listen, this doesn't mean I won't care, it just means I won't fix their lives for them.  Larger problems, like those involving administration or CPS will definitely be addressed quickly and respectfully.  But I don't want to have anymore hallway conversations about the theft of pencils.  It was draining and I don't want another frustrating year like last year (hopefully).

I also saw this book floating around the message boards of my PLN (Professional Learning Network):

So I tossed it into my Amazon cart.  From the reviews, it seems to be just what I need!

Everything else

Yesterday I {shared all about Reading Week}.   I was exhausted. I still am exhausted.

Let's examine why:

1) The students have spring fever, big time.  This need for a break manifests itself in lots of interesting ways.  This week I dealt with theft (including the school police), citations, suspensions, bullying issues, depressed students, parents, vomiting, and more.  Some days, I taught from the doorway of my classroom, privately solving behavior problems in the pod while simultaneously trying to teach multiplying fractions.  I'm the queen of multi-tasking y'all.

2) I overheard a horrific car accident while at the gas station Tuesday morning.  Six cars were involved, I think a pedestrian was hit, and crunching metal is a sound I never want to hear again.  I called the police and waited for ambulances to arrive.  I got to work thirty minutes later than I planned to and just in time for a meeting I'd forgotten about.  I had fifteen minutes between the meeting and crosswalk duty to turn on my computer and set up for the day. Tuesday morning was rough.

3) The pets were naughty.  Last week went amazing with Waffles.  She didn't get into anything when we let her roam during the day.  This week was a different story.

Monday she helped herself to some files:

Including her adoption paperwork.  I guess she's ours forever.

Tuesday included altering a dining room table chair:

At least it's an old chair? 

She's just one this month, so she's not quite ready for all that freedom.  She didn't do it to be  mean. She did it because she missed us, was lonely, and I'm sure the cats were playing without her. We'll try again in a few months.

Crooksie snuck into the pantry, ripped open a bag of dog food, and helped herself to extra food.  She's not enjoying the kitty diet very much.

4) Grad School.  I'm taking a one credit course right now and assignments are due every few days.  Between now and May, I'm finishing up course work to be at masters +32 (yay) and earn a pay raise (maybe? That's still being negotiated.)

Wednesday night I spent writing a four page analysis of the text complexity of the chosen article.  I had to watch videos, read thirty something pages, and address all sorts of questions regarding the validity of the article and if it would be appropriate for close reads and thoughtful discussion by students.  Long story short, it was appropriate.  

The topic?  Dino poop.  Snag it {here} fellow teachers! It comes from the 4-5 tool kit and is free for classroom use.

5)  In addition to all the prep for reading week, we had Harney Middle School registration.  This meant we lost our prep on Thursday, but were given prep during the assembly later that day.

6) I was observed for math.  Not only was it the fourth time rescheduling (our principal is a very busy woman!), but it was after an assembly, at the end of the day (we normally do math first thing), on a Thursday, during reading week.  Naturally, as soon as my principal left, they got the concept.  Those glorious brain fireworks and light bulbs started going off...ninety seconds after she left. 

7) It was also fifth grade's turn for First Friday treats.  Each month a specific grade level does treats for the school.  I came up with the "March Munchie Madness" theme.  Ms. C took the lead on shopping (thank you teamwork), Mrs. J helped me decorate, and Mrs. H took care of clean up.  I made fake snack brackets to give everyone something fun and different to do.  We used popcorn bags that we found in our supply closet (score!) and picked up different flavors of chex mix, popcorn, m & ms, marshmellows, and cheese-its.  Perfect snack foods to munch on.  Last year we did St. Patrick's day, but since we're having a potluck on the 16th (because we have monthly potlucks), we went with something different.  I sent out an email asking for college shirts to use as decoration and we used black butcher paper to define the space:

It must have went over really well because there were no left overs!

8) Both {Jamberry} and {Younique} launched new products, so I did my best to share this info with my Facebook groups.  There's a lot of (unfair) pressure to hit certain quotas at times, especially with the launch of new goodies.  I didn't meet these goals.  But, I am excited for what came out!

 I mean, how cute are these new nail wraps?

Dinosaurs? Yes please! I can match the Dino Poop article that I'll read with my students next week.

On the make up side...tinted flavored lip balms? New foundation brush? Yes please!

But...I'm in a sales rut. I've accepted that I won't be one of those direct sales people that makes thousands of extra dollars each month, quits her real job, and wins cruises around the world.  I'm not able to devote that much time to these hobbies, but more importantly... I don't want to. I don't want to be that pushy sales woman that tells people they need this new make up product because really the underlying message is that they aren't pretty enough and need help.  I'm not that person.  I'm much more laid back about the products. Right or wrong (probably wrong in the marketing world), here's my philosophy: I like them, I use them, and if you have questions, I'm here. Want to try something? Sure, why not? I like to try before I buy too! No judgment. I may not make a lot of money with this attitude, but I also won't lose friends and will still be me.  That matters.

9) I'm behind on grading.  No, scratch that. I let a week's worth of assignments pile up because I was overwhelmed by student behaviors and now I'm paying the consequence.  Eight different tests or quizzes to grade.  That's 264 pieces of paper to look at, score, record on a spread sheet, and enter into the grade book before passing back to students. Not fun.  Progress reports go home soon, so I should be all caught up so grades reflect all the work. That's fair to families, but it's a lot of work.  In case you're a loyal reader (or new, welcome!) and aren't in education, know this:  I tend to work an extra 15 hours a week, unpaid, grading and prepping lessons.  Every single week.  There's not enough time during the daily fifty minute prep (when it's not held up by SPED meetings, grade level meetings, surprise meetings, parent meetings, or any of the other events that happen often) to get everything done.  So please stop blaming teachers for all sorts of problems.  We're doing our best. I'm doing my best. 

10) Meetings.  There were meetings with admin.  Meetings with special education (SPED) because a behavior plan needed to be tweaked.  Three of my students are now on individual behavior incentive plans.  Last month it was one.  January? None.  But..the plans are helping those students make strong behavior choices and that's ultimately the end goal.  Meetings with parents. Meetings with the police.  Meetings with the grade level.  Meetings with other teachers that I'm mentoring.  Meetings about being certified.  Meeting with coaches.  Meetings with students about cheating.  Meetings about upcoming meetings.

All my meetings were important. I get that. They just all happened to at the same time.

11) Sinus infection.  Because items 1-10 weren't enough of a struggle, my allergies became a full blown sinus infection.  On the bright side, I used the new online telemedicine option.  I called in, a doctor called me back within an hour, we had a nice chat about my mucus situation, and he confirmed I have a sinus infection.  Considering I have several a year, for as long as I can remember, I'm pretty good at self-diagnosing this.  Thirty minutes later, CVS called to let me know my antibiotics were ready for pick up.  I didn't need to go to the doctor. I didn't need to take a sick day.  Technology for the win!

Plus, Waffles brought me a toy to snuggle with:

To be fair, she tried to share with the cats first. 

But...I'm trying to focus on the positives.  We were pleased with our tax return.  B enjoys gambling (he grew up in Vegas, what do I expect?) and did well this week.  Because we're a team, we've talked about limits and what we're comfortable spending monthly.  It's not my favorite activity, but he enjoys it.  This week he hit a royal and came home with enough cash to buy a new water softener.  Thanks babe!  I've got two weddings this month, get to see my best friend, have found some cute things on Etsy, get to see my family soon, and have bridal appointments over spring break.  There's a lot happening...and that's a good thing.


Nine days until field day.  Ten days until spring break. I can do this.
  

The Highest of Compliments

We recently had a teacher leave our school, which ruffled a few feathers.  He hadn't been there for very long and there was some miscommunication, but I did my best to stay out of the drama.  It's been a bit of a logistical nightmare trying to find subs to cover a short term vacancy that coincided with the holidays.  I did my best with the students that I had and was fortunate enough to meet some awesome new substitutes.

However, upon his departure, the leaving teacher sent me a very thoughtful and kind email.  He expressed his appreciation for opening my classroom door, for showing him new strategies, and for letting him learn from my teaching style.  

The warm and fuzzy feelings continued when he shared that I would have been that "game changer" teacher for him as a child or his children now because of the passion I bring to the classroom.  He commented that it was inspiring to see how truly excited my students were about their learning.  

That's why I teach. I'm humbled that someone who was in my classroom co-teaching for such a short amount of time was able to notice the effort I put in and the difference it makes for my students.

Thank you, fellow teacher, for your compliments on my craft.  I love what I do. I'm glad it shows, even on the most difficult of days.

Thankful November, Day 8 My Students

With so many students, it's easy to get bogged down with all the demands.  Grading thirty five of anything gets rather tedious.  When it's thirty five essays, I have to give myself small rewards for persevering through the task (and no, I'm not kidding).

So instead I'll share how truly wonderful my students are.  On average, they're pretty great.  They're also people, so we have good days and we have rough days.  They're pre-pubescent and sassy.  It's November and they're antsy for a break.  It's a tricky time.

However, I get hugs on a daily basis. I have, at any given time, thirty students who are truly happy to see me.  

They are so ridiculously excited about every little thing we do.  Commas? Thrilling. Multiplication warm ups? Amazing, especially if they are allowed the extra special treat of writing on their desks.  Our read aloud? Nothing quiets them faster than me pulling out a well loved copy of The Lightning Thief.  

Plus, cute gifts like this sweeten the deal:

How adorable are my families?

I'm using class dojo and it's really helped improve my parent communication this year.  I'm also using it in conjunction with my class blog (weebly), which is passcode protected because I post students' pictures.

Here's a snapshot:

Plus they reply! How fun. We've talked about online norms and appropriate ways to communicate with one another, so it's nice to have an authentic way to embed lessons on digital citizenship and online responsibility.

The one comment?  One of my students said she's going to beat me to graduating Storm.  My response? I hope she does. She's been on fire and it's great.

There are many things in education that are wearing me down.  Luckily, for the most part, my students aren't part of those problems.  They are the part of my job that I consistently love.

In an effort to focus on these happy moments with students more consistently, I found this adorable notebook at TJ Maxx:

I'm going to keep it at my desk and record those happy moments in the classroom.

What are you thankful for today?

My Classroom

It's been a long few days and I'm not quite done, but without further ado, here is my classroom for the 2015-2016 school year!

My wreath:

I'd originally planned to hang it over my door, but I didn't like how it sat with the window.  I worried that if my door was slammed the wreath would break.  You can read more about the process of the crayon wreath {here}.

I made it stick out from the wall with strategically placed push pins:

My chair:

Not that I sit in it often, but this chair was a great investment.  I found it at Goodwill, store tags still attached, for ten dollars. 

My classroom command center:

It includes files that I need, our calendar, our Scholastic book code, our specials schedule, the treasure box, and my dropbox (where they turn in all papers to me).  Underneath the wobbly computer desk is a laundry bin that holds anchor charts and a pile of dictionaries.  I have bins under my dropbox and treasure box which hold math manipulatives and extra table supplies.  I wanted to make a space that was helpful to both myself and my students.  After all, it's not just my classroom.  It's our learning room.

I added a few more things to the wall beside my desk:

I just wanted to make my happy place a little more exciting.  The Eagles and stuffed eagle pendant are from my trip to DENSI 2015.  The painted V is signed by all my students from last year.  The YALE pendant is from my bestie.   The certificate is from Harry Reid as a thank you for my service (Teach for America). 

Our schedule board:

I purchased the border at Joann's and laminated it for durability.  The cards were a {free download} from TpT.

My banner:

It's from the dollar section at Joann's and is hung on my certificate.  I did have to add the twine myself, but thought this was adorable. 

My bulletin board:

I want to add washi tape as the trim for the tent, but it's mostly done!

Bulletin board letters:

This font is Swagger and downloaded from dafont.com.  I printed on scrapbook paper and hand cut them.  When I was done, several people offered me their cricuts. (Thanks gals, but before would have been better!)

Australia Cards

I love reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day with my students.  

Like Alexander, students have complex emotions and some times want to move to Australia.  These cards are a subtle indication to their neighbors to provide kindness and space.

Reading Ranger Goals Board:

I made the goals banner from a good find at the dollar spot at Target!

I also have my Harry Potter CAFE signs:

This {freebie} combines lots of my favorite things: Harry Potter, pink, and zebra print!

Here is one of their first day treats:

It's hot, so I wanted water.  It's healthy and I know there are no allergies! 

Tomorrow I'll be finishing my classroom, then doing my nails for the first day.