Why didn't I think of that before?

It's the start of the school year, so naturally I've got all of my meet the teacher information handy.  Instead of just filing it away (or recycling it), I decided to make four bags of "meet the teacher" information for potential new students.

Inside I included:

My "meet the teacher" flip book (created by Chalk and Apples, a fellow TpT seller.  Snag yours {here})

Parent survey

Student interest survey

Student information sheet

A cactus to color (for the bulletin board)

Social media policy

I sealed all of the information in a ziplock bag and it's ready to go for new students:

 

As an added bonus, I have all my back to school forms ready for next year in one place.

Why didn't I think of this before?

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.
  

Marching Onward

(Apparently I was so overwhelmed I skipped the February edition of these posts.  Sorry February. Onward!)



Reading... Binny for Short. It's another YA book for Battle of the Books and the last one I'm trying to complete. 

I'm also in the middle of another graduate class (I have three that will be done by May), so when I'm not reading essays, this is occupying my time:

 
I like the authors, so that's helpful.  As an added bonus, I think the information will be useful and the course is all online.
Playing... a game with the online appointment maker.  We switched over our insurance and so far, I'm not impressed.  

Also playing the countdown game while I watch spring break quickly approach.  Hallelujah.

Also playing when will my tax refund arrive? We decided to be grown ups and buy a water softener.   

Watching... well, rewatching Once Upon A Time reruns on Netflix.

Trying... to be positive.  This continues to be a struggle at the present time.

Being a grown up really stinks sometimes.

Cooking... nothing.  I had a really late day (again) and we had left overs.  Thursday will be a dump meal in the crockpot.

Eating... nothing. I'm hungry, but I'm trying to avoid eating.

Drinking..water.  Lots and lots of water.

Calling... no one. I just tried the doctor and it's not their regular business hours.

Texting...no one.  My phone is charging.  I need a new one, but one of my students made some really poor choices this week and stole other students' phones (yes, plural) and a school iPad.  Quite frankly, I'm scared to get a new phone while the student is in my room.

Pinning... wedding ideas.  Specifically table decor and flowers....that's up next on my to do list.

Going... ignore grading for the night. Today was hard enough.

Loving...Etsy.  I've found some way cute wedding purchases there!


Hating... the uncertainty game.  Will my masters +32 be honored with a pay raise? Will the classes be released so I can take the last one at UNLV by May? Will I have to jump through hoops? Will I have to appeal the process? Will I have to join the union to have a better chance at it being approved? Is that even legal? 

(This is what I hated in January. There's still no answer.  I joined the union, I'm enrolled in three classes, and they've received my appeal.  That's all.)

Discovering... fifth grade may not be the grade for me.  That's rough to process, but there's a new crisis each day and it's getting hard to handle. 

Thinking... about bed.  At 7:30.  Today was a beast and I came home to this (chair leg):

Not a happy puppy mom.

Feeling... like I can never catch up. 

Hoping (for)...an easy rest of the week.

Listening (to)...B play video games.

Celebrating... progress.  Not success, just progress in the general onward direction.

Smelling... nothing. Thank you allergies.

Thanking... B for being wonderful.

Considering... trying to find a job that lets me craft things, read books, plan weddings, and drink mimosas while wearing pajamas and/or yoga pants.  Where is that job?

Starting... to realize that I can't trust everyone I work with and that's a hard truth to swallow.

Finishing... the powerpoint on Texas, which is the LAST of the fifty states.  I'm really glad to be almost done with that massive undertaking!

Permission granted

This is a lesson I continue to struggle with.

We had a busy weekend...as it should be.

Friday

In a constant struggle of me vs my allergies, they won.  There was a ton of dust and pollution in the air on Friday, which wrecked havoc on my sinuses.  So while he went out to softball, I graded all that I could, worked on school work, did laundry, and tidied up the house.

Saturday

The morning started with a walk for Waffles and trying our new yoga work out DVD.  I like it so far! We picked out his groomsmen attire, had a relatively healthy lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, and went to the craft store and Target. I did a little more work before headed out to a dear friend's daughter's sixth birthday party.  There were copious amounts of sugar involved.  Afterwards, me and B met up with some family members to see the Spazmatics, which are an 80s cover band.  It was a fun show with super cheap drinks, but I wasn't used to being up til 2 am.  

Sunday

Without much sleep, we got up and took Waffles up to the snow.  We met up with some friends at the Mt. Charleston lodge and drove up from there.  We had only one minor skid issue, but found a nice chunk of unaltered snow to play in.  Once Waffles discovered she could eat the snow, she was in heaven.  It started gently snowing while we were up there, which was nice and relaxing.  

We stopped by his parents' house to return their tupperware (from Thanksgiving...sorry Mike and Kathy!).  We picked up lunch on the way home and spent the afternoon half-heartedly working and watching Netflix.  Tomorrow is the 100th day of school and while we don't do much in fifth grade, I wanted to set up a selfie station with props in the teachers lounge, which required a gathering of random supplies from my house.  I completed one state in the next region (slated to start this week?), but then a nap occurred...and then the dilemma hit.

Do I plow through and conquer another state?  Or do I enjoy my evening?

I chose the later.  I put forth a good five hours of work between school ending Friday and now.  That's enough.  That's more than enough.

Am I 100% ready for tomorrow? No.  I know what I'm teaching, but I have copies to make and lesson plans to copy & paste into the online server.  

However, instead of stressing, I'm going to take Waffles for a walk with B, paint my toes, and swap out my nails for a new Valentine's themed jammicure.  I'll pack my lunch for the morning, toss my water bottle in the freezer, and get lots of beauty rest.

 

New Year, New Goals

Welcome, 2016.

I have some big goals for you.  Twelve in fact, so let's get started on this new year.



1) Make healthier life choices.  

I'm competing in my school's "biggest loser" competition, so I'm enjoying my last weekend of glorious, fattening foods.  Starting Monday, healthier habits will ensue.  I'll be giving up soda.  We'll be cooking more at home and eating dinner before six pm.  There will be less chips and more veggies and fruits.  I'll hit my 10,000 steps a day and Waffles will get more walks.  When we're watching television, we'll do stretches and lift on commercials.  Smaller, healthier changes are in store for both of us. Both financial gain (biggest loser) and appearance (hello wedding dress in November) are huge motivators.

2) Be more adventurous...in the kitchen.

Anyone who knows me knows I hate cooking. I hate it.  I always come up with a variety of excuses (it's hard to cook for one, I hate left overs, it's time consuming, etc).  So, we're taking baby steps to counter act this.  B and I will be trying one new recipe each week.  We're starting with some crock pot meals and branching out from there.  We're planning ahead and making grocery lists, together.  

3) Be more organized.

I wrote about my first steps towards organization {earlier} and am looking forward to making small, purposeful changes.

4) Work smarter

Just small tweaks at work will make a huge difference.  First, I'm going to print out rosters for each subject.  Second, I'm stapling answer keys to the back of the rosters.  Third, I'm setting a timer.  I work best in the morning, so that's when I'll complete my tasks.  Instead of grading at night, I'll grade in the morning.  I wake up early enough to be able to set aside an hour before work each day (if needed) and still have time to get ready.  I need to shut my door and be more focused when I'm at work. I'll never get everything done...and that's okay.

5) Stop Comparing Myself to Others

This one is self explanatory, but crucial.  I'm not like my coworkers and I'm only in competition with myself. 

6) Read more

I've got five more books for Battle of the Books by April, but I also want to make sure I'm taking time for myself to read each day.  I've got a stack of books that I'm dying to dive into!


7) Take more "me" and "we" time...without feeling guilty

There's a running club at school I'd like to visit after school on Wednesdays.  Some of my students are in it, so I think it'd be a nice way to build up a relationship with them.  I also want to limit technology time and do more fun stuff as a couple, not just simultaneously work on things in the same room and call it together time.  I'm also giving myself permission to leave work on time and do fun things on the weekend.  For me, this means craft time, nap time, and reading.  For B, his "me" time is soft ball (which I'll try to go to more games) and video games.  We also want to go hiking and do more couple activities with friends.

8) Focus on the right people

I set ridiculously high expectations for myself.  I often invest too much energy and emotion into friendships, which when not reciprocated, leaves me devastated.  So this year, to the best of my ability, I will not focus on those that don't want to be my friend and instead cultivate the relationships that matter.

9) Work Less, Live More

As a teacher, I far exceed forty hours a week.  With three side businesses ({Teacherspayteachers}, {Jamberry}, and {Younique}), I often feel pulled in several directions at once.  I'm going to set small, purposeful goals and then spend the rest of my time doing things I want to do.  Sure, I'd like to hit promotions within my small businesses, but I'm also not willing to be that annoying, crazy sales lady.  I hope my friends know that I'm all about girl time, mimosas, and bonding.  Essentially, my business motto is this: If you want pretty nail wraps or make up, let me know!  If you're just here for the brownies, that's cool too.

10) Fiscal Responsibility

News flash: weddings are expensive.  I'm blessed to have help from my mom, B's family, and loved ones.  While we're both seizing opportunities for overtime, I think we need to curtail our spending.  Part of this will come from planning ahead for meals, so we aren't tempted to pick up take out on the way home.  Part of this means focusing on big expenses (security door, new couch, new bedroom set, new flooring, vacations, and so forth) rather than short term items.  We're couponing (thank you Cartwheel app!) and B's been doing a better job of comparing the prices of items, rather than just grabbing something off the shelf.  In 2015, we paid off our new dishwasher, our security door, a new water heater, his wedding band, and his truck.  We'll have our credit cards paid off in February and my car will be paid off before the wedding.  I'm already funding my 403b at work on a monthly basis, but I'd like to be more serious about funding my Roth IRA and saving for the future.  Luckily, most of our friends are feeling a bit poor after the holidays (you know, like the rest of the country) so we're all in this fiscal responsibility thing together!

11) Find more joy

Teaching, at times, is the most disappointing of careers.  There's a lot of politics involved and I'm not paid enough, plain and simple.  But instead, I'm going to focus on cultivating joy and authentic learning experiences in the classroom.  

This extends outside of work.  I'm excited about my wedding.  But there's lots between now and November to be thrilled about as well.  Waffles will turn one in March and have a Barkday celebration.  The cats will turn five in April (how did that happen?), B and my bestie both turn 30 (uh oh!).  I've got two other weddings (that I know of...), engagement shower(s)?, and engagement pictures.  We bought our close friends an escape room ticket, so a group of 8 of us will be doing that soon. 

I want to make my weekends mean something, and that means adding more joy (and less work) into my life.

12) Use the internet with intention

We've all been there.  I sit down to check facebook real quick, but then I'm reading things I don't need to.  I'm checking up on what other people are doing instead of living my own life.  Then pinterest calls, and soon enough, an hour has gone by with nothing to show.  The internet is crucial, but I want to set time limits and use it with intention.  A large part of this means to stop multi-tasking.  Yes, it seems counter productive, but I need to focus.  If I'm working on a region ppt, I should have open ppt and only internet tabs related to what I'm working on.  It seems simple enough and ties right in with working smarter.

What are your goals for this new year?

Ssshhh!

What's better than starting a new calendar year with new teaching resources?

That's why I'm pleased to announce I'm having an end of the year sale!

For three days (12/30-01/01), my {entire store} will be 15% off to send 2015 of with a bang! 

Don't miss out!

Prepare Yourself

Black Friday is coming!  

I've got deals for {Jamberry} and {Younique}, but we can't forget about my first passion project of Teachers Pay Teachers!

In honor of Cyber Monday, my whole store will be 20% off on Monday, November 30th and Tuesday, December 1st.  That's right, the whole store!

Including...the brand new {novel guide} and {chronological order sort} I posted about ten minutes ago for Ava and Pip!

Start your shopping lists now, I know I've scoped out other sellers!

Good for the soul

It's Sunday. I spent an hour this morning (yes, before 8 am) grading, entering grades, and doing lesson plans. I did what was due today for homework for my grad class...and that's enough.

I'll look at Thursday's homework during prep this week.  

In terms of other "school prep", I'll make my lunch in the morning and go to the grocery store today.

I work really, really hard during the week. I am there early, stay late, help when I can, volunteer to do more than I should, and sometimes feel like I'm carrying the weight of others.  Okay, I often feel that.  But enough is enough.  

I'm reclaiming my weekends.

I'll do what is necessary, but I'm capping work on the weekends to two hours between Friday afternoon and Sunday night.  

Other than that? It will have to wait.

I'm not being valued by my district. I'm not being treated with respect and compensated fairly.

So I'll take more time for me and fuel my soul with things that make me happy.

On today's agenda? A hair cut, checking out TJ Maxx, taking a nap, starting a new book, and watching football this evening with B.

What are you doing for you today?

Thankful November, day 7: Teachers Pay Teachers

I've found some amazing freebies on this site. 

I've found some paid products on this site.

I've also put my {own products} on this site.

Three years ago, I took a risk.  I was bored over the summer and wondered what I should do with all these resources I'd spent hours making.  After much deliberation, I decided to start this blog and put resources up online.  

My first month, I made $5.

Yes, $5 whole dollars.  Considering I uploaded three dozen different projects and spent hours uploading products, I was disappointed.  I checked my work email daily and considered quitting.  It seemed like a lot of work with no reward.

But I stuck with it.

I kept uploading products that I'd made for my students.

I braced myself for feedback.  There were some particularly harsh reviews.  But there was also an overwhelming amount of appreciation, which is sometimes lacking in a teacher's life.

As of right now, I have a 3.9/4 rating with almost sixty followers and over 300 reviews.  My favorite part is knowing that what my students love is also being enjoyed in classrooms all around the country.

The Perfect Storm

After a thrilling weekend in Arizona, the harsh realities of Sunday night seem to be hitting harder than normal.

This week brings:

• An hour long Battle of the Books meeting after school
• An hour of tutoring after school (one of my students missed an entire week)
• An observation
• A parade
• Making a Halloween costume
• A four hour grad class on Thursday
• An upcoming FIVE day weekend for students (Friday is Nevada day, then next Monday and Tuesday are staff development days)

Then...this:

Perfect storm indeed.

One Task Done!

I'm not very good at following this advice most of the time.

When my principal asked me if I wanted a college student to observe my classroom, my first thought was sure! So I agreed to have a fresh faced, nineteen year old in my classroom for her ten hours of observation.

It was an interesting experience.  She was super dedicated and came way more than her required hours.  She sat in on a grade level planning meeting, went to GATE, went to specials, and observed some special ed  teachers.  

I didn't do anything special to prepare for her because I didn't want to put on a "dog and pony" show.  I went about my normal teaching routine so she could get the most authentic view of teaching possible.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

She saw a life chat where I told my students I was disappointed in them.  Nine of them failed to do their must do assignment.  During their hour of independent reading while I pulled conferences, they had to write down what they thought the theme of their book was and why on a post-it.  Two minutes, tops.  Yet, they didn't follow directions and that's disappointing.

She got to witness  a student receiving a citation for being off task (despite five reminders), having a melt down, breaking my pen, and running away.  I calmly let the office know I had an eloper and went about with my day.  The rest of the students didn't know. I'm so fortunate to have a supportive administration and counselors that stepped in to handle the student's crisis and keep me in the loop about how to best help the student.

She got to talk to some of my students about their work and filled notebook pages with observations (which makes me a little nervous!)  She helped prep an activity and witnessed the joy of making hundreds of copies.  Since we share planning responsibilities, everything is made in sets of 200.  

Her last observation was Monday, so I got her a card to wish her well with the rest of her classes and gave her my contact info.  If you're reading this Ms. F, I'm glad you observed! I'm here if you need anything!

I really lucked out with my student observer.  I hope to see her again because she lives in the neighborhood and has younger siblings at my school.  The other students have been in for maybe an hour or so, but she cranked out all of her observations in the start of the semester (smart girl!).

I want to be more involved with mentoring (since I didn't have one and want to give back), so one task (partially) accomplished!

Math Rangers

Our school highly prioritizes reading with the Reading Rangers program.  Students graduate through levels, with increasing complexity in texts and increasing ZPD levels, that roughly correspond with grade level equivalencies.

The program isn't perfect, because nothing is, but my students have reading stamina and want to read.  This is a welcome change from past years where getting students to read a few chapters within a week was challenge.

However, one criticism from both teachers and students alike can be that math is not prioritized.  It's a valid point, so the math committee decided to create a similar "Math Rangers" program.

We are focusing on students mastering their basic facts, because so much of later concepts relies heavily on the automatic recall of multiplication and division. Early elementary still needs lots of hands-on time with manipulatives, but they should also be exposed to thinking about number bonds.

One of the things I like about Common Core (and the Engage NY lessons we are using) is how addition and subtraction are taught simultaneously...as they should be.  

We decided that as a school, there needs to be a focus on math as well as reading.  So the math committee, which I'm a part of, is piloting a math fluency program.  We went with an online component because it would take the grading off the teachers' plates.  We already feel overwhelmed, so telling us we have one more weekly probe to grade was not going to be successful.

We decided to go with mathfactspro, which has a free 30 day trial.  The cost was pretty reasonable ($1 per kid per year).  I made a tracking form, but after meeting with the committee, we're tweaking it again.  

I tried to have all my students use the computers today...that didn't work.  We'll be assigning tables and they'll go once a week during independent practice.

The students start with addition facts, then move on to subtraction, multiplication, and division.  The program tests both their computer skills and their math skills, so it's nice to have those skills embedded into math practice time. 

For me, the prep work was about an hour before I could get them onto the program.  I had to manually enter all my students, create passwords (their student ID numbers), set their levels, and set the number of practice questions.  I also had to make copies of their trackers because they are responsible for tracking their own progress.  They keep their trackers in their math data folders. 

The first time on any computer program is always a learning experience.  What should have taken ten minutes took forty.  We learned to hit the "no jokes" button and that it only worked for part of the time.  Hopefully with the purchased version we won't run into that problem. 

For the students, the logging in part is fairly straight forward.  For me, that's important.  I don't want to have to help them every single time.  I want to be able to go over it a few times and then hand over the control to them.  I don't want this to feel like one more thing I have to juggle because as a very overwhelmed teacher, that's important.  I want this program to be useful, but I also want it to be beneficial for my students.

The kids enjoy it and I'm excited to see if it makes a difference.  We'll compare math scores between our kids (only the math committee got licences) and the other classrooms.  

My munchkins are excited to be part of something new.  I told them that it's a learning opportunity for us all.  

When was the last time you tried something new?  How is it working for you?

Back to Work, Days 1 and 2

It was really, really nice to go back to work.

We were greeted with donuts and a present:

The sticky label said "we're the sharpest teachers around!" 

We did a few delightful ice breaker games, went over our data from last year, and talked about new procedures.  We decided on committees (I'm co-chair of Sunshine and on the math committee) and had time to meet with both our committees and our grade levels. 

Our long range plans are done and most of the copies and lesson plans for the first week are done as well. 

Oh, and Cafe Rio was provided for lunch.  Thank you admin!

Thursday brought an entire day of classroom prep and grade level planning.  It was amazing.  PTA splurged for lunch and we got a lot accomplished.  My room is almost done and I took home some first week prep (cutting) because I can do that while watching Netflix.

However, I am exhausted.  I've put in two twelve hour days and tomorrow will be another long one.  I've been productive and know that I'm a perfectionist.

I stumbled upon {this article} and it reminded me why I'm a teacher.   

Thank you Candice for noticing teachers! I've put a lot of work into my classroom and eagerly await my 33 fifth graders.

I'm ridiculously excited about this school year! 

Skipping Student/Teacher Points

For the past six years, I've relied on the trusty "student/teacher" point system.

The premise is simple.  Every time students are collaboratively working or on task, they earn points.  When they aren't, I earn points.  The difference at the end of the week (usually weeks) would be converted into marbles and fill the purple Disneyland yard glass.  Once they reach the top, a reward is earned.

I was pretty proud of my system and though it was working out well.

There are lots of articles about this behavior management system, praising it's ability for highlighting positive choices and "catching students being good." 

However, then I stumbled upon a different article that made me completely shift my mindset (which naturally, I can't find.  Sorry readers.)  

Basically, this is setting students up to fail. Yes, fail.

This statement baffled me at first.  I was rewarding students' collaboration and positive behaviors, so why was this classroom management system being discredited.  I thought I'd have to write another {dissenting opinion post}, but then I realized the author was right. 

Did this system reward students' positive choices? Yes, absolutely.

Does it create a game like atmosphere that stresses cooperation and competition? Yes.  Both of these things are encouraged in my classroom, especially when done correctly.  (Cooperation for example, on a test is frowned upon.  Competition when it belittles another isn't allowed.)

But it also set them up for failure because I, the teacher, was rewarded when they didn't meet my expectations.  I was rewarded when they failed.  

That's no way to run a classroom.  

I don't want to send the message that I'm looking forward to them failing.  I don't want to celebrate their failings.

So instead of displaying my T and S glittery magnets and washi tape "game board" space, I packed those letters away.

Instead, I'm relying solely on class dojo for my behavior system and classroom management this year.  I'll be able to keep better track of the magical 3:1 ratio (three positive interactions for every negative interaction), but I know some students need more than that. 

I'm still debating if I want to do table challenges.  I could look for the tables that are working together and award points, which highlights both cooperation and competition.  I would take myself out of the equation, allowing students to model appropriate, positive choices for one another.  The tables with the highest points after a given amount of time could have additional rewards in terms of extra class dojo points for cooperation or the ever exciting (and free) strategies of going to recess first, reading with pillows, or taking their shoes off during the school day.

Readers, what are your thoughts on the student-teacher points game?

Curriculum Must Haves! {Week 2}

I love reading Diane's blog posts on {Fifth in the Middle} and {Fancy Free in Fourth}.

This week's blog challenge is about curriculum must-haves. 

Our district, perhaps like most, is in a state of turmoil.  We've adopted the Common Core State Standards without curriculum to match, expect teachers to make due with out dated text books (seriously, the books are older than my students), and expect teachers to do more with less...including less money.  Yup, we took a pay cut and an insurance hike, so double whammy to the bank account!  To make matters worse, new to state teachers are given a several thousand dollar hiring bonus and to make up for the teacher shortage, retired teachers are invited back.  I have no issue with (qualified) retired teachers returning to the district, but I do have a problem that they receive both a salary and their retirement accounts.  Yup, they're allowed to double dip into funds, yet current teachers all took a pay cut.  

We also adopted the standards (which I have no problem with), but then rebranded them the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS).  Why?  To deal with the critics who are outspoken against the Common Core.

From what I've read of the Common Core (which is not the whole thing, just the elementary portion), I don't really see a problem.  Are the standards perfect? No, of course not.  But the depth of what is expected of our students is much deeper then previous standards,  Seeing how Nevada is consistently at the bottom in terms of educational testing for a wide variety of reasons, I think challenging our students is a good thing.  When you're close to the bottom, you can only go up!

Long story short, we have no provided curriculum and have to rely on collaboration to create our lesson plans.  There are lots of inconsistencies across the district, but at least everyone in my grade level (and school) are pretty much on the same page.

So let's dive into this week's blog challenge and look at some curriculum must haves:

I can't say enough good things about this book.  We start each math lesson with a warm up that focuses on building number sense. 

We've tweaked it a little to roughly follow this format:

Mental Math Monday: The focus is on decomposing and composing numbers for computation.

Ten Minute Tuesday: The focus is on logic puzzles and brain teasers.

Word Problem Wednesday: The focus is on multi-step word problems and making sense of the problems.

Thinking Thursday: More logic puzzles and "tricky" problems.

Fast Facts Friday: Timed tests to focus on multiplication and division facts mastery.

Must haves:
Teachers pay Teachers products!

My novel guides are a life saver! I'm trying to keep track of several different novels at once with my small groups, so it's nice to have all my notes and homework questions in a nice, organized fashion.  

I've also founds tons of free stations that are great for independent and partner practice during RTI time!

As an added bonus, most stores are having their back to school sale right now! I know everything in my store is currently 20% off!  Go get inspired.

 

This book was truly a life saver.  I struggled with knowing how to teach phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency.  I felt pretty good about my comprehension strategies but struggled with foundation skills.  This had great strategies and graphic organizers.  My copy is well loved:

Finally, one of my go to websites: FCRR (Florida Center for Reading Research)

This site has graphic organizers, centers, and games broken into grade level bands (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5).  They've recently added the Common Core State Standards to the center activities so it makes it even easier to find what your students need.

What would you add? Join the conversation!