Bring a Book to Life Night

Each year our campus does a read aloud night. Typically, teachers choose a book, dress up as a character and plans an activity to accompany the book.

I usually try to represent a redheaded character because I feel like redheads get a bad rep in movies (gotta do my part to set the record straight) lol

This year I was Freckleface Strawberry from Julianna Moore's book. Love it. The book is about embracing who you are. It's super cute.

Where Are You Going to College?

 

As part of our No Excuses campaign, my friend Trina and I created this bulletin board on campus. I requested that all teachers and staff fill out an index card telling us what college they attended, the city/state that the college is located in and the degree that they earned. I also requested a picture, preferably a graduation picture if they had one.

 

This is the outcome...notice the yarn practically covers Texas. lol

 

Some of the teachers have complained (jokingly) that our bulletin board has caused a traffic jam in the hallway because all the kids want to stop and look at it. :)

 

We originally wanted to do pins with the strings attached, but we do not have an actual bulletin board in the main hallway of the building. So we improvised using this display case.

Constitution Day

Here are pictures from the lesson I found on Pinterest for Constitution Day. We read the book "We the Kids" by David Caltrow about the Preamble to the Constitution. Then I partnered the kids up and had assigned them a part of the preamble to portray through a picture.

 

Here is a link to the pdf of the lesson plan I found on Pinterest/Teaching Blog.

 

I took pictures of some of my favorite pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

But You Get Summers Off...

 Disclaimer: Yup its going to be one of those posts. If you don't like my rambling, you might as well go to another page now. And it will be a lot of rambling!!

My blog post is not meant to be a rant or complaint against my life as a teacher or the hard work that comes with the territory. It is simply to remind you of the challenges teachers face each day.

Let's go ahead and talk about that little rumor that "teachers get the summer off".  Many teachers do not get the summer "off".  While technically we are not on campus teaching, it is not a true time of being "off" work. It is time for professional development, moving classrooms or campuses, preparing for the next year, teaching summer school or tutoring, and much more. We work year round as hard as we possibly can for the children that enter our class each day. While sometimes you might find a bad apple among us, let me assure you that is the exception to the rule. My co-workers are some amazing people. I grow as an educator every day just because I am in the same building.

I work hard enough each day to get my job done the way I feel it should be done. I put in enough effort to know that when I leave my classroom each day, I've given my students as much as I can in order to provide them with a good education. Even with that said, there will always be the thought in my mind "maybe I could've done more". This will forever drive me to become a better educator.

There are days that I absolutely love my job and there are days that I want to walk out the door in complete frustration. I think that most jobs have days like these. However, I don't think that you can ever appreciate the work of a teacher until you have spent a day in a classroom.

A Typical Day of an Elementary Teacher
Our official duty time is from 7:35 - 3:45 each day. My average day is 7:20 - 4:30. As the year progresses the days grow longer.
30 minute lunch (pending needs of students/lunches/discipline, bathroom break, etc.)
55 minute conference (including but never limited to parent conferences, student conferences, intervention meetings, ARDs, 504s, planning, organizing, preparing materials)

Expectations regardless of when its completed (even if outside the 8 hour day):
Being prepared for an appraisal at any time (4 - 15 minute observations and at least 1 - 45 minute observation. This is where one of our administrators come in an write down EVERYTHING that you do and say within that time period, then review and compare it to state expectations)

Grade papers/assignment/projects
Enter grades in electronic gradebook for parent access
Make plans for lessons while following constantly changing state curriculum
Find ways to bring new technology into classroom
Differentiate for all students within my classroom
Progress Monitor for academic growth
Discipline children while showing empathy and staying focused learning
Reply to emails
Respond to phone calls
150 hours of CPE per 5 years

Other Expectations (that many outside of education field see as "optional"):
Student events such as Open House, Parent Night, etc. which typically extend our days to 10-12 hour days
Extracurricular Clubs and Activities
Tutoring

So if your teacher friends look tired, its because they work hard each and every day with a smile on their face. Not because they can't handle being "back at school".

PS - If you can read this, thank a teacher. :)

 

All my pretty pictures came from Pinterest. :)

Back to School!

Lots of teachers are putting the final touches on their rooms for the 1st Day of School. I'm not huge on different bulletin boards because I'm horrible about changing them throughout the year. Below are some pictures of my classroom.

 

 

I teach reading and social studies this year, but I wanted to support students learning in all areas. I found the digital times on Pinterest. Then I made the other clocks to show significant times throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

These are my Love and Logic Posters. I had to re-do them from last year as my originals got damaged over the summer. Boo. But I like this one better I think!

 

 

 

 

This is my Classroom Management Book. It's a binder with all my conduct management information. I got this idea from the Turn Around Schools: No Excuses University Institute I attended in Dallas this summer.

 

 

This is the Classroom Management Plan all of 3rd grade (and the campus) will be following this year.

 

 

Here is a picture of our Rethinking Letter

 

 

 

And of course the Love and Logic Classroom goes in the front of our notebook! I'm combining ideas from 2 of the best workshops I've been to thus far in my teaching career.

 

Goof Off

Goof Off has to be the best product ever when you need to remove last years decorations from your classroom

Do your desks have a film on them from name plates and packaging tape? Spray this on the desks. Let sit. Then wipe off.

The laminated poster you made las year have permanent marker or dry erase marker left on it? Spray and wipe! It's awesome. No more hairspray or nail polish remover.

Of course you wouldn't want to use this product with students in the room. Strictly for summer cleaning or at home use. You can buy it at Lowes or Home Depot for less than $10 (when I bought my bottle).

Readers Notebook

 

 

 

Today I learned how to make a CUTE readers notebook out of scrapbook paper and a composition book.

 

Prep: 12X12 scrapbook paper. Cut 3 inches off the side of the paper. This will leave you with a 3X12 strip and a 9X12 (almost letter) size piece of paper. You need 2 of the 9X12 pieces of paper and one contrasting color of the 3X12 piece of paper.

 

Materials:

 

Composition Book

Glue Stick

2 pieces of 9X12 pieces of scrapbook paper

1 piece of 3X12 piece of scrapbook paper

Packing tape

Scissors

 

Here is my notebook with my scrapbook paper



Use the 3X12 piece of paper to cover the spine of the book. Use the notebook to make a crease in the paper. Fold the paper under to create a piece of paper that will fit to the spine. Put glue on the both sides of the notebook and wrap the paper over to cover the spine.

This shows the back of the notebook with the paper wrapped around the spine.

Seal the line of paper to the notebook with a stip of packaging tape.





Now cover the entire front of the notebook with glue.

Cover the notebook with one of the pieces of the scrapbook paper.

This actually shows the back being covered. But its the same process for both sides.

Now wrap the scrapbook paper around the notebook like you are wrapping a gift. Use packaging tape to seal the edges.

 

Leave a small gap as you fold the corners so that the paper has a little give when opened.

See small gap!

 

 

 

This is another view of the wrapping of the cover.

 

 

 

 

Once the cover is wrapped you can seal the spine paper and the cover paper with packaging tape.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the tabs created for our Readers Notebook.

Tada! Here is the front and back of my Readers Notebook. Next step is to add stickers and photos. Then seal the whole notebook with packaging tape.