Classified Employee Appreciation Week

This week is national classified appreciation week. I have 5 instructional assistants that work in my classroom throughout the week. Three of them trade off throughout each day and work with the student in my class who has Down syndrome. The other two help out during math time to support students who are struggling.

It is an amazing help to have other adults in the room to support learning, answer questions, and check/correct student work. It also gives me the flexibility to work with a small group myself or to have one of the assistants take a small group so we can support students who need additional instruction. I am so appreciative of the helpers I have that I wanted to do something special for them.

I went to Michael's Arts and Crafts store this afternoon and found some great items on the dollar rack. I got some blank cards and a cute "thank u" stamp, an assortment of list notepads with magnets on the back, and some small tins with crayons on them. I filled the tins with M&M's and am going to let each IA choose which notepad they would like. I also wrote each one a note in the card to let them know how much I appreciate them. I bought three bags of M&M's from KMart which were on sale for 3/$7. Each tin and each notepad was 1.00, the notecards were 4.99 and the stamp was on sale (25% off) and cost about 6.00. Altogether I spent about $30 which isn't a lot, but I think it will make the IA's feel special and that is my goal!

Just like Pinnochio

I have a student who lies to me all the time. It occurs each time someone tattles on her for an offensive behavior and it has happened about 8 times since she moved in a few months ago.

I know this student needs positive attention as it seems that may be lacking at home. I can tell she is exposed to things that a 7 year old should not see/hear and all I want is to be the one person in her life who shows her unconditional kindness (with boundaries of course), yet I am finding that rather difficult given the frequency with which she lies to me.

We have had several serious conversations about how to treat others and positive ways to begin and maintain friendships. We have talked about the importance of being honest as there may be one consequence for a poor choice but there are always TWO consquences when lying is involved. Despite these conversations, the lies are still coming.

How do you handle students/children who lie?

Teacher Discounts

Everyone knows that teacher salaries don't break the bank, but many companies and stores offer discounts especially for teachers to help minimize out of pocket expenses. 

Here are a few discounts that I have learned about...

JCrew-15% in store discount with school ID badge. JCrew does not advertise this discount, but I asked in my local store and they did indeed give me 15% off and that was in addition to the sale price! JCrew has nice clothes that make great additions to a teacher's wardrobe, but items can be quite spendy.

Ann Taylor Loft-15% discount. Go to www.anntaylorloft.com. You can sign up online and you will receive a teacher discount pass via email. I also got a 20% off total purchase coupon as well. 

Staples-Sign up for Staples teacher rewards (Homeschool teachers count). They have an annual teacher appreciation day in August where you get a goodie bag of free stuff. Plus, with the rewards card, you earn a quarterly rebate check for in store and online orders. Orders >$50 online are delivered free so you don't have to leave the house! Return empty ink cartridges for a $3 coupon off next purchase online/instore. Sign up for email notices (about 2/month) and you'll get big deals like $20 off a $100 order (this is in addition to rebate and free delivery). Good Back to School and Christmas sales. Has copy center service,laminating, computers, photo printing. This is super convenient and a real $ saver!

Office Depot-Office Depot has a program called Star Teacher that offers various perks to teachers. The biggest PLUS: You get 10% Back in Rewards on ink, toner, and paper, PLUS 1% Back in Rewards on nearly everything else we sell when you earn at least $10 in Rewards! PLUS a 15% Instant Discount on Design & Print Services! For more information or to sign up visit www.mystarteacher.com.

JoAnn Fabrics-10% discount. The JoAnn Fabric teacher discount card requires you to fill out some information online and then you receive the discount card in the mail. Because I applied, I also started to receive the weekly flier which includes 40% off one item coupons. 

Borders-15% discount. I never knew it until recently, but Borders gives a 15% off discount to teachers for all purchases that will be used in the classroom. The discount does not apply if you are buying items for personal use, but professional development texts, and children's  books are part of the deal. You will be asked to show your teacher ID badge and fill out a form in the store.

Barnes and Noble-15-20% discount. Teachers can get 20% off the list price of hardback books and 15% off soft cover books with the Education Discount Card.

Lakeshore Learning-15% discount. I am not sure if the discount applies with online purchases, but teachers can receive 15% off in stores with the use of a discount card that is provided with proof of ID badge. Similar to a grocery store discount card, the Lakeshore discount card comes in a plastic credit card size as well as the smaller size that can fit on a key ring. The discount does not apply to certain items, but I have found that most items I want to purchase are part of the discount. 

$$$ Go ahead...start saving money! $$$

Hot for Teacher!

This or That?

Being a teacher does not mean looking like the stereotypical school marm who taught in the one room school house.  Because so many children today are inactive and overweight, teachers should serve as healthy role models by living a lifestyle that includes both looking and feeling good. What helps us look and feel good?

 EXERCISE! 

If we want to instill in our students a strong sense of self esteem, we certainly need to have that same high self esteem radiating from ourselves and exercising certainly helps to make that happen.

Committed teachers routinely spend more than the allotted 8 hours per day at school and in their classrooms. I always arrive an hour before my scheduled working time starts and often stay later in the afternoon as well. After being with kids all day, I typically do not feel like going home and hitting the gym. It is hard to muster the energy to be active when you have been "on" all day. Teachers function as secondary parents, coaches, cheerleaders, friends, and much more. It can be exhausting and here I am telling you to be a physical fitness role model as well?!?!....

For me, getting in a daily workout not only makes me feel great, but it is a great way to actually REDUCE stress. There is no feeling more satisfying than finishing a hard workout and feeling the positive effects on your mind and body. Since time is of the essence, I like to do workout DVD's at home which saves me the time of driving to and from the gym. In the past I have posted about the 30 Day Shred and I was thrilled to find out that Jillian Michaels recently released two more fabulous hardcore workout videos. 

These new videos differ from 30 Day Shred in that they are hour long workouts where as the routines in the shred are only about 30 minutes long including warmup and cool down. If you are looking to improve your shape and see results quickly, these videos are a great option to add to the mix.

Jillian's Banish Fat and Boost Metabolism video does not require any equipment at all. It contains 7 circuits of cardio exercises that each include 5 exercises that are repeated twice during the cycle. It is an hour of nonstop movement that incorporates a lot of kickboxing moves. 

The No More Trouble Zones workout requires a mat and hand weights, but even Jillian only uses three pounds because of the high number of repetitions on certain moves.  Again there are 7 circuits that each contain 5 exercises which are repeated twice. After doing the workout I definitely know I have worked my legs, abs, and arms HARD! All of the exercises incorporate movements that use more than one muscle group to maximize calorie burning. Jillian is a big proponent of not wasting any time during a workout. You don't need to spend hours in the gym and tack on more time getting there and getting back...These hour long workouts which both include a warmup and cool down are all you need! Why come up with your own routines when Jillian does it all. 

She is hardcore, badass, efficient, and effective. 

I know I can be a better teacher when I feel relaxed, healthy and good about myself and Jill's videos are a great way to ensure that I can fit exercise into my busy schedule and still manage everything I have to do to get ready for school. 

Handwriting Without Tears

Yesterday I attended a Handwriting without Tears workshop and it was awesome. To start off, upon arrival, I was given this canvas bag stuffed with materials that are mine to keep ( a teacher's dream! Free stuff is always appreciated!) The bag contained teachers manuals and practice workbooks for grade levels K-4, both a small slate and larger blackboard with lines, wooden pieces for building letters, and a terrific cd with kid friendly songs to help students remember concepts such as starting capital letters at the top and using spaces in between words in a sentence. Below are some photos of my goodies! 

Teacher manuals and workbooks

First Grade manual and workbooks

Wooden pieces for building letters

Small slate board helpful for preventing reversals

CD with great songs about letters and writing

The presenter was an Occupational Therapist and provided a lot of good information about the development of handwriting and students' needs. The most surprising thing she mentioned was that little kids need little pencils. I have always seen fatter pencils and crayons used for little kids and she said those are actually more difficult to use and require more strength, not less. She said golf size pencils are actually ideal. I had NO idea! She also showed paper with 2 lines, rather than the typical paper with two solid lines and a dotted line down the middle. She said kids are more successful with two lines and I am excited to try that.

The Handwriting without Tears program makes learning how to write letters fun, and provides an organized meaningful sequence that groups similar letters together. There are diver letters, frog jump letters, magic c letters and more. She explained how teaching similar letters together helps kids remember how to correctly write them. Simply showing letters in alphabetical order does not work as well. 

Although I wish that my school would adopt this program, I do not think we have enough time in our daily schedules to make room. I know that I want to, and I plan to, but I will have to tackle that myself. It would be great if students would begin this program at an early age when pre-writing skills are emerging, but I still think that it is a useful tool for me to use in helping some of my students who could benefit from further instruction on handwriting. I am excited to try it out of a few of my students, particularly for reversals such as b and d as well as the numbers 5 and 6.

Valentine's Day

You gotta love Valentine's Day! 

I really wish I could get this dress in my size!