Teacher Goodbyes
Tonight I got together with many teachers from the staff at the school I taught at for the past three years. I invited everyone on staff to a final goodbye get together and I was surprised by how many people showed up! Considering it is summer and it's a great time to go out of town and have some fun, I was really honored that so many people made time to come and hang out and say goodbye. It made me realize how much the staff cares for me and what a valuable part of the staff I was.
It was so nice to sit and chat and hear about several blooming pregnancies. There have been several changes in teaching placements, and a few just recently, so everyone was sharing updates on what grade level/position they are now assigned to.
Everyone was so excited for me and supportive, wanting to know all about our move and what I will be doing in Germany. They said they were excited to follow my blog and read all about it
This photo was taken after several 7 or 8 people had already left. I felt very loved!
The movers are coming tomorrow to pack and take all the items that are being sent to Germany in our 40 foot container. We will stay in our empty house until Thursday morning when we catch our "moving flight." Our car is getting shipped too, so we will have a rental car for our last day here and get another rental car once we are in Germany. Today was a crazy day of packing, making trips to our storage unit, and organizing. We still have more to do, but taking a break to spend some time with good friends was a necessary event!
You may not hear from me for a few days, but thankfully the hotel we will be staying at for our "temporary housing" has 24 hour free internet, so I will be able to begin blogging again once we arrive. My job is only for 3 hours a day, so I will have plenty of extra time for posting details about the excitement of living in Germany!
Teacher Swap
I was supposed to post this yesterday, but we were packing all day, so I am a bit late. I am very excited to participate in Jen's idea of a teacher swap because I think one of the best things about being a teacher is collaborating with other teachers and sharing ideas!
Something I usually do at the beginning of the year is called a People Search.
People Search is a strategy designed to promote collaboration among the students in your classroom. It uses an interview technique for implementation and helps create interest in one another as it increases students' motivation to learn more about each other. Additionally it supports social interaction and helps foster positive attitudes towards learning. This interaction among students is a source of enjoyment and is an excellent way to begin a new year!
I do this with my first graders by providing them with a sheet of paper that has the words "Find Someone Who..." written at the top. Below that, there is a list of several (about 6-10) statements relating to first grade kids.
It might look something like this:
Find someone who......
Can tie his or her shoes _________________
Can count by 5's to 100 _________________
Can sing the alphabet _________________
Went on a vacation this summer _________________
Knows how to say "how are you?"
in Spanish _________________
Has an older brother _________________
Has a pet _________________
The idea is that the students mingle and use the statements to ask each other questions. If they find someone who can/does/has whatever the item is, that person writes their name on the line. Because most first graders are not yet reading, I use a picture to go with each statement and we review all of the statements in a whole group before they go off to ask each other and get signatures.
After they have about 10 minutes to circulate, I call them back to the rug and we have a discussion about what they learned about other people in the class.
This can be altered to fit any grade level and can also be used for content area as well. At the end of the unit students can use a list of questions related to what they learned, finding out who knows the answers to the questions.
Some other great activities to do at the beginning of the year are biopoems and I am from poems which I have posted about before. Each of those is a great way to get to know your new students as well as a way for them to get to know each other. They can be adapted for younger students and work great for older students who can write independently!
Visiting the Fam!
I just got back from a wonderful trip to the East Coast. I flew to Washington D.C and spent Friday night hanging out with my best friend Cristina. I will post about that later because she needs to send me the pics from her camera!
My brother and his wife were in D.C. on business, so we met up with them on Saturday and they drove me back to my parents' house in CT. It was so good to see my family and my beautiful niece! My mom and I did some major shopping at the outlets and we got in some good walking time as well. Growing up, my mom and I always went on long walks together which is one of the reasons we are so close. I always spilled my guts to her which kept us close even when I was a teenager and some of my friends were hating on their moms.
Here are some pics from my trip!
Alyssa loves her Grandpa!
Alyssa with her Glam-ma! (my mom)
Alyssa with Aunt Katie
So cute!
The girls at lunch (Alyssa, my mom, my sister-in-law Shari, & me)
The whole fam- my parents, my brother Dan and his wife Shari, and Alyssa!
(minus John who couldn't make it to CT with me this time)
10 Things I Love About My Husband
Second of all, in the midst of all this organizing, sorting, weeding out, packing and moving stuff, I think he is feeling a bit under-appreciated because, admittedly, he is such a good husband, and I take it for granted because from the beginning of our relationship he has always put me first and spoiled me.
Sooo...
In honor of my wonderful husband and my recognition of all that he does, here is my proclamation of appreciation!
10 Things I Love About JHT:
1. I love that he is a snuggler, likes to hug, and is always affectionate.
2. I love that he always pushes me to be the best person I can be.
3. I love how he once told me people who love each other should "challenge" each other because I think I challenge him everyday, yet he is patient and supportive in return.
4. I love how he doesn't get mad at me when I break nice things he buys me.
5. I love how he spoils me. It's not the "things" that he gets me, but that he knows exactly what will make me happy/what will make my life easier, and that he cares so much about making me happy that he goes through an extensive effort to do things for my benefit.
6. I love how he tells me that he appreciates me all the time and verbalizes why. (You'd think he was the one who got a degree in Psychology...)
7. I love how he is supportive of my dreams and encourages me to pursue them (i.e. writing a book & getting a doctorate)
8. I love how he introduces me to new things, regardless of how hesitant, stubborn, or reluctant I am.
9. I love how he acts around kids and babies because it shows me what a wonderful father he will be.
10. I love how he needs me and how much he likes to be taken care of because for all that he does for me, it is the least I can do in return.
the night we got engaged-January 1, 2007 right after midnight
That was fun! Give it a try! Honor someone special on your blog today!
"I Am From" Poem-revisited
A reader asked me to provide a little more information on the structure of the "I Am From" Poem. I welcome any questions/clarifications on ideas readers want to incorporate in their classrooms. Also, I am not the expert! Part of what makes teaching such a great profession is collaboration among teachers! If anyone else has ideas to add, please comment and share!!!
From the book Write More! Learn More! By M. Carrol Tama & Anita B. McClain (which by the way has many great ideas for writing and I really recommend it), here is a different description of the poem in a format meant for students to complete:
2. What do you see there? When you visually walk around your home, or neighborhood, or where you come from, what do you see, hear, or smell?
3. Who are your family members? What do they do? How did they get to the place where they now live? What peculiarities or idiosyncrasies of place or family can you describe?
4. What are your favorite foods? What did your family say frequently?
5. Use the details you have created to create your own "I Am From" poem on another page.
I hope that makes the "assignment" more clear. As I explained to the reader, my poem shares information about many different aspects of my life growing up rather than focusing on just one place. I think the poems could be written either way--with the overarching goal being to get students to share stories and information about their lives. This type of poem validates students and allows them to develop voice!
If you are thinking about getting Write More! Learn More!, here is an idea of what kinds of information you will find in this great book:
1. Writing to Build Community
2. Writing to Organize
3. Writing to Respond
4. Writing through Note Taking
5. Writing Essays
6. Writing for Reading
7. Writing Project
8. Writing for Assessment
Each chapter offers strategies, directions, black line masters, and examples.
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