introducing...
Baby Sneaker!
also known as Grace
born April 7th @ 3:59 am
7 pounds 1 ounce
21 1/2 inches long
She's kind of cute, huh?
tell me more
Wow, so much love on that last post about common core state standards! I loved all the comments...kind of forgot what it's like to get so many responses to a post! I guess Sneaker Teacher has been lacking in the "teacher" department and overflowing a bit more on the "soon to be mama" department recently. For this reason, I have revived my family blog as my place to talk about all things baby so this blog can continue to be a place for teacher talk! But don't worry, I will of course share the news when Baby Sneaker arrives, but as of now we are still waiting....
So, this is what I am wondering today...
Imagine you live in a world where every single one of your students had an iPad to use during the school day.
What would you do with them? How would you use them?
Do you know of any good apps for Kindergarten kiddos?
Common Core State Standards
I took a huge stack of Instructor magazines and Reading Teacher journals from my desk and dove in this afternoon. I subscribe to several educational magazines/journals, yet when they come in the mail, I just put them aside and don't read them because I feel like I never have the time.
Now, I have all the time in the world--until Baby Sneaker blesses me with her presence that is!
One article I came across in Instructor magazine was about Common Core State Standards. I've definitely heard about them, but until today I had never really tried to learn more about them. The article lists 4 links to check out, so I did.
www.commoncore.org
www.corestandards.org
illustrativemathematics.org
nctm.org
I actually only checked out the first two and the second one is where I found pdf documents that actually list the new standards. It was really interesting to check them out.
Some of the goals behind the common standards are to increase the requirements for higher level thinking among students (which hopefully then puts less emphasis on standardized fill in the bubble tests) and to build more consistency in standards across states. I would be interested to see how current state standards compare across states because in some regards I feel like our current standards for Kindergarten here in Oregon are higher than the ones I just viewed. Yet, there are some differences that give me hope for some good changes in the future. It will be really interesting to see how these common core standards play out in terms of instruction, report cards etc.
One of the main things I noticed was that many of the Kindergarten standards begin with the words "with prompting and support..." I kind of like that it's acknowledged that kids in Kindergarten still require prompting and support. We seem to operate Kindergarten just like First Grade these days, so I wonder how the new standards will affect that. In some grade levels I think that maybe standards do need to be more vigorous, yet in Kindergarten I think we are already operating at maximum capacity in terms of what we are asking kids to do (especially in half day classes!).
I also like that the math standards place emphasis on two mathematical areas and encourage extended practice in just those areas. Our math program bounces around so much, that I think it would be refreshing to take a step back and really reorient ourselves to be working on what matters.
On the one hand I think that common core state standards are just another way to streamline education and push for everybody to be doing the same rather than crafting instruction that fits our kids. Yet, at the same time, I think consistency among states is a good thing and I think the process of creating common standards will create more clarity in what is expected of students at each grade level.
Now, I have all the time in the world--until Baby Sneaker blesses me with her presence that is!
One article I came across in Instructor magazine was about Common Core State Standards. I've definitely heard about them, but until today I had never really tried to learn more about them. The article lists 4 links to check out, so I did.
www.commoncore.org
www.corestandards.org
illustrativemathematics.org
nctm.org
I actually only checked out the first two and the second one is where I found pdf documents that actually list the new standards. It was really interesting to check them out.
Some of the goals behind the common standards are to increase the requirements for higher level thinking among students (which hopefully then puts less emphasis on standardized fill in the bubble tests) and to build more consistency in standards across states. I would be interested to see how current state standards compare across states because in some regards I feel like our current standards for Kindergarten here in Oregon are higher than the ones I just viewed. Yet, there are some differences that give me hope for some good changes in the future. It will be really interesting to see how these common core standards play out in terms of instruction, report cards etc.
One of the main things I noticed was that many of the Kindergarten standards begin with the words "with prompting and support..." I kind of like that it's acknowledged that kids in Kindergarten still require prompting and support. We seem to operate Kindergarten just like First Grade these days, so I wonder how the new standards will affect that. In some grade levels I think that maybe standards do need to be more vigorous, yet in Kindergarten I think we are already operating at maximum capacity in terms of what we are asking kids to do (especially in half day classes!).
I also like that the math standards place emphasis on two mathematical areas and encourage extended practice in just those areas. Our math program bounces around so much, that I think it would be refreshing to take a step back and really reorient ourselves to be working on what matters.
On the one hand I think that common core state standards are just another way to streamline education and push for everybody to be doing the same rather than crafting instruction that fits our kids. Yet, at the same time, I think consistency among states is a good thing and I think the process of creating common standards will create more clarity in what is expected of students at each grade level.
What do you think? Is your state adopting the common core state standards?
back to school
Today was the first day that my kiddos were in class and I was not. What a weird feeling to wake up knowing they were already in the classroom working away busily and I was just at home waiting for my baby to come.
Yep, that's right. Still no baby.
I kind of thought that by this point I would have already had her which would mean that I would be otherwise occupied and wouldn't really care much about what was going on at school.
But, I pretty much sat around the apartment today with not a whole lot on the agenda, so I was a little nostalgic for my small friends.
Just a little.
Mostly I am happy to be on leave and enjoying these last days of relaxation. I really really want this baby to come, but I recognize that life is about to turn itself upside down, so these boring aimless days are worth savoring.
Mr. Sneaker got me a Kindle over the weekend, so I re-read Catching Fire over these past few days. I already have an iPad, which means I have a Kindle app, but it just bugged me that amazon came out with a whole lending library for Prime members that I could only access if I had an actual Kindle. The app just doesn't cut it. So I asked Mr. Sneaker if he thought it would be worth it to just get a Kindle too since they're not all that spendy and they are a bit smaller and lighter than the iPad. Mr. Sneaker loves all things technology so he was happy to oblige me. I LOVE my iPad and wouldn't trade it for another device, but the Kindle is great too (and works better in the sun, which actually came out today!). I also really like the fact that I can now access books for free with my Prime membership. I can only get one a month, which barely keeps up with my rapid reading pace, but I know once Baby Sneaker comes I won't be reading as much. It's just during these open days of the waiting for baby time that I can speed through a book about every other day.
I have another appt. tomorrow to check in with little baby girl. Hopefully coming out soon is on her agenda!!
Yep, that's right. Still no baby.
I kind of thought that by this point I would have already had her which would mean that I would be otherwise occupied and wouldn't really care much about what was going on at school.
But, I pretty much sat around the apartment today with not a whole lot on the agenda, so I was a little nostalgic for my small friends.
Just a little.
Mostly I am happy to be on leave and enjoying these last days of relaxation. I really really want this baby to come, but I recognize that life is about to turn itself upside down, so these boring aimless days are worth savoring.
Mr. Sneaker got me a Kindle over the weekend, so I re-read Catching Fire over these past few days. I already have an iPad, which means I have a Kindle app, but it just bugged me that amazon came out with a whole lending library for Prime members that I could only access if I had an actual Kindle. The app just doesn't cut it. So I asked Mr. Sneaker if he thought it would be worth it to just get a Kindle too since they're not all that spendy and they are a bit smaller and lighter than the iPad. Mr. Sneaker loves all things technology so he was happy to oblige me. I LOVE my iPad and wouldn't trade it for another device, but the Kindle is great too (and works better in the sun, which actually came out today!). I also really like the fact that I can now access books for free with my Prime membership. I can only get one a month, which barely keeps up with my rapid reading pace, but I know once Baby Sneaker comes I won't be reading as much. It's just during these open days of the waiting for baby time that I can speed through a book about every other day.
I have another appt. tomorrow to check in with little baby girl. Hopefully coming out soon is on her agenda!!
Bebe
Nothing.
Tuesday I tried reflexology to make the baby come.
Nothing.
Yesterday I tried pineapple core and spicy Indian food.
Nothing.
Ok, the food wasn't that spicy and I heard that doesn't work anyway.
Today I am going to go downstairs and walk on the treadmill for an hour. I might even go hog wild and up the speed past 3.0 miles and hour. I ate the rest of the pineapple just now as well.
I did end up getting the Bringing Up Bebe book about the American woman living in Paris who writes about French parenting habits. It's actually really interesting and a pretty good book to read as I am getting ready to embark on this journey called motherhood.
The author talks about how French babies "do their nights" (sleep through the night) usually by three months because French parents do "the pause" and wait 5 or 10 minutes before getting them at night. She talks about how this is based on the idea that all people wake up in between sleep cycles but it doesn't necessarily mean they need something. If they learn to connect their sleep cycles and go back to sleep, then they will quickly be able to do their nights at a younger age. I don't really know how that works in relation to breast feeding and keeping up a good supply of milk because she also says French women don't breast feed, but every mother has to figure out what's best for herself and her child. You can really only take parenting books for what they are....it's not gospel.
She also said that French women are very careful about what they eat during pregnancy and typically get their figures back by three months at which time they go back to work because being a stay at home mom isn't common in their culture. This has a lot to do with the government subsidized creche (daycare) that parents have access to. The cost is on a sliding scale depending on family income.
Also, French parents feed their kids four times a day. 8:00, noon, 4:00 and 8:00. Kids don't snack. They eat meals that contain multiple courses including vegetables, different cheeses and desserts consisting of fruit or fruit puree. Therefore, the author observed that French children develop a greater patience, especially when it comes to mealtimes, and therefore can handle themselves better in restaurants because they are not used to instant gratification. She talks a lot about kids' behavior in terms of French kids not having meltdowns and behaving better in public. She attributes this also to the fact that in France parents make sure to continue fulfilling their own needs which means that kids often have to wait for their parents to tend to them rather than always getting what they what right away.
I think I can finish the book today and overall it's been a pretty good read. Like I said before, it's not like this is gospel about parenting, but having lived in Europe it is really interesting to learn about how parenting and child rearing differs culturally. It's really awesome that the only things on my agenda today are to read and get some exercise.
Oh, and to have a baby! Stay tuned....
Tuesday I tried reflexology to make the baby come.
Nothing.
Yesterday I tried pineapple core and spicy Indian food.
Nothing.
Ok, the food wasn't that spicy and I heard that doesn't work anyway.
Today I am going to go downstairs and walk on the treadmill for an hour. I might even go hog wild and up the speed past 3.0 miles and hour. I ate the rest of the pineapple just now as well.
I did end up getting the Bringing Up Bebe book about the American woman living in Paris who writes about French parenting habits. It's actually really interesting and a pretty good book to read as I am getting ready to embark on this journey called motherhood.
The author talks about how French babies "do their nights" (sleep through the night) usually by three months because French parents do "the pause" and wait 5 or 10 minutes before getting them at night. She talks about how this is based on the idea that all people wake up in between sleep cycles but it doesn't necessarily mean they need something. If they learn to connect their sleep cycles and go back to sleep, then they will quickly be able to do their nights at a younger age. I don't really know how that works in relation to breast feeding and keeping up a good supply of milk because she also says French women don't breast feed, but every mother has to figure out what's best for herself and her child. You can really only take parenting books for what they are....it's not gospel.
She also said that French women are very careful about what they eat during pregnancy and typically get their figures back by three months at which time they go back to work because being a stay at home mom isn't common in their culture. This has a lot to do with the government subsidized creche (daycare) that parents have access to. The cost is on a sliding scale depending on family income.
Also, French parents feed their kids four times a day. 8:00, noon, 4:00 and 8:00. Kids don't snack. They eat meals that contain multiple courses including vegetables, different cheeses and desserts consisting of fruit or fruit puree. Therefore, the author observed that French children develop a greater patience, especially when it comes to mealtimes, and therefore can handle themselves better in restaurants because they are not used to instant gratification. She talks a lot about kids' behavior in terms of French kids not having meltdowns and behaving better in public. She attributes this also to the fact that in France parents make sure to continue fulfilling their own needs which means that kids often have to wait for their parents to tend to them rather than always getting what they what right away.
I think I can finish the book today and overall it's been a pretty good read. Like I said before, it's not like this is gospel about parenting, but having lived in Europe it is really interesting to learn about how parenting and child rearing differs culturally. It's really awesome that the only things on my agenda today are to read and get some exercise.
Oh, and to have a baby! Stay tuned....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)