Wow! I absolutely loved basking in the glory of two Halloween parties that were entirely planned and executed by parents! I had two moms take charge of party planning and boy did they do it up! The first party involved decorating goody bags, pumpkin bowling, ghost toss, pin the tail on the black cat, a parade, and healthy snacks. I had 8 parent helpers, which was awesome!
The second party involved Halloween sugar cookie decorating, musical chairs with Halloween music, children getting wrapped up in toilet paper like mummies, and parading through the school.
I got to take pictures and enjoy watching the kids have tons of fun. One boy said that it was the best party ever and a few kiddos in the afternoon class said they didn't want to leave school. We also made some cute word family bats that I should post a picture of next week. I didn't take any photos, but they are still at school so I can snap a picture on Monday.
I feel like I got a lot done between yesterday afternoon and the time in classroom after school today. I am really excited for the new math games that I have ready to introduce next week as I attempt to wean my kiddos off of daily choice time in order to test the waters with some more "academic" activities during the 30 minutes when some students leave for ELD. I am also super excited for a relaxing weekend filled with not as much homework as I have been having lately. My voice is totally going away, so it will be nice to sleep in tomorrow and rest up!
Caught Off Guard
Today my students did an activity where they had to complete the sentence "I am a ________." because our sight word this week is "a' and we have worked on "I" and "am" in previous weeks. I gave the sentence "I am a great teacher" as an example (hehe) and I had a girl raise her hand and told me she thought that was selfish because I was saying that I was better than the other teachers. Some of the others kids chimed in and agreed.
Ok....first of all, her thought was pretty well stated for a Kindergartner, but I was thinking the kids would be more prone to agree that I am indeed a great teacher rather than argue that I was being mean to other teachers. I was a little thrown by her thought. I explained that I was just saying something about myself and that I was not saying other teachers were not great or saying that I am better than others, just that I am a great teacher (come on kiddos, I am just trying to give an example!). They were insistent that my sentence was rude.
Hmph!
At least I got lots of hugs at the beginning of the day because the kiddos missed me while I was out for two days so I know that they love me even though they seemed to take issue with the fact that I tried to proclaim myself as a great teacher. Kids are so funny!
Looking forward to our Halloween parties tomorrow that I was fortunate enough to have parents plan and organize for me! I will be dressing up like a blue crayon just like I do every year, although I have a new pair of royal blue adidas kicks to go with my costume this year :0)
Ok....first of all, her thought was pretty well stated for a Kindergartner, but I was thinking the kids would be more prone to agree that I am indeed a great teacher rather than argue that I was being mean to other teachers. I was a little thrown by her thought. I explained that I was just saying something about myself and that I was not saying other teachers were not great or saying that I am better than others, just that I am a great teacher (come on kiddos, I am just trying to give an example!). They were insistent that my sentence was rude.
Hmph!
At least I got lots of hugs at the beginning of the day because the kiddos missed me while I was out for two days so I know that they love me even though they seemed to take issue with the fact that I tried to proclaim myself as a great teacher. Kids are so funny!
Looking forward to our Halloween parties tomorrow that I was fortunate enough to have parents plan and organize for me! I will be dressing up like a blue crayon just like I do every year, although I have a new pair of royal blue adidas kicks to go with my costume this year :0)
Specks
Today I visited the allergist and the eye doctor. I have been having trouble driving at night, so I went to get my eyes checked and I will now be wearing glasses when I drive at night and when I use the computer for long periods of time (so basically all the time...j/k he he).
I also had a series of pricks on the arm to see if I have food allergies (which I don't), but the allergist did clarify that I am not allergic to sulfites like I had previously been told. I actually have a deficiency in metabolizing alcohol which is why I often break out in a splotchy rash if I drink.
Even though I didn't work today, I am exhausted! I just went and got myself a little Starbucks to get me through the rest of class! I bet that means I won't sleep tonight, but I have been gone from my classroom for two days and I am getting a new kiddo tomorrow, so that would probably be the case anyway. Maybe I should stay up and finish the rest of my homework that is due tomorrow....
I also had a series of pricks on the arm to see if I have food allergies (which I don't), but the allergist did clarify that I am not allergic to sulfites like I had previously been told. I actually have a deficiency in metabolizing alcohol which is why I often break out in a splotchy rash if I drink.
Even though I didn't work today, I am exhausted! I just went and got myself a little Starbucks to get me through the rest of class! I bet that means I won't sleep tonight, but I have been gone from my classroom for two days and I am getting a new kiddo tomorrow, so that would probably be the case anyway. Maybe I should stay up and finish the rest of my homework that is due tomorrow....
Great Feeling
I am disappointed in my scattered posting as of late, so I want to post, but I also feel the need to make it short and sweet because this girl has some homework to do. Today I attended a training from 10-3 with my principal, school counselor, and school secretary (whose daughter is in my class). We are part of the school PASS team which stands for Partnerships for Achieving Student Success. The purpose of our work is to collaborate with parents of color in order to initiate some school wide changes and make them feel more comfortable as active members of our school community. We met in September, but at that time, I was not part of the evening session with the parents because we were told that it would be more comfortable for the parents if they could first meet only with the principal. This time, my principal invited the rest of us to join so after book club, we had part 2 of our session and our parent group joined us from 5:30-8.
It was a fantastic evening.
Three of the parents out of 6 are parents of my students, so that makes the work we are doing seem all the more significant, but I am really excited about the discussions, the openness, and the community that we are building. We each took a turn sharing what school was like for us growing up and it was so interesting to hear their stories. I feel fortunate to be part of this group and I can tell already that we are really supporting our parents of color and creating an environment where they will feel more comfortable to take an active role in the school and the education of their children. Some of the parents who are participating are already forming groups to bring other parents in on the action which is really great!
As soon as I sat down, I knew I recognized one of the moms, but I wasn't sure where I knew her from. When we introduced ourselves, I told her that and she mentioned that she works at The Container Store. She was the woman who helped us create our awesome ELFA closets. LOVE HER (and the super organized closets!). Just goes to show that you always have to conduct yourself well because you never know when a stranger will become someone you encounter in a different way!
It was a fantastic evening.
Three of the parents out of 6 are parents of my students, so that makes the work we are doing seem all the more significant, but I am really excited about the discussions, the openness, and the community that we are building. We each took a turn sharing what school was like for us growing up and it was so interesting to hear their stories. I feel fortunate to be part of this group and I can tell already that we are really supporting our parents of color and creating an environment where they will feel more comfortable to take an active role in the school and the education of their children. Some of the parents who are participating are already forming groups to bring other parents in on the action which is really great!
As soon as I sat down, I knew I recognized one of the moms, but I wasn't sure where I knew her from. When we introduced ourselves, I told her that and she mentioned that she works at The Container Store. She was the woman who helped us create our awesome ELFA closets. LOVE HER (and the super organized closets!). Just goes to show that you always have to conduct yourself well because you never know when a stranger will become someone you encounter in a different way!
Another one?
I found out today that I am getting another new student in my PM class who will start tomorrow. One of the secretaries came in during my choice time and I started to freak out a little because I am scheduled to be out tomorrow and Wednesday. I have training tomorrow and took Wednesday off for a doctor's appointment. I told the secretary that I thought it would be better for the new student to wait until I come back to join the class because it would be really confusing for him to have a substitute the first two days and then me. Luckily, the secretary called his mom and she agreed. Whew! Again, I worry that the addition of another new student will affect the dynamics of my sweet little pm class, but I will hope for the best.
I spent a lot of time after school today trying to get organized and ready for two days of subs. Jill is going to be with my kiddos so I know they are in great hands and she has subbed before so she knows how everything goes, but I still like to make sure everything is organized before having someone else come in to teach. I got my plans ready for tomorrow but I gave her an IOU for Wednesday's plans. I will have to write those tomorrow night. I have training tomorrow from 10-3, then book club from 4-5, then the second part of training where we meet up with parents until 8:30. Another long day! I am happy that I can sleep in a bit and I am planning to hit the gym early because it has been TWO WHOLE WEEKS since I have graced a treadmill or elliptical. I hate feeling too busy for workouts, but the past few weeks have been so buys it just has not been an option!
Hopefully I will post more this week than I did last week!
I spent a lot of time after school today trying to get organized and ready for two days of subs. Jill is going to be with my kiddos so I know they are in great hands and she has subbed before so she knows how everything goes, but I still like to make sure everything is organized before having someone else come in to teach. I got my plans ready for tomorrow but I gave her an IOU for Wednesday's plans. I will have to write those tomorrow night. I have training tomorrow from 10-3, then book club from 4-5, then the second part of training where we meet up with parents until 8:30. Another long day! I am happy that I can sleep in a bit and I am planning to hit the gym early because it has been TWO WHOLE WEEKS since I have graced a treadmill or elliptical. I hate feeling too busy for workouts, but the past few weeks have been so buys it just has not been an option!
Hopefully I will post more this week than I did last week!
Naughty and posting from Class!
My day was packed full of conferences, yet surprisingly it went by really fast. I really enjoyed talking with parents today and having good conversations with them about their kiddos, their jobs, and myself. Several parents were actually interested in talking to me about my doctoral program and many gave positive feedback about how much their children are enjoying being in my Kindergarten class. I had several very successful conferences in Spanish and I felt like I understood exactly what the parents were saying and what they were asking me/needing from me which is not always true when I conduct conferences en español. I had a great feeling the whole day and I know that I am connecting really well with these families. They are awesome and I feel really lucky. Several parents specifically commented on how they liked my personal alphabet and how fun it was to create it and my classroom blog got LOTS of love <3 <3
I also found out that the PSO gives $250 to each classroom teacher for additional materials and since I teach two classes, I get twice that amount. I am so psyched about that and can't wait to do some shopping at Lakeshore this weekend (after I get LOTS of sleep of course!) I can also apply for additional funds if I have a special project in mind like the literacy bags I am planning to create. 12 more conferences tomorrow and then I am going to soak in the bliss of a completely relaxing weekend! TGIF!
I also found out that the PSO gives $250 to each classroom teacher for additional materials and since I teach two classes, I get twice that amount. I am so psyched about that and can't wait to do some shopping at Lakeshore this weekend (after I get LOTS of sleep of course!) I can also apply for additional funds if I have a special project in mind like the literacy bags I am planning to create. 12 more conferences tomorrow and then I am going to soak in the bliss of a completely relaxing weekend! TGIF!
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