I never understood bloggers who just kind of fell off the face of the earth before, but I am starting to get it a little more because I have become one of them! With holiday traveling and enjoying family time, I just haven't been on the computer that much (although my mom would disagree because my phone and ipad are typically extensions of my hands). So here's the latest:
We were in CT with my family for about a week and it was wonderful. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house and then Christmas day at my brother and SIL's house and followed all the holiday festivities with a baby shower for baby Sneaker on the 26th. Because we had to travel back to OR with baby gifts in tow, I got a lot of gift cards to Babies R Us that I can use to purchase what we need. I also got lots of cute baby girl jammies, outfits, and blankets. It was so nice to see my mom's friends, relatives, and friends of mine who I haven't seen in years! My mom decorated a small Christmas tree with little pink baby girl ornaments and it was super cute. Now I have to get on those thank you cards before going back to work! Mr. Sneaker and I also went into NYC to see The Book of Mormon which was fantastic. We know one of the actors in the show, so we got to go backstage and check things out after the show. Then we met up with some of Mr. Sneaker's best friends from college in the city for drinks and dinner. I have taken to asking for juice and sparkling water when we go out and call that my pregnancy cocktail. It's just a bit more fun than plain water.
We had an ultrasound appointment yesterday and baby Sneaker did some good growing over the past two weeks. She is still measuring a bit small (about a week behind), but we are hopeful that she will catch up. I have another ultrasound appointment scheduled for the 17th because the doctor wants to continue to monitor her more frequently just to make sure her growth is adequate. Being pregnant is very scary and I am filled with worries, but everything else is looking good other than her overall size. She was breech, but flipped around, so she is now wreaking havoc on my bladder. Fingers crossed that next time we go she is bigger and more on track with her growth! I am trying not to worry too much and trying to take advantage of not working right now by relaxing and getting lots of rest.
I am starting to miss my kiddos, but I will fully enjoy these last few days of break. Once I go back I have 12 more weeks of school to make it through. My goal is to teach until spring break (Friday 3/23) and then I will be off the rest of the school year on maternity leave. I am interested to see how my teaching changes as my belly gets bigger and it becomes harder to move around. I've already told the kiddos that I won't be tying shoes much longer because I just won't be able to bend down. Fortunately, I have about 20 eager little helpers in each class that are willing to pass things out, pick things up, clean up, etc. I am usually up and down when I teach, but I have a feeling I will be doing more sitting in the coming weeks.
Usually at this time of year I am gearing up for a nice post about my resolutions and goals, but I don't know if I have it in me! We'll see....My next post will be my 700th, so I may have to put in the extra effort!
Alive and Kicking
Well...to be clear...Baby Sneaker is the one kicking :0)
I am happy to say I survived round two of classroom parties this year and they went off without a hitch. I have a bit of party paranoia because when I taught first grade and did all my own party planning, a child asked, literally in the middle of the party, "when are we going to have our party?" From that, I concluded that my parties must be pretty lame. Last year, I had wonderful parents who took over all of the planning and that was awesome, but this year I am back to doing it myself.
Despite my lame parties, I kind of like planning them myself a bit better. Or, at least planning myself then enlisting parents to help orchestrate what I want...
True parties are fun with sugary snacks, games, prizes, and music.
Yet, with that fun often comes overly-excited children who forget all about listening and following directions.
That's when the parties become not so fun for me and more of a source of stress that makes me really happy when I get to put the kiddos onto the buses at the end of the day.
This time around, both parties were pretty calm. The kids had fun, but I didn't feel as stressed out.
Here's a few things I did that worked:
1. I emailed parents two weeks ago with a list of things I needed (hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows, cookies, and parents to help during the party). Parents emailed me back and I got multiple volunteers for all things needed.
2. I planned the activity myself so I would know exactly what to expect (more about what we did later) rather than trying to recruit a parent to take on that responsibility.
3. I found a snowman themed book to read so that we could call it a "winter" party instead of a "Christmas" party so that my students who don't celebrate Christmas could still participate and be comfortable.
4. I directed parents to do what I needed while I read so that snack would be out on the table when the story was over (parents tend to sit around and watch unless specifically asked to help...go figure).
Those things worked for me this time.
Sure, a story during a party might not seem too cool, but the kids enjoyed it and they still kept their ability to listen in tact. Score!
They also really liked the game I made up even though it was a game that involved practicing their letter sounds. We have been playing a "mixer" game for several weeks now where each child gets a letter card. They find a partner, tell their partner what sound their letter makes, listen to what their partner says, then trade cards and find a new partner. They love this game. '
For the party, I printed out snowflake clip art and wrote letters in the center (each snowflake was on a half sheet of paper). We played the game in the same way as we do with our phonics letter cards, except every minute or so, I would say "freeze," prompting the kiddos to crumple up their papers into snowballs and I would count to three then we'd all toss our snowballs in the air and make it snow. We had a talk prior to starting about now throwing "snow" at each other and there were no issues. They LOVED it. We followed that up with some hot cocoa and cookies and we were good to go.
Maybe it's the costumes that come along with Halloween that make those parties more difficult, but this time around I thought both groups did really well and I even had fun during the parties. I didn't take any pictures (oops!), but I am fine with that because I will be on maternity leave at the end of the year and therefore won't be doing an end of the year slide show this year. I am not about to ask my sub to put that together for me, so it is what it is.
Mr. Sneaker and I are heading to CT for the holidays and we leave on Tuesday. I am so excited to see my family including my nieces (one of which I have not met yet) and my SIL who is also preggo.
Happy Holidays!
I am happy to say I survived round two of classroom parties this year and they went off without a hitch. I have a bit of party paranoia because when I taught first grade and did all my own party planning, a child asked, literally in the middle of the party, "when are we going to have our party?" From that, I concluded that my parties must be pretty lame. Last year, I had wonderful parents who took over all of the planning and that was awesome, but this year I am back to doing it myself.
Despite my lame parties, I kind of like planning them myself a bit better. Or, at least planning myself then enlisting parents to help orchestrate what I want...
True parties are fun with sugary snacks, games, prizes, and music.
Yet, with that fun often comes overly-excited children who forget all about listening and following directions.
That's when the parties become not so fun for me and more of a source of stress that makes me really happy when I get to put the kiddos onto the buses at the end of the day.
This time around, both parties were pretty calm. The kids had fun, but I didn't feel as stressed out.
Here's a few things I did that worked:
1. I emailed parents two weeks ago with a list of things I needed (hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows, cookies, and parents to help during the party). Parents emailed me back and I got multiple volunteers for all things needed.
2. I planned the activity myself so I would know exactly what to expect (more about what we did later) rather than trying to recruit a parent to take on that responsibility.
3. I found a snowman themed book to read so that we could call it a "winter" party instead of a "Christmas" party so that my students who don't celebrate Christmas could still participate and be comfortable.
4. I directed parents to do what I needed while I read so that snack would be out on the table when the story was over (parents tend to sit around and watch unless specifically asked to help...go figure).
Those things worked for me this time.
Sure, a story during a party might not seem too cool, but the kids enjoyed it and they still kept their ability to listen in tact. Score!
They also really liked the game I made up even though it was a game that involved practicing their letter sounds. We have been playing a "mixer" game for several weeks now where each child gets a letter card. They find a partner, tell their partner what sound their letter makes, listen to what their partner says, then trade cards and find a new partner. They love this game. '
For the party, I printed out snowflake clip art and wrote letters in the center (each snowflake was on a half sheet of paper). We played the game in the same way as we do with our phonics letter cards, except every minute or so, I would say "freeze," prompting the kiddos to crumple up their papers into snowballs and I would count to three then we'd all toss our snowballs in the air and make it snow. We had a talk prior to starting about now throwing "snow" at each other and there were no issues. They LOVED it. We followed that up with some hot cocoa and cookies and we were good to go.
Maybe it's the costumes that come along with Halloween that make those parties more difficult, but this time around I thought both groups did really well and I even had fun during the parties. I didn't take any pictures (oops!), but I am fine with that because I will be on maternity leave at the end of the year and therefore won't be doing an end of the year slide show this year. I am not about to ask my sub to put that together for me, so it is what it is.
Mr. Sneaker and I are heading to CT for the holidays and we leave on Tuesday. I am so excited to see my family including my nieces (one of which I have not met yet) and my SIL who is also preggo.
Happy Holidays!
I am...
It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but I wanted to post today and nothing else really pressing to write about...
1. I am good at…baking, juggling work and school, being organized (usually).
2. I am happy when…I get to cuddle up on the couch with hubs and watch a movie.
3. I am working on…my dissertation proposal, but as of now I am on hiatus because I turned in my draft of the first two chapters last night and I don't want to work on it until after Christmas break!
4. I am interested in…teaching college (teaching teachers someday)
5. I am always…on time (actually that's changed since being pregnant and slower at doing everything!)
6. I am enjoying…feeling my baby girl kicking and moving around.
7. I am in…my apartment relaxing with Mr. Sneaker
8. I am reading…nothing right now. I just finished Cutting for Stone with my book club and haven't started a new novel yet.
9. I am concerned about…how bad I've gotten about cleaning and doing laundry lately.
10. I am looking forward to…Christmas in CT with my family!
1. I am good at…baking, juggling work and school, being organized (usually).
2. I am happy when…I get to cuddle up on the couch with hubs and watch a movie.
3. I am working on…my dissertation proposal, but as of now I am on hiatus because I turned in my draft of the first two chapters last night and I don't want to work on it until after Christmas break!
4. I am interested in…teaching college (teaching teachers someday)
5. I am always…on time (actually that's changed since being pregnant and slower at doing everything!)
6. I am enjoying…feeling my baby girl kicking and moving around.
7. I am in…my apartment relaxing with Mr. Sneaker
8. I am reading…nothing right now. I just finished Cutting for Stone with my book club and haven't started a new novel yet.
9. I am concerned about…how bad I've gotten about cleaning and doing laundry lately.
10. I am looking forward to…Christmas in CT with my family!
paper writing and holiday spirit
I spent all morning working (in bed) on my paper that is due on Monday. It's coming along really well and I feel like I made some really good progress. I realized how much I had repeated some of my main points, so I did some editing, deleting, rearranging, and feel much better. I am still writing the section on home visits, which is one of the big sections in my literature review, and hopefully I can get all the writing done today and leave all the final edits for tomorrow.
In a little bit I have an appt. for a hair cut and some highlights, so that will give me a nice break for some walking and catching up on gossip magazines while I sit in the chair. Then I think I will curl up with some blankets, some hot cocoa and the documentary I borrowed from a friend called Precious Knowledge. Have you heard of it? It's about the issues surrounding the teaching of culture studies in Arizona. I heard it was fabulous so I am intrigued and excited to take advantage of my dominance over the TV while Mr. Sneaker is away for the weekend attending various sporting events in SF.
I have such an urge to decorate for Christmas, but sadly all but one box of holiday stuff is buried deep in our storage unit and the box I do have is a random mess of nothing. I want my advent house and my stocking and my countdown to Christmas, but I guess I just have to wait until I get to my mom's house because she does. it. up Christmas style! Can't wait! 17 more days and we'll be there! In the meantime I can enjoy the big 'ol Christmas tree in the lobby of our building.
In a little bit I have an appt. for a hair cut and some highlights, so that will give me a nice break for some walking and catching up on gossip magazines while I sit in the chair. Then I think I will curl up with some blankets, some hot cocoa and the documentary I borrowed from a friend called Precious Knowledge. Have you heard of it? It's about the issues surrounding the teaching of culture studies in Arizona. I heard it was fabulous so I am intrigued and excited to take advantage of my dominance over the TV while Mr. Sneaker is away for the weekend attending various sporting events in SF.
I have such an urge to decorate for Christmas, but sadly all but one box of holiday stuff is buried deep in our storage unit and the box I do have is a random mess of nothing. I want my advent house and my stocking and my countdown to Christmas, but I guess I just have to wait until I get to my mom's house because she does. it. up Christmas style! Can't wait! 17 more days and we'll be there! In the meantime I can enjoy the big 'ol Christmas tree in the lobby of our building.
bring in da noise
How do you feel about noise in the classroom?
A sign of busy and engaged kids or a sign of poor management?
I feel conflicted...
When I witness my students chatting away during their morning work or getting excited during lessons and calling out, I feel like they are engaged and feel comfortable being themselves in my classroom.
I like that.
Yet, I also feel like sometimes there is this expectation for "quiet working" that makes me feel like any time my kiddos are being a bit chatty that my classroom might appear chaotic or not "calm" and "well behaved" enough.
I visited a classroom last year and the kids were SO quiet...I got kind of jealous thinking how come I don't have that level of control in my room.
On the other hand...don't I want my kids to use language in the room, make friends, and talk to their peers? I don't want them to be mute and afraid to communicate.
I feel like there are so many times during the day when I am asking students to turn their voices off that it seems like there are just not as many times when they can talk freely or express themselves on a whim. We have been trying very hard to work on inside voices and whisper voices because I want to encourage them to talk, yet at the same time, I don't like when the noise level gets too high. I don't want silence, but I do want quiet enough for kids to be able to think and do their best work.
As a school we have been focusing a lot on active engagement which means the kiddos should be talking, using language, practicing vocabulary, and not just being quiet. Yet, of course there are those times when you do truly want silence and that can be hard to come by.
A sign of busy and engaged kids or a sign of poor management?
I feel conflicted...
When I witness my students chatting away during their morning work or getting excited during lessons and calling out, I feel like they are engaged and feel comfortable being themselves in my classroom.
I like that.
Yet, I also feel like sometimes there is this expectation for "quiet working" that makes me feel like any time my kiddos are being a bit chatty that my classroom might appear chaotic or not "calm" and "well behaved" enough.
I visited a classroom last year and the kids were SO quiet...I got kind of jealous thinking how come I don't have that level of control in my room.
On the other hand...don't I want my kids to use language in the room, make friends, and talk to their peers? I don't want them to be mute and afraid to communicate.
I feel like there are so many times during the day when I am asking students to turn their voices off that it seems like there are just not as many times when they can talk freely or express themselves on a whim. We have been trying very hard to work on inside voices and whisper voices because I want to encourage them to talk, yet at the same time, I don't like when the noise level gets too high. I don't want silence, but I do want quiet enough for kids to be able to think and do their best work.
What do you think? Are we asking kids to be too quiet too often setting an unreasonable expectation or do you have a super quiet classroom that's serene like a yoga room?
As a school we have been focusing a lot on active engagement which means the kiddos should be talking, using language, practicing vocabulary, and not just being quiet. Yet, of course there are those times when you do truly want silence and that can be hard to come by.
Where's the balance?
saying no
Do you ever feel like you stretch yourself way too thin because it's too hard to say no?
I always try to be accommodating and helpful and kind, but sometimes you just have to draw the line.
Sometimes the plate just gets a bit too full and you can't keep piling it up.
Especially when you're pregnant and your expanding belly makes doing everything take just a bit longer than it used to (like bending down...yeah I used to do that easily...now, not so much). I have made a proclamation to all my kiddos that they must learn to tie their own shoes because I simply cannot bend down and my tummy will only get bigger.
Anyway, back to saying no.
Today I said no and it felt good.
It's not really a big deal, but normally I would have said yes and then felt stressed over having just one more thing on my plate, so this time, I just said nuh-uh.
Very occasionally, I am asked by the International Reading Association to review a potential book manuscript. I think I have only ever done two, but I just got an email last night asking me to do another. They are changing their review process and they needed someone to review a manuscript by December 16th.
That is just around the corner (crazy, right? Thursday is DECEMBER 1st!)
My "deliverables" for this term are due to my advisers on Monday, so I have less than a week to get my paper in shape, which includes taking out a lot of what I already wrote and adding more that has yet to be written.
::sigh::
Mr. Sneaker will be away this weekend, so I know it will get done, but at the same time it's daunting and I know that once I press send on the email with my paper attached, I am going to need a little break from academia and reading research. I don't like to pass on opportunities to review books because they are always interesting and I think it's great experience, but I just don't see it happening in the next few weeks as my mind wanders more and more towards being with my family in CT and seeing my parents, brother, sister-in-law and nieces for the first time in a year and a half.
I don't usually say no to things and usually have a bring it on, I can handle it kind of attitude, but I think I am really embracing this whole I can't do everything and pregnancy is really slowing me down attitude. Some things just have to wait. My sanity, health, and leisure time reign supreme right now.
I always try to be accommodating and helpful and kind, but sometimes you just have to draw the line.
Sometimes the plate just gets a bit too full and you can't keep piling it up.
Especially when you're pregnant and your expanding belly makes doing everything take just a bit longer than it used to (like bending down...yeah I used to do that easily...now, not so much). I have made a proclamation to all my kiddos that they must learn to tie their own shoes because I simply cannot bend down and my tummy will only get bigger.
Anyway, back to saying no.
Today I said no and it felt good.
It's not really a big deal, but normally I would have said yes and then felt stressed over having just one more thing on my plate, so this time, I just said nuh-uh.
Very occasionally, I am asked by the International Reading Association to review a potential book manuscript. I think I have only ever done two, but I just got an email last night asking me to do another. They are changing their review process and they needed someone to review a manuscript by December 16th.
That is just around the corner (crazy, right? Thursday is DECEMBER 1st!)
My "deliverables" for this term are due to my advisers on Monday, so I have less than a week to get my paper in shape, which includes taking out a lot of what I already wrote and adding more that has yet to be written.
::sigh::
Mr. Sneaker will be away this weekend, so I know it will get done, but at the same time it's daunting and I know that once I press send on the email with my paper attached, I am going to need a little break from academia and reading research. I don't like to pass on opportunities to review books because they are always interesting and I think it's great experience, but I just don't see it happening in the next few weeks as my mind wanders more and more towards being with my family in CT and seeing my parents, brother, sister-in-law and nieces for the first time in a year and a half.
I don't usually say no to things and usually have a bring it on, I can handle it kind of attitude, but I think I am really embracing this whole I can't do everything and pregnancy is really slowing me down attitude. Some things just have to wait. My sanity, health, and leisure time reign supreme right now.
What did you say no to that made you feel really good?
Thanks
Thanks for the comments on my post about home visits. It's really interesting that your comments really aligned with what I think teachers think about home visits, yet most of the studies are about educators who have conducted them and feel very positively about them. I am really interested in various teachers' views because I think in reality there is a lot of trepidation and concern over how to go about doing home visits, the risks involved, and how receptive parents will be. The articles I have read really speak to the importance of home visits, but it seems like the cases that are reported and the families that are discussed were all very welcoming and eager to share--which may not be the case with all families.
I feel like it's a legitimate question to ask how teachers view the practice of home visits and whether or not they would be willing to try them out as a means to better understanding particular families.
When I was a Head Start teacher, we conducted home visits and I would agree that it was a really eye opening and informative experience. I certainly learned a lot from it, yet back then I didn't have the skills to truly incorporate what I learned in the classroom like I would hope to do now. With Head Start, we were given specific days to do our home visits and there was ample time to get them finished. We were expected to visit the homes of each family, but if I remember correctly there were days when school was not in session so we could do the visits. With public school, I think that home visits would be extra workload for teachers without additional compensation, so they would be one more thing on our already very full plates. I don't think it's necessary to visit each and every family, but even visiting 5 families would be fairly time consuming, right? If we truly wanted to develop deeper relationships with families and students, it's not a wham bam kind of activity.
I feel like unless home visits become a mandated process, most teachers are not likely to do them, but I am very curious to see if that is true and what reasons teachers would cite for being either in favor or not in favor of trying it out.
Ok, enough about home visits and a little about the classroom...
Today was our first day back after the kids had a week off. They were a bit chatty, but I made sure to remind them of expectations as we went so we had a pretty good day. One thing that we did really made me happy and reminded me that yes, sometimes it is really important to put down the script and just listen to the kids. After our morning greeting (we are greeting each other with Namaste this week because our letter of the week is N and our country is Nepal) I asked each child to tell me something he/she did over the week long break. I followed up their statement with a few brief questions and it was so nice to hear all of the things they did. Several kiddos talked about getting Christmas trees and decorating, one boy went camping in the forest, one boy went to Disneyland, one girl's mom had a baby boy, and one girl got a new puppy. I never would have known these things if I hadn't taken time out of our scripted lessons to ask and it was such a nice little segment of our day. I loved it! I wish there was more time to do that each and everyday because it is really important for our kiddos to get the opportunity to share and talk about their lives.
I can't believe it's 8:00 already! I spent a long time at the doctor today. First I waited for the doc to come in, then the appt was longer than usual, then I had to wait in a loooong line for a prescription and I didn't get home until 6:30. I am debating going to the gym because I really don't want to go, but I know it's important to get exercise and I haven't been doing an awesome job at that since being preggo....
I guess if I bring my book on Funds of Knowledge I am technically killing two birds with one stone....
I feel like it's a legitimate question to ask how teachers view the practice of home visits and whether or not they would be willing to try them out as a means to better understanding particular families.
When I was a Head Start teacher, we conducted home visits and I would agree that it was a really eye opening and informative experience. I certainly learned a lot from it, yet back then I didn't have the skills to truly incorporate what I learned in the classroom like I would hope to do now. With Head Start, we were given specific days to do our home visits and there was ample time to get them finished. We were expected to visit the homes of each family, but if I remember correctly there were days when school was not in session so we could do the visits. With public school, I think that home visits would be extra workload for teachers without additional compensation, so they would be one more thing on our already very full plates. I don't think it's necessary to visit each and every family, but even visiting 5 families would be fairly time consuming, right? If we truly wanted to develop deeper relationships with families and students, it's not a wham bam kind of activity.
I feel like unless home visits become a mandated process, most teachers are not likely to do them, but I am very curious to see if that is true and what reasons teachers would cite for being either in favor or not in favor of trying it out.
Ok, enough about home visits and a little about the classroom...
Today was our first day back after the kids had a week off. They were a bit chatty, but I made sure to remind them of expectations as we went so we had a pretty good day. One thing that we did really made me happy and reminded me that yes, sometimes it is really important to put down the script and just listen to the kids. After our morning greeting (we are greeting each other with Namaste this week because our letter of the week is N and our country is Nepal) I asked each child to tell me something he/she did over the week long break. I followed up their statement with a few brief questions and it was so nice to hear all of the things they did. Several kiddos talked about getting Christmas trees and decorating, one boy went camping in the forest, one boy went to Disneyland, one girl's mom had a baby boy, and one girl got a new puppy. I never would have known these things if I hadn't taken time out of our scripted lessons to ask and it was such a nice little segment of our day. I loved it! I wish there was more time to do that each and everyday because it is really important for our kiddos to get the opportunity to share and talk about their lives.
I can't believe it's 8:00 already! I spent a long time at the doctor today. First I waited for the doc to come in, then the appt was longer than usual, then I had to wait in a loooong line for a prescription and I didn't get home until 6:30. I am debating going to the gym because I really don't want to go, but I know it's important to get exercise and I haven't been doing an awesome job at that since being preggo....
I guess if I bring my book on Funds of Knowledge I am technically killing two birds with one stone....
what I've been thinkin' about
I know, I know...it's been awhile.
I seem to have issues getting my act together to post lately and I blame it entirely on not wanting to do anything but veg out once I get home from work in the evenings. I feel the need to exercise and work on my paper and blogging seems to always fall to the wayside. I feel rested after a nice trip to Cali to see my in-laws for Thanksgiving, so I am back and ready to blog.
Speaking of my paper, some big changes have been going on (both good and bad).
I have been working on my "specialty paper" as the second major milestone in my doctoral program but about 40 pages in, a committee at PSU decided that the specialty paper will no longer be a requirement for doctoral candidates. It's not as if my work has been in vain because the specialty paper functions as the first 2 chapters in the dissertation proposal, so that made me feel a bit better. Rather than having to complete the first two chapters and then present and defend that work before moving onto the next part, I can roll the work over and basically I am now working on my dissertation proposal, which adds a third chapter, the methodology section.
When I started the paper, I was focusing on how the type of reading instruction that is taking place as an outcome of No Child Left Behind (very scripted, using core reading programs etc.) puts culturally and linguistically diverse students as a disadvantage because the content included in the scripted lessons does not necessarily reflect and/or relate to their background knowledge as much as it does with White students. I was arguing the point that a scripted program is an excellent foundation, but that teachers need to have some flexibility to modify or enhance the scripted lessons in order to make reading instruction more culturally relevant. I know that teacher flexibility and expectations for fidelity vary from school to school, district to district, and state to state, but in my district, we are expected to stick to the script.
Now that I am at the stage of actually designing my own research which requires me to come up with my own research question, I am starting to go in another direction. Here is a brief overview of my thinking:
What do teachers think about home visits. In most cases, home visits are not a standard practice in public schools (at least where I work), so why is this the case? Are teachers opposed? Would teachers be willing to conduct home visits?
I seem to have issues getting my act together to post lately and I blame it entirely on not wanting to do anything but veg out once I get home from work in the evenings. I feel the need to exercise and work on my paper and blogging seems to always fall to the wayside. I feel rested after a nice trip to Cali to see my in-laws for Thanksgiving, so I am back and ready to blog.
Speaking of my paper, some big changes have been going on (both good and bad).
I have been working on my "specialty paper" as the second major milestone in my doctoral program but about 40 pages in, a committee at PSU decided that the specialty paper will no longer be a requirement for doctoral candidates. It's not as if my work has been in vain because the specialty paper functions as the first 2 chapters in the dissertation proposal, so that made me feel a bit better. Rather than having to complete the first two chapters and then present and defend that work before moving onto the next part, I can roll the work over and basically I am now working on my dissertation proposal, which adds a third chapter, the methodology section.
When I started the paper, I was focusing on how the type of reading instruction that is taking place as an outcome of No Child Left Behind (very scripted, using core reading programs etc.) puts culturally and linguistically diverse students as a disadvantage because the content included in the scripted lessons does not necessarily reflect and/or relate to their background knowledge as much as it does with White students. I was arguing the point that a scripted program is an excellent foundation, but that teachers need to have some flexibility to modify or enhance the scripted lessons in order to make reading instruction more culturally relevant. I know that teacher flexibility and expectations for fidelity vary from school to school, district to district, and state to state, but in my district, we are expected to stick to the script.
Now that I am at the stage of actually designing my own research which requires me to come up with my own research question, I am starting to go in another direction. Here is a brief overview of my thinking:
- teachers need to have the flexibility to enhance scripted curricula using culturally responsive instructional strategies
- culturally responsive teaching strategies involve incorporating student voice, texts that reflect students' cultures, and students' funds of knowledge
- teachers' need to be familiar with students' funds of knowledge in order to appropriately modify curricula
- how can teachers familiarize themselves with students funds of knowledge? Research shows that home visits are an extremely effective way for teachers to gain a better understanding of culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families by getting to know the knowledge and strengths that are present in their households
What do teachers think about home visits. In most cases, home visits are not a standard practice in public schools (at least where I work), so why is this the case? Are teachers opposed? Would teachers be willing to conduct home visits?
So, as I think about creating my own study, I am interested in your thoughts.
Are home visits required where you teach?
Have you ever done a home visit?
Would you be willing to do home visits?
Would it depend on whether or not you were paid/given time during the workday/how many homes you had to visit?
Although I am still really interested in the idea of changing practices to better incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices, I feel like investigating funds of knowledge and how teachers go about making the effort to better understand families is a better starting point for my work. I get really caught up in my own thinking though, so I would love some feedback from different educators to make sure I am not leaving out anything major.
doh
My teaching partner told me after school that a parent from her class brought cupcakes to school for her child's birthday.
2 problems arose from this gesture.
1. We clearly state at the beginning of the year that cupcakes, cake, and ice cream are not allowed for birthday snacks. Too messy, not healthy, filled with sugar etc.
2. This parent brought 24 cupcakes without asking my teaching how many kids are in the class. She has 25 kiddos.
As much as they always have the best interest of their child at heart, sometimes parents drive me totally bananas. Thankfully this wasn't in my room because inside I would have wanted to tell the parent to take the cupcakes home because there weren't enough and they weren't allowed in the first place, but I often have a hard time being that "harsh" with parents who have no concern for following the rules that are established. Even though it would be completely justified, it's hard to call a parent out when they don't do something according to "plan."
I had a similar situation last year where a parent sent in 19 frosted cookies (because she used a class number from the beginning of the year) and by the time it was her child's birthday I had 3 or 4 more kids in the group. That day I was ready to cancel birthdays altogether, but I got over my grinch moment and decided to continue allowing kids to bring birthday snacks this year as long as they are healthy-ish and I specified that cupcakes, cake, and ice cream are not allowed.
Fortunately, most of the time although situations like that can be frustrating and test our patience and tolerance for inattentive grown-ups, we can laugh it off and realize it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of everything.
2 problems arose from this gesture.
1. We clearly state at the beginning of the year that cupcakes, cake, and ice cream are not allowed for birthday snacks. Too messy, not healthy, filled with sugar etc.
2. This parent brought 24 cupcakes without asking my teaching how many kids are in the class. She has 25 kiddos.
As much as they always have the best interest of their child at heart, sometimes parents drive me totally bananas. Thankfully this wasn't in my room because inside I would have wanted to tell the parent to take the cupcakes home because there weren't enough and they weren't allowed in the first place, but I often have a hard time being that "harsh" with parents who have no concern for following the rules that are established. Even though it would be completely justified, it's hard to call a parent out when they don't do something according to "plan."
I had a similar situation last year where a parent sent in 19 frosted cookies (because she used a class number from the beginning of the year) and by the time it was her child's birthday I had 3 or 4 more kids in the group. That day I was ready to cancel birthdays altogether, but I got over my grinch moment and decided to continue allowing kids to bring birthday snacks this year as long as they are healthy-ish and I specified that cupcakes, cake, and ice cream are not allowed.
Fortunately, most of the time although situations like that can be frustrating and test our patience and tolerance for inattentive grown-ups, we can laugh it off and realize it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of everything.
What would you have said to the parent toting 24 cupcakes for 25 kiddos? Send them back or divide and conquer?
Good Move
We don't have school at all next week. Well, the kids don't. We have training days on Monday and Tuesday, but then we get Wednesday off as a nice little treat this year. We started school on Tuesday this year instead of Wednesday and had school on a state-wide teacher in-service day, so having Wednesday off was kind of owed to us. Mr. Sneaker and I get to fly to Cali on Tuesday night this year instead of Wednesday, so we get an extra night/day with the Sneaker-in-laws.
So, back to no school next week...Despite having the entire week off next week, I have had several families tell me that their children will also be missing some school this week. I get it. I have to travel for holidays, so I can see that sometimes you need some extra time, and sometimes, especially when you have pretty with-it, smart kids, it's not such a huge deal to take them out of half day Kindergarten for a few days in order to make real life holiday craziness a bit easier.
However, it just so happens that several assessments fall on this week, so the kiddos who are out will miss a Unit 1 math assessment and the second Fast Track Assessment, which will be completed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.
Sigh.
Kids absent for assessments is always a challenge because sometimes I just never get around to administering the assessment 1 on 1 when I originally gave it to the whole class at once. It's tough.
Somehow today my preggo brain pulled out the big guns and proactively assessed two kiddos who will be out the rest of the week in both math, writing, and Fast Track, so they are good to go and will be caught up when they return.
Fortunately both kiddos are pretty solid little learners, so having them take a math test during morning work was no biggie for them. I also had them do the writing sounds assessment while the rest of the class did it just as practice to prep for their turn later in the week.
Having the sense to do those little check-ins and assessments with them today just made me feel like I really had my ish together--and that felt good.
I can't say the same for the kiddos who are out later in the week without notice, but at least I was able to remain on the ball for these kiddos so maybe--just maybe--all of the assessments will be done by Friday afternoon.
That would be nice.
So, back to no school next week...Despite having the entire week off next week, I have had several families tell me that their children will also be missing some school this week. I get it. I have to travel for holidays, so I can see that sometimes you need some extra time, and sometimes, especially when you have pretty with-it, smart kids, it's not such a huge deal to take them out of half day Kindergarten for a few days in order to make real life holiday craziness a bit easier.
However, it just so happens that several assessments fall on this week, so the kiddos who are out will miss a Unit 1 math assessment and the second Fast Track Assessment, which will be completed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.
Sigh.
Kids absent for assessments is always a challenge because sometimes I just never get around to administering the assessment 1 on 1 when I originally gave it to the whole class at once. It's tough.
Somehow today my preggo brain pulled out the big guns and proactively assessed two kiddos who will be out the rest of the week in both math, writing, and Fast Track, so they are good to go and will be caught up when they return.
Fortunately both kiddos are pretty solid little learners, so having them take a math test during morning work was no biggie for them. I also had them do the writing sounds assessment while the rest of the class did it just as practice to prep for their turn later in the week.
Having the sense to do those little check-ins and assessments with them today just made me feel like I really had my ish together--and that felt good.
I can't say the same for the kiddos who are out later in the week without notice, but at least I was able to remain on the ball for these kiddos so maybe--just maybe--all of the assessments will be done by Friday afternoon.
That would be nice.
Two Weeks
Wow two whole weeks since I have posted. I think that's a record. This past week I was definitely a bit preoccupied because my best friend and her husband were in town from Wednesday night until early this morning. On Thursday my bestie accompanied me to my ultrasound appointment where we found out that baby Sneaker is a GIRL.
I was totally surprised because I had this gut feeling it was a boy. Mr. Sneaker and I are very excited for our little Miss and Cristina and I did some shopping for a few cutie patootie baby outfits. I got myself a few things too--including a pale pink maternity shirt which I will be wearing to school tomorrow to let everyone know we're having a girl.
Everything has been good in the classroom, but I guess I have been a bit uninspired in the posting department. The days and weeks are just flying by and sometimes during the day I think oh I have to post about that, then the day is over and I never get to it. Bad blogger! I thought I would get caught up today, but after an hour of prenatal yoga, I came home and spent the rest of the day in bed. I was feeling fine, just enjoyed a long day of resting and hanging out with Mr. Sneaker. These are our last few months to have the luxury of lounging in bed all day on a Sunday, so we might as well enjoy it while we can!
I am still plugging away on my paper even though technically it's no longer a requirement for my program--that's a whole other post though. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
I was totally surprised because I had this gut feeling it was a boy. Mr. Sneaker and I are very excited for our little Miss and Cristina and I did some shopping for a few cutie patootie baby outfits. I got myself a few things too--including a pale pink maternity shirt which I will be wearing to school tomorrow to let everyone know we're having a girl.
Everything has been good in the classroom, but I guess I have been a bit uninspired in the posting department. The days and weeks are just flying by and sometimes during the day I think oh I have to post about that, then the day is over and I never get to it. Bad blogger! I thought I would get caught up today, but after an hour of prenatal yoga, I came home and spent the rest of the day in bed. I was feeling fine, just enjoyed a long day of resting and hanging out with Mr. Sneaker. These are our last few months to have the luxury of lounging in bed all day on a Sunday, so we might as well enjoy it while we can!
I am still plugging away on my paper even though technically it's no longer a requirement for my program--that's a whole other post though. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
the parties
I am very happy that my first go round of classroom parties is over. The morning class went by in a flash and the kids were really good. The party was under control and I felt silly for even worrying about things getting crazy.
The afternoon..different story.
It's funny too, because usually I feel like my PM class has better behavior than the morning group. And, this year my PM class is super small (usually 18, but two were absent today). Yet, for whatever reason, the afternoon party drained me and I was pretty happy to put all my little creatures on the bus and wave goodbye. We did almost the same activities, except the PM class got to make a pumpkin project and the AM class didn't. I realized that trying to do any activity that requires the kiddos to stop and attend to directions during a party makes the activity feel a lot more taxing and stressful. Also, four of the moms who came to help brought siblings, which in my mind makes more work and doesn't necessarily take any of the work off my plate. Luckily, I had extra materials so the 3-4 year old siblings made the pumpkin too. Then there were two toddlers whose moms basically followed them around doing damage control of all the stuff in the classroom they were trying todestroy touch. I love it when parents come to help, but it was clear by the different between the morning and afternoon that when parents bring additional children it just adds to the chaos a bit. I felt like the PM class didn't stop talking the entire time. They weren't bad by any means, but it was just noisy and too much for me.
Anyway, I know both classes had fun and I hope that tomorrow we get back to normal and good listening! I had one little boy who announced upon receiving his snack plate with apples and goldfish that he was allergic to the fish. I told him not to eat them to which he responded by eating every single one. I have spoken with his parents about his allergies and it's not anything that will truly make him sick, but come on buddy...seriously! I am really tempted to forego all snack situations because of how many kids have allergies. I am so afraid of feeding kids food they shouldn't be eating, but I can't keep track of all the different dairy, wheat, gluten, etc. allergies. I ask parents to supply individual snacks for events like today and one mom did, but the other child (who was chowing down on the goldfish) said he didn't have his own snack. ::sigh::
I dressed up as a black cat (lame, but I could not find a single costume at the Halloween store that didn't look seriously skimpy and inappropriate for Kindergarten). I tried to play it off that I was a friend of Pete the Cat rockin' in my school shoes and wore my cool gray high tops with plaid interior. The kids just enjoyed seeing me dressed up, so obviously it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to make them happy. They were so excited for the day regardless of what happened in class.
We had the chance to sign up to get trick or treaters tonight since we are in an apartment building and I opted not to. Mr. Sneaker is leaving for Central America later tonight, so we are hanging out, packing, and trying to get in some relaxing. Next year, when we are back in our house and have a cute baby to dress up maybe Halloween will get some of its pizazz back!
The afternoon..different story.
It's funny too, because usually I feel like my PM class has better behavior than the morning group. And, this year my PM class is super small (usually 18, but two were absent today). Yet, for whatever reason, the afternoon party drained me and I was pretty happy to put all my little creatures on the bus and wave goodbye. We did almost the same activities, except the PM class got to make a pumpkin project and the AM class didn't. I realized that trying to do any activity that requires the kiddos to stop and attend to directions during a party makes the activity feel a lot more taxing and stressful. Also, four of the moms who came to help brought siblings, which in my mind makes more work and doesn't necessarily take any of the work off my plate. Luckily, I had extra materials so the 3-4 year old siblings made the pumpkin too. Then there were two toddlers whose moms basically followed them around doing damage control of all the stuff in the classroom they were trying to
Anyway, I know both classes had fun and I hope that tomorrow we get back to normal and good listening! I had one little boy who announced upon receiving his snack plate with apples and goldfish that he was allergic to the fish. I told him not to eat them to which he responded by eating every single one. I have spoken with his parents about his allergies and it's not anything that will truly make him sick, but come on buddy...seriously! I am really tempted to forego all snack situations because of how many kids have allergies. I am so afraid of feeding kids food they shouldn't be eating, but I can't keep track of all the different dairy, wheat, gluten, etc. allergies. I ask parents to supply individual snacks for events like today and one mom did, but the other child (who was chowing down on the goldfish) said he didn't have his own snack. ::sigh::
I dressed up as a black cat (lame, but I could not find a single costume at the Halloween store that didn't look seriously skimpy and inappropriate for Kindergarten). I tried to play it off that I was a friend of Pete the Cat rockin' in my school shoes and wore my cool gray high tops with plaid interior. The kids just enjoyed seeing me dressed up, so obviously it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to make them happy. They were so excited for the day regardless of what happened in class.
We had the chance to sign up to get trick or treaters tonight since we are in an apartment building and I opted not to. Mr. Sneaker is leaving for Central America later tonight, so we are hanging out, packing, and trying to get in some relaxing. Next year, when we are back in our house and have a cute baby to dress up maybe Halloween will get some of its pizazz back!
Halloween Monday
So is anyone else not too thrilled that Halloween is on a Monday this year? I am hoping it doesn't set us off on a crazy week full of sugar comas and cranky kiddos.
I am going to attempt to get some instruction in on Monday even though the kids are allowed to come to school dressed in their costumes. But, during the second half of each session we are going to have a Halloween Parade and followed by a party in the classroom. I got parent volunteers to supply a healthy snack and juice, but I am stuck on the activity part. Last year, I had parents who took control of all of the parties and I didn't have to do any planning at all. They bought all the supplies, planned fun activities, and cleaned up before they left.
It was awesome.
This year, I had one mom agree to plan an activity for the AM class but no-one stepped up for the PM class. I don't really want to make it an either you do it all or we won't have a party kind of deal, yet I am tempted. I am not really too into planning it myself and my mind was totally on conferences this week and not at all thinking about Halloween. We are limited to 30 minutes for the classroom party and I'd like to do an art project or something, but I am struggling with ideas and I don't have a lot of time left to plan.
Some ideas I had....
freeze dance with Halloween music (but that doesn't take long)
musical chairs with Halloween music (but then there's always a kid who cries because he/she doesn't win)
an art project (but I have only come across ones that seem too complicated or time consuming)
I am going to attempt to get some instruction in on Monday even though the kids are allowed to come to school dressed in their costumes. But, during the second half of each session we are going to have a Halloween Parade and followed by a party in the classroom. I got parent volunteers to supply a healthy snack and juice, but I am stuck on the activity part. Last year, I had parents who took control of all of the parties and I didn't have to do any planning at all. They bought all the supplies, planned fun activities, and cleaned up before they left.
It was awesome.
This year, I had one mom agree to plan an activity for the AM class but no-one stepped up for the PM class. I don't really want to make it an either you do it all or we won't have a party kind of deal, yet I am tempted. I am not really too into planning it myself and my mind was totally on conferences this week and not at all thinking about Halloween. We are limited to 30 minutes for the classroom party and I'd like to do an art project or something, but I am struggling with ideas and I don't have a lot of time left to plan.
Some ideas I had....
freeze dance with Halloween music (but that doesn't take long)
musical chairs with Halloween music (but then there's always a kid who cries because he/she doesn't win)
an art project (but I have only come across ones that seem too complicated or time consuming)
Any idea for a simple art project or craft that will seem fun and exciting to Kindergartners?
Are you having a Halloween party? What are you planning?
Help!
I have a student who needs a lot of practice with numbers (recognizing and knowing the names). Her parents don't speak English very well, so I want to buy her some kind of game that will allow her to press numbers and hear number words in English since they are not able to help her with her number vocabulary. Any ideas?
My first thought was to look into the Leap Frog games, but after looking them over, I am hesitant to just buy one because they aren't cheap and I really don't know how well they work. I don't want something super complicated...but a laptop type game where she could hear and practice numbers as well as letter and letter sounds would be awesome.
I would love some advice about what's out there. Even a number puzzle with some type of sound output would be great.
Advice please!!!
My first thought was to look into the Leap Frog games, but after looking them over, I am hesitant to just buy one because they aren't cheap and I really don't know how well they work. I don't want something super complicated...but a laptop type game where she could hear and practice numbers as well as letter and letter sounds would be awesome.
I would love some advice about what's out there. Even a number puzzle with some type of sound output would be great.
Advice please!!!
Made it
I survived my one and only field trip of the year! The kids will go on another one in the spring, but I will be on maternity leave by then, so today was it.
We took a nice little 45-minute long bus ride to a pumpkin patch and spent the morning riding a train, riding a boat, picking out pumpkins, running through a hay maze, and then eating lunch before we headed back to school.
When we go on field trips, I have both of my classes at once, which is always stressful. I have a total of 38 kids, but 5 ended up not coming, so it was me and 33 kiddos. Luckily, we had a lot of parents who came along--27 of 'em.
Yep, you read that right....33 kids and 27 adults.
Good deal.
I don't take a group so that I can kind of go back and forth between classes since they only have one class at a time for the initial talk about the farm and the ride out to the patch. Pretty much each kid had their very own parent to stick with and only a few parents had to take on another child from the class. It was also nice to have a lot of parents because they take their kiddos home with them, so there were only 9 children left on the bus for the ride home.
I always have a fear that someone will get sick on the extremely long bus ride, but we had another successful puke free year. We did have one bee sting, but the little girl was okay and didn't have an allergic reaction. And, her mom was there, so that made me feel much better.
I successfully made it through the event without having to use the porta potty (which is hard for a preggo), but I just made sure not to drink a lot and used the real bathroom back at school.
The kids were all so excited about their pumpkins and it was a fun day.
But, I'm glad it's over.
Next up: Conferences tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday.
We took a nice little 45-minute long bus ride to a pumpkin patch and spent the morning riding a train, riding a boat, picking out pumpkins, running through a hay maze, and then eating lunch before we headed back to school.
When we go on field trips, I have both of my classes at once, which is always stressful. I have a total of 38 kids, but 5 ended up not coming, so it was me and 33 kiddos. Luckily, we had a lot of parents who came along--27 of 'em.
Yep, you read that right....33 kids and 27 adults.
Good deal.
I don't take a group so that I can kind of go back and forth between classes since they only have one class at a time for the initial talk about the farm and the ride out to the patch. Pretty much each kid had their very own parent to stick with and only a few parents had to take on another child from the class. It was also nice to have a lot of parents because they take their kiddos home with them, so there were only 9 children left on the bus for the ride home.
I always have a fear that someone will get sick on the extremely long bus ride, but we had another successful puke free year. We did have one bee sting, but the little girl was okay and didn't have an allergic reaction. And, her mom was there, so that made me feel much better.
I successfully made it through the event without having to use the porta potty (which is hard for a preggo), but I just made sure not to drink a lot and used the real bathroom back at school.
The kids were all so excited about their pumpkins and it was a fun day.
But, I'm glad it's over.
Next up: Conferences tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday.
Book Art
In my last post, I wrote about a book called Press Here that my kiddos LOVED. On Friday, during choice time, I was working with some children at the bingo stamper art table and we made a little discovery that bingo stampers make dots just like the dots in Press Here. We spontaneously started making our own pages with dots and directions like in the book Press Here. It was nearly the end of choice time when we started, but I have a feeling there is going to be some fighting over the dot stamp table next week. The kiddos were so into the idea of making their own Press Here books and they were coming out so cute.
We just had regular white paper, but I think I may cut some smaller paper and staple pages together to make books that they can fill in. I was doing the writing, but they were dictating what the directions would be and they LOVED it. Choice time is limited to 15 minutes once a week, but boy do I love all the creativity and enthusiasm that is filling the room during that brief time. I wish more of Kindergarten could be like that, which is why I feel that it's so important to squeeze it in once a week.
We just had regular white paper, but I think I may cut some smaller paper and staple pages together to make books that they can fill in. I was doing the writing, but they were dictating what the directions would be and they LOVED it. Choice time is limited to 15 minutes once a week, but boy do I love all the creativity and enthusiasm that is filling the room during that brief time. I wish more of Kindergarten could be like that, which is why I feel that it's so important to squeeze it in once a week.
Great Books
I finally joined the club and read Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes to my kiddos yesterday. I got the book along with a CD of the author reading it from the Scholastic book club this month and it was well worth that $7.00. First of all, it's kind of fun to listen to a story along with the kids instead of reading it myself because the author's version is most definitely a better telling of the story than my version. Secondly, it was just so fun to see how much the kids LOVED the book and the song and the funky beat. They started to sing along and they insisted that we read it again yesterday and then again today.
We also read a book that my teaching partner let me borrow called Press Here. Have you heard of it?
If you haven't and you teach Kindergarten run out and find it now! The kids were SO into this book I can't even describe it. It's not really a story...the pages actually contain only pictures of colored dots and instructions like rub the dot gently, tap the dot five times, or press the dot hard, but they were so excited to see what each action made the dots do on the subsequent page. When you tap the dot five times on the next page the one dot turns into five. When you press the yellow dots hard the background on the next page turns black. The text on the page is funny and really engaging and it was seriously as if the author was watching us read it and writing the text based on the kids' reactions. It was so fun. I have a feeling that I definitely need to add that book to my own collection because the kiddos will be looking for it on the shelf.
I thought the kids were obsessed with the Pigeon books last year, but I think Pete the Cat and Press Here are bringing it to a whole new level.
Speaking of a whole new level...have you heard of Candy Corn M&M's? They are orange, white, and yellow and filled with white chocolate. YUM. Sadly, they are apparently a Walmart exclusive, so I had to track them down on amazon and spend way too much for a 9 oz. bag. They arrived today and made me a very happy camper. I heart prime shipping.
We also read a book that my teaching partner let me borrow called Press Here. Have you heard of it?
If you haven't and you teach Kindergarten run out and find it now! The kids were SO into this book I can't even describe it. It's not really a story...the pages actually contain only pictures of colored dots and instructions like rub the dot gently, tap the dot five times, or press the dot hard, but they were so excited to see what each action made the dots do on the subsequent page. When you tap the dot five times on the next page the one dot turns into five. When you press the yellow dots hard the background on the next page turns black. The text on the page is funny and really engaging and it was seriously as if the author was watching us read it and writing the text based on the kids' reactions. It was so fun. I have a feeling that I definitely need to add that book to my own collection because the kiddos will be looking for it on the shelf.
I thought the kids were obsessed with the Pigeon books last year, but I think Pete the Cat and Press Here are bringing it to a whole new level.
Speaking of a whole new level...have you heard of Candy Corn M&M's? They are orange, white, and yellow and filled with white chocolate. YUM. Sadly, they are apparently a Walmart exclusive, so I had to track them down on amazon and spend way too much for a 9 oz. bag. They arrived today and made me a very happy camper. I heart prime shipping.
Travel Tuesday
This year Mrs. Bee and I decided to try a new routine during the time when some of our students are pulled out for 30 minutes of English language development lessons. We are doing a rotation that repeats every week, so the children who stay with us do a different activity each day.
Travel Tuesday consists of the kiddos rotating through table stations with their very own passport that we stamp upon completion of the activities. We started out having the kids move from one table to the next freely as they completed activities, but that made for a very hectic work time. It was too noisy and I felt pressured to stamp passports and direct kids where to go next while not having time to really sit with kids and interact with them as they worked. Maybe it was because the activities were still new, but it just didn't feel right.
I decided to have the kids stay at their tables for a certain amount of time rather than letting them switch as soon as they finished something. As a result, some kids finish before the time is up and some kids don't finish, but everyone gets a full 10 minutes at each table. We provide a list of instructions at a few of the tables (the "important" ones) so the kiddos can always repeat the activities if they have time.
At one table, the kids have to choose a book (sight word books, Bob books etc.) and they read the book using one of those green witch fingers to point to each word. Then, they use a whisper phone and read into that. Then they take a little stuffed animal from the box and read to their furry friend. Last, they read to a buddy or they read to me. I try to stay at the book table so that I can hear kids read and then I write down what book they read in their passport so I have a record.
At another table, the kiddos practice the sight word of the week. Mrs. Bee and I got very brave and made paint bags. Basically we poured Tempura paint into a gallon size plastic bag, then folded over the top and sealed it with duct tape. The kids use Qtips to write the sight word five times in the paint. These bags are great because when you smooth the paint out again, the words are erased. After writing in the paint, the kiddos use bingo stampers to fill in a bubble letter version of the sight word. Finally, if they have time, they use letter stamps to write the sight word. I have three different types of letter stamps in the box and I put the correct letters for each week's word in a separate plastic baggy for each kind of stamp (small, large and dot).
Those are the two "important" tables and then I put out one or two "choice" tables depending on which class it is. Sometimes I put out pattern blocks, science exploration trays, or a phonics game--something that the kids can do without needing help. We rotate so that each group of kids gets to do two of the stations. I stamp their passports as a way of keeping track of which stations they do each week.
Now that they have done the stations for several weeks, they know the routine and our Travel Tuesday goes much more smoothly. Especially in the PM class where I have a high school helper every day. She does the sight word table and I do the book table and that works out really well. I love that I have a chance to listen to each child read and it's fun to see the kids reading the sight word books successfully.
I feel like I am doing a better job with reinforcing the sight words this year and we finally completed our collection of Heidi's Songs CD's so we now have a song for every single sight word except for saw. This week's songs are super cute and the children have such a fun time singing the songs every day. It's nice to have a component that lets the musically inclined kiddos shine and shake it a little bit.
Wednesday is our Words on Wednesday day, so maybe I will post about that tomorrow. We have been using Words Their Way materials and making our own letter sound sorts each week.
Travel Tuesday consists of the kiddos rotating through table stations with their very own passport that we stamp upon completion of the activities. We started out having the kids move from one table to the next freely as they completed activities, but that made for a very hectic work time. It was too noisy and I felt pressured to stamp passports and direct kids where to go next while not having time to really sit with kids and interact with them as they worked. Maybe it was because the activities were still new, but it just didn't feel right.
I decided to have the kids stay at their tables for a certain amount of time rather than letting them switch as soon as they finished something. As a result, some kids finish before the time is up and some kids don't finish, but everyone gets a full 10 minutes at each table. We provide a list of instructions at a few of the tables (the "important" ones) so the kiddos can always repeat the activities if they have time.
At one table, the kids have to choose a book (sight word books, Bob books etc.) and they read the book using one of those green witch fingers to point to each word. Then, they use a whisper phone and read into that. Then they take a little stuffed animal from the box and read to their furry friend. Last, they read to a buddy or they read to me. I try to stay at the book table so that I can hear kids read and then I write down what book they read in their passport so I have a record.
At another table, the kiddos practice the sight word of the week. Mrs. Bee and I got very brave and made paint bags. Basically we poured Tempura paint into a gallon size plastic bag, then folded over the top and sealed it with duct tape. The kids use Qtips to write the sight word five times in the paint. These bags are great because when you smooth the paint out again, the words are erased. After writing in the paint, the kiddos use bingo stampers to fill in a bubble letter version of the sight word. Finally, if they have time, they use letter stamps to write the sight word. I have three different types of letter stamps in the box and I put the correct letters for each week's word in a separate plastic baggy for each kind of stamp (small, large and dot).
Those are the two "important" tables and then I put out one or two "choice" tables depending on which class it is. Sometimes I put out pattern blocks, science exploration trays, or a phonics game--something that the kids can do without needing help. We rotate so that each group of kids gets to do two of the stations. I stamp their passports as a way of keeping track of which stations they do each week.
Now that they have done the stations for several weeks, they know the routine and our Travel Tuesday goes much more smoothly. Especially in the PM class where I have a high school helper every day. She does the sight word table and I do the book table and that works out really well. I love that I have a chance to listen to each child read and it's fun to see the kids reading the sight word books successfully.
I feel like I am doing a better job with reinforcing the sight words this year and we finally completed our collection of Heidi's Songs CD's so we now have a song for every single sight word except for saw. This week's songs are super cute and the children have such a fun time singing the songs every day. It's nice to have a component that lets the musically inclined kiddos shine and shake it a little bit.
Wednesday is our Words on Wednesday day, so maybe I will post about that tomorrow. We have been using Words Their Way materials and making our own letter sound sorts each week.
Plate=Full
Yes, I am "eating for two," but right now my plate is just a bit too full.
We moved this weekend.
From a two bedroom temporary housing apartment to a smaller apartment we will be in for the next 6 months. Our stuff doesn't exactly fit..nevermind having room for person #3 that arrives in March.
When I say "we" moved, I actually mean that Mr. Sneaker and his mom moved most of our stuff because I had class Friday night and all day on Saturday.
But since they were working the entire time I was in class, plus during the day on Friday, I felt compelled to help as soon as I got home from class both on Friday night and Saturday evening, which means free time has been pretty non-existent.
I was supposed to turn in a finished first draft of my specialty paper, so it has been weighing on my mind all day that I have to work on it, but I finally decided that I need to just sent what I have off to my advisers and continue working on making the draft complete this week. I met with both advisers after class yesterday and talked about the paper, so based on their feedback I already know I need to make some revisions, but I am going to let them read what I have and give me feedback before I officially make any changes.
I can't believe tomorrow is Monday and I want a nap!
We moved this weekend.
From a two bedroom temporary housing apartment to a smaller apartment we will be in for the next 6 months. Our stuff doesn't exactly fit..nevermind having room for person #3 that arrives in March.
When I say "we" moved, I actually mean that Mr. Sneaker and his mom moved most of our stuff because I had class Friday night and all day on Saturday.
But since they were working the entire time I was in class, plus during the day on Friday, I felt compelled to help as soon as I got home from class both on Friday night and Saturday evening, which means free time has been pretty non-existent.
I was supposed to turn in a finished first draft of my specialty paper, so it has been weighing on my mind all day that I have to work on it, but I finally decided that I need to just sent what I have off to my advisers and continue working on making the draft complete this week. I met with both advisers after class yesterday and talked about the paper, so based on their feedback I already know I need to make some revisions, but I am going to let them read what I have and give me feedback before I officially make any changes.
I can't believe tomorrow is Monday and I want a nap!
Sweet
On Friday I sent home a note announcing my pregnancy to my students and their families (with a bit of trepidation because Kindergarten is a unique year, especially for families who are sending their first child to school and I was worried families would be upset that I will be leaving and that the kids have to go through a transition).
Today a little girl from my PM class came in and gave me a present.
Her mom is also pregnant and she sent me a chocolate bar, decaf herbal tea, and some bath salts and said they are some things she has been enjoying and she hopes I enjoy them too.
What a thoughtful thing to do!
The kids mentioned my baby and asked if it's a girl or a boy. I asked them what they thought and the majority said girl.
November 10th should be the date we can find out... if Baby Sneaker cooperates.
P.S. 25 pages down on my paper and still trying to rock the rest out before Saturday!
Show me the number
As part of our Daily Math Routine with the Expressions math program, one of the exercises we do involves me showing a giant number card and the kiddos holding up that many fingers. My PM class has really taken to showing what the program refers to as number partners.
Rather than just holding up their hand with five fingers, they've started to show me 2 fingers on one hand and 3 on the other or 4 on one hand and 1 on the other. I have been really happy to see this and I feel like it's a way that the kids who are more advanced are able to take this exercise to the next level.
So, the kiddos have been experimenting with using different fingers to show each number.
2,3,4, and 5 were really successful.
1...not so much.
You have to chuckle when you look at our your little friends and several are giving you the finger :0)
Rather than just holding up their hand with five fingers, they've started to show me 2 fingers on one hand and 3 on the other or 4 on one hand and 1 on the other. I have been really happy to see this and I feel like it's a way that the kids who are more advanced are able to take this exercise to the next level.
So, the kiddos have been experimenting with using different fingers to show each number.
2,3,4, and 5 were really successful.
1...not so much.
You have to chuckle when you look at our your little friends and several are giving you the finger :0)
Mochi
Have you ever bought Mochi ice cream from Trader Joes?
Good stuff.
My favorite is chocolate, but they also have mango and green tea flavors.
And, the greatest part is that the containers they come in are absolutely perfect for holding paint.
I saved a few last year and used them today for our painting project.
Worked like a charm :0)
Bullet Points
- I went to a training on culturally responsive instruction today. I felt more tired after being there all day than I do after being with 5 year olds all day! Guess I prefer the activity of the classroom...but I am so not jealous that my sub had to do star of the week snack today while I was gone.
- I tried to watch Gossip Girl when I got home, but promptly fell asleep. Hopefully I fare better for Top Chef Just Desserts tonight.
- I have a ginormous mountain of laundry to put away, which does not look appealing right now. Fortunately, my sluggishness in getting household chores done as of late has motivated Mr. Sneaker to volunteer taking on dish washing duty. Score!
- I am going strong with my daily reading/writing for my paper. I have about 18 pages and still have a long way to go, but I am working on it every single day after work which is good.
- Speaking of working on my paper....I need to get going on that.
- I haven't posted on my classroom blog in over a week. I hope the parents don't think I'm a slacker!
- I am SO thirsty. I feel like I have been drinking TONS of water, but I am still thirsty...and really loving orange juice. Although, I try to just drink water and then juice or something flavored only on occasion.
- It is pouring rain out...welcome to fall in Portland :0)
- I am cooking up a spaghetti squash with meat sauce for dinner. Yum!
- I can't wait until Friday. PJ's and a movie with Mr. Sneaker are calling my name!!
Back Today
I had a student who was out all last week because he was pretty sick. The day I found out he wouldn't be at school all week, I had his classmates make him cards because he had to spend some time in the hospital.
After being out for 6 days, he finally came back today and it was SO cute to see how excited the other kiddos were to see him. One girl at his table kept telling me that she thought he should get to pass things out instead of her or the other table mate.
Several kiddos told this boy how excited they were to have him back and he literally bounded to his table and just dove right back into all of our classroom activities.
It was really nice to see how connected the kids are and how much care they show for one another.
Really sweet.
I am out of the classroom for a training tomorrow, so I prepped for my sub and I feel pretty good about leaving the kiddos for the first time. I am sure they will do fine and although it's hard to be out, it's always interested to see how they do with a sub. Hopefully it will show that they have all of our routines down and can just continue the flow without me!
After being out for 6 days, he finally came back today and it was SO cute to see how excited the other kiddos were to see him. One girl at his table kept telling me that she thought he should get to pass things out instead of her or the other table mate.
Several kiddos told this boy how excited they were to have him back and he literally bounded to his table and just dove right back into all of our classroom activities.
It was really nice to see how connected the kids are and how much care they show for one another.
Really sweet.
I am out of the classroom for a training tomorrow, so I prepped for my sub and I feel pretty good about leaving the kiddos for the first time. I am sure they will do fine and although it's hard to be out, it's always interested to see how they do with a sub. Hopefully it will show that they have all of our routines down and can just continue the flow without me!
fastforward
I am amazed at how fast the days go by. Without specials to break up the flow of the day this year, we can just seamlessly go from one activity to the next. If I'm a little off schedule, it's no big deal and before I know it, it's time to take the kids to the bus.
Half day Kindergarten is seriously short!
The kiddos are doing really well in math. Today I did some informal assessment to see which kiddos are able to put their number tiles in order and the majority did really well. I had one child in the PM class who struggles with number recognition and counting and several in the AM. When I laid out their tiles and asked them to point to each number, however, they did fairly well (some better than others), so I am hopeful that all of the practice we are doing is helping them remember.
During our daily math routine, one of the activities is to pass out number cards (one per child) and have the kids put them in order by standing in a line in number order. I remember the kids struggling with this task last year and this year they are doing great. Even the kids who are having a harder time are doing well with it.
We also do an activity where I show a number and they have to show me that many fingers. The kids are getting creative and showing me different ways to make each number. For example, typically when we show four, we show all four on one hand, fingers up and thumb tucked away. Today I saw a few kiddos showing two fingers on each hand and a few even showed three fingers on one hand and one on the other. They are getting the concept of number partners, which is something we work on later in the year. It's nice to be able to stretch math out a little more and do some things I didn't do last year because of behavior/management/crowd control issues.
I wrote sub plans after school today since I will be out Wednesday for a training. It took a long time because I always write extensive plans. Since it's the first time writing them this year, I am getting everything down so in the future, I can cut and paste the routine and procedure parts. Writing sub plans, is one of the times teaching two sessions really has its advantages. I write for half a day and then basically just include times for the PM class and write same as AM for each activity. All of my subs are great and they always do fine, but I think I tend to leave a lot more information than necessary.
I am off to bed to read. I still haven't finished my chapters for book club, which meets tomorrow and I haven't gotten in my daily quota for work on my paper. I didn't feel well at all after school, so I got in bed and tried to relax. Mr. Sneaker made dinner, cleaned up, and emptied the dishwasher so I could just chill. Love it!
Half day Kindergarten is seriously short!
The kiddos are doing really well in math. Today I did some informal assessment to see which kiddos are able to put their number tiles in order and the majority did really well. I had one child in the PM class who struggles with number recognition and counting and several in the AM. When I laid out their tiles and asked them to point to each number, however, they did fairly well (some better than others), so I am hopeful that all of the practice we are doing is helping them remember.
During our daily math routine, one of the activities is to pass out number cards (one per child) and have the kids put them in order by standing in a line in number order. I remember the kids struggling with this task last year and this year they are doing great. Even the kids who are having a harder time are doing well with it.
We also do an activity where I show a number and they have to show me that many fingers. The kids are getting creative and showing me different ways to make each number. For example, typically when we show four, we show all four on one hand, fingers up and thumb tucked away. Today I saw a few kiddos showing two fingers on each hand and a few even showed three fingers on one hand and one on the other. They are getting the concept of number partners, which is something we work on later in the year. It's nice to be able to stretch math out a little more and do some things I didn't do last year because of behavior/management/crowd control issues.
I wrote sub plans after school today since I will be out Wednesday for a training. It took a long time because I always write extensive plans. Since it's the first time writing them this year, I am getting everything down so in the future, I can cut and paste the routine and procedure parts. Writing sub plans, is one of the times teaching two sessions really has its advantages. I write for half a day and then basically just include times for the PM class and write same as AM for each activity. All of my subs are great and they always do fine, but I think I tend to leave a lot more information than necessary.
I am off to bed to read. I still haven't finished my chapters for book club, which meets tomorrow and I haven't gotten in my daily quota for work on my paper. I didn't feel well at all after school, so I got in bed and tried to relax. Mr. Sneaker made dinner, cleaned up, and emptied the dishwasher so I could just chill. Love it!
Still here
It's been almost a week since I last posted. I keep thinking about things I want to write and then I get home and have other things to do and I just don't do it. I made a deal with my advisers that I would have a final copy of my specialty paper completed by October 15th, so I am feeling the pressure and trying to work on that for at least an hour each day after work. So far it's going well and I have made a good amount of progress. Here is a little bit about what I have been up to and what's been going on in the classroom in bullet points.
- I got a new student last week, but he is adjusting well and hasn't shifted the dynamics of the group
- I am still loving my small classes and new groups. I was so impressed on Friday that they were working independently and I could grab kids that were finished to play a phonics game with them.
- I have been working on getting assessments done and I was really pleased to see a few kids really connecting with the phonics lessons that we have done. A few kiddos don't know the letter names at all, but they knew the sounds that we have covered, which tells me they are tuning in and it's working for them. Yay!
- I am seriously in love with my carpet. It is awesome for management, organization, and saving time. Best. Purchase. Ever.
- I did choice time for the first time on Friday as it was the first week that the kiddos had to keep their sticks all week. I did it differently this year and chose 6 activities, which I put out on the tables. It went really well and felt a lot more organized than last year. I was a big meanie and took out the play kitchen that I had last year, so the activities available were all pretty academic (bingo stampers with sights words written in bubble letters, science trays with magnet activities, counting cakes, connecting cubes, stamping markers and regular markers for coloring, and a magnet/building activity). The kids were totally fine with the choices and had fun. I was so happy to not have the drama involved with everybody wanting the kitchen. Yes, I LOVE dramatic play, but we only provide 15 minutes of choice time, so the table activities are great. I am going to try to include math, science, sight words, and art each week along with something for building. Creativity can manifest itself in other ways with those choices.
- I had a few parent helpers cancel this week, but I have been loving my Friday helpers who put together the kids' Friday folders for me. One less thing I have to do on Thursdays after school and a great job for classroom helpers. I am also LOVING my three high school helpers. One comes every day in the PM, which is absolutely fantastic. The other two come every other day, each for an hour. All three girls are terrific and I am finally at a point where having help is not scary because I feel like I am more organized this year--therefore organized enough to know what to have them help me with. The high schoolers are totally hands on with kids and it's wonderful to have extra hands and helpers. I had some technical challenges getting a video set up on Friday so I just passed a story to my helper and got the projector working while she was reading. What could have been stressful and chaotic was totally fine because of her help.
- I am starting to attend a writing group with other members of my cohort on Thursday. We meet for two hours each week just to write. I am hopeful that I will be able to get a lot done so my draft is ready in two weeks! I am really excited about my paper and have been continuing to read about reading instruction, curriculum theories, whole language, culturally responsive instruction etc. etc. I got two new books and they are both awesome. I just wish I was a speed reader because there is so much literature I need/want to read for my paper and I am short on time.
- Speaking of reading, I started a new book club and we are reading Cutting For Stone. Anyone read it? I started it, but didn't really get super pumped about it. I have to read four chapters by Tuesday and I am hoping I can get that done.
- Last but not least, I had an ultrasound on Friday and everything is looking good. Baby Sneaker is looking good and the doc said we will be able to find out the gender at our next appt. I had no idea we would be able to find out this soon, but we are excited.
Hope everyone has a great Monday!
Parent Helpers
I finally got myself organized enough to thoughtfully plan out what kinds of help I need from parents. Rather than just asking who wants to volunteer, I created "job descriptions" and put a sheet for weekly helpers at our supply drop night. I was asking for help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and I was lucky enough to get volunteers to cover everything that I was asking for. I thought I was pretty clear that I really need help with these jobs every single week (and I am not just making busy work like I sometimes do when parents just want to pop in randomly).
Well, now that I am seriously counting on these parents to come in weekly, I am really disappointed when they email (sometimes with really short notice) to say they can't make it.
I get that things come up and they get sick too. And, they are volunteering, so I should appreciate whatever I get whenever I get it, but now that I got myself organized enough to set aside things I need help with, it sucks to have to then do it myself when a parent can't make it in.
Is there such a thing as a parent volunteer sub list? I wouldn't want to ask the parent to find a sub, but I am thinking it would be nice if I had a few parents I could call in the event I get stuck without the help that I need. Hmmm...something to think about.
Well, now that I am seriously counting on these parents to come in weekly, I am really disappointed when they email (sometimes with really short notice) to say they can't make it.
I get that things come up and they get sick too. And, they are volunteering, so I should appreciate whatever I get whenever I get it, but now that I got myself organized enough to set aside things I need help with, it sucks to have to then do it myself when a parent can't make it in.
Is there such a thing as a parent volunteer sub list? I wouldn't want to ask the parent to find a sub, but I am thinking it would be nice if I had a few parents I could call in the event I get stuck without the help that I need. Hmmm...something to think about.
How do you organize your parent volunteers? What do they do for you?
Weekend
It's almost 4:00 on Sunday and I still have to plan math for the week. I had class on Friday evening and from 9-3:30 yesterday, so that definitely cut down on my amount of me time this weekend. They always go by too fast!
I love getting together with my cohort group and I always feel renewed and motivated when I leave them. I am setting goals for the term and aiming to have a final version of my next paper by mid-December. Ideally, I would be able to defend prior to Winter break, but I don't know how likely that is. Here's hoping! I have a lot of writing to do in order to get a first draft ready by October 15th, but once I get back into the habit of writing daily, I think that is feasible.
I am mostly planned for the week and feeling really organized, so once I get math in order, everything should be ready to go. We are finally into our "real" schedule and so far things are going very well. The kiddos are doing a nice job with everything so far and I am happy to have routine in my life again...although I do miss the lazy days of summer.
I am finally starting to get some energy back, so I participated in our jogathon with the kids on Friday and went for a run with my friend Janine this morning. Daily exercise needs to come back into my life!!! I am gearing up to make something yummy for dinner and then I have a date with Jill and Janine for The Amazing Race premier tonight (and I think Desperate Housewives starts too!). Then it will be off to bed to start a new week.
I love getting together with my cohort group and I always feel renewed and motivated when I leave them. I am setting goals for the term and aiming to have a final version of my next paper by mid-December. Ideally, I would be able to defend prior to Winter break, but I don't know how likely that is. Here's hoping! I have a lot of writing to do in order to get a first draft ready by October 15th, but once I get back into the habit of writing daily, I think that is feasible.
I am mostly planned for the week and feeling really organized, so once I get math in order, everything should be ready to go. We are finally into our "real" schedule and so far things are going very well. The kiddos are doing a nice job with everything so far and I am happy to have routine in my life again...although I do miss the lazy days of summer.
I am finally starting to get some energy back, so I participated in our jogathon with the kids on Friday and went for a run with my friend Janine this morning. Daily exercise needs to come back into my life!!! I am gearing up to make something yummy for dinner and then I have a date with Jill and Janine for The Amazing Race premier tonight (and I think Desperate Housewives starts too!). Then it will be off to bed to start a new week.
What I didn't tell you about Venice....
Do you remember this picture of Mr. Sneaker and me from Venice this summer?
Well...when I shared my stories about the trip, I left a little something out.
The day we took this very romantic gondola ride...
We found out that Team Sneaker (and Mrs. Sneaker in particular) will be expanding!
That's right...
Baby on Board
Baby Sneaker will be making a grand debut sometime around spring break.
Phew!
Thanks for all the comments on The Crying Game! I am glad to know that many other teachers react to crying the same way I do....by not giving it a lot of attention. I think we all wish we could be a little more sympathetic but it's that all too common issue of not being able to do it for one kid if you can't do it for all of the kids and the fear that if too much attention is given for crying that the crying will increase.
I actually had one very sweet student start crying because the girl across from her was crying and she felt so bad. I guess she thought I should have been helping the girl who was crying a bit more than I was, but I was really touched by how worried she was for her table mate.
I don't have much time to post today because we are on our way out the door, but stay tuned for a big Sneaker Teacher announcement this week!
I actually had one very sweet student start crying because the girl across from her was crying and she felt so bad. I guess she thought I should have been helping the girl who was crying a bit more than I was, but I was really touched by how worried she was for her table mate.
I don't have much time to post today because we are on our way out the door, but stay tuned for a big Sneaker Teacher announcement this week!
Crying Game
Kindergarten teachers are no strangers to crying children, especially at the very beginning of the year, but I have to ask all you other Kinder teachers...what do you do when kids cry?
When kids cry, I get very torn. I feel really bad when some of my kiddos miss mommy or daddy, but with many other children in the room, it's really really tough to give one child all of your attention in order to cheer them up.
Today I had a little girl start crying out of the blue. We were in the middle of math and after I gave directions I went over to her and asked her what was wrong. After a bit of talking I was able to gather that she was really over tired because she was allowed to stay up late last night to watch her new princess movie. She wanted to go home, she wanted her mommy, and she wanted to take a nap.
I don't blame her.
But, at the same time, if she is tired, she is not going to not be tired because I talk to her about.
I feel like I sound like the most heartless teacher, but I don't feel like I should remove my attention from all of the other kids and stop teaching because she didn't get enough sleep.
I let her cry and after a little bit she stopped.
It's so much different if a child is hurt or if a child is crying because of something another child did, but a child who is over tired because of--let's be real--her parents' poor choice...I don't feel like all of my energy and focus should go to consoling her. I truly felt bad that it was affecting her so much, but I also felt like even if I did try to console her, it would not have made a difference.
So, I am curious. What do you do? Are there other Kinder teachers out there who will also let a child cry? Please tell me I am not the only one. Maybe there is a good cheering up strategy that I am overlooking...
In other news, my new rug came today! Woo hoo! I am really excited to start working on transitioning from the morning greeting carpet to the new carpet so that we can get out learning on come Monday!
When kids cry, I get very torn. I feel really bad when some of my kiddos miss mommy or daddy, but with many other children in the room, it's really really tough to give one child all of your attention in order to cheer them up.
Today I had a little girl start crying out of the blue. We were in the middle of math and after I gave directions I went over to her and asked her what was wrong. After a bit of talking I was able to gather that she was really over tired because she was allowed to stay up late last night to watch her new princess movie. She wanted to go home, she wanted her mommy, and she wanted to take a nap.
I don't blame her.
But, at the same time, if she is tired, she is not going to not be tired because I talk to her about.
I feel like I sound like the most heartless teacher, but I don't feel like I should remove my attention from all of the other kids and stop teaching because she didn't get enough sleep.
I let her cry and after a little bit she stopped.
It's so much different if a child is hurt or if a child is crying because of something another child did, but a child who is over tired because of--let's be real--her parents' poor choice...I don't feel like all of my energy and focus should go to consoling her. I truly felt bad that it was affecting her so much, but I also felt like even if I did try to console her, it would not have made a difference.
So, I am curious. What do you do? Are there other Kinder teachers out there who will also let a child cry? Please tell me I am not the only one. Maybe there is a good cheering up strategy that I am overlooking...
In other news, my new rug came today! Woo hoo! I am really excited to start working on transitioning from the morning greeting carpet to the new carpet so that we can get out learning on come Monday!
Starting the week with a bang
Wow-having Back to School Night on a Monday makes me worried that I am going to be tired for the entire rest of the week. When I am with the kiddos, I don't really think about being tired because let's face it--there is no time to actually think about yourself or your own needs when you have 17 or 20 other little people in the room. But once my little gems left for the day, I realized just how exhausted I am and took off early. Since back to school was two additional hours beyond our work day, we were allowed to leave right after school yesterday and return in the evening. I didn't really have much time to leave--well actually I just kept working and working, so aside from my very short dinner run, I worked straight through.
So, I left early today instead.
I tidied up my room, put all the work that was done today into mailboxes and headed for the car. I meant to bring a few things home, but I realized when I was turning onto the freeway that I forgot them. Oh well....tomorrow is another day.
Luckily, my kiddos are doing great so far and I am feeling really good about what they are already able to do. I would like to attribute it to this being my second go round as a Kinder teacher, or to my implementation of the stick system from day one this year, but I truly think I just have a different batch of kids. Last year I had a lot of squirrely boys. This year, the boys seem pretty on task, which is great. I do have 7 ELL students in the AM class, but language needs are so different than behavioral needs. Yes, I have a few kiddos who are not exactly tuning in to my directions as much as I'd like, BUT I have already seen improvement and I am honestly very proud of how accountable I am holding them. They will get it. They just have not been in this type of environment before (so rigorously academic) so they need some time.
I have been really pleased with how well they are responding to my quiet signal this year, especially my PM class. Seriously, so far they are a dream class. 17 kids, really respectful and hard working, and super super cute to boot. I was on cloud 9 today during math because I looked around and every single child was following the directions.
We have been focusing on one number a day and today was 2. We started out with our rainbow number where the kids trace a big two with all the colors of the rainbow in order to practice number formation. This is more of an exercise in stopping, watching, listening, and waiting than actual number writing, but they did really, really well. Then I broke out the stampy markers and demonstrated stamping each one twice to make groups of two. I told the kiddos they could choose 5 stampers, they had to stamp each one twice, they had to circle the group of two, and then write 2 next to it. Lots of directions for Kinders but they totally rocked it out. As I was putting the papers in their cubbies I was looking them over and most of the kids did this without any problems. Of course a few of them got a little stamp happy, but we'll do it again tomorrow with the number three and the following day with number four, so they will have more time to practice.
After the rainbow numbers I set out the math trays that go with our math program. At the beginning of the year, we train the kids to put their number tiles in order from 1-5. We've been practicing this and most kids do it without assistance now. Since our number was two today, I asked the kids to show me two of a variety of things and they were so on point with doing exactly what I asked and waiting patiently while I checked out everyone's work. I loved it! They had little rows with two pennies, two fruit counters, two connecting cubes, and two little letters. Spot on!
I am really excited to see where these groups go this year.
Really excited.
I attempted to start our phonics program today but we are still awaiting our new rugs so I haven't been able to practice transitioning to specific carpet spots. My fingers are SUPER DUPER CROSSED that the rug arrives this week so I can add in that part of our daily routine. It was a little touch and go starting to work on some of the phonics activities (especially when the director of C&I and the principal walked in), but I think I just felt out of my element because I didn't really want to start yet, then felt guilty so decided to just try out a few parts with them.
So far so good and hopefully things continue to get even better as we settle into routines and move into our "real" schedule in the coming weeks.
So, I left early today instead.
I tidied up my room, put all the work that was done today into mailboxes and headed for the car. I meant to bring a few things home, but I realized when I was turning onto the freeway that I forgot them. Oh well....tomorrow is another day.
Luckily, my kiddos are doing great so far and I am feeling really good about what they are already able to do. I would like to attribute it to this being my second go round as a Kinder teacher, or to my implementation of the stick system from day one this year, but I truly think I just have a different batch of kids. Last year I had a lot of squirrely boys. This year, the boys seem pretty on task, which is great. I do have 7 ELL students in the AM class, but language needs are so different than behavioral needs. Yes, I have a few kiddos who are not exactly tuning in to my directions as much as I'd like, BUT I have already seen improvement and I am honestly very proud of how accountable I am holding them. They will get it. They just have not been in this type of environment before (so rigorously academic) so they need some time.
I have been really pleased with how well they are responding to my quiet signal this year, especially my PM class. Seriously, so far they are a dream class. 17 kids, really respectful and hard working, and super super cute to boot. I was on cloud 9 today during math because I looked around and every single child was following the directions.
We have been focusing on one number a day and today was 2. We started out with our rainbow number where the kids trace a big two with all the colors of the rainbow in order to practice number formation. This is more of an exercise in stopping, watching, listening, and waiting than actual number writing, but they did really, really well. Then I broke out the stampy markers and demonstrated stamping each one twice to make groups of two. I told the kiddos they could choose 5 stampers, they had to stamp each one twice, they had to circle the group of two, and then write 2 next to it. Lots of directions for Kinders but they totally rocked it out. As I was putting the papers in their cubbies I was looking them over and most of the kids did this without any problems. Of course a few of them got a little stamp happy, but we'll do it again tomorrow with the number three and the following day with number four, so they will have more time to practice.
After the rainbow numbers I set out the math trays that go with our math program. At the beginning of the year, we train the kids to put their number tiles in order from 1-5. We've been practicing this and most kids do it without assistance now. Since our number was two today, I asked the kids to show me two of a variety of things and they were so on point with doing exactly what I asked and waiting patiently while I checked out everyone's work. I loved it! They had little rows with two pennies, two fruit counters, two connecting cubes, and two little letters. Spot on!
I am really excited to see where these groups go this year.
Really excited.
I attempted to start our phonics program today but we are still awaiting our new rugs so I haven't been able to practice transitioning to specific carpet spots. My fingers are SUPER DUPER CROSSED that the rug arrives this week so I can add in that part of our daily routine. It was a little touch and go starting to work on some of the phonics activities (especially when the director of C&I and the principal walked in), but I think I just felt out of my element because I didn't really want to start yet, then felt guilty so decided to just try out a few parts with them.
So far so good and hopefully things continue to get even better as we settle into routines and move into our "real" schedule in the coming weeks.
Words Cannot Explain
Words cannot explain how tired I am, but maybe if I tell you I just had to re-type the word words four times before I got it right that might give you a clue.
We had Back to School Night tonight (ugh on a MONDAY) and so...
I. Am. Completely. Exhausted.
I got to work at 7:15 am and besides 15 minutes of siting at lunch and a 15 minute hurried trip to Whole Foods for some dinner, which I took back and wolfed down in my classroom, I was busy and working until 7:40 pm.
Hello 12-hour workday....
This is the first time in my entire teaching career that I have had to do an actual presentation for back to school night. I really liked getting to share a lot of information with parents, but it was SO hot in my room and I want nothing more than to crawl in bed right now.
I have more to share about what is going on in the classroom, but maybe tomorrow?
We had Back to School Night tonight (ugh on a MONDAY) and so...
I. Am. Completely. Exhausted.
I got to work at 7:15 am and besides 15 minutes of siting at lunch and a 15 minute hurried trip to Whole Foods for some dinner, which I took back and wolfed down in my classroom, I was busy and working until 7:40 pm.
Hello 12-hour workday....
This is the first time in my entire teaching career that I have had to do an actual presentation for back to school night. I really liked getting to share a lot of information with parents, but it was SO hot in my room and I want nothing more than to crawl in bed right now.
I have more to share about what is going on in the classroom, but maybe tomorrow?
Happy Face
I am so glad that it's Saturday. I slept so late today (compared to how early I get up for school) and I am feeling totally content to be home and carefree for the next two days. Having four days in the first week this year really wore me out. Some schools start with only half of their Kinders at a time and then finally have the whole class on day three, but not us. We got 'em all right away and continued to get new students each day of the week (except yesterday). My AM class now has 20 and my PM has 18, but one has yet to show up, so I am thinking he may not actually join us. Those numbers are awesome and I hope they stay that way!
Yesterday one kiddo in my AM started to give me a run for my money, but I talked with the school counselor and we came up with a plan to try and get him on board for making better choices. He was acting a bit defiant, yet he does have some issues that we already know about that are most likely contributing factors, so I am trying to have a lot of patience until we can really figure him out. I know he is going to do great once we do.
My PM class is a dream so far, except the little girl who was terrified of the bus is still having some issues. Yesterday she refused to come into the classroom and was crying so hard that when she finally did come in she was so worked up she threw up. Ugh! I made it through three years of teaching without any vomit and yesterday that streak was definitely broken. Luckily, there was a parent volunteer right across the hall so I asked her watch my kiddos so I could bring this little girl to the office carrying the trash can with us the whole way. I am pretty sure I have mentioned before the extreme extent of my aversion to throw up, so it's never a fun day when somebody gets sick. I have to feel bad for her though because obviously she is pretty traumatized, yet she has been in school before and did pretty well in the classroom up until yesterday. Poor thing. I hope she is better next week. And, fortunately for us, Mrs. Bee's classroom is empty in the PM since she only teaches in the AM, so I just had the class line up and and we went into her room for our first few activities while our room was being cleaned. Mrs. B helped get a story started while I went and grabbed some of our stuff and the rest of the kiddos, although a little concerned about their friend, did a fabulous job just adapting to the situation and going with the flow. There were a lot of exclamations from me like, "look, Mrs. Bee has an alphabet rug just like we do!" and "oh, good, Mrs. Bee has glue and scissors just like we do." After about an hour we returned to our room and finished up the day. Thank goodness for an escape route in the event of puke incidents!
I stayed until 5 yesterday doing my planning for all of next week and getting everything ready. Friday is not the preferable day for that since technically we are aloud to leave when the kids get on the bus, but it felt good to get a lot done so I can start the week feeling organized. The to do lists definitely helped! A few of you commented about some cool planners by Erin Condren. I was wondering if they are only available online? I am guessing so since you can have them customized, but I didn't feel like I could see enough of what the calendars looked like to decide if it would work for me or not. And, they are quite spendy, so I wouldn't want to get it and be disappointed....I need to get my appointments and Mr. Sneaker's travel organized though! We use an online google calendar but I am just not good about using that. I want to have something that I can keep with my lesson planning materials and bring to class and staff meetings.
I am working on getting the photos of my kiddos printed up. I got an email from Snapfish that they are running a deal for 1 cent prints. You just need to use the coupon code PENNY094U and you can get up to 500 prints for only 1 cent each.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. We are having some really hot weather here in Portland (I think it's supposed to be 95 today) so I am staying cool in the AC and enjoying the sunny view from my window.
Yesterday one kiddo in my AM started to give me a run for my money, but I talked with the school counselor and we came up with a plan to try and get him on board for making better choices. He was acting a bit defiant, yet he does have some issues that we already know about that are most likely contributing factors, so I am trying to have a lot of patience until we can really figure him out. I know he is going to do great once we do.
My PM class is a dream so far, except the little girl who was terrified of the bus is still having some issues. Yesterday she refused to come into the classroom and was crying so hard that when she finally did come in she was so worked up she threw up. Ugh! I made it through three years of teaching without any vomit and yesterday that streak was definitely broken. Luckily, there was a parent volunteer right across the hall so I asked her watch my kiddos so I could bring this little girl to the office carrying the trash can with us the whole way. I am pretty sure I have mentioned before the extreme extent of my aversion to throw up, so it's never a fun day when somebody gets sick. I have to feel bad for her though because obviously she is pretty traumatized, yet she has been in school before and did pretty well in the classroom up until yesterday. Poor thing. I hope she is better next week. And, fortunately for us, Mrs. Bee's classroom is empty in the PM since she only teaches in the AM, so I just had the class line up and and we went into her room for our first few activities while our room was being cleaned. Mrs. B helped get a story started while I went and grabbed some of our stuff and the rest of the kiddos, although a little concerned about their friend, did a fabulous job just adapting to the situation and going with the flow. There were a lot of exclamations from me like, "look, Mrs. Bee has an alphabet rug just like we do!" and "oh, good, Mrs. Bee has glue and scissors just like we do." After about an hour we returned to our room and finished up the day. Thank goodness for an escape route in the event of puke incidents!
I stayed until 5 yesterday doing my planning for all of next week and getting everything ready. Friday is not the preferable day for that since technically we are aloud to leave when the kids get on the bus, but it felt good to get a lot done so I can start the week feeling organized. The to do lists definitely helped! A few of you commented about some cool planners by Erin Condren. I was wondering if they are only available online? I am guessing so since you can have them customized, but I didn't feel like I could see enough of what the calendars looked like to decide if it would work for me or not. And, they are quite spendy, so I wouldn't want to get it and be disappointed....I need to get my appointments and Mr. Sneaker's travel organized though! We use an online google calendar but I am just not good about using that. I want to have something that I can keep with my lesson planning materials and bring to class and staff meetings.
I am working on getting the photos of my kiddos printed up. I got an email from Snapfish that they are running a deal for 1 cent prints. You just need to use the coupon code PENNY094U and you can get up to 500 prints for only 1 cent each.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. We are having some really hot weather here in Portland (I think it's supposed to be 95 today) so I am staying cool in the AC and enjoying the sunny view from my window.
TGIF (almost)
Whew! I am spent! I am having a great first week with my kiddos, but I feel like I have tons to do and even though I have a decent amount of time before school, between sessions, and after school, it seems like there is always something that is left undone when I leave at the end of the day. I spent way too much time this morning trying to print out labels for the new students I have gotten since the first day in order to make sure they have their name on all the different little things that I had already labeled prior to their arrival.
I got a lot done after school today and I decided that I just need to get into the habit of school "to do" lists. I love me some to do lists and sometimes I feel like I am not as efficient as I could/should be at school, so I need to fix that. I was adding up all the time I have and it's a lot. I have been getting to school at 7, so that gives me an hour and ten minutes before school. Then I have an hour and 10 minutes in between sessions, which includes my lunch time (but I never actually sit down to take a lunch, so I consider all of that planning/prepping time). Then, I have about an hour and a half of contract time after the kids leave.
That is a lot of time, right?
When I think about that, I realize I need to change some of my work habits because I should be able to get a lot more accomplished than I have been. I also need to designate a day for planning out the following week. My first grade team used to meet every Thursday for a long time to plan everything out for the following week. Now, I find myself with an empty plan book on Friday afternoons that gets thrown into my bag to take home so I can map everything out while I watch TV on Friday evening. Our schedule is pretty routine, so it's not like our planning is hugely innovative or different from week to week, but it still takes time to figure everything out and get everything organized and prepped. Obviously waiting until Friday leaves me very little time to make sure I've got everything ready to go. I am thinking maybe Wednesday would be a preferable day, but we often have staff meetings on Wednesdays. Tuesday could work, but then my mind is all wrapped up in what will happen next week and I lose track of this week.
Can you see why I need to incorporate some to do lists?
I still have a lot to do in the morning, so I am going to head in at 7 again, but starting next week, I think I need to give myself 15 more minutes to sleep and head in a bit later. I shouldn't need that much time in the morning, so hopefully once I start being super efficient with daily lists, I will waste less time and therefore need less time prior to school.
PS I really need a new planner/calendar too. It has been on my mind to get one for weeks and I just haven't. I am not really good with keeping a calendar on my computer so I need something I can write appointments and important dates on. Any ideas of where to get a good one??
I got a lot done after school today and I decided that I just need to get into the habit of school "to do" lists. I love me some to do lists and sometimes I feel like I am not as efficient as I could/should be at school, so I need to fix that. I was adding up all the time I have and it's a lot. I have been getting to school at 7, so that gives me an hour and ten minutes before school. Then I have an hour and 10 minutes in between sessions, which includes my lunch time (but I never actually sit down to take a lunch, so I consider all of that planning/prepping time). Then, I have about an hour and a half of contract time after the kids leave.
That is a lot of time, right?
When I think about that, I realize I need to change some of my work habits because I should be able to get a lot more accomplished than I have been. I also need to designate a day for planning out the following week. My first grade team used to meet every Thursday for a long time to plan everything out for the following week. Now, I find myself with an empty plan book on Friday afternoons that gets thrown into my bag to take home so I can map everything out while I watch TV on Friday evening. Our schedule is pretty routine, so it's not like our planning is hugely innovative or different from week to week, but it still takes time to figure everything out and get everything organized and prepped. Obviously waiting until Friday leaves me very little time to make sure I've got everything ready to go. I am thinking maybe Wednesday would be a preferable day, but we often have staff meetings on Wednesdays. Tuesday could work, but then my mind is all wrapped up in what will happen next week and I lose track of this week.
Can you see why I need to incorporate some to do lists?
I still have a lot to do in the morning, so I am going to head in at 7 again, but starting next week, I think I need to give myself 15 more minutes to sleep and head in a bit later. I shouldn't need that much time in the morning, so hopefully once I start being super efficient with daily lists, I will waste less time and therefore need less time prior to school.
PS I really need a new planner/calendar too. It has been on my mind to get one for weeks and I just haven't. I am not really good with keeping a calendar on my computer so I need something I can write appointments and important dates on. Any ideas of where to get a good one??
Relief
Wow, I feel so much better after having successfully navigated through the first day of Kindergarten...twice. After the AM session I went into Mrs. Bee's room and told her I was so jealous that she was done for the day. I kind of forgot how deflated I feel sometimes about doing everything all over again on the first day. Once I get into real teaching and actual lessons, it's not bad to be on repeat everyday, but all the beginning of the year stuff can get old the second time around.
I. Am. Tired.
For the most part, I instantly fell in love with the majority of my students. They are so little and oh so cute. I was really impressed with how smart they are (or seem) and how most could already write their name. A few were quite shy and a few obviously need some good training in how to behave, but so far, I think both classes are going to mesh really well. I am getting one more boy in the AM which would make 19, but one boy didn't come and apparently moved, so the class actually stays at 18. Not bad. I'll take it for one more day. I haven't gotten notified that there are any additions to the PM class.
I have one little boy, out of all of my kiddos, that I am a bit concerned about because he really didn't seem to tune into what I was saying or the routines at all. He peeled the paper off about 8 crayons even after I told him not to, wasn't able to make transitions based on being called by table color or by name. I think there may be some receptive communication issues so I need to figure him out.
I had success with the behavior management system and I loved introducing it from day one (as opposed to mid-year like last year) because I think most kids caught on really well. I had to be tough and take sticks away for very small things, but I have to do that in order to bring the point home that it's good to keep all of the sticks and not good to have some taken away. This system was beyond my friend that I am worried about, but I think he will need some special accommodations, which I will have to figure out. I think he is going to need some picture cues to help him understand what he needs to do. I just need to know him a bit better before I can figure out what he is going to need.
I really felt like a ROCKSTAR when I walked through the cafeteria during First Grade lunch. Many of my friends from last year were shouting my name and waving frantically. They are so cute. There are some that I will really miss this year and I actually emailed several parents from last year's classes when I got home to say that I hope the first day in first grade went well for their kiddos.
I need to sit down and plan out tomorrow....but I need to put my feet up first. I like to take it one day at a time at the beginning of the year because not all the kids come the first day and I always need to reflect on what happened in order to plan the following day.
I hope anyone else whose first day was today had a great one!
Here are some classroom pics that I have been promising. Everything doesn't look entirely done because I haven't started my instruction with the reading and math walls because my carpet still hasn't come, but the basic areas are there....
Around the World Wall where we'll focus on learning about a different country for each letter of the alphabet. The green board on the right will display the word and letter of the week for daily review during our morning circle.
The blue wall is the Fast Track Phonics wall, which the kiddos will face when I am teaching Fast Track lessons.
Math wall that still needs some love. I might post shapes above and label them or other math vocabulary.
In front of the yellow and blue walls will be my awesome new carpet where the kids will have their own assigned carpet spots. I have never done assigned spots before, but I've also never had a rug with specific squares on it, so I am excited to try it out once it comes!
Overview of the morning greeting carpet area. This is where we'll meet in the morning and where we'll have story time. I scored two nice rocking chairs at the end of last year, so I have one for each carpet area.
First Day Jitters
So you all know that I just moved (again), which means locating both my camera and my camera cord in order to upload pics of my classroom is proving to be way too challenging at the moment. I will be happy if I can keep my head on straight tomorrow. I will try to post pics soon, but I still feel like my room isn't totally ready since my awesome new carpet is not arriving in time for school....BUMMER!
For some reason, I always have extreme anxiety and worry about the start of a new school year. Perhaps it is the result of having two entirely new classes full of kids I don't know yet, but for some reason, I tend to assume to worst and worry that it will be a really hard year. Most of the kiddos I did get the chance to meet last week were very sweet and many seemed really shy, but of course there were a few--those charming few--who can totally make or break your entire year. I am trying to be rational and think about the fact that they simply are über excited to start school and don't know (yet) what is expected of them. When I clearly explain the rules and procedures, most of them should settle in and settle down just fine.
Here's hoping.
I still have really good numbers (18 in the AM and 19 in the PM), but as I said before, I don't anticipate those numbers staying the same despite my continuous finger crossing, praying, hoping, wishing, and begging. I know we'll get more kiddos registering tomorrow and as of now, our numbers are pretty even which means for every new kiddo that Mrs. Bee gets, I will get 2 (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM). I kind of wish I could just have everyone on the first day, but then again, I will be happy with these smaller numbers for as long as they last. And I will reteach routines and procedures over and over and over in these next few weeks, so any newbies won't miss out.
What's on tap for tomorrow...
If you are starting tomorrow I hope you have a great first day. Many of you have already been back for what seems like weeks, but I hope you have a great day/week as well!
For some reason, I always have extreme anxiety and worry about the start of a new school year. Perhaps it is the result of having two entirely new classes full of kids I don't know yet, but for some reason, I tend to assume to worst and worry that it will be a really hard year. Most of the kiddos I did get the chance to meet last week were very sweet and many seemed really shy, but of course there were a few--those charming few--who can totally make or break your entire year. I am trying to be rational and think about the fact that they simply are über excited to start school and don't know (yet) what is expected of them. When I clearly explain the rules and procedures, most of them should settle in and settle down just fine.
Here's hoping.
I still have really good numbers (18 in the AM and 19 in the PM), but as I said before, I don't anticipate those numbers staying the same despite my continuous finger crossing, praying, hoping, wishing, and begging. I know we'll get more kiddos registering tomorrow and as of now, our numbers are pretty even which means for every new kiddo that Mrs. Bee gets, I will get 2 (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM). I kind of wish I could just have everyone on the first day, but then again, I will be happy with these smaller numbers for as long as they last. And I will reteach routines and procedures over and over and over in these next few weeks, so any newbies won't miss out.
What's on tap for tomorrow...
- a little morning work followed by an explanation of my quiet signal (red bell who I am naming Buddy Bell this year).
- explanation and practice of transition to the morning meeting carpet with the good morning song as a cue.
- more practice cleaning up morning work and transitioning to carpet.
- morning greeting circle with some name games so I can get to know the kids. I am being brave this year and not putting name tags on them because I hate how they start peeling off after 5 minutes.
- visit to the bathroom to teach bathroom expectations and etiquette along with a chance for a potty break.
- story time with The Kissing Hand followed by a project based on the book.
- explanation of behavior management system (which I will be altering for the first month so I can be more on top of calling out the unwanted behaviors and kids can get used to it). I will transition to the actual system in October.
- review of bell, morning routine, and sticks.
- maybe another story if there's time.
- practice lining up (with a cute song I have) and then buses.
If you are starting tomorrow I hope you have a great first day. Many of you have already been back for what seems like weeks, but I hope you have a great day/week as well!
still here...
I'm alive, I promise.
I haven't posted in over a week because I have been busy trying to get my classroom ready and wrapping my mind around the fact that I have students joining me in said classroom on TUESDAY.
In the past, we have had the Tuesday after Labor Day as a final prep day and the first day of school has been on Wednesday. This year, our schedule changed and we no longer have that one last day of scrambling on Tuesday. So, I did a lot of scrambling yesterday.
Finally printing my labels for folders, attendance chart, tables etc. only to see that a new student had been added. And that was after I had already reprinted several labels to account for the nicknames that I learned about when families came for our supply drop off.
Trying to get the room ready while silently cursing myself for not having anything written in my plan book for the first week.
Worrying about making sure I have the correct info for how kiddos are going to get home from school so I don't put anyone on the wrong bus or keep anyone waiting at school if they should be taking a bus.
I'm exhausted.
Not to mention we moved again today to our second temporary housing location and toured around Portland with our relocation agent trying to pick out the apartment we will move into next.
I will try to post again this weekend with some pics of my classroom and some teachery stuff but I have to get back to unpacking the numerous bags we have so our new place can feel more like a home than a hotel.
Happy Labor Day weekend! It's supposed to be 90 degrees here all weekend, so I am hoping to enjoy some sun, to sleep late, and to calm myself before the big day on Tuesday!
I haven't posted in over a week because I have been busy trying to get my classroom ready and wrapping my mind around the fact that I have students joining me in said classroom on TUESDAY.
In the past, we have had the Tuesday after Labor Day as a final prep day and the first day of school has been on Wednesday. This year, our schedule changed and we no longer have that one last day of scrambling on Tuesday. So, I did a lot of scrambling yesterday.
Finally printing my labels for folders, attendance chart, tables etc. only to see that a new student had been added. And that was after I had already reprinted several labels to account for the nicknames that I learned about when families came for our supply drop off.
Trying to get the room ready while silently cursing myself for not having anything written in my plan book for the first week.
Worrying about making sure I have the correct info for how kiddos are going to get home from school so I don't put anyone on the wrong bus or keep anyone waiting at school if they should be taking a bus.
I'm exhausted.
Not to mention we moved again today to our second temporary housing location and toured around Portland with our relocation agent trying to pick out the apartment we will move into next.
I will try to post again this weekend with some pics of my classroom and some teachery stuff but I have to get back to unpacking the numerous bags we have so our new place can feel more like a home than a hotel.
Happy Labor Day weekend! It's supposed to be 90 degrees here all weekend, so I am hoping to enjoy some sun, to sleep late, and to calm myself before the big day on Tuesday!
meet the teacher
Who doesn't love a good blog hop? I have seen many bloggy friends linking up to this, so I am jumping on the bandwagon!
Now it's your turn. Check out Blog Hoppin' and link up! Thanks for playing along!
Tell us a little something about you...
I am Mrs. Sneaker, or KT as I always sign my bloggy comments, and I currently (as of two days ago) live in Portland, OR. I spent the summer in Germany with my husband, who was working there for the past two years. I lived there with him during the 2009-2010 school year and worked at an international school as a SPED teacher, but returned to Oregon this past school year to keep my spot in my district (teaching jobs are a wee bit hard to get right now) and to continue working on my doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. I am SO happy to be back in the US with my husband and reuniting with all my girlfriends! This will be my second year teaching Kindergarten (two half-day sessions) and I am excited for another year!
How long have you been teaching?
This will be my 7th year teaching. I started out teaching in a bilingual Head Start for migrant families when I first moved to Oregon. That year provided me lots of practice speaking in Spanish with my wonderful colleagues, so the following year I was able to snag a spot teaching first grade in the district I really wanted to work for since relocating to Oregon in 2005. I taught first grade for three years and then Mr. Sneaker and I moved to Germany where I worked first as a classroom assistant in third grade and then as a Support Services (SPED) teacher with kids in grades 3-9. I loved the opportunity to assist in so many different classrooms and watch fantastic teachers in action, but I really missed having my own classroom and my own group of kiddos. When I gave notice to my district in OR that I would be returning for the 2010-2011 school year, I was placed at a different school in Kindergarten. At first I was so sure about the assignment, but now I am hooked. Kindergarten is a special year and I am happy to be a part of it for so many kiddos.
You might not know...
Right now I am living in a hotel. Since we just moved back from Germany, Mr. Sneaker's company provides us temporary housing until we find a place. We own a home in Portland, but it is currently occupied by renters, so we have to wait until the lease is up in March to move back in. We are staying in a Residence Inn right now and will move to a different short term furnished apartment on Sept. 2nd. We'll stay there for 6 weeks and then we'll move to another apartment for the duration of our renters' lease. Lots of moving...We are living out of suitcases and awaiting our belongings which will arrive on a boat sometime in October.
What are you looking most forward to this school year?
I'm really looking forward to the consistency that this year brings--same school as last year, same grade level as last year, same team as last year. It takes a year to figure things out, especially when joining a new staff and teaching a new grade, so I am happy to be returning to something I have already done rather than starting new again (which I did the previous two school years). I have been brainstorming all summer, so I am excited to put some new ideas into action!
What do you need to improve?
One of my big goals is to more effectively recruit and organize parent volunteers. This year I plan to write up some descriptions of weekly jobs that I need help with so that I can have parents coming more routinely for specific tasks. I know that not all parents can commit to coming weekly, but for the sake of being organized enough to actually benefit from the time the parents put in, I feel like having specific jobs will be helpful. I have a hard time asking for help, so I need to be better about really clarifying (for myself) what I need help with so I can ask for it. Sometimes I get frustrated when parents come in and don't really know how to effectively help, so I want to be more proactive about "training" them to do the jobs I want done. I suffer from the "I'd rather do it myself because it's a hassle to explain what I want done to this parent who arrived in the middle of my lesson," but truly, parents who help are so wonderful and it's nice to not do everything myself!!
I also would like to get better at moving my kiddos towards working more independently. I have visions of Daily5-esque classrooms with quiet children busily working, yet there always seems to be a bit too much noise pollution in my neck of the woods. I am tired of everything being whole group so that every kid is doing the same exact thing at the same exact time and I want my kiddos to have more opportunities to think for themselves and problem solve.
What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?
Teaching Books (picture books, idea books etc.)
Post-its
Sharpies
Document Camera (!!!)
White
BLOGS! (Not really a supply but a resource I heart!)
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