Good Reads

I just got my copy in the mail! 

Super excited for Mr. Halpern and the publication of his first book! 

Yes, I said first book. I have high expectations for you, buddy!

And, I would love to follow in Mr. Halpern's footsteps because I've always wanted to write a book!

Can't wait to get in bed with this gem tonight! I have a feeling I will probably read the whole thing in one sitting...unless I fall asleep, which has everything to do with my mommyhood/kindergarten teacher exhaustion and nothing to do with the book content because I'm sure it's hilarious. 

Go get yourself a copy! 

Bazinga!

Catching Up

Entering the fourth week of school, I finally felt prepared. The first few weeks are so hard because I always feel like I am doing everything in my power just to stay afloat. I only plan for one day at a time because we usually end up not getting through everything and I bump activities from one day to the next. I think I have finally settled into the year, I've gotten used to being back at work and doing the work/mom balance, and I've finally got a little rhythm going.

What's going great so far this year...

• So far I have 20 students. That number is amazing compared to last year and I really hope it sticks. 

• Whole Brain Teaching. It's amazing. I worried that I would forget to use it or I wouldn't do it correctly, but it's super easy and very effective. I wish I had tried it out sooner. 

• Brain Breaks! I am using gonoodle.com for brain breaks on a daily basis and the kiddos love it. I am also incorporating a lot of movement and songs into my instruction and that just makes the day fun.

• Daily play time. Yes, I brought it back and I am so glad. The kids LOVE to have play time and it is amazing to have 15 minutes of time to just watch them in action. It's really fun to see what skills they demonstrate through play. Also, play time is really helpful with accountability for behavior. If students don't work during work time or don't follow directions, we use some of play time to practice those behaviors correctly. I only keep them out for part of play time though, because I am just really firm this year that they need to play and that play is the right thing to do. 

• My idea for a revamped math plan that better aligns with CCSS was actually used by the district in the creation of our new pacing guide (woot woot!). I am feeling really good about teaching math in units instead of spiraling lessons that touch on something new everyday. 

And, now, for my awesome news...

After working very hard on some writing this summer while having a newborn and a toddler at home, I found out recently that an article I wrote was accepted for publication in The Reading Teacher journal. I am beyond excited because when I did my dissertation research, I really wanted to make my work pubic in a journal that was focused on reading instruction, not just focused on multicultural education. My article talks about using culturally responsive practices within the context of implementing a core reading program. I'm not sure when it will be published, but I am SO excited. I set my sights on The Reading Teacher as my journal of choice and even with a 15% acceptance rate, my work was selected. Can I get a mighty OH YEAH!?

And, my colleague and I have been accepted to present about our work with iPads at the Southern California Kindergarten Conference in February! We are pumped! Double OH YEAH!!

First Day-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Oh the first day of school. 

Is it okay to say I'm glad it's over?! 

I am always so stressed out by the thought of a room full of 5 year olds that I don't know yet, but it turned out to be a pretty good day. 

The GOOD

I rolled out some Whole Brain Teaching and I thought it worked pretty well. I saw smiles and heard some giggles. I introduced Class, Yes and the rules. I'm not totally convinced that Class, Yes is the ONLY attention getter I will need. I typically use a bell as the quiet signal and I was hoping to just replace the bell with Class, Yes, but I think that at certain times I will need something else. I noticed that when I wanted attention after playtime, I had a few stragglers who were not on board with the Class, Yes.  

I decided to only use three of the five rules because I don't expect Kindergartners to always raise their hand when they want to speak and to always raise their hand when they want to leave their seat. Those rules may work for some, but I wasn't a fan. So, My three rules are:

Follow Directions Quickly

Make Smart Choices

and

Keep Your Dear Teacher Happy.

I think that about covers it. 

Tomorrow I plan to roll out the Mighty Oh Yeah and the Mighty Groan in conjunction with the Have You Filled a Bucket book. I am not using the scoreboard because I plan to incorporate the Mighty Oh Yeah and Might Groan with my class buckets. When the kiddos earn pom poms, we'll do a Mighty Oh Yeah and when they lose pom poms, we'll do a Mighty Groan. 

I tried glue sponges this year and the kiddos used them for a Kissing Hand project. Success! Not messy, not difficult to use, and easy to put away. Love it! 

I have 19 kiddos (so far) this year. That number is SO refreshing compared to the 28 I had last year. I really hope our numbers stay that small because it just works SO much better. 

I gave the kiddos about 15 minutes to play today using pattern blocks. It was SO fun to see what they made and to listen to their descriptions. I am ADAMANT that I NEED to incorporate play on a daily basis this year. Being the mom of a toddler has readjusted my mindset about Kindergarten and it's fueling my desire to shake things up a bit in the classroom and make things more developmentally appropriate. 

I gave out a little "getting to know your child" sheet at our supply drop and got 10 back today. I love the information I got about my students and am really glad I used those inventories this year. 

The BAD

I did not take any photos. Now that I am writing about our day, I wish I had some photos to share. 

3 kiddos did not come to school today. Since we are doing so much with expectations, routines etc, I hate it when kiddos join late. 

One of our buses was THIRTY minutes late. That was not fun particularly because I need to take a little time to pump during my school day and since I do not want to take a break during student contact time, I hold off until the kiddos leave. I am already going a long time just waiting until 10:40, yet I had to go an additional 40 minutes. 

The UGLY

Nothing was really that bad, but my little Sneakers gave me a rough night last night. Baby Sneaker who typically goes down at 8:30 was not asleep until 12:30, then Little Sneaker woke up at 4, then Baby Sneaker woke up at 4:45 to eat. My alarm went off at 5:30 and I have been going since...Not the best night of sleep leading up to the first day! 

How was your first day?