Staining Shelves

So I am incredibly lucky that my Dad has been nice enough to build me wonderful shelves for my classroom. When I started my first year I just had two or three shelves that were hand me downs from the last room. It wasn't a big deal because my back wall had shelves that were almost five feet tall and went across most of the wall. Then I moved to my current classroom and I had a small shelf that ran the length of my back wall. I enlisted my Dad's help and he built me four shelves that spanned my back wall. Of course, a teacher can never have enough storage so this summer I wanted more shelves to put at the front of my room. This is where I plan on putting my students' individual boxes with manipulatives, books or personal task cards. It may also end up housing some of my centers.

I'm also very lucky that my Mom volunteered to help me paint the shelves. I decided to stain the shelves and I have to say they turned out great. 

In Process:

First Coat Complete:

DONE:

Dance Parties

One of my favorite things to do in my class is to have dance parties.  These can be for brain breaks, rewards, transitions, inside recess, or even just a little much needed fun on a stressful or long day. I love to play one of these as we are cleaning up centers or transitioning because students only get to dance once they have cleaned up their area and are ready to move on.  It is a motivator for them to get done.  Plus it gets out some of the wiggles and giggles.

My kids only have a couple rules for my dance parties.  The most important rule they have to follow is that they must stay behind their chair.  We have long tables for desks, so if they don't stay behind their chairs then they end up smacking someone else in the face (or they magically end up across the room with their best buddy). The other rule is that if it gets too loud the dance party is over.  Simple rules for some simple fun.  Usually it only takes me stopping a song once or for someone to sit down for my students to remember the rules.

Of course, YouTube is the place to go for all things dance party.  I like to use songs with specific dances so my kids don't end up on the floor break dancing and possibly breaking their necks.  It also means some of my more reserved kids don't feel as out of place and they will do the dances once they know the moves.  The popular ones we do are the ChaCha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.  There are also a ton of videos on YouTube with Just Dance Kids.  I also love teacher made videos.  Here is a playlist of some of my favorites to use in my room.

 

Reminder App on iPhone

This is probably going to sound like the dumbest post ever, but you never know.  I've seen bloggers say that and then I look at what they did and think they are the most brilliant person I've ever kinda sorta met.

If you have an iPhone app and you don't use your Reminders App there is probably something wrong with your brain.  Ok.  Maybe not. It's just the easiest thing in the world for me and I don't have to have a ton of papers running around.  Plus, the app comes standard.  My obsession started with students that were leaving my class to go to other classes.  Maybe they had speech or reading with another teacher or maybe they were getting extra assistance. Some days I would have five or six students leaving my room at various times and that wasn't including the students that got pulled for reading intervention.  I am TERRIBLE at remembering to send kids.  Some of mine automatically remember, but the majority don't.  What else to do, but use my phone to set reminders. My first year I used my iPhone's calendar, but then it cluttered up my calendar and that irritated me. When I discovered reminders it was like the heavens opened up and angels started singing.  No lie.  There were lots of happy dances involved.

Here is how reminders work (mine may look slightly different because my phone is ancient and due for an upgrade):


Once you are in the Reminders App you can Add a List.  I have a list for "Special Classes" that encompasses speech, pull-outs, and resource classes.  Once you have your list setup, just go to the list and click on the plus sign or a blank line to make a new reminder in the list. I usually put my student's name and where they are going.  Here is an example of what a list might look like.

 

The best part is you can also set alarms.  For my ancient iPhone I click on the arrow out to the right.  For updated phones or iPads just click on the i that is on the right side. You will come to a screen that looks like this:

To set an alarm you turn "Remind Me On a Day" to the on setting.  Then you can change the day and how often it repeats.  If a student goes to the class every day I have it repeat daily. This means the alarms go off on the weekends too. If that bothers you (I don't really care), you have the option to do it a little bit differently.  Just set it up where you have a reminder for each day, Monday through Friday. Here is how that would look for one student daily:

If they only go a few days a week, I do set it up where they have a reminder only for the days they go.  For example, most of my speech students only go to their speech class a couple times a week.  If they went to speech on Monday and Wednesday I would set two reminders for them.  I would make one reminder for Monday and one for Wednesday.  Then I would set those reminders to go off every week.  This lets them go off only on the correct day of the week instead of every day.  

 

I'm also going to use my reminders app this year for another purpose.  My weekly checklist of things I need to finish to be ready for the next week. Last year I was constantly writing a list and marking things off.  I've seen teachers create a printable list or laminate their list and use a dry erase marker.  I'm going to use my reminders app.  Once you are done you can check it off and you can see what you have left.  Plus, once you have completed it the item will actually disappear and go into the completed category.  That way, your list gets visibly shorter.  That motivates me.  Once you are ready to reset the list you just click on the Completed and uncheck the boxes.  Then they go back to your list and you can start fresh.

Storing Posters

I hate posters. I say that because I spent the last two years trying to figure out how to store the gigantic life sized monsters that take up space and frustrate me to no end.  I had a mass of posters that were all mixed together and rolled up.  At one point I put large clips on the edges to keep them together, but that failed miserably because they were different sizes.  I ended up still having to roll them and shove them into a top cabinet and pray I didn't need to switch them out.

Then the Bright Ideas Bloghop came to the rescue.  Teaching with a Mountain View did a great post on her adorable Anchor Chart Bin.  I have to admit I'm super jealous of her bin.  It would go perfectly with my polka dot classroom.  Unfortunately, I don't even have room for a bin, but I realized I have something almost as good, corner space between two shelves.  So I rolled my posters, used color-coded Avery labels and rubber bands, and stuck them in the corner.

It may seem like a huge amount of space devoted to my posters, but it is a small corner and it was completely wasted space before.  Now at least it serves a purpose.  Plus I know where my anchor charts are and I don't have to spread them all over just to find the one I need.  Love it! Big thanks to Teaching with a Mountain View for the fabulous tip!

Teaching Ingredients

I am linking up on Sugar and Spice's Teaching Ingredients Linky.  She encouraged teachers to blog about the ingredients we need to make a successful classroom and here are mine:

1. Hard Work--Teachers do not work 9-5 hours or 8-3 or whatever hours it is people think we work.  Every time I talk to my friends on the phone I seem to be working on something for school.  At the end of June I told one of my friends I was getting ready for the beginning of school year and I believe his exact words were, "Take a chill pill.  You have plenty of time." It's not that I don't have time, I just have so much I want to do and I get super excited about getting it done.  I'm a little bit of a workaholic honestly.
2. Open-minded--Teachers work with people from all lifestyles and backgrounds and with a million and one different needs.  Plus, teaching requires you to be open to trying new things in your classroom. 
3. Hugs--I work with young kids and whether they are having a bad day or sharing their every little detail in life they need to know that you care. Whether they need a hug, someone to listen to them, a cheerleader, or kind words, there are plenty of ways to show kids that you care.
4. Dedication--There are days in teaching that just don't go so well.  It's life.  It happens.  If you don't love your job and you aren't dedicated to your students you aren't going to make it through the not so great days.
5. Understanding--We have to know what makes our kids tick.  If you can figure out why students do what they do or what causes them to struggle you can adapt your classroom and your lessons.
6. Passion--Passion gets you revved up every day to get into work and help your students.  Without that driving force, we wouldn't do what we do. Passion puts a smile on my face and gets me energized in my classroom so I can do all the silly things an elementary teacher does and put in all those long hours.
7. Experimenting--This probably should have been #1 on my list.  I don't know a single teacher that doesn't spend plenty of time experimenting, even if they don't realize it.  If a lesson doesn't work we change things and experiment.  We go across the hall or to our Pinterest boards to find new things to experiment with in our classrooms.  That's how we become better teachers.  
8. Flexibility--How many times is your class interrupted in a day? How many different students leave your class to see other teachers or have additional classes? What about field trips? Assemblies? Oh and don't forget the student that brings in his pet snake to show off to the class without telling you or anyone else. We have to be flexible to make our days work.  Half the fun of teaching is that it's completely unpredictable sometimes right?
9. Patience--I don't think a teacher in the world would argue with a need for patience. 

Missouri State Teachers Association

One of the things I love most about working in Missouri is the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA).  Most teachers join associations for the legal assistance they can receive if something should go wrong.  It's easy to pay the dues (ok parting with my money is never "easy") and go on about your business and not thing about it. 

My first year teaching though, I got a huge eye opener to what really goes on with MSTA. Our local association president sent out an email that she had opening for a trip to the MSTA annual convention.  When I saw convention I read conference.  I thought I was signing up to go to your typical conference with lots of workshops, handouts, breakout sessions, and great ideas.  While MSTA's convention has those, they have something so much more important.  A platform to voice your ideas.

When I got to the convention I found out we would be voting on the resolutions that MSTA stands for.  ANY member can propose an amendment or addition.  It can be about anything you believe is important.  Then you get to put it before the delegates from all over the state, have open debate, and try to get your resolution voted in.  I am not a person who gets into open debate.  I avoid conflict at all costs.  I would normally hate this idea, but MSTA is infectious.  In other states, I haven't felt that individual teachers and communities have a voice in state or national organizations, but MSTA gives you a definite voice.  Plus, that voice doesn't have to be the rubber stamped opinion that the organization holds.  If you want to change something within MSTA all you have to do is get the ball rolling and get people rolling with you.

Plus, the entire MSTA staff goes out of their way to be accessible to you.  If you have legal questions or just need some help, they are always there.  They are personable and down-to-earth and they listen to you and do everything in their power to help you.  In the few years that I have been involved with MSTA I have been so impressed with how much they do to support their teachers.  They have the MSTA Community where Missouri educators can go to ask for help and advice on anything from being a new teacher to funding a Donors Choose project to starting interactive notebooks.  MSTA does a blog to keep you in touch.  They also send out  Action e-mails to keep you informed of what is happening in legislation and give a break down of the new legislation that is being submitted and how they believe it will impact Missouri schools. 

If you live in Missouri and haven't gotten actively involved in MSTA, you really should.  Go to a regional meeting.  Go to state convention.  Go to Leadership Symposium.  See what MSTA has to offer. 

Back to School Goals for 2014-2015

Well I'm about six weeks out from school and already thinking about my classroom and what I want to do better or differently.  Anyone that thinks I'm taking the summer off is sadly mistaken.  I would love to be curling my toes in the sand, but it just isn't going to happen this summer. :(

Instead I am linking up with I {heart} Recess for a Back to School Goals linky.  That's almost as much fun right?

I can't wait to get started on these goals and see what happens with the new year!

The Work Begins

I am about six weeks out from the start of school.  That means I am focused on everything I need to do to get my classroom ready for the new year because there never seems to be enough time.  My friends and family tend to roll their eyes and remind me I have plenty of time and I should take a break and chill out.  I might be a little bit of a workaholic...or a lot. I spent June working summer school and when summer school was out I went and stayed with my family for a week.  My first day back I planned to laze around and watch tv and be a total bum.  Then I got on Bloglovin and Pinterest and checked my feeds.  An hour or so later I was headed into my classroom to get started on all the awesome ideas.  Go figure. I count myself lucky that I get paid to do a job I adore.

I am grateful that in my third year I am staying in the same classroom and teaching the same grade level. My first year I was in first grade and my second year I moved to third grade.  This will be my third year and I feel like I get to really settle into my room and the routines I already worked with last year.  I also know that this year we are starting a new math series AND a new reading series simultaneously.  This upcoming school year should be very interesting.  In a way a lot will be the same and on the other hand a lot will be different.  That's why I'm determined to get a jump on it this year.  As teachers we put soooooo much effort into our classrooms at the beginning of the year and parents, students, and administration usually see the final product.  I decided I would start with some before pictures this year to show what my classroom looks like without the effort and attention.  These are the "no make-up/just rolled out of bed" pictures that we all dread...get ready for it...

I will say that this is actually after several hours of work.  My shelf in the back was loaded and I managed to get it unpacked, but some of it ended on the table.  I'm looking forward to posting some lovely after pictures when I get a chance.

Monday Random Meet Up

So as a new blogger I am linking up to other teaching blogs for the first time ever.  It's nerve-wracking! Today I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune for some Monday Meet Up.

Here are some random facts about me!

End of the Year Scrapbooks

This post may seem a little premature, but it's never too late to prep for the end of the year right? Ok so the year hasn't started yet, but this takes all year to put together.

I love for my students and their families to see how far they have come since the beginning of the year.  If you go back and look at pictures from the beginning of the year and compare them to the end of the year, they are SO different! Add in how much their skills improve, like writing, and you will be amazed.  As much as I say it is for my students and families to see a difference though, it is just as much for me.  As teachers we tend to get overwhelmed and all we see are the things that we didn't get to this year.  It's nice to have something to show us that even if we didn't teach every single lesson we wanted to, we made a ton of progress.  The best way I've seen to do that is to do a scrapbook for the end of the year.

When I found out our hallway all does scrapbooks for our kids I thought there was no way that I was ever going to get enough to put in a scrapbook...boy was I wrong.  About half of the scrapbook was pictures and the rest was writing.

We took pictures for:

• First Day of School
• Field Trips
• Hall Decorations
• Christmas
• New Years
• Valentines
• Superhero stories (we used Face in Hole to make them superheroes)
• Mother's Day
• Recess Pictures
• Quizbowl Pictures
• Parties
• Centers
• Grandparents Night
• Open House
• Pretty much anything else we could think to take pictures for
• Class pictures

Any time my students wrote a published paper that I would hang in the hall, I kept the work and put it in a file for my students. Some things we wrote about were:

• Beginning of School what we are like
• Grandparent's Day Why I Love My Grandparents
• Field Trips
• What we are Thankful for
• Disguising a Turkey
• Letter to Santa
• Letters to Soldiers for Christmas
• Superhero Narrative
• Descriptive Writing about Monsters
• The students created a publisher page about their Halloween that used clipart and borders.
• Letter to a Valentine
• New Year's Resolutions
• How to Catch a Leprechaun
• Narrative about a time they were happy or their favorite day
• Letter to the principal explaining what the student would do if they were the principal

Those are just the things I can remember.  Anything that you do can end up in the scrapbook.  It does take time and planning though.  I spent a large portion of the end of my year working on these scrapbooks because I hadn't kept up with them.  

What I Wish I Did Last Year:

We took pictures about once a month for this, that, and the other.  Those pictures of each student ended up on my computer on an edited page with cute graphics and captions.  I was pretty good at making the pages for all my students when I took the pictures.  Unfortunately I didn't print them off until the end of the year so it took forever.  Plus I still had to make some of the pages.  This coming year when I make them I plan on printing them so it is one less end of the year hassle.  Here are some examples of picture pages with me front and center:

Their writing pages were either typed on a computer with a border or they were hand-written on cardstock with fun borders.  Once again, I didn't always print out the typed pages, so this coming year I want to print them as they complete them so it is one less thing I have to do to complete the scrapbook at the end of the year.  The other problem I had was that some of my pages were laminated and some weren't because once again I didn't make time to get it done during the school year.  It was one of those things that I kept thinking "When I have a chance..."  I ended up not going back and laminating because there were just too many to do.  Plus anything that was printed at the end of the year didn't get laminated either.  It was ok for the scrapbook, but it doesn't mean they will hold up well over the years and my goal was to make something parents could keep.

With all those pages, putting the book together was actually pretty easy.  I made a list of all the things that went in the book and made sure the list was ordered.  The students' work was already separated into an individual folder so when they brought me the binder I requested I could just hole punch and put in the pages.  It actually isn't as much work as it sounds like if you do the printing, laminating, and separating work throughout the year.  I think of it as 20 minutes or so every couple weeks or month or hours of work at the end of the year.  I have to say they turned out adorable and I hope my parents were as excited to get them as I was to see them finished!

Board Games: Frog Publications

So there are a million and one cute little board games that you can find on TPT and print off.  They can be specific to a skill, adaptable, or use cards that you create.  While I love these, I really love my boards from Frog Publications.  I know several teachers that have used their Drops in the Bucket daily review.  I always have to stop by their booth at teaching conventions and conferences specifically for their game boards though.  If you don't normally stop you really should.  They have always given me a game board, set of example cards, die, and a couple pawns.  At my last convention, I even talked one of my friends into stopping at the booth and grabbing a gameboard (because I'm a little obsessed) and giving it to me since she wasn't interested.  She came back and told me in no uncertain terms I wasn't getting it because she was keeping it.  That was that.  She fell in love with the boards too. They are adorable! On top of that, they are also about the size of two pieces of paper.  That means more room for pawns and more space than most of the TPT ones.  Plus they are already laminated and extremely durable. If they can withstand the torture my kids dole out on my manipulatives and centers they can withstand anything.

Frog Publications has classroom sets that you can buy with pre-made cards covering all kinds of skills and the directions for the game are all the same.  You want to talk about easy for centers?  They've got it done for you.  Plus, I like to make my own cards and games to supplement.  Do you want students practicing math facts? Add in a set of flashcards with the board and they can practice their math facts.  Working on sight words?  My students loved having to flip over a card and say their sight word in order to move on the board.  Give a spelling list to your students and one student gives a word that the other has to spell correctly to move.  That is a center they can be engaged in.  They can even learn sportsmanship while in the center. There is no end to the number of ways you can use them.  Don't forget your fast finishers.  Keep some of your games in an extra box and they can grab a partner and start playing.

If you are interested in having resources for your parents, Frog Publications also has a Parental Involvement pack.  I haven't used this, but the games follow the same guidelines and it includes the self-checking cards.

Like I said, you can find plenty of game boards, but Frog Publications does the work for you and creates cards that focus on the skills that you teach in math, reading, and grammar.  Add in the durability and these are definitely products that you want to check out.