Changes in 2015

It is that time of year again that we all sit and set our new goals for the new year and we reflect on our past goals that we did or did not accomplish. As I look back in 2014 the only thing I see was my desire to get a teaching job, in a classroom and not in a computer lab. So for me I will look back at the year 2014 with a huge smile on my face and a sense of accomplishment that I set and met a goal!

Now to look at 2015. First thing I am planning on doing is to get my energy back. This first year teacher thing is harder than they tell you. I am running on empty most of the time and I just want to be able to look around and see something that needs to be done and have the energy to just do it. So for the last month I have been working in my planner and preparing for the day...January 1! Not because it is a new year resolution but more in the fact that I like to start things at the beginning (OCD a little). And to be completely honest with myself and you...I needed the time to get myself talked into it.

About a year ago my cousin, Jennifer, Facebook messaged me about a company that she had started with called Advocare. With a little resistance I purchased the 24 day challenge bundle and to be completely honest I FAILED! I started with good intentions but I failed. I did not set myself up with the tools I needed and I hadn't changed my mindset.

This time it will be different (nothing like failing around people to just piss you off enough to prove them wrong). I will be successful with this 2nd chance I am giving myself. I have prepared by talking about it with my family, friends, co-workers, I have prepared in that I have created a food journal that I am completely in love with, and I know that there are people out there that think I am stupid and won't complete it and a part of me wants no NEEDS to prove them wrong!

Another change for 2015 is that I will not just keep this blog for classroom teaching things but all things because as a teacher I love to share ideas and hopefully will be able to grow this blog so that others can share in this process with me. 

Survived the 1st quarter!

My first year of teaching a 5th grade classroom, before I had 550+ kids in a computer lab, has been a huge success! I survived my first round of getting to know kids, learning how my team works, how a new school system works, new administration, new policies, new ways of thinking, and parent teacher conferences!!!
This first quarter has taught me a lot. The first thing I learned is that they really do not teach you anything about the classroom while you are in college. It is common sense and street smarts that get you through day-to-day activities in a classroom not textbooks and these fancy methods.
Kids will eat you alive if you think you can come into a classroom and put into place what your professors told you that a classroom should a certain way. I now have 22 kids in my room with 22 completely different wants, needs, and struggles. Between the ADHD kids that are medicated to the ones that aren't, to the fetal alcohol student that brings all kinds of new challenges, to the ones that have parents that are going through divorces or who have already gone through a divorce, the ones that parent is dealing with addiction, are in prison or who are worried that one of their other kids will commit suicide because they have already attempted it twice this year.

You will not come out of 

college prepared

to handle

these

situations!

Common sense, compassion, patience, and a lot of love will prepare you for these situations. 

I love my job and there have been a few days that I have questioned if I should go back into the financial world because I wasn't sure if I was the right person to handle these situations but what I learned is I am! We made it through and all these kids need is someone to love them, be patient with them and share in their struggles and guide them along the way.

This is the best profession to get into and I am so happy that I have finally found my place in this world!

My Classroom Economy

My first career was in banking and I truly loved the fast-paced craziness that came along with the financial industry, however once I started having children my passion for that industry went away. That is one of the many ways I ventured over into the education world, my kids! 

I hear people talk all the time about how teachers are not teaching kids "real world" situations and that kids are not prepared for the "real world" when they leave high school because teachers are not teaching them what they need to know to be a functioning adult in society. (Talk about a lot of pressure). So in my research of how to become the most effective teacher I can be I stumbled across a website...

https://www.myclassroomeconomy.org

Can I just squeal now with the excitement I have for this program?! Talk about a dream come true for me, this program not only combines my love for the financial industry but also my love of teaching into one program and... it is FREE!!!! Why are more teachers not using this in their classrooms? It is FREE and amazing and it ties in with the Learning Standards for our state and it is FREE and the learning possibilities are unlimited and it is FREE and it will give kids a sense of ownership to their actions and responsibilities in the classroom and it is FREE.

I am tickled pink that I have found this website, I am tickled pink that they also offer a FREE kit for those schools with limited resources (and mine does). I signed up for the free kit on a Wednesday and I had it on Friday, completely FREE (they even paid the shipping and handling). All of the copies are there to get us started. 

I am so impressed with this company that I have told everyone I know about it!!! If you are looking at or thinking about implementing an economy program in your classroom then My Classroom Economy program is the way to go. It is broken into grade levels so it does not matter if you teach kindergarten or 12th grade, they have a program in place. All you have to do is put the effort in to get it started and then sit back and watch those light bulbs come on when your students make the connections with their own money!!!!

The Giver by Lois Lowry

 I just finished reading 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry. This is the second time I have read this book, the first being several years ago during my Children's Literature Methods class. I remember the first time I read it that I ended the book and was a little shocked at the ending and a little confused. This time the ending made way more sense to me so I am not sure if I just skipped too many parts in the first read. I approached this reading through the eyes of a fifth grade student and at this point I can see that this book might be a little confusing for some students. I can also see with the concept of "release" which ends up being murder and in one situation suicide that this topic might bring up mixed feelings for some students, especially if you have a student who has experienced the loss of a family member.

I think I will hold off using this book as a read-aloud until I talk to the other 5th grade teachers about their feelings for the book. It is a really good book but with my inexperience with the emotions of 5th grade students I think it is best for me to wait to make a decision on this book.

This is a really good book but does touch on a very sensitive topic such as murder of children and older adults. They call it "release". In the book when they talk about release it is in a very positive tone, speaking about ceremonies and the reader gets the feeling that it is a joyous occasion. It isn't until the main character, Jonas, is allowed to watch the procedures his father goes through with the  release of a healthy twin male (who was chosen to be released based only on the fact that he was born a twin and that he weighted a few ounces less than his brother). The child is "released" by an injection of a mediation into the soft part of his head. It is then described that the child cries and then flaps his arms and then goes limp. The dead baby is then wrapped up, put in a box, and then put in a door that is described as a trash shoot that you find at a school. The person who "released" the child (Jonas' father) then waves bye to the child with a smile on his face and goes about his day.

I am not sure about you but that is a very hard image to have in your head as an adult let alone a 5th grade student that might not understand or have experienced death, or worse one that has experienced death and might feel that calling it "released" is making it sound like it is a good thing. 

I am slowly starting to think this book is a bad idea for 5th graders. I will post back as soon as I talk to the other teachers in my building. I was hoping this might be a good book since there is a movie coming out this fall but... we will see. www.loislowry.com

It feels like forever....

It really does feel like forever since I last posted. It has been a wild and crazy summer and I just got completely and totally overwhelmed with trying to get books labeled and things gathered up for my classroom and also baseball season and our oldest having weights and conditioning, football camp and a social life. WOWzer... I can finally start slowing down a tad bit and breath!

I actually sat down yesterday and read a book 'Rules' by Cynthia Lord. http://www.cynthialord.com/index.html

As I was reading this book I kept thinking to myself, "Why hasn't someone recommended this book to me before now?" This book is AMAZING!!! It gave me a different perspective that I really hadn't thought about and it is a must read!

This will be a must Read- Aloud to my 5th graders this year. 

Her website even has an option for teachers and when you click on it there is tons of information to help you with class discussions on her books...and it is FREE!!!!!!!!! 

The character lessons that this book will teach and the discussions we can have!!! I haven't read a book that has gotten me this excited in a really long time. I will be on the hunt for more of her books!

My next read is 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry. I read this book several years ago while going through my Children's Literature Methods class but thought I should revisit it since is being made into a movie this year and will also be a great Read-Aloud. 

Pondering questions...

So I have been reading a couple of Literacy books for the on-line book study over at www.thinkingofteaching.blogspot.com (100 Minutes) and I have been reading The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller to gear up for a book study on Reading in the Wild over at http://thebrownbagteacher.blogspot.com. At the same time I have ventured into another on-line book study with www.theprimarygal.blogspot.com for a book called Guided Math.

Holly cow...what have I gotten myself into?

So as I am reading these books I am finding that the literacy books seem to focus everything around literacy and the math books focus everything around math. So my question is... how do you determine what is the most important?

For me, I think Literacy but I am sure if you ask a "math-minded" teacher they would say math. My problem that I am having at this point is that one of the books is talking about morning work and that it needs to be independent reading time, another book is talking about morning work being math centered so do you base your morning work off of both?

My son's current 5th grade teacher does a morning work activity sheet that is double sided, one for literacy work and one for math work. Is this the "happy medium"?

I would love your thoughts!

Chapter 1: 100 Minutes to Balance Literacy

I have tackled the first chapter of the book '100 Minutes' by: Lisa Donohue and I have to say that I am so excited to take her ideas and use them in my classroom next year.

At this point I only have my student teaching experience to use as experience in what to do and what not to do. I was a Spring student teacher and it wasn't until I came into the classroom that my teacher implemented her small group/whole group reading instruction. She admitted that she did not feel comfortable with this style of learning. She spent about a day going over procedures and then the students went around the room doing their small group work with a buddy. She put the students into small groups and we would meet with them for about 15 minutes to read, but it seemed more like to access them because we took tons of running records.
A lot of time was spent redirecting students behavior and I never saw her go over their writing topics (she did have a center for writing). At the end of the week we would throw them away and put a new topic in a folder and I never saw her read or work with a student out of the writing folder. If I didn't see the purpose of the centers I can only imagine what the students thought.

I DO NOT want to be that teacher! 

I WILL NOT be that teacher! 

On page 18 the example of a classroom day seems heavenly, I just have to wonder how long it really takes for a new teacher to get to this point. The new district I am starting with stated in my interview that they spend the first 20 days of school on procedures, so I have to wonder is this when I implement my action plan? Do they "practice" but not actually do work during the 20 days of school procedures? They spoke heavily about reading centers and literacy blocks but did not give a specific amount of time that is allotted, my impression is A LOT. 

Can't wait to get started with Chapter 2: The Building Blocks and to head over to appleclices4th.blogspot.com

Loved what thinkingaboutteaching.blogspot.com said in her review of Chapter 1...go check it out!!!

Guided Math: A Framework for Mathematics Instruction Book Study

I came across a Math book study that I will be participating in also! Over at theprimarygal.blogspot.com she is hosting a book study for math!!! I have to admit that I am a little nervous about teaching 5th grade math this next school year. Being in the computer lab I have not had the opportunities to sit through the "new math" training that everyone seems to talk/stress about. My 5th grader would bring home worksheets and I would try to help him solve the problem only to hear that familiar statement, "that is not how we were taught".

So, to help educate myself a try to get ahead of the game I will be participating in this book study.

And since I am kind of a nerd, I also found the attached Study Guide....FOR FREE!! It is only 26 pages so not too much to print from home. 

http://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/mathematics/Study_Guide.pdf

Schedule for 100 Minutes book study

I finally found the picture I have been looking for!!! Here is the schedule for the book study: 100 Minutes that is currently going on over at thinkingaboutteaching.blogspot.com

I only feel like I am about an hour and a half behind...UGH. I am usually not the girl who shows up to the party late but on this one...I am. Today they will be discussing Chapter 3 over at applefortheteach.blogspot.com

I still have not started reading the first two chapters but this week my goal is to get myself caught up and be ready to participate with Chapter 4: Reading Response.

100 Minutes By Lisa Donohue

I got my book today!

I am so excited to get started with the book study I learned about over at thinkingaboutteaching.blogspot.com

I do feel a little behind as they have already posted about Chapter 2 and well...I just got my book. So it looks like this weekend I will be doing some serious Literacy Block reading. 

http://applefortheteach.blogspot.ca Will be hosting Chapter 3 on May 31st so I better get to reading!

Does this make me a nerd? 

I am slowing developing a plan for my classroom library!

As I continue my reading of The Book Whisperer I am finding myself constantly thinking about how I am going to handle my own classroom library. The first task at hand will be to gather all of my books into one central location, because at this point I have some in my classroom, some in my bedroom closet, some in the garage, attic, shop, boys bedrooms and I can only image a few other places that I have stashed books.

I think I will make card pockets for each book and include a "check-out" card so that I can keep track of who has what book. At this point, I am thinking of making a bulletin board with pockets for each student and when they check out a book from the classroom library they will take the check-out card from inside the book and place it in their pocket.

I would love suggestions and ideas on how others keep track of their books in their classroom library.

The Book Whisperer By: Donalyn Miller

Have you ever started reading a book and you get so "into" the book that you get upset when you have to put it down because your kids are hungry and you are suppose to be fixing them something to eat? Well...that was me with this book today.

Over at The Brown-Bag Teacher http://thebrownbagteacher.blogspot.com she is gearing up for a Summer Book Study with a Book called 'Reading in the Wild' by Donalyn Miller. This is Ms. Miller's second book and the way Catherine at The Brown-Bag Teacher describes her writing style I had to join in. So since they will be doing a study on the second book I thought it might be a good idea to read the first book (although they stated in their post that it was not necessary I am kind of a nerd when it comes to keeping things in order).

So today since we were out of school (not due to weather but an E-Coli scare) I purchased the book, 'The Book Whisper' and sat down and started reading. WHOO HOO, I am loving it! This book is amazing and I was not happy to have to put it down. I love how she writes and how she tells you exactly what she is thinking about things. I love that she also doesn't like the sound of the terms we use for readers in our classrooms such as struggling readers and reluctant readers but instead chooses to put a more positive spin on their abilities by calling then developing readers! It is amazing to me how as teachers we can choose to go negative with our students but thinking that we are being positive. 

At this point I am doing a quick read through the book to get an idea of the concepts and then I plan to go back through the book with my pencil and notebook for some serious learning!

This is a must read for all teachers!

My new adventure...blogging! and background of my journey.

I am so excited to begin this new adventure of blogging. My hope is to keep it up-to-date and write about all the fun, exciting, stressful things that come with being a teacher but also being a NEW teacher!

Background of my journey:
Lets just say that there is a reason when you are in college working your butt off to get the grades that they tell you there is no guarantee that you will work in your field of study and that the university is not liable. I graduated in May 2012 and I just got my first teaching position for the 2014-2015 school year. I currently work as a Computer Lab Aide, which means I teach computer lab; plan lessons, deal with classroom management issues, work with teachers to coordinate learning opportunities that re-enforce what they have learned in the classroom, deal with discipline issues, administer Acuity testing for K-5, talk to parents, etc...but for 3/4 of the pay. Yep, that is right. In my current district the Computer Lab teacher is paid the same as the recess aides that make copies and pick up recess balls all day. (Only a little bitter about that).

But it was my choice to continue to stay in my position year after year (even though the principal said that they were talking about making it certified if I would just stay one more year). Okay, enough with the bitterness because I can go on and on....

So I am getting ready to change districts and the one I am going to is WAY smaller! The whole town has less than 1500 people in it. I fell in love with the people during my interview and I have to say that since getting the "job offer" call, my feet have not touch the floor!! I GET 2 TEACH...and they are going to pay me to do it!! BONUS!

My first task is to get all of my books organized so I have been trolling on peoples blogs to see what they are doing and man people are creative.

I am hoping to get this process started this weekend but to be honest, I do not even know what my future classroom looks like. I interviewed at the high school and have not even stepped foot in the elementary building. (This could be a small problem...or I can just roll with it and change it later).

I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions!