Tag Archives: teacher

theme for 2014-2015 {be grateful}

grateful

I drove home from my classroom last night thinking, “Wow, does the new teacher glow really wear off that quickly?”  We had just finished two grueling days of meetings, trainings, acronyms, expectations, changes, new curriculum, and binders of information that we never even got to.  I have no computer or printer in my classroom, and we didn’t (still don’t) have final class lists.  We have a new schedule and we are implementing several new programs, so I just didn’t feel like I had my bearings.  Someone suggested, “Just go with the flow,” but the thing is, there is no flow.

It was hard to be excited for the first day of school when I was so stressed out and disoriented.  This is my second year at the school and I’m in the same classroom, so how could I possibly feel more unprepared and unorganized than I did last year?  I started thinking back to what I was feeling a year ago, and I noticed one major difference.

Last year I was so grateful to have finally landed a job after applying all summer.  I was so happy to have my own classroom that it was okay with me that it wasn’t quite perfect on the first day.  Honestly, the changes and expectations that we are facing this year are incredibly frustrating, but at the end of the day, I have a job.

I’m grateful that I have a job.

I’m grateful that I didn’t have to switch classrooms.

I’m grateful that I get to work with middle schoolers.

I’m grateful that I am physically able to make it up and down the stairs to my classroom every day.

I’m grateful that I woke up feeling healthy today.

I’m grateful that my car made it all the way to school without any issues.

We eased the kids into the school year today, so each class period was only about 25 minutes long.  By the time I took roll and figured out who was here, who was lost, and who moved over the summer, we only had a few minutes left in class.  Rather than jumping into procedures, I just told the students about my gratefulness theme for the year.

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I told them to remind me about this theme when I get grumpy.  And I will definitely be reminding them about it when they get all teenage-angsty.  We talked about training ourselves to be grateful every time we are annoyed or frustrated.

You don’t feel like doing this worksheet?  Be grateful that you have the ability to actually read that worksheet.

You are tired in class and wish you could go home?  Be grateful that there is a bus to take you there at the end of the day, and that you don’t have to walk.

You got a low score on an assignment?  Be grateful that there is an extra credit opportunity coming up.

We also just casually shared out things that we are thankful for in general.  This was a pretty cool way to get to know some of the kids on the first day.  Some said they were thankful for their parents, their friends, God, bacon, and clean water.  One kid said he was thankful that his sister didn’t get deployed to Afghanistan.  They were thankful for their new school clothes, and the fact that they don’t have to wear uniforms.  Every class seemed to have one cheeky little student who said, “I’m thankful that I get to be in your class this year.”  Well played, kiddo.

On that note, happy new school year!

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spelling bee word wall

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The school spelling bee is tomorrow!  I’ve trained my 6th graders well, and I’m certain that one of my students will win!  We started learning the words on the Scripps National Spelling Bee word list by creating signs with one spelling word and the definition.  Each student made a colorful sign with the word, its definition, and artwork that represented the word.  They taught each other how to spell the words, and practiced spelling their word in front of the class (“say, spell, say!”).  I needed something to block the morning sun from my 1st period class’s eyes anyway, so we made a Word Wall from all the spelling words.  Students try to incorporate the spelling words into their comments as much as possible (“mugwump” gets a lot of action), and even if their eyes are wandering every so often, at least they will probably rest on our colorful Word Wall eventually.  I can’t wait for the competition tomorrow! 🙂  

barnes & noble mini haul

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Barnes & Noble, so teachers get 25% off all their purchases!  I needed a couple of things, so I headed on down this Saturday, and this is what I picked up:

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This calendar is actually for my piano studio, but I still got the discount.  I was surprised that the calendar section was already pretty much picked over, but at least I got this one for 50% off (plus my 25% discount, so 75% off!)  I just think it’s a nice little touch to put up a calendar that your students like to check out each month.  I try to just follow my students’ interests, so in the past I have done things like High School Musical, Taylor Swift, Glee, Despicable Me, Angry Birds, and last year, Angry Birds Star Wars (oh yeah!).  I also write all my students’ birthdays on the calendar and try to remember to bring them a little treat on the lesson closest to their special day.  It’s a little thing, but I think it has contributed to the fact that many of my students have stayed with me for EIGHT birthdays! 🙂

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I’ve been eyeing these bookends for a while, so I went ahead and indulged a little since I was going to get my discount.  I am going to begin reading “The Cay” with my 6th graders next week, and I thought these would help me keep my class set nice and organized.  I’m going to assign one student per week as The Librarian, and he or she will make sure that we get all of the books back at the end of the period in a nice straight line between the bookends.  I have a lot of teal in my room, too, so they look super cute.

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We love John Green’s Crash Course US History YouTube channel already, so I was excited when I found out that he is also an award-winning author.  I read “The Fault in Our Stars” over Christmas break (loved it), and it is currently being passed around between some of my higher-level (and more mature) 6th graders.  I have read a few chapters of “An Abundance of Katherines,” and while I’m enjoying it, I don’t think I want to be the one to provide it to 11-year olds.  The subject matter is a little bit more mature, but I can see high school students really enjoying this book.  I’ll save it in case I end up teaching high school, and I’m intrigued by the story line in the meantime.  John Green can do no wrong!  

 

I usually do more damage at Barnes & Noble, but one of my New Year’s resolutions is to reign in my spending.  Maybe I will get a gift card one of these days and have a few more items to share another haul post.

Did you get any great deals with your teacher discount this week?

 

free school supplies from reddit

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At the beginning of the school year, a friend of mine sent me a link to a Reddit project that matches teachers with people who are willing to donate specific classroom supplies. (The link I used unfortunately doesn’t work any longer, but I am assuming that Reddit will run this project again next school year and advertise it on their site). I wrote a list of the specific things that I always run out of or wish I had in my classroom.

A super nice (anonymous) lady mailed me two boxes full of pencils, markers, card stock, glue, crayons, and colored paper. I was so touched, and so were my students! We used some of the supplies to make her a really cute thank you card, and now whenever I want to do a creative project, I have all the supplies I need. I am really into “foldables” and posters and “projects-in-a-day,” and now I have all the card stock, markers and glue I need so that my students can actually make quality projects. I asked for a bunch of mechanical pencils, so now I don’t stress out when someone doesn’t have a pencil; I just give them one and they don’t even need to waste time sharpening it. We love the box of fine tip markers, and my 6th graders use them often for “Rainbow Reading” (blog post on that activity to come!) and for editing each others’ papers.

We love Reddit and nice people who donate school supplies!

essential red cardigan

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I’ve been a big fan of J. Crew cardigans since about age 20. That was probably a little young to jump into a cardigan phase, but by now I have gathered a nice little collection from which to choose “completer pieces” (as Stacy & Clinton would say).

All summer I searched for a great red cardigan. I ordered two or three, but they were all a little too orangey. I wanted a bold red that could almost work as a neutral. This one is a Jackie cardigan in Authentic Red, and as soon as the weather finally falls below 90 degrees, I plan on getting a lot of use out of it.

I think every teacher needs a perfect red cardigan. For some reason, adding a one just seems to make an outfit that much more “teacher-y.” What would you pair it with?

teacher survival kit

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I am in my room from about 7:30am to 4:30pm every day, so I have to make sure I have some basics on hand to keep me feeling, smelling, and looking good. I picked up this cute plastic box from Target and filled it with a few essentials…

-ibuprofen (it’s no fun to try and teach with a headache!)
-deodorant (it’s been almost 100 degrees outside lately, so I definitely need this!)
-mouthwash (I bring a lot of leftovers for lunch!)
-bobby pins (sometimes my bangs drive me nuts by the end of the day)
-panty liners (it would be terrible not to have one when you needed one)
-tampons (obviously)
-bronzer (to help control shine and add a little color to my face)
-nail kit (for toenails or fingernails)
-mint chapstick (it makes my lips feel nice and fresh)
-Tums (you can’t teach with a tummy ache!)
-makeup brush (for the bronzer)
-hair brush (after lunch sometimes it hangs a little flat)
-Cottonelle wipes (I just much prefer these to regular TP)

What else do you always keep in your classroom?

completed work files

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I found these magazine holders at Ikea last summer for just a few dollars. I labeled one for each of my classes. Whenever I collect an assignment, I just store them in the corresponding file. I try to grade and input work right away, but if it takes me a few days to get to it, I know all the papers are organized and waiting for me right where I want them. When I’m ready, I just pick up one file at a time and take it to my desk to grade. I have been thinking about moving my Turn It In Station closer to my desk so that it’s more convenient when I grade papers, but I don’t like students congregating near my desk or wandering over by it with late work. It makes me nervous. And suspicious.

If a student has late work, I never let them give it to me. They must turn it in to their class’ file. And I’ll get to it when I get to it. (I love how students who turn in late work are the first ones to complain that their grades have not been updated yet! Really, you want me to hurry now? Haha).

That phrase “whenever I collect an assignment” sounded misleadingly simple. Collecting an assignment takes training and skill. There is always a student who is in charge of gathering the papers for his or her group. Depending on how I have the seats arranged at the moment, this might be the person in the front row, or the person in a certain spot in a group. ALL the papers in the pile must be facing exactly the same way–they cannot be upside down, backwards, or weird in any way. And if I don’t see names on papers I don’t pick them up. I only collect papers once. If you missed it for any reason, you are in charge of getting your assignment turned in to the right box (facing the right way!). I warn my students that I am crazy when it comes to turning in work, and it is either perfect, or I don’t take it. By the end of the year they are fabulous turner-inners.

my corner

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This is my happy little corner behind my desk. I covered most of my bulletin board with this world map and added a US History bunting. I made the bunting last year out of scrapbook paper, and I really love the touch it adds to my board. I found this great antique map calendar at Paper Source (my weakness!) and it’s so fun to study to a new place from a different time each month. Even when I am planning lessons and entering grades, looking back at my board makes me feel calm and organized, and it reminds me that I love to teach kids about the world.

picture day

Today was Picture Day.  I forgot.  But when I noticed about five boys in a row wearing button-down shirts I figured something was up.  Luckily I’m still in the first-few-weeks-of-school-and-trying-to-look-authoritative phase, so at least I was wearing a cardigan.  I look like a total dork in my picture, but I figured it was just the middle school awkward-ness rubbing off on me.

I think I’ll always remember this Picture Day, though.  Technology has increased at an almost alarming rate since I last took a school picture, and the kids got photo ID cards right away.  The Lifetouch people just print them out right there in the gym!  It was very impressive.

But that’s not why I’ll remember today.

In my 6th grade English class the students were working on a brainstorming graphic organizer activity.  They are supposed to be coming up with a complex main character for the Fortunately, Unfortunately stories that they’ll be starting tomorrow.  (I’ll dedicate another blog post to that assignment soon).  I was trolling around the room, checking on students’ progress and making sure that everyone was quiet enough that we could still hear Katy Perry sing, “Ro-o-o-o-o-o-a-a-ar,” at medium volume level.  Most kids were comparing their photo ID cards.

One boy showed me his ID card and said, “I look like my dad in this picture.  Isn’t that funny?”  I smiled and said, “Yeah, funny!” and started to move on to another group.

“My dad died when I was in 3rd grade,” he added.

I stopped in my tracks.  “Oh my gosh, that is really, really sad,” I said.  “It’s good that you look like him so that when your family sees you, they’ll think of your dad and be happy.”  I don’t know how I came up with that.  I think the Holy Spirit gave me the words because I kind of wanted to just cry for him.

“He died of diabetes,” he continued.  “So I think I might get it, too.  I have to be really healthy.”

“Yes, please make sure you eat really good food, okay?  You have to stay healthy!”

“Yeah, I think he was sick because of what he ate.  Also my dog died in 3rd grade.”

Really, kid?  My heart can only take so much!  “Wow, that sounds like a really sad year.  What a combination!  That must have been really hard.”

He was very matter-of-fact about his loss and his health concerns, but he didn’t seem too shaken up at that moment.  I eventually had to move on to make sure people in other groups had something (anything!) written down on their worksheets, but his little face stayed with me all day.  I think he is eleven, and he has already faced such heartbreaking life events.  I still don’t know what it feels like to lose a parent.  I haven’t even lost a grandparent.

He reminded me that these kids have so many issues hiding just below the surface.  Honestly, most have them have faced more hardships in their short lives than I have in mine.  They deal with so much, and then sometimes I get mad at them for not getting their homework turned in.  I feel like it is my responsibility to hold them to a high standard so that they become responsible people, and they can rely on themselves.  Some of these kids don’t have trustworthy or capable adults in their lives, so it’s important to me that they become trustworthy and capable for themselves.  But sometimes I just need to give them grace.  And genuine sympathy and care.  This little guy will be in my prayers.

‘Twas the Night Before School Starts…

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I am starting this blog the night before I begin my second year of teaching.  I will be teaching 6th grade Language Arts and 8th grade US History at a new school in a new district.  Tomorrow.

I was trying to remember my first day of school last year, but it’s mostly a blur.  I dressed up and tried to look professional and stern.  I showed a PowerPoint presentation about the school behavior policy in which I spelled the principal’s name wrong.  A brave student politely corrected me just minutes before Mr. Eastman (I mean Easton!) poked his head in my door, presumably to make sure I wasn’t crying in a corner.

I told the students about myself and I learned about them when they made timelines of their 13-year lives.  I grew to love those kiddos so much and I miss my first group of 8th graders.  I truly hope that they all have a wonderful freshman year as I move on to another crew of fidgety, awkward, amazing middle school students.

Everyone keeps asking me if I’m ready for tomorrow.  I’m not.  My computer isn’t set up, I don’t have a functioning printer, I haven’t made friends with the new copy machine yet.  But I can’t wait to meet my new students.  We will be flexible and patient and begin to learn about each other.  I will try to be stern like I always do, but I’m sure I’ll break into a grin as soon as I see their round, nervous faces.

I wonder if they are as excited as I am…