Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Monday, January 17, 2011
At Least Someone Notices...
"I just want to say thank you to public schoolteachers. You don't get paid like it, but you're doing the most important work in America." — "Glee" co-creator Ian Brennan after winning the award for best TV comedy
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I Found a New Donation Site
Of course, I had to create and account and make a wish list. The link below goes to my new wish list. Please spread the word for this site. The more people know about sites like this, the more there will be people who donate to these sites.
Take a look at my wish list and please spread the word!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Just Call Me...
The Queen of Displays. lol
Myself and the teacher next door to me have been working very hard this year to make creative displays in our classrooms and in the hallways. These are a few of our displays.
Myself and the teacher next door to me have been working very hard this year to make creative displays in our classrooms and in the hallways. These are a few of our displays.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Homeworkopoly
I saw Homeworkopoly on Teachers Plant Seed of Knowledge. I had seen it before, but forgot how awesome an idea it is! I had some time on my hands today (SNOW day) and decided to make it. I have been struggling with what to do about the lack of homework being turned in in my class for awhile. I have tried notes to parents, explaining to kids that homework is graded, even told them how disappointed I am that they have not completed their homework. Unfortunately, my kids just do not all have the motivation to do homework. So, I am thinking this will help.
Here is a picture of the board.
Here is a picture of the board.
When I (finally) get to go back to school, I will hang it up and show you the completed product. I can't wait to tell my kids about it!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Teaching Makes For...
An interesting life!
People think teaching is Monday-Friday 7:40-2:40. Nope. No sir-reeee. It is much more than that.
I have been contemplating revamping the way I do centers. I finally decided to just go for it. It's not really the "how" that I am changing because the organization of it all works fine for my kids. They really like choice and the way that we do centers gives them a great deal of choice. However, the paper organization is not so great. I simply cannot find a way to manage all of the papers and stuff. I decided that this HAD to CHANGE or I am going to lose my mind. Ideally, I would be able to leave my centers set up and all would be perfect in the world. However, due to a lack of space (and really the room is plenty big enough, but we have math centers at a time later in the day and I can't leave out things for both literacy and math at the same time) I have to use the kids desk groups as well as other areas in the room. So, I went to the dollar store today and bought some tubs. Now, my plan is to hot glue the center posters on the tubs and place all of the materials needed for that center in the tubs. Had I been a brilliant person, I would have bought twice as many tubs so that I could have more than one day's centers prepared at a time. But, the key phrase is "had I been" and I am not. lol
Anyhow, I am not all about reinventing the wheel, so I found all sorts of great ideas online for things to do in centers. I've been doing centers that way pretty much all year. I feel like I need to have less options though. However, I really need to make the way that I organize them more organized.
You see, we have "must do, next do, can do" centers. (I did NOT come up with this. I found it on another teacher's website and I LOVED it... so, I adopted it.) The kids have must do centers each day. The problem is that some of the kids finish their must do centers all in one day and then the rest of the week they are roaming around driving their classmates bonkers. I need to figure out how many they need to do a day and tell them. That way they can also have time to do next do and can do centers. They kids really like the can do centers because they are FUN (but also educational). I mean for it to be that way because it encourages them to get their work done and move on.
So, here I am with all of these things floating through my head. I need to get them typed up so I can put them in the pocket outside of my door so that when people come in to observe they are not SHOCKED at the (what appears to be) chaos.
I am finding that there are things about teaching that I LOVE and things that I could honestly care less for. However, not a day goes by when I truly think I should be anywhere else. Teaching is what I'm good at. It's where I'm meant to be. I am excited for next year because I feel like I will be more prepared, but we shall see. haha!
People think teaching is Monday-Friday 7:40-2:40. Nope. No sir-reeee. It is much more than that.
I have been contemplating revamping the way I do centers. I finally decided to just go for it. It's not really the "how" that I am changing because the organization of it all works fine for my kids. They really like choice and the way that we do centers gives them a great deal of choice. However, the paper organization is not so great. I simply cannot find a way to manage all of the papers and stuff. I decided that this HAD to CHANGE or I am going to lose my mind. Ideally, I would be able to leave my centers set up and all would be perfect in the world. However, due to a lack of space (and really the room is plenty big enough, but we have math centers at a time later in the day and I can't leave out things for both literacy and math at the same time) I have to use the kids desk groups as well as other areas in the room. So, I went to the dollar store today and bought some tubs. Now, my plan is to hot glue the center posters on the tubs and place all of the materials needed for that center in the tubs. Had I been a brilliant person, I would have bought twice as many tubs so that I could have more than one day's centers prepared at a time. But, the key phrase is "had I been" and I am not. lol
Anyhow, I am not all about reinventing the wheel, so I found all sorts of great ideas online for things to do in centers. I've been doing centers that way pretty much all year. I feel like I need to have less options though. However, I really need to make the way that I organize them more organized.
You see, we have "must do, next do, can do" centers. (I did NOT come up with this. I found it on another teacher's website and I LOVED it... so, I adopted it.) The kids have must do centers each day. The problem is that some of the kids finish their must do centers all in one day and then the rest of the week they are roaming around driving their classmates bonkers. I need to figure out how many they need to do a day and tell them. That way they can also have time to do next do and can do centers. They kids really like the can do centers because they are FUN (but also educational). I mean for it to be that way because it encourages them to get their work done and move on.
So, here I am with all of these things floating through my head. I need to get them typed up so I can put them in the pocket outside of my door so that when people come in to observe they are not SHOCKED at the (what appears to be) chaos.
I am finding that there are things about teaching that I LOVE and things that I could honestly care less for. However, not a day goes by when I truly think I should be anywhere else. Teaching is what I'm good at. It's where I'm meant to be. I am excited for next year because I feel like I will be more prepared, but we shall see. haha!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I See...
I see all these awesome pages online by teachers who have all these awesome ideas. I keep printing things and filing them away... I want to be like them! I want to have an organized classroom library. I want to have fun and interesting centers. I want to do all this awesome stuff!! I just need to figure out how. lol
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