Happily Fascinated

This week probably couldn't have gone much better if I had thought about it. In fact, all my thoughts prior to this week were reminiscent of last year. They were all, "What if I must be the super strict, mean teacher I had to pretend to be at times last year." Well, that is not the case at all. I have had to use my discipline chart and also have small talks with students, but I feel those small moments kept me from having to play Miss Viola Swamp for a day/week, etc.

I have a great group of kids...ones I will speak about individually at some point in the year and ones you've already read about. I have some struggling learners and some who I will struggle to keep engaged and academically occupied. I don't think the range of my kids is as vast as it was last year, but it doesn't really matter, because every year is new kids with new challenges.

Some first week stories:
--During ME Box sharing time, the child who I was warned about (by his father) about his "weird eyes" demonstrated his "weird eyes". He actually called it an usual talent...I called it weird and kind of gross. To truly understand what he can do, think about looking at a person when one eye is off to the side and one is straight towards you. He told me that when he does this, he sees 2 of everything. Even better...when he finished, another kid asked him to try and teach the trick to him. Yeah, we'll see if I can find something better for the two of them to do.

--"My mama said...she would bring my Me box to school." Well, first of all, who's responsibility is that? In 4th grade, we take responsibility for our actions and forgetting our homework at home is something only we can be responsible for. Oh and, we still don't have your Me box (after 3 days).

--I have a student who I'll refer to as Carson. After the first 2 days of school, I was a bit concerned. I hadn't had any kids jump out as behavior problems, except for Carson. He was that kid that needed another warning, already. He needed to be told 3 times to not do something that he shouldn't be doing already. He was setting bad examples for other students and was proud of it. That was until I figured him out. Yes, it's been 4 days of school and I think I have him pegged. Carson is very smart. He is also a bit OCD (non-diagnosed, but the same OCD I am). Things have to be put in place at his desk before he can do something else. He needs lots of things to occupy himself. He also needs something to keep his body moving while he's working...which I figured out was a soccer ball under his feet. Today he brought one from home and it was under his desk. Usually, they are to be stored in our recess basket, but I noticed how it helped him concentrate, because his feet were moving so his upper body could work. I told him the ball would be okay under his desk as long as it stayed under HIS desk. I completely forgot about it because he was so good.
While we were at recess, I had my good friend, portable mate, and co-worker come talk to me about Carson. She has girls that visit her classroom during lunch and recess for social skills. The only problem with this situation is that they usually talk and play with themselves. Well, she told me that she has seen Carson (a few times), talking to these girls and playing with them. In fact, when they needed a ball and he had one, he gave it to them. One even wanted to hold his hand and he let them. Most kids would walk away, and especially not let them hold their hands, but this is when I realized what a caring heart Carson has. He is the only kid I've seen initiate contact with these girls and not because a teacher asked. It's nice to see that some kids ignore all the stereotypes and labels given to people and are just nice!

--Today we made Life Maps (focusing on important moments in our lives). I mentioned in my first blog of the year that I have a child with special needs. Well, today he fascinated me in a way I have never seen in person. I began by asking him to write his birthday on his life map. That was the last time I had to ask him to write. 10 minutes later, he came to my desk and said that he ran out of space. I handed him more paper and took the one he had so that I could examine it. This child remembers specific dates for events in his life. For example, "October 13, 1997-I had a tube put in. August 23, 1999-My dad had surgery." This went on for 3 pages. I have no doubt in my mind that he remembers each of these dates. It reminded me of savants that I had seen on Oprah years ago. Savants can remember different things, and dates are what this particular kid specializes in. Amazed and fascinated are the only 2 words I can think of to describe what this child did today.

No, your name is...

Today was quite entertaining in the world of teaching...well, in my classroom at least. I have quite the entertaining class and today they really came out of their shells. They were very interested in asking me questions to learn about my life and also more questions about everything else they might need to know.

As a student was returning to his area from presenting his Me Box (a box with at least 5 items that describe his life), he needed another child to move out of his way. He said, "Move James!" The child said, "My name is not James, it's Jamie." "No, Jamie is a girl's name. Your name is James....James!" I am for sure that this child will continue to call his classmate by the wrong name, because he was adamant that the name given to this child wasn't the right one.

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly with a few more entertaining moments, but I'm too tired to write about more.

A bit tired, but content...

Today was the second day of school and I got to know my kiddos even more. I talked about procedures I missed yesterday and those I need to reinforce daily. I managed a difficult day with my child with autism. He told me that he went to sleep late and woke up late this morning. If I've learned anything about children and especially children with disabilities, it is that they need structure and routine! When he went to sleep late and woke up late, his routine and structure were shot for the day. This meant that everything was difficult for him, including the daily things that shouldn't affect him very much (making a lunch choice or putting his backpack away). This is definitely a learning experience for me and we just work day to day.

If you've read my blog at the end of last year, you will know what I mean when I say, "My mama said..." Well, she's back! Yesterday I mentioned that I have her sister in my class this year. I was hoping that the sister I currently have would be different and not deliver messages from her mom by way of "My mama said...", but my hoping didn't come true. So here's the first of the year. "My mama said...she is going to send medicine for my hand. She said she would send it with my sister so that it would be in the nurse when I need it. Well, I don't know if she's going to send it today, tomorrow, or the next day. But she said she's going to send it."

What I look forward to most is the year continuing on in the manner in which it started, which is very polite, hard-working kiddos with great attitudes about school!

GREAT BOOK FIND:
This book is for a bit older kids (3rd-5th) because of the humor and play on words, but they love it! It's a fun way to talk about manners and at my school, Life Skills. We joined neighboring classes for this activity because in the book, the neighbors are otters. We read the book aloud and then divided the kids up to brainstorm ideas of how the manners that the neighbors would like to see in "otters" could be displayed in our classroom and school.
The kids worked COOPERATIVELY in order to draw or write how you should treat "otters". They did a great job letting everyone contribute with their ideas and drawing/writing abilities. They presented them at the end of the day and did a fantastic job. The kids also liked getting to work with our neighbor class so early in the year. Developing the community in our portable is almost as important as just in our classroom. It was definitely at least a 4 out of 5 star lesson!

Teacher! Teacher!

So today was the first day of school. I seem to have a really good set of kids (knock on wood) and everything went fairly smoothly. I made it through the day and never felt really overwhelmed, except when I was waiting for the kids to get through the lunch line and I just wanted lunch. It's starting out to be a great blogging year because I already have a few personalities that are going to give me some great stories...and so it begins...

"The Sleeper" - For some background, she is the sister of last year's "My Mama" blog. (I have 2 siblings from last year and she is one.) Today while I was reading aloud, apparently The Sleeper found the story boring enough to take a nap through. I can tell you that I do not read stories in monotone. I am a very expressive reader and most kids sit very attentively throughout the story. Anyway, I asked her to wake up so she could return to her desk to finish work from earlier in the day. I think she was pretending to be asleep, but in any case, she was sitting with her head down, eyes closed, and not working. I had to then play Mean Teacher (for the first time this year) and explain that sleeping in class in NOT AN OPTION. If she didn't want to wake up and work, I could easily find another room for her to go to because I do not allow sleepers. I will admit that I did this a bit louder than I usually would, just because I was setting a standard. Don't think you're going to get away with sleeping in my classroom. It can't possibly be that boring.

"The Predictor" - This is the kid who thinks he knows everything. In fact, he and his mom told me that when they stopped by to drop off his supplies yesterday during my work day. "He didn't learn anything in 3rd grade. Hopefully he'll learn something in 4th." He was the student all day who was 5 steps ahead of everyone else. He was already ready for the next thing and trying to predict what my next set of directions would be. In fact, he was so ahead of me, when I gave him directions to do specific things, he had already done them, but incorrectly. When I started counting, he started counting with me. When I was passing out folders, he was standing 2 feet away waiting for his because he thought it would be next. The only thing this type of child does it make me want to do things in opposite of what he thinks. This may be mean, but if he's so far ahead of me, why do I even need to be there for him. He will learn eventually that he doesn't know everything and that he will need to listen first, then act. Oh and on top of that, he broke one of my rulers. It's the first day of school and we didn't even use rulers, so how did one end of broken????

"Miss Goodie Two Shoes aka Teacher's Pet" - You gotta love them, because they are there to please you and themselves, but they are TOO perfect. That's all I've got for now. Maybe when I have to talk to her about bad choices, she'll be blogged about again.

"Why?" - This child has special needs and is a very large part of learning as I go. I won't give specifics, but what I will say is that part of his 'charm' is asking a gazillion questions. The main question I received OVER AND OVER again today was, "When is the last day of school?" When I passed out their student handbooks and school calendars, he immediately turned to the calendar and wrote all over May 29th that it was his last day of school. I'm not sure what he's going to be doing until June 3rd (which is our actual last day). I think we have somewhere around 170 days to figure that out.

"Teacher" - I have a student who calls me teacher. If there is one thing that bothers me more than pencil tapping and pencil sharpening, and it would be when a child calls me Teacher. I think of it this way...I learned all 20 of your names and usually call you the right one. You have one very important name to learn and you can't do it. This is the only significant development with this child, but I will update if anything comes up.

Of course, each child has their own personality, but these were the most dominate today. I will be sure to share stories as they develop and fill you in on all of my adventures. Although I did teach last year, this is my first first of the year. It's still a learning experience for me. It doesn't matter how many years you've been teaching, each year is a learning experience.

I would also like to wish any new teachers the best of luck. The best thing I recommend it talking about your stresses and 'funnies' to someone who understands.

Meet Me!

The day started off in a tizzy. I was running late to school because Tiva was lazy this morning (yes, I just blamed my rushed morning on a dog) and I had to stop and get cash to buy my new school shirt. I had tons to do this morning during our work time in order to prepare for Meet the Teacher night and our textbook adoption training that afternoon. I rushed around and managed to get everything done and have time to make sure everything was done. We left for our textbook training, only to come back and think of more things that needed to be done.

I began to get very nervous. I'm not talking John Mayer nervous, but I was pretty nervous with anticipation and excitement. The moment the first family walked in my door, it all disappeared. I was very comfortable greeting the parents and explaining what I needed them to do this evening. It was nice that I had something the kids could do (put supplies away and scavenger hunt) and something for the parents (information forms and newsletter). Even when I had a room full of students, siblings, parents, and even grandparents, I was very comfortable and everyone seemed to be doing well. It did bother me a bit that parents were allowing there kids to play with our recess equipment IN the classroom, but when I was worrying about so many other things, it wasn't my biggest concern. Do I remember all of there names? No...I do remember the names for the child I have with special needs, the girl who shares my birthday, the one I thought was in 2nd grade, the one who's brother kept asking me for more cookies, and also the one who does weird things with his eyes (quoting his father).

I now have a classroom full of supplies that need to be arranged and stored...somewhere. It's the first thing on my To Do list for tomorrow (even though it's not a work day). Still lots to do...when supplies are put away, planning begins for week two of school!

Talk about stressful...

Another OMG kinda day! It was a full work day today and boy did I not realize how much work I had to do. Tomorrow night is Meet the Teacher night and I hadn't prepared anything for it before arriving at school today. In fact, the only thought I put into it was that I have to be in my room from 5:30-7:30 tomorrow night. Luckily, I had to go get some things from another teacher's room and she was already prepared for tomorrow. I had her send me her materials, I edited them to suit my needs, and make my own packets. I can now say that I'm (almost) ready and it's thankful to that teacher. I had a hard time leaving school today knowing I still have so much work to do and so little time. We do have tomorrow morning to work in our classrooms, but then we have to spend the afternoon at textbook training across town and then return to school in time to greet our kiddos. Tomorrow should be another busy and stressful day.

I plan to write each day to explain the day-to-day life of a first year teacher (yes, it's still technically my first year since I didn't start in August last year), whether it be a short update or a more detailed story. I still have tons of work to do and need to rest up for tomorrow

I will try and post a list of things I needed to prepare for the first week of school at a later date...maybe when I'm not so tired...and school hasn't even started yet!! UGGGHHH!

Day 2

OMG! Today was LONG and somewhat dreadful. It was an exhausting day of doing nothing. I don't doubt the program that was presented or it's future effectiveness in our school, but the energy of the presenter made me more than excited about the thought of it.
Scenario 1: Welcome! You all need to make name plates for your tables. On the board it says to fold it hot dog style (any kids or teachers know what this is immediately), so that you have 3 parts. The speaker then proceeds to demonstrate and narrate how to fold the paper. SERIOUSLY? I think we can manage. Well, this was just a peek at what we would be dealing with the rest of the day.
The concept of the positive behavior expectations was very reasonable, realistic, and easy to implement in our classrooms, unfortunately, the presenter felt the need to go into depth and give example after example after example of each concept. I got it after the first example. I do understand that some people need more, so the second example was good...were the 3rd and 4th necessary?

7 hours later...The anticipation is killing us....who is in our classes? The principal handed out rosters only to have the 3rd grade teachers rush over immediately to give us the news. This is always a debate...Would you rather know and have a chance at preventing anything you could or would you rather not know and start fresh and give every child a clean slate? Well, I only heard good news about my kiddos. Either I only have well-behaved, high-achieving students...or they just didn't spill the bad beans. I will of course work with either of these options, but my fingers are crossed....because...
I do know that I am an inclusion teacher. I will have at least one student who will receive special services for a portion of the day. I have been quickly briefed on the disabilities and will be later given a formal debriefing. It doesn't matter what the outcome is...I will work with whatever the situation. Luckily, my school offers lots of support to inclusion teachers and the students that are being serviced. I know that I won't be left outside to dry alone and that I'll have support whenever I need it. I feel very positive and optimistic about this year and can't wait to meet all my kids and see what kind of unique personalities they bring to my classroom.

Day 1

Today was the first day of professional development, which means it was the first day I've not had an afternoon doze in front of the TV in a few months. It wasn't so bad waking up...I've done early waking up this summer. We arrived to see everyone we haven't seen since the last day of school and also to meet many new-comers to our school. We played some ridiculous games and did some catching up about summer. Of course, I found a way to let everyone know that I had met John Mayer. And then he continued to fit into conversation for the remainder of the day.
We did the usual first day activities of new employee introductions, team building, and handbook orientation. We also talked about our new Positive Behavior Support program and how it is going to be implemented. It sounds like a good program and why should I think otherwise until I've seen it in action. It will make expectations school-wide and allow us to remind the students what is expected in every school setting from arriving at school, walking down the hallway, or sitting in assemblies. I'll keep you updated on details and the success rate of this program.

Although today wasn't bad, I'm not really looking forward to the rest of the week. I'd rather have time to get my thoughts together and plan my first couple weeks of school from my classroom, rather than random notes scribbled on my inservice papers. It's hard to keep straight what you're actually going to do and what you would like to do in fantasy land when you're writing notes everywhere. I do look forward to Wednesday, which is all day teacher prep.

Inservice updates to come...

THIS JUST IN...My Classroom is Complete!

I went to my classroom today to complete some last minute ideas. Of course, I'll always find something else I need to do, but for right now, I'm happy. I know that I didn't need to do everything in order for the kids to successfully learn, but things need to be interesting, inviting, and fun in order for kids to WANT to be at school and interested in learning. (Of course this does not apply for all kids, but it sure speeds up the excited feelings they'll have when they see my room.) P.S. - I made my own curtains...which I'm very proud of. You all can make your own too with some $1/yd fabric and iron on hem.

Below: A wide angle shot of the room. The class library is off to the right, my desk to the left. I figured out last year that I wanted my desk in front of the kids. While they are working independently and I'm working on something else, my presence behind them was like I was not in the room. In order to prevent a reoccurrence, I've changed my strategy. I think the spaces are well divided and the kids will be able to move easily throughout the classroom. There are different working spaces in the classroom that can be utilized at any time.

Below: Across the top of the board are our school's Life Skills (such as caring, patience, cooperation, respect, trustworthiness, etc.) My carpet area will be in front of the board so we can use the easel. Below the white board are Texas History documents and state information.
Below: My desk! I like a space to call my own...considering that some days I spend over 10 hours in this room. That is my ME bulletin board...I add to it throughout the year. The kids love seeing what I've been up to besides asking them to stop talking. By the time they are in 4th grade, they know teachers don't live in the school and want to see proof. The day my mom visited last year was equivalent to my meeting with John Mayer in excitement!
Below: Boxes and boxes of manipulatives. Unfortunately in portables, there isn't very much storage space...and my OCD didn't allow me anything less than nicely organized and labeled tubs. This is just going to make my life easier when I'm looking for something.

Below: Classroom Library - Fiction books are organized by author or genre (unless I don't really have enough to put in a tub...see library rack). Nonfiction books are sitting on top of shelves by category. Ideally I would have room for another shelf for only nonfiction books...ideally! The short table is for working and reward. FYI: I got many of my books after "bribing" my class with a reward if they brought in books. It worked like magic...in days I had an entire library.

Below: Information for my students (lunch count, calendar, newsletter, rewards), the Light Bulb Lab (for enrichment), and reading bulletin board. The Light Bulb Lab is where students can go when they've finished their work. There are mini research projects that can be done independently and other individual learning activities. To the left of this table is the Wonder Wall. Students can write their questions on card and clothespin them on the board. They can research the answers at a later time and the answers will be hung up as well.

Below: Science Process and supply shelf. If they don't have it in their desks, it can be found on this shelf. The pocket chart to the right is for stations.

Below: Small group/guided reading table...I don't think I need to give any more explanation.

It's a relief to know that children (and their parents) could walk into my room at any moment and I would be prepared. Unfortunately, those feelings might change at 7:45 on August 26th...we'll see.

If you are a new teacher or any teacher who is setting up a classroom of their own, I wish you luck. I don't call myself an expert in classroom design by any means, but I am pretty good at it. I've offered my advice to many friends and of course, learn as I go. If something doesn't work, I change it. No need to suffer with it for an entire year.

201, 229, 234, 236, 242, 243, 245, and 250

Enjoy a few more of the 501 Tips for Teachers!

Student Relations
201. Startle your students with your peripheral vision. (It can be improved through practice and exercise.) Classroom management is easier when students think you have "eyes in the back of your head."

229. Telling bad jokes is common to students of all ages. Laugh at their childish attempts at humor. After all, they laugh at yours.


Student Discipline and Classroom Management
234. Structure the classroom space so you can move around easily and get close to every student. (Try a U-shape arrangement.) Be everywhere in your classroom.

236. Reserve a "limbo seat" in the classroom for any student who can't function or focus in his or her regular seat for the day.

242. Teach conflict resolution skills--active listening, positive body language, brainstorming solutions, and others--as an alternative to violence. Kids need to learn how to settle disputes peacefully both in and out of the classroom.

243. Always present classroom rules with conviction. Avoid any hint of questioning, hesitancy, timidity, uncertainty, pleading, or negotiating. If students think there's some wiggle room, they'll wiggle. Take your rules seriously and your students will too.

245. Try not to "lose it" no matter how much you're tested. If students see they've angered you, they know they've beaten you at the discipline game.

248. Get by with as few rules as possible. Make 'em simple and make 'em stick.

250. Avoid sarcasm. It seldom helps and often hurts--a lot!
(I agree...and for those of you who know me, this is hard. At least avoid it until you get to know your kids and know which can handle it and which can't.)

Some of the 501 Tips for Teachers

Before school gets back to occupying all of my life and I have some time to breath, I have a few more tips from the book 501 Tips For Teachers. I will share a few tips each day as we're preparing for our first school year with our own teacher desk and a class to call our own.



Classroom Teaching Tips:
117. Be open to visiting teachers from other species. Sometimes a fly on the wall or a colony of ants on the playground can teach lessons more important than the ones you had planned for the day.

120. Send a welcome-back postcard to each student the week before school starts. It's an easy way to get kids "hyped-up" about the new school year.

122. Minimize transition time. Teach students to settle down quickly, to start work promptly, and to wrap up without dawdling. It's a way to lengthen the school day without changing the starting or ending time.


Student Relations:
140. Remember, your classroom may be the only happy place some kids ever have.

156. Think like a child. Act like an adult.

199. You don't have to love every student, but they don't know that. Let it be your secret.

212. As a teacher, you have countless decisions to make every day, but only one standard to apply: what is best for kids.

213. Don't just notice the kids who are in your face all the time. Pay attention to those children huddled on the sidelines as well.

214. If you don't expect students to be perfect, they will never disappoint you.