Just an ordinary day...

There wasn't anything special about today. We did have a bit of a schedule change, but that was the most excitement there was. The kids were their usual selves and things went along well. I had a few kids out with illness, which made for a quiet day...if you can figure out who one of those kids might have been, you will understand why it was a quiet day.

Today was kind of a good day for one of my students to not ever mentally check into my classroom, because I had some extra time for him since another student was absent. I'm not saying that I ignore him usually, but I don't always have time to refocus him every 2 seconds. Elliot is a very difficult student to keep focused ON ANYTHING! He was not able to work during math because he chose not to. I LOVE to help students who want help, but Elliot is not one of those students. He will occasionally admit he needs help, but it is impossible to help this child when he's not willing to be helped. I have purposely placed Elliot at a group with very helpful students. They are very on top of things and on task about 98% of the time. I thought this would be a good place to encourage good choices. Man was I wrong! He HATES HATES HATES his group. He has moved away from them and only works with them when it's not a choice.

Today we started writing with our usual writing warm-up in our Writers' Notebook and then gathered on the carpet for today's mini lesson. Today's lesson in a nutshell was, "What are you working on as a writer?" I talked to the kids about what that meant and their goals for today's writing and sent them on their way to write. Elliot comes up to me as I'm making sure everyone is getting their spirals out to write, "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "Look around. What do you see?"
E: "Working."
Me: "What do you think they are working on?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "What time of day is it? What do we always do at this time?"
E: "I don't know."
Me: "I think this would be a good time for you to go ask Alicia what you are supposed to do."
E: "Not her."
Me: "She is a very good friend who could help you be on task right now."

He walked over to Alicia's desk and stood there for a few minutes, appearing to muster up some courage. He finally asked, "Alicia, what am I supposed to be doing right now?" And she told him. It looked like one of the most painful things of his life and I got pleasure out of watching it...I know that's terrible. I don't mind the students who ask what they are supposed to do if it happens every once in a while or if they were concentrating and still don't know, but it really bothers me when he doesn't know what to do ALL DAY! I am not a person to say that a parent needs to put their child on medicine, but if I've ever seen a candidate for ADHD medicine, this is one. Good thing I still have 25 weeks to figure out how to get him to focus for more than 2 seconds in a row.

Cry Babies

I have a class of cry babies...the following examples will give you a clear description of how many tears I encountered in just ONE DAY!

It's about 3 minutes after the tardy bell rings in the morning and one of my students comes walking in and I notice he is a bit teary eyed. This student has cried many times before, and usually it's more like crying wolf, so I don't really pay much attention. After I notice him grabbing Kleenex after Kleenex to dry his tears. I finally ask him what's wrong...

William: "Nothing!"

Me: "Well, nothing doesn't usually makes someone cry like that."

W: "It's nothing!"

Me: "Okay. Well here's the deal. I can't let you sit in my classroom crying like that if I have no idea why."

W: "It's NOTHING!"

Me: "Something is making you very upset. Is it school or home?"

W: "School."

Me: "Is it in this classroom or outside."

W: "I'm not saying."

Me: "Are you upset with something I did or something else."

W: "Something else."

Me: "In specials, lunch, PE, recess?"

W: "I've been crying ever since choir this morning."

Me: "Are you upset about choir?"

W: "No."

****I'm not a dentist and have not been trained in how to pull teeth.**wink**

It turns out that there were some stray dogs roaming our school and he was very upset that the Animal Control was on their way to catch them. I then had to talk to him about what we can do for homeless animals and their owners will have a chance to find them. It's not okay that dogs are roaming around school because they can sometimes be dangerous and might even bite some children. BLAH BLAH BLAH! He wiped his tears away to finally join us in class...for the time being...

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Today was also our Explorer Excellence Awards. This award ceremony is to honor Perfect Attendance, A and A/B Honor Roll, and a few other rewards just for our kids. I thought it went very well and except for me mispronouncing my first student's name, there were no other glitches. As we were returning back to class, I noticed 2 students who were crying like infants. I knew they were both upset that they didn't win any awards, but that is what happens. That is what happens when you don't finish your work in class, when you don't turn in homework, and when you don't make it up during the allotted times every Friday afternoon. One of these students was William. He was very upset and was refusing to do his work. I've had many conversations with him about his grades before and he had no reason to be surprised by not winning an award. He is in 4th grade and has opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity to get is work done, CORRECTLY. I asked him to talk to me outside and because of all of our previous discussions about his grades and chances, this is what I had to say: "William...I understand you are very upset because you didn't win an award. I really have no sympathy for you at this point because I gave you chance after chance to turn in all of your work. There are some teachers who don't give as many chances. If you are out here crying, that means you are already getting behind on the work for this 9 weeks. If I were you, I would go back to my desk and finish my work. You will not come in my room crying like this because this is not a surprise. This is a result of your actions last 9 weeks. You can change it if you want, but you can't change that sitting out here. When you've stopped crying, you may come back in."

William finally joined us back in class, with only minutes to spare before we were headed to PE.
He sat down very dramatically in his chair and gave me the look of death. Too bad the look of death doesn't work on teachers...since they are Stare Professionals. I told him to join us in line to leave and his response was a very angry, "NO!" I told him he could then come with me so we could visit the Principal's office. He got up, slammed his chair around and grunted, "I hate this school anyway." See, I don't take any of this personally because I dealt with much worse last year, students who didn't necessarily hate the school, but might have hated me at some points.

I took him to PE, the principal was busy, and returned to my room to call his dad. I let him know what was going on and he said he would be to the school immediately. Dad and William had a nice long chat and talked about what they can do to prevent this problem in the future.
Problem #1 resolved!

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My other student who had been crying after the award ceremony ended getting over it very quickly. I will talk to her this week about goals for this 9 weeks and how she can meet them.
Problem #2 sort of resolved!

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On our way to PE, I also had another student boo-hooing with tears dripping from his face. Elliot was having trouble understanding the math assignment. As a teacher, it is my job to help students who are having trouble. I have many students in my class who truly need my help. Elliot, on the other hand, does not need math help. He was commended on last year's standardized test and he was very successfully completing the exact same type of multiplication. Today he claims that he had no idea what to do. I sat and showed him step by step what our assignment was yesterday and also again today. He still did not know how to do the problems...I need a break. I thought he was understanding what he was supposed to do, so I walk away. The next thing I know, he is sitting, head-down crying. What am I supposed to do? I have kids who really don't get thing...I need to help them. You just don't WANT to get it.

Problem #3 unresolved!

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As I was getting ready to take the bus riders to the buses, I notice a student using her cell phone and causing a distraction in the line. The bell has yet to ring and regardless, the school/district policy is that no cell phones are allowed to be visible at school. I ask her to hand me the phone and she gets very upset. (This is not a student in my class.)
Student: "But I need my phone to call my mom after school."
Me: "I'm sorry. The rule is no cell phones at school. You had yours out were causing a distraction. I will turn your phone into the office and your mom can get it there."
Student: "But I am supposed to call her on the way home."
Me: "On the bus on the way home? Cell phones are not allowed on the bus either. Your phone is not to be out at school."
Student: "I only had it out because I got a text message."
Me: "Hmmm, a text message? You said your phone was to call your mom. You were text messaging with your phone. That is not okay and I will again tell you that it will be in the office for your mom to pick up."
I turn the phone in, take care of some after-school business and return to my classroom to find a voicemail and e-mail from this student's parent. She is very upset and said her daughter would NEVER have her phone out when she wasn't supposed to. She had more words to say, but none of importance (ha!). I told the vice principal about this situation and it is now under her control.

Problem #4 resolved!

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As I was sending kids to particular buses, one of my very trusty-worthy students came to me and said that another student (not in my class) was throwing rocks. As I turn around to ask him about it, a rock hits me in the leg. I'm talking about a nice (inch-sized) rock. I ask him if he threw the rock and his reply, "I didn't throw a rock. I don't know what you're talking about." LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE! ahhhhhhhh....I may not have been so bothered by it if I hadn't dealt with all of these other situations in one day. I ended up writing this student up after talking to his teacher and asking what needed to be done. Turns out, this was not his only behavior incident today.

Problem #5 semi-resolved!

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All of this happens in one day and now I get to be at home relaxing in front of election results. Yes it is exciting, but not exactly the type of TV that helps my mind forget about today.

Are you refusing to work?

I have a very difficult students who I'm sure I've talked about before, but can't remember his alias. I guess I'll rename him with...Elliot. Elliot is severely unmotivated in most content areas, but especially in reading and writing. He often does not participate during reading mini lessons or write during Writers' Workshop. I've tried many things to get him going, but he just doesn't seem to care. I would like to rephrase that. He does seem to care, because when I talk about his behavior or refusal to work, he often gets a very angry look like he is upset with himself. In most cases, I understand where a child's anger or dislike for a certain type of work come to play, but with Elliot, it happens so often that I'm confused by it.

Today during math, we were noticing patterns when multiplying by 10s, 100s, 1000s. The class had a sheet to follow along with. We talked about the pattern, the answer for each one, and how we would figure out the next. Well, we excluded Elliot. I sauntered (we're learning about verbs of steel as well) to his desk only to notice all the blanks were filled with question marks. The first words out of my mouth were, "This is unacceptable!" I said this first because this was a discussion I was about to have for about the 10th time with Elliot. We've talked about it being unacceptable to write a question mark in the blank when we are working as a group and when there are 2 teachers to help (myself and my aide). I erased all of the question marks for him, tried to get him going again and he just put his head down. I asked, "Are you refusing to do your work?" He nodded his head.

-- I am documenting exactly how I handled the situation. I would not handle this type of situation like this every time, but I have given this child about 300 chances in many different settings within our classroom. You may not agree with this, but at the moment, and still during reflections, I agree with what I did. Also keep in mind that I already have a conference scheduled for tomorrow with this child's parents.--

I asked Elliot to leave my classroom. My door was already propped open, so I asked him to sit right in the doorway. When I got the rest of the class back on track, I asked Elliot if he was ready to re-enter our classroom and return to work. If he was not, I told him that he could go sit in Ms. H's room next door. (She is aware of this student's behavior and is very helpful in stressful times.) He followed me back to his desk and immediately put his head down. I said, "Grab your paper. You are going to Ms. H's room." "I don't want to go in there." "I'm sorry. It is not a choice. I gave you a choice to work and you chose not to. You have no more choices." He went to Ms. H's room and sat for the remainder of math.

I obviously have to figure out some way to motivate this student to work, but I'm stumped. He HATES cooperative work (and we do a lot of that), he hates anything that takes too much energy, he hates talking in front of the class (which I don't force on any child), and he hates when I ask him to do something. This child is very bright in math (commended on our state test last year) and fairly competent in reading. Unfortunately, he has only shown me that he is incapable of doing work without my step-by-step-by-step guidance....uuuugggghhhh!

Back in the old'en days!

Yesterday, the fourth graders at my school ventured out to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. I was well prepared and knew my class would be well-behaved.

We started out seeing an IMAX movie about Texas, which I really enjoyed. I sat next to Victor during this movie, which I also really enjoyed. He seemed to love the movie and also asking me which city every clip was of. After the IMAX, we had some time to view the exhibit before lunch. My kids broke off into their groups and went to work on their assignments. (Yes, they had an assignment!) There were specific parts of the exhibit that they had to answer questions about or compare to another part. As the teacher, I took the most difficult group of kids. They aren't necessarily badly behaved, but this group of kids tends to get over excited and that affects their behavior in a negative way. I took these guys for myself so I wouldn't have to later get onto them for not listening to the chaperons.

Overall, the reports from the chaperons were all wonderful! The kids were very well-behaved, followed the agreements we made about behavior in a museum, and represented our school positively. Now, we were not the only school at the museum. There was a school from another city who must have not discussed museum etiquette. While I had my group looking at part of an exhibit, this other group of kids pushed their way in front of my class and was grabbing everything. They were also running around other places and yelling loudly. I once asked them to not yell, but it was ineffective. I would have been completely embarrassed if it was my class behaving in that manner. In the same respect, I do understand the struggles of managing all of them and am grateful that I didn't have to take last year's class to the museum. Regardless...if my kids had behaved like that, we would have sat in the lobby instead.

We are taking one more field trip later this year and I am very excited about it. We head to a Christmas Tree Farm that sets up "A Little Bit of Texas Tour" for 4th graders about Texas settlements. My favorite part is the tetherball at lunch time...this is when I get to show all these 4th graders how to REALLY play tetherball. I should tell them to start practicing now.

Is that private?

If you're wondering about the title and how appropriate the upcoming anecdotes might be, you're on the right track. Hopefully you've been keeping up with things and are familiar with my student named Victor. He is a special kid...in my heart and in spirit. So the story begins...

We were in the hallway. I was talking about hallway expectations (silence and standing in a line) when Victor started on his questioning rampage. I answered the first few and then when he went to hug me...this is something he likes to do to teachers--hug all of a sudden (kind of like pouncing on his prey). We're working on "personal space" and how that is not okay. He continues to hug randomly. And when I say hug, I mean wrap his arms completely around you and squeeze a little. I have to pry him off sometimes, as I see my aid doing as well. Well, our hugging and questioning session needed to stop because we needed to follow those hallway expectations. This is when his questioning took a turn for the worst. Please remember that Victor is one of those students who must have his questions answered. It's part of his charm and will not settle until he has all the answers he wants.

V: "Is there okay to touch?" (point at one of my breasts)
Me: "No, that's personal space. It is not okay for you to touch."
V: "Is that personal space?" (pointing to the other breast)
Me: "Yes, it is also personal space and not okay to touch."
V: "Is that private?" (point to the original breast)
Me: "Yes! It is part of my body that you may not touch. It is inappropriate to touch people in their privates or anywhere they think is personal space."
V: "Is that private?" (pointing to the other breast)
Me: "Yes, that is also private. I need you to get back in line. This is my space and you may not violate it."
V: "Is that private?" (pointing somewhere else...just think about it)
Me: "Yes, it is very private."
V: "Why are they called our privates?"
Me: "Because they are only for us. We don't show or touch our friends there."
V: "What happens if I touch you there?"
Me: "I WRITE YOU UP!"
V: "What do you mean?"
Me: "I mean I will write you a referral and you will go to the principal's office. That is not okay at all. It's not okay for teachers or your friends."
V: "What happens when you get a referral?"
Me: "You are aware of what happens. I need you to return to line. We can talk about this later if you would like."

I never thought I would have to have this conversation with a 4th grader, because they are usually aware of these things by now, but...Victor doesn't fit into the mold of the other 4th graders. If I hadn't had this conversation with him, he might have gone around touching and asking other people if their parts were private and in their personal space. It's never a boring day when Victor is in class.

I think a rock would understand better...

I have some kids in my class who pick up on things very quickly. This is typical. I also have students who need things explained 3 times. This is also typical. And then I have a student who needs things explained 5 times in a very detailed manner. I mean...this child needs me to explain things like, "You will not have to do all of these for homework because they are all the same. This is the stack of tonight's homework for the entire class."
And things like, "You may not make changes on someone else's paper, but you can tell them why they should. YOU should be making changes on your paper, especially words that your partner knows are spelling incorrectly." He adamantly said that he was not allowed to write on his own paper after this. Even when told he could 5 more times by 2 adults.
And more..."Count down 10 lines and draw a line across your paper....you do NOT need to draw 10 lines across the paper, just one."
"Please leave the post it notes in your books. You can just move it to read tonight." I then had to answer, "But how am I going to read with it here?" "You can just turn it to read the page and it shouldn't bother you." "No, how do I read with it here?"
I've still got more..."Where do I tear this post it note?" Me, "Down the middle just like this..."(I showed everyone). "I can't do that, is this how? Do I do it this way or this way? I don't know how!"

SERIOUSLY! Some of these may have been difficult for you to visualize or understand, but the point I want to get across is that even when I show this student step-by-step, it doesn't usually work. He doesn't understand simple directions and just doesn't know how to do things that 4th graders should. It's just weird what he doesn't know by now that the letter /i/ when written alone should always be capitalized. And that 4 sentences is not the same as 4 lines on notebook paper. Or that you always begin a sentence with a capital letter. Hmmm....makes me wonder about the standards at his old school. I guess I'll find out as the year goes on.

Never Leave a Rolling Chair Unattended

YAY...it's finally Friday! It was a good week and we accomplished a lot. I also learned a bit more about the abilities of my students. And along with all of that bizness, I have also gained some great stories...Let's start with the odd balls...I mean unique students in my class. I truly don't mean odd balls, but rather, children who are out of the ordinary model students.

This student who I will call Kevin is a very capable child. He is on grade level in every area. This child has one thing going against him. His body and mind are unable to concentrate on anything he does (also known as a form of ADHD). I am constantly redirecting this child back to work. He NEEDS me to stand around him in order to get him back on task the moment he is off task. I understand that children need a bit of down time and that is not what I'm referring to, but it is more of the kid tying himself in his chair with his jacket instead of working. He is also the child who lays out his jacket on the ground during dismissal in a very meticulous manner in order to sit down for 2 minutes before the line heads home.
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Victor is another story. Literally, another story...
He is the student I have with special needs. Today he did a few humorous things, which is a usual day for him. He has a great personality, is very entertaining, and is really a joy to have in class (regardless of the extra attention he requires). Today as I was helping him write and turned around to help other students. When I returned to his desk, he was holding the sharp end of his pencil in his ear. I took the pencil out and he immediately began apologizing. I explained that it's not safe to put pencils in your ear because you could poke things out in there.
"What could I poke out?"
"The inside of your ear."
"Where's that?" And he continued on. He also began saying that his ear at first didn't hurt after poking it and then he see-sawed back and forth about whether or not it hurt. He also then tried grabbing my finger and putting it in his ear. I had to inform him that, "My finger does not go in your ear."
This all may sound a bit odd to you, but this is the usual day in the life of Victor. In the life of Victor today, I also left my rolling/spinning chair unattended near his desk. When I returned after helping other kids, he was sitting in it and spinning around. It was funny, because I know none of the other kids in my class would have tried that (at this point in the year).
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"Ms. L, my mom said I will probably have to get braces when I'm older. Do you think I'll look cute with braces?" Of course I responded she would. She would actually look cute wearing or doing anything. She is a miniature 4th grader. She is much smaller than most of the other kids, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for with courage.

I love each and every one of my kids (at this point). They are each unique and wonderful and great students. They have exceeded my expectation with what I was hoping for this year and I go home happy and knowing that I've met my goals for the day. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

Teacher Must Have: Flexibility

I walked into my room today and got a glimpse of what hell might feel like. My portable mate had arrived a few minutes earlier and informed me that my although the AC had been on, it was making a very loud and dreadful noise and it was also blowing hot air. She turned off the AC and it continued to blow hot air for quite some time. This was a fantastic start to the beginning of the week.

I don't do heat well (surprising since I live in Texas), and it was showing this morning. I was unable to collect my thoughts and my materials for that day because he heat was affecting the blood flow to my brain. This continued all morning. I knew what I had to do that day because I had planned it yesterday, but it was hard to concentrate on particular tasks and what was next. As the kids were working, many of them were fanning themselves with their folders while I was walking around wiping sweat off of my face, neck, and anywhere else that is appropriate to mention. The concentration of my kiddos was now beginning to fade. I decided we needed a morning break from the heat wave. While on our break, I noticed an empty computer lab with a very large carpet, one that would be perfect for our next lesson. We went back to class to collect our materials only to turn back around and head for the air conditioned room.

I have yet to mention how wonderful and patient my class was during this time. Even though they were miserable and sweating, they stayed cooperative with our situation. (If this had happened with last year's group of kids, we would not have been able to work through their complaining.) After we did a lesson in the computer lab, we had to return to our room with the hopes that the AC was fixed...which it was not. So again, we headed outside with our next materials in hand. We enjoyed a nice read aloud in the shade outside on a beautiful day before specials. Fortunately, the AC was repaired before they returned from specials, but it was disappointing that the room was still warm because it didn't have time to cool off. So...

My portable mate and I planned a last minute lesson that we could do a group activity and avoid my still sauna-like portable. I can say that this was the last time we had to avoid my classroom today, but am thankful for my students' flexibility (even children who rely on routines). It was a rough start to the day and am hopeful that I arrive to a frozen room tomorrow.

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!

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.

When I write with chalk my butt jiggles.

When we began school this morning, we had 4 days of school left. These 4 days can't go by fast enough. The kids are done with all work and honor roll awards were given out this morning. In the meantime, they are still finishing up scrapbooks for a book they read a few weeks ago. We've been working on this project for some time and I just want it to be over. BUT, the upside of this project is that the kids should be able to work independently while I pack up my classroom.

The thing is...school gets out on Friday and that is allowed to be the teachers' last day of school as well (as long as we stay late all week). My sister had her baby last week and I'm in a huge hurry to go visit my new nephew. The sooner I get my room packed and ready to go home, the less I will have to worry about getting it done in time. So, in order to get this done...

The kids need to work and I need them to leave me alone. I know that's an awful thing to say, but it's how I feel right now. I'm worn out and they are being very demanding of me and each other. I only expect the week to continue this way. I enjoy having those who finish help me pack as well. They are great helpers (see previous blogs) most of the time, especially the ones who finish early. I remember helping my teachers when I was in school and have no problem creating a memory for my own students. haha

I just hope that I survive these next few days...without realities or nightmares of my class acting like wild animals. Oh, and my butt does NOT jiggle when I write with chalk, but a fellow teacher's does...which is a useful piece of information I found out during recess today. another ha!

Please put me out of my misery!

When I was in elementary school, I always remembered the last few days of school. I remember them being meaningless and filled with busy work, helping the teacher clean her classroom, and doing my best to contain the excitement of summer being within reach. As a teacher, I'm now faced with managing 21 kids who are thinking the same things. Grades were due on Wednesday AM, which means that any work done since then does not matter. I've done a pretty good job of convincing my kids that it does still matter (or so I think), but that will all change soon.

On Tuesday AM, we will have our awards ceremony for the honor rolls, perfect attendance, etc. This could also be known as the time when kids will realize their work won't be graded for the last few days of school. This will be the time that I begin having my kids help pack up my classroom, although they will become unmanageable during this process. They get easily excited and this will not be an exception.

Why do we have a last week of school? I know it's impossible to not have a last week, but I feel there is a better way to prevent the craziness that ensues around this time of year. I have no idea what the better way might be, but maybe it's just something I have to learn in my first few years of teaching. Please, just let it be over quickly and with as little pain as possible!

Spring Fever!

It's that time of year that the kiddos are turning loco (or so I'm told that's the reason). They've decided that the rules they've been living by for the past 7 months aren't good enough for them anymore. Well, that's what I hear from the other teachers...I know that my class hasn't lived by any rules (more or less) for the last 7 months. Even since I've been their teacher, it's been quite difficult to instill structure because of so much resistance. Anyway...

Yesterday I got fed up with a group of boys who continually disrupt learning in my classroom and called the principal to step in. She had a little talk with them and if you read yesterday's blog, you know it was ineffective. Today I told them that my fuse was short. I would warn them and then their clips would be moved. If they moved it 4 times, it wouldn't be lunch detention, but an office referral. I can talk a big game, but I hate backing it up. I know that I have to in order to make myself credible. Fortunately, I did not have to write any of them up...they were close, but not quite there. Woooo on that note...

We were getting ready to pack up for the day (before our assembly) when an incident happened with 2 boys, an innocent bystander, and a chair. Somehow the chair leg ended up in the stomach of the innocent bystander and the other two boys were playing around. Neither wanted to claim responsibility and kept putting it on the other person. I asked them each to move their clips. After one of them did this, he walked across the room and on his way, pushed a desk and yelled at another kid to "SHUT UP!" I couldn't let a kid pull this in class...the others would think they could as well (and I have plenty that would try).

Did I mention that this same kid had already been called down for his referral from his bus driver this morning? He came back without any consequence because it was his first referral since he's been at our school, but he felt the need to brag about it and tell the kids what he did and that nothing happened. He even bragged before he left the room about getting a referral, like it was an accomplishment. After I spoke to the principal, he was called back down to discuss choices and consequences and that in the future the consequences would be more severe.

Well, they were definitely more severe when he visited the office for the third time in one day. He will now be thinking about his anger management in ISS for two days. But, he's not the only one...It's Spring Fever for a reason and there are many other 4th graders that will be keeping him company next week. I do feel bad for the boy because he doesn't have the greatest role models at home, but it's still important that he understand appropriate choices and that his actions determine his future.

Boys, Boys, Boys!

Today started off on a good note...everything was going smoothly for most of the morning. We were adding words, pictures, and definitions to our homemade math dictionaries and talking about problems that were commonly missed on a recent worksheet. Throughout this, I'm asking "the boys" to please raise their hand if they would like to make a comment or share their thinking. The disruptions continue...

I warn them that if they don't raise their hand and make only appropriate comments, they will "move their clip" (which means 5 minutes of recess). The disruptions continue...

They're off to specials and I'm off to the the principal's office to see if she can talk with them and scare them into behaving. She tells me that she can meet with them at lunch and I should bring them in. I later find out that they all started crying like babies and admitting everything they've done wrong in class. (These kids think they are so tough in the classroom, yet they are babies at heart!) She talks about what will happen next (referral -> ISS) if they don't get their act together and sends them back to class. The disruptions return...

I didn't get much teaching done this afternoon because of all their talking and infectious laughing (it never infected me, but it did get to the other kids). As the boys walked out the door I asked each of them who I should call home to speak to (knowing full well, that I would just talk to whoever I could get a hold of). It just sparked a little more fear in their eyes and they all claimed that they would "be better tomorrow". I've already given them more chances than any of them deserve. I was trying to handle my classroom management on my own and these boys are beyond my control. Tomorrow they will be written up if they don't choose to make good choices (being on task and raising their hand to speak--or just not yelling out will work too). Their parents are also going to remind them of their future if they don't make good choices tonight!

Some of you may have noticed that I only mention this talkative bunch to be boys...well...it is ONLY boys! I am not being sexist in any way...it's just the way they are!