I love my job!

There have been some very good days lately when I reflect on how much I enjoy my job/class.

They are nice.
They care for each other.
They are polite most of the time.
They know that I am grouchy on Tuesdays. (I'm not sure why, but they have noticed a pattern.)
They love when I get excited about teaching something.
They love when I give them more math problems, and love hard ones even more.
They get upset when we miss some type of learning in our daily schedule.
They say, "It's okay Ms. L." when I forget to send in lunch count.
They negotiate for marbles and stop negotiating when they see I'm not in the mood.
They thrive on compliments from other teachers.
They respect my rules, even if they really want to sit on the bean bags during carpet time.
They ask how I am doing every day.
They give me hugs just because they like me being their teacher.
They write journal entries about how they want to be a 4th grade teacher, just like me.
They tell the truth, even if it's not a popular choice.
They avoid doing things they know will get me upset.
Not even close to last or least important, but...

THEY MAKE ME LAUGH AND ENJOY GOING TO WORK EVERYDAY!

It's about time!

Today I was teaching a lame-o math lesson. Let me rephrase that. I wasn't actually teaching, but rather letting kids work independently to solve division problems. This was probably better than me teaching because...the principal walked in for my observation.

She could walk in at any other time of day, but when she shows up carrying her clipboard, my heart began to pound very rapidly. I didn't really expect her at that time, because she hadn't come during all of her other available times for the past 3 weeks.

On the observation, I got compliments for the kids being able to work together to solve problems, for helping a small group through problems, and also all of my anchor charts that I have posted in my classroom. I had two things that she recommended for change: make sure I make changes in my lesson plans when needed and post more student work. This was one time that I forgot to make notes in my plans when I stray from them (I've been so good at doing it.). And I'm aware I need to hang more students' work, but in 4th grade, what do you hang up? If I had a bulletin board outside my classroom, I would love to hang items on it, but taking up more of my wall space isn't so practical. I would love to hang up examples of quality work, good writing pieces, and diagrams for science and social studies. But, come on...I'm only a first year teacher...I can't do everything perfect the first time around...then it will look like I haven't grown and learned over the next few years! hahaha

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Crying Update:
One crier was absent. The other two had a crying-free day. All smiles in my classroom! :)

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!

BrainPop

As a teacher, there are many resources available. As a new teacher, it sometimes takes a bit of time to discovery everything you might need to use as a resource in one year...it is a never-ending process. Well, one resource I did discover quite quickly was Brain Pop! If you don't know anything about Brain Pop, let me clue you in to this amazing site...


As a 4th grade teacher, a site like this can help me teach EVERYTHING! Let me clarify...it can help me teach clouds to division, blogging to writing about senses, and health to art/music (which I don't teach, but could if I wanted to). The kids LOVE these videos. There is a regular site and Jr. site and my kids know the names of the hosts for both shows. After each video (which are usually 3 minutes or less), there is a quiz that you can take there or print out. The Jr. site even has reading connections for each topic along with a choice of easy or hard quiz.

There is no limit to what this site can teach. I can imagine, just like any other teaching resource, that it is work-in-progress and topics are always being added to the site. The kids love the simplicity of Brain Pop Jr. and I love the depth of Brain Pop. I know that Brain Pop saved my inferencing lesson today during reading time.

Unfortunately, this is a subscription only website, but if your school won't purchase it for you, it is well worth the individual purchase price! Maybe I could send Brain Pop this blog and see if they'll send me something for free...hmmmm?

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.

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.

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!

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.)

Another great bookstore find...I think I'm spending a bit too much time in the bookstore, but I enjoy walking in and having time sort of stop so that I can mosey on through in no hurry. Am I not right that nobody is ever in a hurry in a bookstore? It's an oasis of sorts, even for people who just like books, not necessarily book-enthusiasts.

Once I played hooky from school. My teacher sent me a thank-you note!

Teacher: "Emil, give me the formula for water, plain water."
Emil: "I, J, K, L, M, N, O."
Teacher, "Emil! You know that's not right!"
Emil: "I was certain that it was. Didn't you say the formula was H to O?"

I am teaching...It's kind of like having a love affair with a rhinoceros.

Education helps you earn more. But not many schoolteachers can prove it.

I will not conduct my own fire drills.
I will not conduct my own fire drills.
I will not conduct...

A teacher is a person who used to think she like children.

A teacher's constant task it to take a roomful of live wires and see to it that they're grounded.

Bookstore Find

I recently purchased a book that I found on a table for teachers at a bookstore. I know there are many books like this, in fact, I had to decided between this and another similar book. I chose this one based on its page appeal. I don't always like reading books that have a page of words, so I usually enjoy the books that you can open to random pages and read a quick anecdote or sentence of advice. That is exactly what this type of book is. With that said, here are some ideas, strategies, and inspirations that I opened the book to and want to share. I made my own comments in asterisks after each tip (if you care to read).

180. Enjoy your students. It's the only way to survive as a teacher. They will disappoint you sometimes. They may even break your heart at times. More often, they will surprise, amaze, and delight you. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile. ***I completely agree with this. Even though my students drive me crazy some days, I truly enjoy their sense of humor, energy, diverse personalities, and everything else that makes each kid unique.***

252. Document all your disciplinary actions. Notes and records are important in today's litigious society. A good paper trail can lead you out of a lawsuit. ***I was told this when I first started. So far, I've not needed to use my documentation in a formal setting, but it's nice to tell the principal exactly when you called and discussed an issue with a parent.***

271. Whenever students line up, always stand at the back of the line. It's better to see what's going on ahead of you than to trust what's happening behind you. ***I knew this already, but I usually hang out in the middle of the line and it never fails that the end of the line is playing and making noise. It's a simple concept to help keep a better eye on everything.***

372. Know your community. It makes a difference in what you teach and how you teach it. ***This is one of the biggest things I think about daily. Knowing the background of the students helps you not teach over them, but to them. Don't assume they have the background knowledge.***