Show Up and Do the Work

At one time in my career, I loved getting creative and sharing every single idea I had.  It was not only a hobby, it was a passion of mine.  I spent countless hours shopping for classroom décor and searching the latest and greatest teaching strategies.  I would put my own personal spin on these strategies and reflect on them daily.  But then it happened.  I hit a mental brick wall and had the wind completely taken from my sails.  All of a sudden I felt defeated in every attempt to be the teacher I knew I should be.   As a teacher who is having difficulties, it is so easy and tempting to place the blame of these difficulties on a non-supportive administration, teacher cliques, and self-absorbed colleagues.  Oh the stories I could tell and I'm sure every other teacher has stories to match!  Maybe one day I will write a post where we can all share our war stories.  But for now, I have to turn this around and I know it starts with me.  Hurt feelings and the struggle to be treated fairly/equally should never change the way a teacher prepares for their students.  There will always be someone in your life trying to break you.  Accept this, have a plan to deflect them, and move on.  However, never let them keep you from doing what feels right in your heart.  Be open to their ideas but stand up for what you believe in even if you're not in the majority.  Keep a positive attitude, a smile on your face,  and your eyes on the prize - - - those impressionable students!  They are the reason I'm there in the first place. 

New Year - New Attitude

I'm starting this new school year off with a positive attitude.  I am positive that...

• All students are smart in their own way. It is up to me to figure out those ways.
• My students deserve a well-planned and engaging lesson.  It keeps them busy and on task.
• Hard work, mine and my students' will pay off in the end.

Best wishes to all educators out there.  I hope your school year is a success! 

Looking Back...Interactive Science Notebooks

A five-subject spiral bound notebook has been a fabulous choice for my classes.  Composition books are great but each year I have students that run out of room.  They then change to a different notebook and it isn't nearly as organized as the first.  

Table of Contents - Keeping it simple! 

Foldables - My students favorite way to add content to their notebooks.  

Illustrate the notes - Even students who aren't artistic appreciate a quick pic as a reference.  

Fold those handouts/worksheets - In an attempt to keep as much information on a page as possible, students were allowed to fold their handouts and glue them in.  

Diagrams, Charts, Organizers, and Everything Else...

New Technology Posters

Trying out a new poster system for BYOD.  Hopefully I will use this more than what I had last year.

Slight grammatical error in this one!  Oops!  I'll white out the "s."

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....School Time!

I am only making a few minor changes to the classroom decor this year.  Overall I have been satisfied with the look of my classroom.

I love the pre-made awnings I found at a local teacher store.  In the past, I have tried to figure out a way to make one but never had the time or energy to make it happen.  So when I stumbled upon these items I had to snatch them up!  They are a little flimsy so be sure to place them in an area where students won't be tempted to mess with them.

The entry to my classroom has looked the same for about two years now.  I decided to move the framed quotes to a small table.  In their place I hung four white boards.  My plan is to use these as homework reminders for each of my four classes.

The assignment section of the white board looked so messy last year.  So this year I am trying to organize it a little better.  

Other pics....

More to come! 

Preparing for a new school year...

It seems that every summer I spend a lot of time shopping various Dollar Tree stores and other places looking for classroom decorations and other ideas.  This summer isn't much different other than the late start I've had.  I'm also spending some time reflecting on last school year and analyzing the good and the bad points.  This has led me to think more of strategies and ideas for "growing" my students instead of wondering which decorating technique I want to use.  One thing I want to improve is being able to keep parents in the know.  I have on average over 100 students.  Calling every parent on a weekly basis is not what I want to do!  Alternatives to that will include class texts and keeping my classroom web page up to date!  So with this new focus of mine I want to ask for some advice.  As a parent what would you want to see on your child's teacher's web page?

The ongoing list -
1.   Contact info
2.  Class schedule
3.  Learning goals
4.  Resources for study
5.  Classroom pics
6.  Assignments

What other suggestions do you have?

Holiday Competitions

Just a peak of our holiday competitions....

1.  We were given the challenge to decorate a box to house the food/cans for our school's food drive.  We definitely got creative on this one.  The oven doors open to be the collection bin for the cans.

2.  Our competition for Toys for Tots toy drive was to decorate our classroom door to represent the holiday season.  We chose "Santa's Christmas Castle" as our door theme.  Our door only received an honorable mention but we came in second to another fabulous door!