Sometimes we wonder...

Life as a teacher isn't always easy, in fact it often isn't. That isn't why we do it. At least that isn't why I do it. I love the magic I feel. I love the laughter, the learning, the joys, the triumphs and even the struggles. There are times a teacher is given the chance to see the good they are accomplishing - it might come as a special note, a hug from a student you never thought you would reach, a box of chocolates a few years later...

This year, for my birthday, I was given this...

The picture doesn't even begin to do it justice. It is a quilt, lovingly pieced together with a Mickey head appliquéd in the center of each square, and with red minky on the back. Not only does the quilt represent hours of love and labor in the making, it matches my classroom decor and Mickey is always my favorite. I was stunned and overjoyed at the gift. More because of what it meant to me.

Thank you Paris!

I may be in my 30's but this has become my new blanket. I use it when tired, when cold, when cuddling, when sick - basically it is my new favorite blanket...as long as I can keep it from being stolen by the three smallest Bingham's.

In what ways do you know you are loved/appreciated by your students?

Look what came in the mail!?

It's my new planner for 2015-16. I know I have more than a few months before I really get to use it...but I couldn't resist ordering it now.

Thank you Erin Condren

Monday Made It: Special Addition

I have been waiting months for this special Monday Made It!

Introducing:
Victoria
Born July 21, 2014

July Currently

This should have been up at the start of the month...but pregnancy brain won again. :(

Join Oh' Boy 4th Grade Link Up Here!

I love, love, love the sound of laughter. It always makes me smile.

I try not to dwell on the fact that this baby is going to be here in a matter of days, but let's face it, that is a bit hard. I have my bags packed, my classroom is looking decent, and my house is NOT a total disaster. However there is always a list of things I feel must be getting done.

What are your list of musts before a baby? Hey what is on your list of musts before the school year starts?

Post-It Note Plan Book

I love plan books. Okay, I love plan books that are organized, colorful and give a nod towards my personality.  Over the years I have used lots of different kinds of plan books: big ones, little ones, online ones, and basic books supplied by my school.

While I have been thinking about the new year I came across The Wise & Witty Teacher and her Post-It Note plan book. After reading her post did my the wheels really started turning. I loved her idea! I love the different colors of the sticky notes, the love how clean and organized it looks, and I really liked the idea that I could move things around in minutes without having to use an eraser or white-out.

Personal Requirements:
1 - I wanted places to put the focus for each subject
2 - I wanted to be able to break my day down into small pieces (I work best that way)
3 - Of course I wanted to to match my classroom theme...Mickey!

Here is what I came up with:

I created the outside and the inside with my classroom theme in mind - it's a disease. :) I am really happy with how it turned out. I printed the front and back on card stock and then covered both covers in hard lamination. I want this book to last.

The top of every page has a place for me to write the focus or the core for each subject area. Directly below that I have Monday through Wednesday broken up into many boxes. I love being able to break my day into small, bite-size chunks. I can get more detailed in my planning and tend to miss less. Each colored sticky note represents a specific subject or time of day. You wouldn't need to have all of the different colors but I like how bright and colorful it turns out. You can see most of what I have planned for the first week of school. While planning I have already found anther reason to love this planner - switching things around is a snap. Simply pull up a sticky note and move it to it's new location. No eraser or white-out needed.

(Ha! Notice my 9-month pregnant belly in the bottom right of this picture? I didn't even notice when I was taking the picture. I guess that it is simply a sight I have gotten used to over the past few months.)

What do use for your plan book?

Management Made It!

I am a ticking time bomb! I am currently 9 months pregnant and with that I am trying to get as many things done in my classroom as I can before our newest little girl arrives...talk about a great motivator. :)

I believe in having a positive classroom. Now don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of days I am cranky and my students know it, but I try to always have a room where students want to be. I always focus on creating a room based on Respect. The respect you give others and the respect you give yourself.

My management is a mix of things old a few things new. Here are the things I have planned as my management system for this new year...

CLIP-UP CHART
I used a Clip-up for a little while and have absolutely loved it. I loved that I was able to immediately see how positive I was being as a teacher, I could see which students were really struggling and might need a little extra encouragement or notice. Plus I loved that I was focusing more on the positive than the negative.

With the change of my theme I needed a new clip chart...okay, fine I didn't NEED a new chart but making a new one made me happy.
My room is red, black and yellow with a Disney influence. First I created the different steps I wanted and gathered my supplies. (Note: I left each step a full page since I could have up to 36 students this year and want plenty of space for students to move their clothespin up.)

I hole punched the tops and bottoms of each of the cards. I had the green links already in my supply stash so I grabbed some red and black ribbon to both cute-sify and cover up.
The finished product turned out pretty cute.
If you want a copy click HERE!

I have a student that is in charge of managing the clip-up chart each day. I have a clipboard with my class list attached. It is the manager's job to award points for each student at the end of the day. Outstanding earns you 3 points, Role Model 2 points, Showing Pride 1 point, Ready To Learn 0 points, Think About It -1 point, Teacher's Choice -2 points, and finally Contact Home -3 points. Using a point system first lets me have a constant record of each students behavior everyday throughout the year. The points my students earn also let them "buy" Brag Tags and other rewards.

TEAM POINTS

Another important part of my management system are my TEAM POINTS! Teams can earn points for working quietly, working together, being the first group ready after a transition...basically any positive behavior I see happen as an entire team. I grabbed red baskets from Dollar Tree for each table. These eventually will hold all of their supplies as well as clearly states which team they belong to. 

Grab the darling boarders from Workaholic NBCT HERE.

Each team will earn as many points as they can for one week. At the end of the week a "Team of the Week" will be announced. Their names or Team number will be displayed on this yellow sign for the upcoming week. As Team of the Week they receive special privileges: first in line where ever we go, a small treat or Brag Tag, an awesome trophy to sit at their table, etc. Really the possibilities are endless.

What do you do for your management system?

New Space!

After two years of working in a wonderful school it was an extremely hard decision to relocate. I chose to leave wonderful people and an incredible school behind in order to get more time with my little kiddos. My previous commute was almost 45 minutes long...twice a day and that starts to add up. Then you add in the fact that my previous school was an extended day program and the time spent away from home was more than I felt like I could give. With more that a few tears I said goodbye to one group of friends and headed towards my new teaching adventure.

I am thrilled to report that after only a few hours I feel like my new school will also be a good fit. Extra bonus...my new commute is 10 minutes! SCORE one for Mom!

With a new school comes a new space...

oh the possibilities!

See those two darlings? Those are two of the three most important reasons I made this move. Man I am lucky to have them!

Does anyone else struggle with deciding where everything should go? What would be the best use of my space? I can't wait to share the end product with you. Stay tuned.