5th Grade Writing Unit #2!!

Writing unit #2 is in the works and nearly finished!!

How to Be a Successful Teacher

Following up yesterday's post of How to be a Mediocre Teacher, *ha* I found this great article about 25Things Successful Teachers Do.  While many of the items are things we all do automatically... without ever realizing they're out of the ordinary... some are great reminders! 

To be honest, I often have a hard time finding my sense of humor in the classroom.  I just get into "teacher" mode and lack a humor.  I don't know what it is GradingClassroomManagementDutiesLessonPlansObservationsCleaningTeachingPreppingEtc about the classroom that does it to me.  But number 7 is a great reminder.

7. Successful teachers have a sense of humor

Humor and wit make a lasting impression. It reduces stress and frustration, and gives people a chance to look at their circumstances from another point of view. If you interviewed 1000 students about their favorite teacher, I’ll bet 95% of them were hysterical.

And I also love  numbers 21 and 22...  I love having fun and often need to remember number 22...

21. Successful teachers bring fun into the classroom

Don’t be too serious. Some days, “fun” should be the goal. When students feel and see your humanness, it builds a foundation of trust and respect. Fun and educational aren’t mutually exclusive either. Using humor can make even the most mundane topic more interesting.

22. Successful teachers teach holistically

Learning does not happen in a vacuum. Depression, anxiety, and mental stress have a severe impact on the educational process. It’s crucial that educators (and the educational model) take the whole person into account. You can have the funniest and most innovative lesson on algebra, but if your student has just been told his parents are getting a divorce, you will not reach him.

Check out the article {here} if you're interested in some of the other things "successful" teachers do.  And then add about 30 of your own ideas, and 15 more from your teacher friends... and the list goes on and on.  What do you do that makes you successful?  Please comment and share!!

 

How to Be a Mediocre Teacher

I would imagine that none of us out in the blogosphere are "that" teacher.  When I came across this article the other day, I literally laughed out loud and had to share with others who would appreciate it's silliness!  We all know a teacher who portrays bits and pieces of this article.  I especially love #6...

6.       Worry about China, looming technologies, the Mayan calendar, etc.

Be sure to project your insecurities on the students to help brace them for what’s coming, rather than the world they live and breath in now. Prepare them for the uncertain future!

Haha!  Check out this silly teaching article {here}.  And have a good laugh, enjoy, and embrace it.  Because we all know none of us are that  one.  Thank goodness.

Co-Teaching! {Part 2 of 5} Starting off the Year! {Plus a Freebie!!}

Back from the Appalachian Mountains and super excited because {drum roll puhlease!!!..............}

Mrs. Cahill and I are back for Part 2 of 5 of our series on co-teaching!  If you are starting off the year with a student teacher, this series is great for you!  We would especially love lots of comments and feedback about what other fabulous {and experienced!!} teachers have done when receiving or becoming a student teacher. 

 

Last week Martina and I talked about our first weeks together and our first impressions, before the school year began.  Today I’m here to talk share my story about starting off the school year together and how we transitioned from me teaching full time, to Martina teaching full time, and then back again.  And I apologize ahead of time, it’s a long one.  But if you stick with me to the very end, there’s something good in it for you!  I promise.

 

We’ve all been there- student teaching.  However we all have different experiences.  Some *amazing*, some horrifying!  But it’s important to have experiences.  No matter what they are.  For me, I felt like it was kind of challenging to start the year off with a student teacher.  There’s no “normal” at the beginning of the year.  But I knew that you don’t always never have two teachers in the classroom and I had to make the most out of it while I could!  So for the first few weeks, we lesson planned together and worked together on everything.  It was awesome and easy for both of us.  It felt natural. 

During these two weeks, I taught all of the lessons but would have Martina teach mini-lessons or work with kiddos one on one during independent work time.  I taught her to do DRAs/ Fountais and Pinnell’s Reading Assessments and she began doing some of these during Reader’s Workshop.  The students got comfortable referring to both of us when they had questions.  We began to get comfortable working as a team.  She was still so nervous getting up in front of the classroom!  But she got better and better every time!  And what better way to get comfortable than standing in front of 20-something kiddos?  Slowly she gained more and more responsibility.  {From leading small groups to leading morning meeting!} The kids loved her!  And I loved her!  She began to learn classroom routines, expectations, and create her own teaching style.  She already had my trust as a friend, but she began to gain my trust as an educator as well.  There’s a big difference!  I don’t know how you know when it happens, but you know.



We decided that in order for her to take over the entire classroom for four full weeks, it would be best to do it gradually.  {Her program required two full weeks but I thought it would be hard to get the “gist” of being a real teacher in just two weeks so we upped it to four!}  So week by week she picked up a new subject.  She started with math and taught math for a whole week.  Then the next week she picked up Science so she was responsible for Math and Science every day.  The third week she picked up a new subject… and this continued, week by week, until she had picked up every subject and transition time.  While she was picking up new subjects, I was in the classroom.  I felt comfortable enough to leave for large chunks of time- maybe working in the workroom or helping out another teacher.  But I was mostly there.  Helping her, making sure everything was okay, and overall, being a co-teacher!  At the end of each school day we would sit down and discuss her lessons from that day.  I always started by asking her, “What went well?” and then “What do you want to do differently next time?”  This helped her reflect on her lessons but also allowed her to celebrate what went well!  We had lots of celebrations!

As much as I *love* and *trust* Martina, when it came time to leave the classroom altogether, it was not easy.  Once she was teaching every subject, I had agreed to leave her in the classroom ALONE for two-four full weeks.  Easier said than done.

Y’all, I went home and had anxiety attacks.  I tried my darndest to step back and allow Martina to figure everything out.  But at the same time I found myself going home and not needing to lesson plan, grade, or organize… Weird, right?  I threw myself into a new project at our school and tried my best to allow Martina to learn, grow, and {most importantly} teach!  Even keeping busy I really missed being in our classroom.  I trusted Martina and loved having her teaching but I missed being a part of it all too.  

Those four weeks were hard on both of us for so many different reasons.  Martina was used to having another body in the classroom so management was all of a sudden more challenging.  Things that were easy with two teachers {such as running to make copies real quick} was all of a sudden not an option!  I had to step back.  I had to learn about working with other teachers, staying away from my classroom, and trusting that Martina had it {which she did!}  Martina grew and I grew as well.  Don’t we all learn best when we do?  Rather than just listening or watching?  Well, Martina was learning.  Fast!  And I learned that I was much more of a control freak than I had ever known :)

Martina’s two weeks were up and gone before I knew it and I was suddenly taking back a subject, week by week, until I was again teaching everything {but with Martina by my side!}.  It felt great to be back in the classroom teaching.  However, I realized our kiddos didn’t even react to having different teachers.  They were fine. 


A nice little reminder I saw this weekend :)

Mine and Martina’s struggles had gone unnoticed by our 5^th graders!  Martina continued to lead Morning Meeting and be a huge part of the classroom! {But more on that next week!}  And I stepped back in and it was as if I had never left.  I learned that sometimes it’s best to step back and allow someone else to take on some responsibility.  Having Martina in our classroom allowed me to notice things that I would have been too absorbed to notice while teaching.  She made me such a better teacher!

Having a student teacher is such a responsibility.  It seems great but is so scary and intimidating too!  I really loved and trusted Martina but still worried about handing my classroom over to someone else.  But I knew I had to.  How else will newbie teachers learn?  We’ve all been there!  And I know my classroom was better for it.  I also know that Martina and I are better teachers for it. 


The 5th grade way of saying, "You are awesome!  You, you, are awesome!!!  Yayyyy!"

How do other teachers out there handle receiving a student teacher?  How have student teachers taken responsibility in the classroom?  What’s the best thing your mentor teacher or student teacher has done for you? 

Go check out Martina’s thoughts on Starting off the Year on her Blog, The Hungry Teacher!

Alright, you stuck with me until the end- THANK YOU!  If you comment on this post before the end of Monday {August 19^th} I will e-mail you a FREE product {of your choice} from my TpT store!  Just leave a comment, your e-mail address and the product of your choice!  Next week I will have a similar treat!  So please be sure to check back next Sunday for some more freebies!

 AND OF COURSE... GO CHECK OUT THE AWESOME BACK TO SCHOOL SALE on TpT!! :) Everything in my store is 20% off for the next day and combined with the code BTS13, you can get 28% off TONS of items all over the site!!  YAY!

Thank you Beth for this super cute graphic!!

 

{SALE, Sale, SALE!!}

THANK YOU Beth for this adorable graphic!

Happy Saturday!!  I hope everyone had a wonderful week and had as much fun as I did celebrating Teacher Week with Blog Hoppin'!  I walked away with so many great ideas, things to think about, and meeting so many lovely teacher bloggers. 

Are y'all as excited as I am about Teachers Pay Teachers' upcoming sale!!??  Make sure to check it out!!  You can save up to TWENTYEIGHT percent!  WHAT!? 

Everything in my store will be marked 20% off on August 18th and 19th!!  Combined with TpT's sale, you can save up to 28%!  Go shop, enjoy, and buy, buy, buy!!  Just be sure to enter BTS13.

What are you looking forward to buying?  I have had the below items on my WishList for ever now and am looking forward to purchasing a few of them!

This awesome Social Studies Unit, and these Level of Understanding posters!  Also I am super excited about this cute Algebra Unit!! 

Go check it out and ENJOY! 

Teacher Week! {Taming the Wild!}

Hello teacher friends!

My hubby and I are packing up the car to head up to Bedford, Virginia to spend a long weekend with his family!  His grandparents have a bridge along the Appalachian Trail that was dedicated to them.  I've never seen it so we plan on doing a little bit of hiking and exploring while we're there!  {HOORAY!!} 

So since I'm sitting on the couch right now and he's doing all the work :)  I better make this a fast one. 

Whew behavior!!  Behavior is never perfect.  I am always learning, changing, adapting, and praying.  Behavior can make or break your year.  It definitely broke me my first year.  I have all sorts of nightmare stories from that year.  And while I know I had some rough kiddos.  I feel like it all mainly comes down to expectations and classroom community. 

So now, I start my school year off with high expectations and LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of time spent on building a community.  When you have a community built around respect and a culture of learning, a lot of behavior takes care of itself.  In this environment kiddos understand what is expected of them.  You can give them a good ol' raise of the eyebrow and they know exactly why you're doing that.  Of course you will have the kid that yells "What?  I'm not doing anything!?" And you're want to be like, "I know, that's the problem... You're not doing any work".  But I've noticed that if I really focus on expectations and community the first SIX FULL weeks of school, and continue all year long, it makes a huge impact on my classroom!

Perfect, right?

So with that being said, I handle behavior in several ways.  I have that typical "Move your clip" Red, Yellow, and Green poster.  This works well because it 1) alerts them to their behavior and 2) allows me to address kiddo's behavior in a quick and easy way.  Once I ask a kid to move their clip because of something they're doing, I almost always try to address the behavior 1 on 1  asap.  It's usually on the way to Specials or Lunch or Recess though.  They also fill out a "Cool Down Form" that you can pick up here.  {FOR FREE!} :)

Go grab this guy on TpT!

Then I have a ton of positive support to motivate kiddos to keep doing well!  My FAV is one I started using last year.  You can check it out more here {TpT} and here {Blog Post}!  But basically for individual motivation, each student has a checkbook that they create and I have checks that I can give them as "payment" for going above and beyond in the classroom.  They keep track of their balance in their checkbook {MathMathMath!!!} and they can buy certain items from the "bank" whenever the "banker" is working.  I love this system because as soon as you start passing out checks, you see other kiddos get their stuff back in order.  Once they earn a check, I never deduct money from their account.  They earned it fair and square so it is theirs to use as they please. 

I also use a marble jar to support whole class awesomeness.  Yup, I just said that.  As the entire class is working well together, I drop some marbles in the jar.  When the jar is full, we have a celebration! {Pajama day, Read-a-thon, Math Game Day, etc... I have them vote but I always tend to give one really awesome choice *that I want* and two less awesome choices...}.  The sound of marbles falling onto other marbles, or the jar, has such a great impact on a quiet classroom. :) 

To support group work, I have clothespins that I clip onto group table numbers {that hang above each table} as I see table groups working well together.  Once they receive ten clips on their table number, each member of the table gets a $20 check. 

After my first year, I really decided to focus on the positive and *on the surface* ignore a lot of the negative behaviors.  I spend a lot of time building up those kiddos that are doing great {which is normally at least 4/5 of the class!!} and then talking 1 on 1 with the "troublemakers" later on.  Not only does this help the community but it makes me feel much happier as well. 

Coming full circle, behavior is never perfect.  I am always learning, changing, adapting, and praying {seriously!}.  I don't think I'll ever have it down to a science.  Or if I do, I'll get a crazy group of kiddos who have new behavior issues.  But with a basis of expectations and community, I'm sure I'll be able to adapt to whatever is thrown at me. 

Now off to the mountains we go!!  Thanks so much for those of you who stuck with me to the end :)  Have a happy Thursday!!

Teacher Week! {Now Teach!}

Alright y'all.  It's confession time.  I am the least organized person I know.  I would love to be more minimalistic and put together but I always have that {horrible} mindset that "maybe I'll need this CottonballSetof100Rulers59,000CalculatorsBook15ExtraMathBooks".  And so I keep too much stuff.  And guess what?  I never ever need it! 

So I'm really working on getting more organized.  One thing I've learned in teaching secondary {heck, any grade level!}, is that it's vital to keep good records.  Anecdotal notes and all data collection are super important come parent conferences, report card time, and, most importantly, next steps.  So, while I may not be able to find that set of 100 extra half-used pencils I came across one day and stashed in a random drawer... I can always find my data.  As long as I can remember which binder it is in :)

I use binders for EVERYTHING {even for filing some things}!  Binders can be super bulky and cumbersome but they work best for me, and isn't that what it's all about?  I have a binder for each subject and then sometimes multiple binders for each subject. 

In most of my binders I placed numbered dividers and then I assign each student a number alphabetically.  If a new student comes in, I just add them at the end.  Then, I tape a numbered class list in the front of the binder.  I haven't had to waste valuable classroom prep time switching dividers out each year, and I usually memorize their numbers pretty quickly! 

One of my favorite binders is my all-subject anecdotal notebook.  It has each Common Core Standard & all of the State Standards so if I know what standard I'm hitting, I can grab this notebook and jot quick anecdotals.  I usually just use a 4, 3, 2, or 1 {see below} to mark how well students are grasping the concept.  Sometimes I'll even jot a super quick note about it.  If we are doing different things, I'll use different colored pens to keep track!  This is SUPER handy for planning small group work as well as during report card time!

 

 

I am so excited to see all of y’alls organizational strategies so I can Pin them and use them in my classroom.  Organization- here I come!!  Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to hop on over to Blog Hopping to join in the fun!!