Picture Day

Tomorrow is picture day. It is one of my least favorite days of the year. Yes, my students look adorable. However, pictures disrupt a good deal of my instructional time. When individual pictures are done, I can't take them out to recess because they will get dirty before the whole school picture. There isn't enough time to really get anything else done. Recess gets pushed back, which means I have less time for my reading groups. Some kids bring clothes to change into after pictures, and that takes time. Some don't, however, and always manage to get their nice clothing really dirty. (I won't help the situation tomorrow. We are doing a science project that involves lots of glue.) Plus, it takes extra time for me to get ready in the morning. I have to look cute, too! Fortunately, picture day only happens once a year. Oh, wait. I forgot about spring pictures...

I'm Back!

Hey, everyone!  I know I haven't posted in awhile, and I am sorry about that.  My life got absolutely crazy.  School started, of course, but there have been a few other obstacles as well.  My husband accepted a new job an hour away for which we have to relocate.  (For anyone who is wondering, I will be finishing this school year with my kiddos.  Next year, however, I will need a new teaching job.  Let the job hunt begin!)  This also means that we have had to work to get our house on the market.  It is officially listed!  All of this has meant that I have not really had time for blogging, but, now that the house is listed, I hope to be a little more frequent.
Now, back to school topics.  I teach at a very small school.  In general, the teacher know every parent.  I only have a couple of students this year that I have not either had before or had siblings in my class.  Because of this, my school doesn't do a traditional open house.  Instead, we have a cook-out for our first PTL meeting of the year.  The Kindergarten class prepares a skit (which gets the Kindergarten families there!).  This year we really had a cook-out.  We set out a fire pit and let kids and parents roast their own hot dogs and marshmallows.  Then we let the kids loose on the playground while we have a short meeting.  The teachers introduce themselves and briefly tell any important information and the PTL spends some money.  (I am also very fortunate that at my small school, our PTL has a large budget, so we get to spend money on great things!)
I have done a traditional open house, but I like this way better.  It brings the whole family to the school.  There is a lot of informal time to talk to parents and it gives parents a chance to connect with each other.  If your school is looking to revamp their open house, I highly recommend our approach!  (I am hoping I can find such a great school to work at next year!)

Helpful Websites

Many teachers have a collection of their favorite websites that they use in their classroom.  I am no exception to the rule!  I admit, I love examining websites that other teachers have successfully used in their classrooms. They have helped me come up with some great ideas!  So, here is a list of some of my favorites.  I hope they will be helpful to you as well.

Starfall - This website focuses on phonics and early reading skills and is perfect for the Kindergarten or first grade class.  While students can use it on their own, much of the website is actually very conducive to the interactive whiteboard, which is how I use it most frequently.  It is also a great website to use if you have an extra 5 minutes to spare and need something to fill the time!

Spelling City - This website focuses on spelling and vocabulary skills.  My school has a premium account, so each of my students have a user name and their data is recorded.  While the premium account is great, even the free features are very good.  After you enter your spelling list, students can play games to practice their spelling words.  They can even take a spelling test, although, without a premium account, their results will not be saved.  This is how my students take their spelling tests every week.  I don't have to worry about trying to read their handwriting and figuring out if the letter is supposed to be an o or a u.

Moby Max - This is another website that has both free and paid versions.  I use the free version with my students.  The website has exercises in several different areas.  If students don't do well enough on a section, Moby Max reteaches the information.  In other words, they don't move on unless they have performed at an acceptable level.  This is a great website to use for intervention.

ABCya - This website is great for Kindergarten through fifth grade and has learning games.  My students don't get a chance to use this website too often (as I actually try to minimize computer time in my classroom), but, when they do, they love it!  It has lots of math, language arts, and typing games.

Math Fact Cafe - This website if more for you than your students.  If you need extra math fact practice worksheets or want to create some that cover specific facts for your students, this is a great place to go.  It makes it easy to create custom fact practice sheets.  (It also has worksheets for time and money, which my students really need!)

Easy CBM - This is a website to help you collect and manage progress monitoring data.  Many schools subscribe to their own progress monitoring program, but, if yours (like mine) does not, this is a great free way.  It has been helpful when I have had to work with the public school for student evaluation.

What websites to you use all the time in your classroom?  Let me know in the comments!

Back to School Boost - 1 Day Sale!

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a one day back-to-school sale and I am participating.  If you missed the Back to School sale and didn't get my products then, now is your opportunity!  Every item in my store is 20% off.  If you use the code BOOST at checkout, you will also get an extra discount.  Click on the picture below to visit my store.

Back to School Movies

I am fortunate in that I don't need to actually be in school the day before school starts.  As long as my classroom is ready (and it is), I can stay home and enjoy my last day of summer.  So, I started my own day-before-school tradition.  I spend almost the whole day on the couch watching teacher/school movies.  I don't let myself do any school work or work around the house, either.  I just enjoy the day.

This year I am going to watch a couple of movies I haven't seen before, as well as some favorites.  Here is my list this year:
Won't Back Down (I haven't seen this yet and am excited about it.)
Dead Poets Society (No, this is not because Robin Williams died.  I haven't seen it yet and that seemed like sacrilege, so I decided to do it.)
Stand and Deliver (This is one of my favorites!)
Good Will Hunting (I have also never seen it, but we do own it.  Not a traditional school movie, but still inspirational and yet another Robin Williams flick.)
And, if I have time:
Lean on Me (Another favorite)

It's a long list, but I have so many movies I had to leave out (Chalk, Freedom Writers, Mr. Holland's Opus, To Sir, With Love, etc.)  I'll get to what I get to, I suppose.  I try to rotate from year to year.

What are some of your favorite "back to school" movies?  Let me know in the comments.  Maybe I'll discover a new one to try next year!

My Obsession

Today I am going to finish up my short series of journal prompts.  I have already talked about my excitement for the new school year, as well as what makes me nervous.  Today, let's move to a topic that doesn't really have anything to do with school.

What is something everyone should know about you?

I absolutely love books.  I read as much as I possibly can.  All of the book lover memes you find on Facebook describe me.  I admit, I mostly read YA literature.  Besides the fact that buying books at the book fair supports my school, I think many authors actually write better for young adults.  Many of the best selling books lately have been in the child and young adult sections of the bookstore: Divergent, the Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, The Heroes of Olympus series, Harry Potter, etc. 

I love books that deal with fantasy and mythology.  I love new takes on fairy tales.   I also like spy novels, mysteries, and the dystopian trend.  I get invested in the characters and cry or get frustrated with them.  I don't like putting books down and have stayed up way too late many nights because of "one last chapter" syndrome. 

I have a library card that I use as well as an addiction to Amazon.  The best gift you can give me is a gift card to a bookstore.  I don't understand people who don't read.  I feel as if they  are missing out on one of the most vital parts of life.  I never feel as though I have enough time to read.  My favorite part of the summer is getting a good start on my reading list.  My favorite part of the school year is helping my students develop a love of reading as well. 

What is something we should know about you?

Nervous Moments

In my last post, I started a short series in which I respond to the same journal prompts my students will be at the beginning of the school year.  Last time I answered the question "What are you most excited about this year?"  This time I will look at the upcoming school year from a different lens.

What are you most nervous about this year?

I am nervous that I will let my students down.  Like most teachers, I know that I am not perfect and always have more to learn.  My temper will be shorter some days than it should.  There will be a lesson that fails, a student that I can't quite figure out how to help, and a disciplinary decision that I make wrongly.  There will be times in which I react out of anger instead of out of love and care for my students.  I am nervous that I will let my students down by not being the best teacher they could have.  Of course, I will try, but, the fact is that there are times I will fail.  

I am nervous that I will not make enough of a difference in my students' lives.  I know that they will pick up at least some of the academics, but I worry that I will not teach them how to care for other people.  I worry that I won't be a good enough role model for my students.

I am not perfect.  I will fail.  Hopefully I will learn from my mistakes and be a stronger teacher because of them.

What are you nervous about?  Let me know in the comments!