September 30, 2016



I have a really bad habit of thinking the worst of things.  Even before I start something, I will have thought through every possible scenario and even then I will feel like I'm not prepared to begin.  But I have also realized that if I think it's going to go bad, then the odds are that it probably will.  If I'm dwelling so much on what could go wrong, then I just might miss would went right.  

A couple of years ago I started horseback riding and jumping, which is something that I NEVER saw myself being able to accomplish.  Every time I approach a fence, I have to make the conscious effort to not let my mind go to what could go wrong.  Yes, things happen.  But I have to force myself to think about making it to the other side.  I have discovered that if I focus on picturing myself landing beautifully (on the horse, not the ground), this makes the possibility that much more real because I am more confident that I will do it.  

I never learned this while I was still doing piano competitions. On stage, I was known for hyper-focusing on a mistake I had made.  A piece might be 10 minutes long with a couple of movements, but my brain might still be stuck on that one note I flubbed in measure 8 in the first movement.  Not good.  I never competed well and I really think my inability to keep moving past mistakes was a big reason for this.  

As I've gotten older, and certainly as I have gained more experience in the classroom, I have begun to appreciate the necessity for mistakes.  The kids make them, I make them... it's a part of living, a part of being human.  They are necessary for our growth to be better each day.  That's exactly what I teach the kids.  It's what I want them to embrace.  And somehow, I am slowly beginning to teach myself the same thing.  

Anyway...

Here are a few things we've been doing in the classroom lately:


Reading:  TESTING!!
So much of what I have to test with the kids is great, but it's a LOT! I will be glad to be able to sort them into groups and start teaching small reading groups.  I'm planning for next week to be center practice since we'll be done with testing and then to start guided reading groups the next week.  I really want to make sure the kiddos can work as independently as possible in centers.  It's still a struggle at times and I think some of this is due to my attention being off of them to do testing.

Math:  Word problems, subtraction
I am really working on getting my math block underway.  The kids seem to struggle more during math centers than reading centers, so they're keeping me on my toes with how to keep centers the engaging for them.  We have been testing in iReady, TRC, and Dibels, and I really feel this has kept me from getting the math routines down.  This is definitely something we are going to revisit this next week since I want the kids to be able to do more hands-on type centers in math.  

Science:  Habitats - We have just started this unit and we were able to go to Lazy 5 Ranch for a field trip this Friday!

September 21, 2016

One of my least favorite parts of teaching:  observations, evaluations, meeting with the principal about the observations/evaluations.







I will not cry,  I will not cry,  I will not cry.



And on another note...
How I've felt recently...



Recently heard in the classroom during snack...
"Cookie of mine,
Shimmer and shine.
Make me one more
cookie to find.
Poof!
Hey, I've got another cookie!"
(It was in her other hand!)

Boy singing during snack time...
(To the tune of "Dixie")
"I wish I had another cookie!
Look away, Cookieland."

Recently seen in the classroom...
One of the boys cradling another boy's head - "His brain is tired." 

A recent conversation in our classroom about George Washington...
Student:  Is he still alive?
Teacher:  No, because he lived long ago.
Student:  Oh, so when the dinosaurs were alive.
Teacher:  No, not that long ago.
Student:  Oh... so how old is he?
Teacher:  (Sigh)

Things my kiddos are obsessed with right now...

If I mention any of these things things right now, the kiddos are like putty in my hand!!

:)

September 15, 2016
What it's like to get 20 six-year olds to line up without breaking the room or themselves:



Yep, not gonna lie.  I do this.  I start out all cheerful and then 10 minutes later when Johnny still won't put down his glue stick and Suzie will not stop licking the table my voice changes.  My personality switches.  And sweet Mary Poppins morphs into the "we're not playin'" teacher voice.  

I mostly do this because I like my schedule.  I have it down to the minute and when I have not allocated an extra 5 minutes for table licking, it drives me up the wall.  I can feel myself tensing up when I know that because it's taking an extra 10 minutes to transition, we're not going to get to that amazing activity that I spent 30 minutes searching for and an hour copying and cutting.  

I'm really trying hard this year to abide by 3 words:  Let. It. Go (sing, Idina, sing).  These kiddos are 6 years old.  They are amazingly weird little creatures who are just acting like kids and who really just need time to grow and learn.  Instead of letting myself get so stressed about what the kids are doing, I've tried to just let the schedule go at times and take that time to practice whatever is going wrong.  If the kids are not lining up quietly, then they sit down and we try again.  Calmly.  Sanely.  And we keep doing it until it's right.  

It's easy to start thinking about all the things we have to accomplish with these kids before May and when we're taking extra time to practice routines like lining up, it can seem a bit overwhelming.  But I know that more will get done in the long run if I just take the time now to get it right.  So as far as that cute Pinterest activity that I wanted to do for my social studies lesson? Let it go.  Or I could always just whip out my Batman voice.  

Wednesday
September 14, 2016

     Teaching is hard.  Really hard.  It's true what they say about "there's no tired like teacher-tired."  No one tells you that when you first start out.  Or maybe they do, but you’re too idealistic to listen or believe them.  After 5 years in the classroom, I’ve realized that this job doesn’t get any easier over time concerning what we’re asked to do.  In fact, I think that it gets harder because we begin to realize what responsibility we carry.  Oh, I’ve got more resources at my fingertips, I know my objectives, and I can turn out a mean lesson plan.  But nothing, and I mean nothing, can prepare you for every twist and turn that the classroom can throw at you.  
     I’ve been through a lot in 5 years of teaching.  No more than any other teacher, but definitely no less.  I have my own story to tell and just one part of that is that I don’t like to ask for help.  I don’t like to seem like I can’t take care of things.  I have a terrible independent streak and I like to just do things myself.  Sometimes that works well for me as a teacher, but other times… not so much.  
     This past week has been… interesting.  Not terrible, just dealing with a student issue that I’ve never dealt with before.  I tried to do it on my own but it could not be done.  And for this situation, I don’t think any one person could do it on their own.  But the beautiful thing is, I don’t have to.  I have been blessed to work in a place where all I have to do is say the word and I have teachers and office staff there.  And this morning, I couldn’t even get out the words, “I need help,” before I saw beside of me a fellow teacher doing way more than I could have expected of her.  Then I look behind me and there are two more teachers at the ready.  I look up and down the hall and I see a guidance counselor and a person from the office ready to take over.  They both stayed in my classroom to make sure our day began smoothly.  They both checked in later to make sure everything was ok.  I could not have asked from them anymore.  And this is not the only time this week.  This is for the THIRD time this week.  Once things calmed down, all those involved just went about their day as if it was not a big deal what they had just done.  They all walked away and I knew that I had just witnessed something truly amazing happen.  

September 13, 2016

Wow! It's been a LONG time since I've posted here.  Life has completely gotten in the way - all the craziness and mad rush of ending the school year, then the summer, and then beginning the school year.  I first want to say that I am so glad to say that I am still a teacher.  Still in first grade.  




Now we're in the 3rd week of school and things are going strong.  I feel even stronger as a teacher.  I feel like I can finely breathe and truly enjoy spending my days with the kiddos learning from them as much as they learn from me.  This class is adorable! They ALL have been, but the things these kids say crack me up! I have to be sure not to be drinking my coffee when they want to tell me something because I'm never sure what I may hear.  




Things we've been learning:

Reading:  Routines and procedures.  Starting reading centers:  Read to Self, Write to Self, Publishing - this is a new center I'm trying this year.  The kids will be working on creating books in this center!
Alphabet review.  Handwriting review.  Reading decodables with early 1st grade sight words (such as:  the, as, I, have).  

Writing:  Writing about our outsides.  Reading I Like Myself.  Creating books about school and about ourselves (All About School and All About Me).  

Math:  Number review.  Place value:  tens and ones.  Finding groups of 10 and leftovers.  Writing numbers as tens and ones.  

Social Studies:  Rules review:  playground, cafeteria, hallway, classroom.  Citizenship and community helpers:  firefighters, police officers.  


Things I've learned as a teacher:  
1.  It's not about the numbers.  It's about the kids.