Track Out

Being a year round school allows me to take some great breaks. :-) 

My break started on Tuesday October 22nd. (Monday was a work day) I got a lot accomplished that first week. I even went BACK into school that first week to get some things done in my classroom! Work nerd... party of one? 

Anyways this past week I got to go spend time with friends and family! I went trick-or-treating! I carved a pumpkin! I even got to spend a few hours in my student teaching school! I crashed the fourth grade lunch and got to see all my children from last year! Then I went and spent time with my mentor, visited the rest of the 3rd grade team, and a fifth grade teacher. I had a blast! I've missed that place and those people! 

The biggest thing about going home is that I didn't take ANY work with me. It was very odd for the first few days. But I got to actually relax and give myself some space from constantly thinking about work. This did wonders for my sanity!

Now that I'm back home, and have spent over half my pay check to pay all my bills.... (hate that part) I am ready to finalize my lesson plans, tie up some loose ends, and grade my life away again! REEEE-freshed! 

Check out this pictures from my break! I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! 

My wonderful city!
It was exciting to see the familiar skyline again! 

My cousin Mason's pumpkin

My cousin Kendall's pumpkin

My pumpkin!

All three pumpkins proudly on display!

I was Beetle Juice for Halloween....
Like my makeup?? 

Jack the dog became a
JACK-O-Lantern!

Quarter 1 Review

Well folks, I did it! I made it through my first quarter as a fifth grade teacher. :-]
I still love it! Things are SLOWLY coming together. The moment I feel I have it together, something new gets added to the mix. However, that is what I can expect for the rest of my career. :-] It is the nature of teaching.

Here are the highlights from the rest of quarter 1!

Outdoor Movie Night
We had a movie night this quarter. They were able to show "The Lorax." This was incredibly coincidental because I had used the book and clips from the movie for several weeks in ELA lessons! I had fun hanging out with some of my colleagues and seeing all this kids!

Daily 3
I did finally get Daily 3 up and running. However, it never felt like it rain smoothly. I am making one more change. See the next post for more details on that!

First Observation
I had my first observation of teaching this quarter! My principal came in and observed a math lesson. (This is pre-planned out, for the record) I did VERY well! It was exciting to hear my principals feedback and positive commentary on how I run my classroom. YAY!

Testing
That's almost a dirty word now days in education... to parents, students, and teachers alike! Anyways, we have some testing we do each quarter that are like mini EOG's (end-of-grade tests given by the state). It is supposed to help monitor the progress of students. Day 1. 10 Minutes into the "testing session." I had a student get sick. As in they threw up in the room. This prompted the whole "if you're going to be sick, just run!" discussion. I told students to just get up and run. I give them permission to ignore any teacher until they are able to talk without puking. However, I am very proud of myself in the way I handled it! I didn't get all grossed out, which means my students didn't get all grossed out! They we able to finish their test with minimal time lost after the incident!

Report Cards
Technology is both a wonderful, and terrible thing. In this case, it was terrible! Our report cards are done through our online gradebooks. There were so many glitches that they ended up getting delayed 2 weeks so that everything could be finalized and printed.

First Quarter Celebration!
I had my room mom (Thank goodness for my room mom!) organize some snacks and parent volunteers. In the middle of a testing week we got to take a time out and celebrate finishing first quarter. It was fun, and I will more than likely continue to do that each quarter. I even wore a crown!.... I told my kids that I was the queen all quarter. So it was only fitting that I wore my crown!

--------- There was a FIRE DRILL towards the end of the celebration. I had to walk all my kids and parents out to our waiting area. I did all this... still wearing my crown. Oops! My room mom actually has a picture of this and I have a feeling it might end up in the year book!

My crown! 

Anyways, first quarter ended and all has been running relatively smoothly!

Adding in Word Work

Today was my first real try at having 2 mini lessons, and 2 rounds of choice..... I failed. The timing of all this is certainly going to take some getting used to, and LOTS of practice! My first mini lesson ran WAY to long But the kids were engaged! We are using the movie "The Lorax" to explore if and how characters change throughout a story, and how characters respond to challenges! It's so much fun! However, I basically lost my ENTIRE first round of choice after we finished the practice piece of the first mini lesson. I decided to do a review of Read to Self then, creating the I-Chart that goes over the expectations of Read to Self. Then, I had the kids take a quick stretch break, and then come back to the carpet to start mini lesson 2, so that I could introduce word work (WW). 

I explained the Must Do's and Can Do's of WW moving forward. Remember, this is week 5 for me, and I'm trying to restart and establish Daily 3 in my classroom. It makes things a tad more difficult! Then I showed the kids were the stuff would be located. 

Must Do's are in the yellow folders.
The Can Do's will be in the Orange folders. 

Here is my new Daily 3 Board where the I-Charts
will be posted for all 3 Daily Choices. 

Tomorrow I will try again for 2 mini lessons, 2 choice rounds. I will also be completing the Word Work I-Chart.  Fingers Crossed!!!

Daily 5 in 5th Grade

Most educators out there have at least heard of  "The Sisters" who created the Daily 5 and Cafe program. My district and school have taken on the Daily 5 as the structure for teaching English and Language arts. This has probably been one of the hardest things for me as a first year teacher.... more specifically a first year, 5th grade teacher. While I think this is a great structure, it was been hard for me to visualize putting it into practice. There just aren't as many resources for Daily in the upper elementary grades.

So after a lot of talk with my mentor, my literacy facilitator, my team members I think I think I might just have the idea! I am going to use this as a place document my first year with Daily and how I plan to implement into my classroom. Maybe I can help some other teachers (new teachers, or new to Daily teachers) get Daily rolling into their classroom.

Let me start with two sites who I have found this weekend who have had me in brainstorming OVERDRIVE!

1. First up is Juice Boxes and Crayolas Blog and TPT store! She started her Daily 3 a couple years ago and has some great information and pictures of her set up with Daily! This is my jumping off place for Daily.  juiceboxesandcrayolas.blogspot.com Click around her site, there are about 3-4 different posts about Daily in her classroom. She also has some great stuff that is currently free on her TPT site for word work!http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Juiceboxes-Crayolas AWESOME!!!!!!!
2. I found this next blog through the first one. It's not specifically for Daily, but this blogger has some GREAT resources available one here site, and a lot of them can be used in Daily! http://mrsrojasteaches.blogspot.com/p/upper-grades.html

In the 5th grade, it is expected that we have 2 mini lessons, and 2 rounds of choice. So I need to back up and say that I am basically going to restart Daily in my classroom this next week, which will be week 5 for me. (Note: I am in a year round school!) I have already established Read to Self (RS). I did spent a good amount of time working on Picking Good Fit books and building reading Stamina. I am going to review these expectations and relaunch RS on Monday before the first choice round. Then I am going to launch Word Work (WW) Monday as my second mini lesson. The kids will then all choose a WW activity to practice. In fifth grade, we generally focus on Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes. So my word work is more Vocabulary Based. I am using the the activities I found at Juice Boxes and Crayolas. I will elaborate and have pictures of this next week. But I am super excited to see what happens. I think this will really help my students and put in that aspect of choice that Daily is all about! The following week I plan to launch the Work on Writing (WoW). Those will be my big 3 for daily. However I also have a fluency piece built in where certain partners will go out in the hallway and do some fluency practice 3 days a week. Then around the end of first quarter (so realistically in about 3 weeks, YIKES) I will be introducing Book Clubs which will be one of their Must Do's 2-3 times a week. 

It's a lot to think about. But, as the pieces fall into place, and as I slowly find more resources, I am getting really excited about Daily in my classroom. I will continue to share my experiences and pictures throughout the year as Daily begins to come together! 

Track In

I have survived my first track out/track in!! 

This past week was my first week back with my kids. Let me tell you, I MISSED THEM! I missed my schedule, my co-workers, and just overall my school. But I am incredibly grateful for my break. My head felt like it was constantly buzzing those first three weeks of school! I was unorganized, flustered, and I felt like I was trying something new every day, which meant a lot of inconsistency! If you have ever worked with kids, you know that being unorganized and inconsistent is just asking for chaos! Luckily, I have an awesome class, and they worked with me. However, there is a HUGE difference between how the school day felt before track out, and this week after we tracked back in. 

So let me give you a run down of my track out activities! 

1. I went home immediately. I hung out with my family,

my friends, and just relaxed from that Saturday to the following

 Wednesday. Here's the amazing thing, while I was soooo ready

 to go home, I was ready to come back to my new home as well.

I guess it's great that both can feel like home! 

2. I got my very first teacher paycheck. 

This was both AWESOME and sad at the same time.

Probably because I had to turn around and pay a months 

worth of bills. :-) But it was still nice, and felt very "adult."

See I am just so excited!! 

3. North Carolina has a Tax-Free Weekend. So I went shopping.....

 I spent WAY to much.But, now that I am tracked back in, 

it was COMPLETELY work it! I bought 2 desk sized 

3 drawer containers. Those hold, sticky notes, erasers, pens,

binder clips, paper clips, and a few other things. I also bought
2, 3 Drawer containers that can hold paper. One is on my desk

holding papers to be graded, intervention work, and important papers.

The other holds notebook paper, computer paper, and publishing paper.
The publishing paper is currently brightly colored lined notebook paper.

I think it's awesome. My kids think I'm strange. :-D

I also bought an 8 self paper thing. It was about $20 and I use it to
organize my upcoming master copies by subject! 

I also bought some pens, sheet protectors, card stock, and various other items

that I or my students will use in the classroom. 

4. I got organized. I went though numerous folders and binders.
I consolidated, grouped, and threw away a lot. 

I made a parent contact list for myself and my room mom. 

I made a "Need To Know" Sub Information sheet. 

I talked to my grade level and figured out how my ELA

(English Language Arts)

block should go. Then I planned it all out. 

I planned EVERYTHING OUT! Including some new procedures! 

5. I went to a 2 day Improving Teacher Quality workshop. 

This was actually VERY good. I learned some pretty neat things.

My favorite things dealt with technology! App's, websites, and activities GALORE!!!

6. I had my Track In Workdays the Thursday and Friday before we came back.

It was GREAT to see my team again. It was great to sit back in school.

Then, I got to set up my new classroom! WOOOOOOO! 

Check it out! 

While I miss my last classroom, I am feeling pretty good about.
Especially because I am so much more organized! 

• That brings us to this past Monday. My day started by realizing that all the master copy machines were down. Out of service. No copies allowed. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Not the way I wanted to start my track in! So I had to make my copies on the ONE machine left. By the way... that was how it was ALL week! Talk about a little bit stressful! Then Monday was also PLT (Professional Learning Team) day for the fifth grade team. On PLT days, we as a grade level get to talk together, work together, and discuss data from 8-10 AM. The kids go to our "Town Hall" and have a presentation or lesson given by the amazing Counseling Team and School Facilitators. It's an interesting concept for sure! I also had to leave PLT for about 25 minutes to meet with a parent. Overall, it was a busy busy morning!
• The rest of the week went well, but stayed just as busy. On Tuesday, the amazing literacy facilitator came in to help me out with some testing. She also gave me some feedback on my lesson. It's nice to know that I'm headed in the right direction! Then Tuesday afternoon I had a meeting with a parent. That also went really well! I have some pretty great parents this year! 

• Wednesday was my meeting bookend day. I started the day with a BT (beginning teacher) meeting talking about parent communication and classroom management. Then I ended my day with my weekly mentor meeting. Both went great! I love meeting with my mentor. It's nice to have someone to share with! 
• Thursday had NO meetings (wildly cheer at that!). We did however have an Internet Safety assembly at the end of the day. The presenter while a great presenter, never called on helpers from the back. This greatly upset the 5th graders, who happened to occupy the back. 
• And finally Friday, I had another grade level meeting in the morning. Friday was also an early release day. It went smoothly, my kids are awesome with change and adapting to whatever needs to happen. Finally the week ended with a staff meeting (always on Early Release Days). We were provided lunch (There was even food for me to eat!!) and allowed to sit with our team. I had a blast! Learned some things, but I mostly enjoyed sitting and working with my team, and the AG person, who I think we have adapted onto our team anyways! 

I'm almost tired from writing all that! The main thing is that I am feeling organized, and I am excited to be back! 

Workshops and Workdays

Before I begin, let me catch up. I've been tracked out (on a break essentially) for the past 2 and a 1/2 weeks. I went home for a bit. I've been shopping (NC has a Tax Free Weekend, it's like my favorite holiday as a teacher!) I've been planning- a lot. 

Monday and Tuesday this week I attended a BT (beginning teacher) workshop. There were some really interesting classes. I have some great ideas I would like to try out in my classroom over the next few weeks! Today and Friday I have workdays. There are a few meetings, I will be planning some more, working on setting up my classroom bit by bit. It should be interesting. This is the first time I've gone through this process. It makes me nervous to be honest. The good news however, is that I will at least have this room to myself for the next 9 weeks. 

I'll post some pictures this weekend of some of the things I've been working on and of course this next room I'm in! 

Welcome to Fifth Grade!

I can not believe I have gotten through my first week as a teacher! This week was exciting, exhausting, and fun!

First, let me state that I think I have a great group so far! The school has a school wide behavior plan and at specials, lunch, and random times in the hallway a class can earn Spots for our class Salamander. (The school mascot is a Salamander, FYI.) In our first week my wonderful fifth graders earned 11 spots! I am pretty proud of them! I actually gave them 5 minutes extra recess for earning 4 spots on Friday and the 11 total that week. I think we have a shot of making it to the 400  (the highest you can earn as a class) by the end of the year!!!


Some surprises this week:
1. I didn't realize just how tiring it is for a teacher to set up the rules and procedures. I always knew it was boring as a student, but it was actually mentally draining that first day to set it all up. But after day 1, I was able to get most of my expectations set with a few minor tweaks here and there. By Friday, I felt like I had basically set up the routines and procedures needed to make my classroom work.

2. It's actually quite difficult to fit in all the pretests and beginning of the year testing. I want to jump right into to the actual teaching, but I'm being set back by all these tests. Bleh! : ] The only good news here is that by Wednesday this week, I should be done for a while!


3. I discovered that my students have no clue how old I am. I got anywhere between 21-26. I told them I going to keep them guessing! :D It's more fun for me!

4. These fifth graders are doing really well with my sarcasm. It makes teaching more fun for me, and hopefully it makes learning a little more fun for them.


And now, here are some pictures of my classroom until July 26th at least.

First Day of School with one of the other
 new fifth grade teachers! 

Welcome to an All-Star Classroom! 

Groups spaces 

Our Class Salamander around Day 3 I believe. 

One of the girls brought me a Rose on Wednesday!
I up-cycled a large plastic water bottle to use as a vase!

Overall, the first week was incredibly successful! I can't wait for this coming week and all that it will bring!

Horoscope and Classroom Prep

Every now and then I like to check out my horoscope. I don't put much (if any) stock in these things, but I find it amusing to see. Well for the week of June 30, this is what my horoscope said:
There's too much happening for you to get a handle on any of it. In fact, you have the wide-eyed wonder of a kid at the start of the week. It can be fun to see life as a jumble of images, a colorful phantasmagoria, but it's in your nature to try to make sense of it all. On Wednesday, you're inspired to make your mark on the world and may enlist some friends in a group project. Thursday is a great day, but Friday and Saturday a glitch in your finances has you in a grumpy mood. Put yourself first this weekend. Maybe spend Sunday between the pages of a book.


Let me tell you how oddly accurate I find these predictions. This week is my very first work week as a 5th grade teacher!!! :] So the fact that the beginning of this week will have to much to handle right away, is a very true statement. Then there is Wednesday. On Wednesday, we will have all day in our classrooms to get things set up before Meet the Teacher night! I have in fact, enlisted a friend to come help me decorate. O_O CRAZY!!!

Finances are a constant source of frustration as I will not get paid until the end of July. Then the fact that I might spend this weekend reading... very characteristic of me. lol Just thought I'd share!! 

My Classroom theme is "All-Star 5th Graders"
And those who are speed racers with their
work will promptly receive on of these! 

My plan is to use these folders to put all the handouts
for each group/each day. This way I will not have to
pass out papers with each subject! 

This is my "I Can... Board" to write the
student objectives each day. 

This explains the important of reading 20 minutes
each night. I think this will go in the welcome packet. 

And because I love my teacher clothing,
here is what I wore to the new teacher luncheon!

I love my new school so far. I can't wait for tomorrow to see what this new adventure brings!!! Wish this 5th grade teacher some luck!!

The Adult World

Well ladies and gentlemen,

I did it!

I am officially a real, fully (dis)functional, employed adult! 

• I am officially a 5th grade teacher.
  
  
• I officially have my own apartment, which I officially call home as of yesterday! 

It's pretty freaking exciting!! 

Therefore the name of this blog will no long be The Real World: Student Teaching Edition, it is will now be

  The Real World of a 5th Grade Teacher 

I officially welcome you to read as I blog not only as a first year teacher, but as a first year teacher of 5th grade in a year round school. Adventures are sure to follow! 

Until school starts (July 1st for me, July 8th for the kids), check out these pictures of my new home! 

Hooray for my first place!

Quick Update

Good Morning Everyone!

I just wanted give a quick update on the whole interview and Praxis Test.

Interview:
The interview went REALLY well! The principle called two days later to let me know that she, and the rest of the interview team really enjoyed speaking with me. She asked if I could please not accept anything until we could talk again. By talk again, that means once the hiring freeze, she can call me and (I'm pretty sure she will) offer me a job!

That being said, this is a year round school. So have had to start planning like I really am going to move because if I get this job, I will have to move within the next few weeks. I have already found where I want to live if I accept the job. (The closet is 10X4.... AMAZING!!) I should hear something from them in the next few weeks!

Praxis:
I took a K-12 Teaching Reading for bachelors degree Praxis Test the day before graduation. I took it just to get an additional certification on my license and because I really do love reading. (I do eventually want to get my masters in Teaching Reading!) Well my lovely home state only requires me to receive a 159 to pass. I just found out I received a 180!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!


Overall, it has been an exciting few weeks around graduation. What with the interview, and the test, and I've been subbing at my student teaching school which has been pretty fun! And the only thing that could make it better would be to get a call on Monday saying that I've got the job! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Resume Website

Check out my resume turned website! I think it's pretty cool!

http://krystene-lang.wikispaces.com/home


-K

P.S.  I have my first interview! That's all I'm going to say for now because I am excited, and I don't want to jinx it! Wish me luck! I think it could be a good fit!

"A" for Teacher!

Well Ladies and Gents, it's that time.

Student teaching ended on Friday. It was an amazing and special day. My teacher and my kids were so, so sweet. We started the day with presents. They gave me teacher supplies, an AMAZING scrapbook that makes me cry when I read it, a Smiley Grad Ball they all signed, as well as all the other 3rd grade teachers, and a few books. I just, can't describe how grateful I am for them!

From my CT and Kids!

I forgot to take a picture of my gift to my Teacher. But she LOVED it! I posted the link to where I got the idea below. Mine looks a little more rough than the one in the blog, but HELLO I got it from Pinterest, which means it could never be as perfect! http://everythingispink.blogspot.com/2007/06/teacher-gift.html

So then our day went on fairly regularly from there. But when we got back from lunch, I went to go make copies of the best poem ever written by a third grader (I will share later!). When I came back from making copies, they had put the cover up over the window, which was incredibly strange. I slowly opened the door and they had a banner up (Congrats Grad!) and had set up an ice cream party. Talk about incredibly sweet! I was so surprised! And of course, that about made me cry again. :]

This was in my basket, they know me so well! 

I have just been so blessed to be apart of this class. My cooperating teacher was just about the most perfect CT anyone could ask for. She was so sweet and caring and willing to help me in any way. I could not have done this without her. :]

My Grad Cap, all Decorated!

On Friday, I also had my last meeting with University Supervisor. I signed some paperwork. We talked. I shared my scrapbook from my kids. And then, she told me ..... ready...... I GOT AN "A" in student teaching!!! :]  After everything I've gone through to get this point, I am so excited to get an A!

Graduation here I come! 

On Saturday, I went to a job fair for Wake County. I drove up Friday night, got a hotel. I felt pretty professional and, dare I say it like an adult! I had a good time. I meet a lot of people, and I am hoping that it pays off! 

All dressed for the fair in my hotel room!
I had a king size bed. I had trouble figuring out what side to sleep on! 

Anyways, graduation is SATURDAY! We are having a party that night and it is going to be awesome! I am so ready to graduate! I probably wont post too much over the summer. I will post when I get a job, and if I passed the Reading (K-12) Praxis. Hopefully in August, I will change this blog from The Real World: Student Teaching Edition, to The Real World, Teacher Edition! 

Wish me luck! 

Oh and here is the best Apology Poem ever written by a 3rd Grader: 

I'm Sorry I Broke Your Feelings

I... broke you
feelings
and your 

heart. 

I'm sorry

I'm sorry. 

You were not
my type. So I

had to break 

up with you. 

I hope that made you smile! 

Post It Note Clip Boards

I just wanted to take a minute to post about some of the gifts I am giving to my kids.



1. Post-it Note Clip Boards

Aren't they adorable? 

Steps to create: 

1. You either need good (non cardboard) coasters or you can get cork board anywhere they sell crafting items. I personally used cork board. I cut each larger squares into about 9 total small squares.

2. Next using scrapbook paper and a glue gun I wrapped the paper as neatly as possible around the entire thing. you end up folding the ends like you are wrapping a present. It doesn't look to bad when you are done either!. 

3. With cork board, you will need to half the post it note pads. The full size of one post it note pad is too large to get the medium sized gator clip over the whole thing. 

4. Voila! You have Post it Note Clip Boards! You can always decorate the clips with stickers and ribbon as well! :] 

I have also made my kids bookmarks using colorful large paper clips and ribbon in the school colors. I am so sad to not be able to see these kids every day, but they have taught me a lot. With any luck, I will have taught them something too!


I'll keep posting pictures of the gifts as I work on them! There's plenty more to come!

College... is Ending....

So with all the excitement about making it through full time, getting to spring break, and thinking about grad parties.... I've realized something. College... is ending!!!! It's been quite a ride. I've made a lot of friends. Lost a lot of friends. Had a lot of awkward moments. But I also had a lot of great moments. So that being said, here is the Disney story about college. Fitting for an elementary ed major right?? :]



http://www.hercampus.com/life/campus-living/what-it-s-be-college-told-our-favorite-disney-characters




Oh!! And I finally got my grad stuff!! YAY!

Almost officially an ALUMNI!! Super Cool! 

Keep me in mind over the next few weeks as I finish up the last few assignments of my undergrad college career..... And apply for jobs.... and hopefully go on interviews.... and plan an awesome celebration!! :] 

I made it!

Well readers, I did it. I have made it through not only the 4 required weeks of full load student teaching, but also the self imposed additional 4 days before spring break of full load student teaching!!!

I have to say, being on this end of the bridge feels really really good. I'm so honored to have a great class, a great school, excellent principals, and a fabulous cooperating teachers. I have learned so much in the last 3 months and I will forever remember the lessons learned here. It's been a priceless experiences. :-D


This past week was C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!!!!!!!!! To start it off, I had a rough cold all week, still fighting the tail ends of actually. My CT bought a house. And then we had the make up work.... the mountainous amounts of make up work. lol Ending a quarter right before a break, with a class that has students that are consistently 3-6 assignments behind, is rough. There was a lot of reteaching, corrections, and "hustling" to get it all in. In the end though, I'm proud of my students. They came through with pretty much everyone passing all subjects, despite this being a heavy content semester. Yay!!!


At our "spring celebration" (which replaced V-Day parties, btw) it was with relief that my CT and I stepped back and handed over our "spring breakers" to the WONDERFUL parent volunteers. The power of involved parents.... WOW!!!


So here I am, on my first Saturday out of full time. I'm oddly not working today despite being able to. But luckily I am working 3 days over this next week. (I've got some cash to earn back from my month long sabbatical!) And while I'm honestly, not totally looking forward to having to work again, I do kind of miss my coworkers and managers. I also know that by the end of this summer, I will be quitting, probably for good, so that I can focus solely on being a new teaching in the wonderful class/school I end up!

 Speaking of where I end up. I have no clue. I feel that it will honestly be more in my best interest to stay within the school system I'm student teaching in. But, there are several other counties that I'm considering and  will start completing applications for. I can only hope I can at least start interviewing for jobs in the next month. It would be BEYOND cool to know that I have job before graduating if possible!


.... Now all semester I have focused on really being in the moment and not worrying so much about student teaching. But, with full time over, the rest is really just a cake walk. (While still giving my 110%, of course) So I feel that it is safe to finally start the countdown! I love countdowns, and will do so for any big event in my life (including birthdays, because hey, it is an important thing to me that I was born! lol)

Here it is.... GRADUATION IS IN 41 DAYS!!! :]


Happy Spring Break Y'ALL!!

Full Time Student Teaching

Sorry for the incredibly long pause between posts. This entire month of March I've been teaching full time in my classroom. It has been... an incredible experience.

Let me start with my CT. She is wonderful. At the end of first week, told me how proud of me she is. My CT is constantly boosting up my moral and complimenting me. We work so well together and I am genuinely sad when I think about the end of my time in this classroom. I think that we will definitely be friends after this.  She has reminded me why  I want to get into teaching, and helped me realize my potential.


Next ,let  me bring up my kids. They are great. Crazy, wonderful, inquisitive, curious, and loving kids. Every day, despite any behavior problems, I leave ready and wanting to come back. Let's be honest, the kids really make your job as a teacher. We've earned our class reward. They choose a pajama day. The day of the reward, it was actually the perfect day to wear warm fuzzy pajamas, as it was a cold and windy day. :]

This was the banner to announce the winners of the
Human Body Unit, Question of the Day contest! 

PJ DAY!!! 

Friday we had a field trip to the NC Transportation museum. What an adventure! Because I was there, our class was split up the most. I took 7 kids with me on Bus 3. Within 10 minutes of driving, bus three lost two tires! lol It ended up alright. Apparently charter buses can drive safely missing tires. So onward we went. If you have ever been on a wooden roller coaster, you can imagine what that trip sounded and felt like lol :]  They called a mechanic to come fix the tires while we were touring. However, the mechanic didn't show up until it was almost time to go, so therefore, we arrived about 30-45 minutes later than we planned. There goes all of our extra instruction time! We rushed back to class, got packed up, and proceeded straight to computers. It was a little hectic, needless to say.

Here's one of the wonderful exhibits at the museum! 

Well this week would technically be the last week of full time student teaching, but we are just extending it to right up before spring break. When we get back from spring break, I'll be dropping off subjects left and right while I get the opportunity to visit and observe in other classrooms. It's so crazy! That last week of April/first week of May will be the end of Student teaching. Bittersweet moments ahead for sure.

Just me in some new teaching clothes lol
I really liked this outfit! 

Oh, and I'm starting the application process this week/end. Wish me luck!!

Job Fairs, Workshops, and Observations

Talk about a busy last two weeks!

1. I MOVED!  Luckily, this move does not largely effect my commute to school. It just makes me plan out my time in the morning with a little bit more thought towards what needs to get done and when I must absolutely leave by.

2. I was observed by my CT. - This went well. I think my CT is still very impressed by me. I know I am still impressed by her attitude and gracious of her compliments towards me. I do not take having a good CT for granted! :]

3. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY!!!! - Panels, Job Fair, and workshops!!!!  I learned some very cool strategies, and did a TON of networking!!!!  Check out my outfit (and new hair cut!) in the picture below! Please oh please, let me end up with a job for August!    [ Side note, I also got to see one of my favorite high school teachers, who is now a principal! That was fun, and so nice to see her! I owe a lot of my work ethic to that woman and her class my junior year! ]

4. I was observed by my supervisor- Again, this went EXTREMELY WELL!!! She was very impressed by my management skills, my use of my voice as a tool (meaning appropriately loud and soft when needed), as well as my higher level questioning. I am right on track to be headed to graduation!!!!!!!! :]  YAY!!! OHHHH, and my Supervisor also mentioned, that I am the most organized student teacher she has this semester. To quote a cute recent movie, "Crushed it!" (Pitch Perfect)



I have been having some GREAT discussions lately with my class. They are getting engaged, and excited about topics that have a tendency to be not so exciting!! I'll have to upload some of my Smart Board Slides/Notes from class. It really amazing to think about and see the end result of our discussion. They guide me to topics I didn't even think about including. They make me stay on my toes for sure!

I will also have to upload pictures from the latest science experiment where they are comparing an apples skin, to their own skin. (Skin, FYI is the LARGEST organ you have!) It is really cool! Part one of this lesson is the part that my supervisor observed. I believe I will be video taping part two tomorrow!

My students are all working so hard. I'm a proud teacher.... and at the end of the day, what more could I ask for...


.............. besides a job?!?!!! :]


Goodnight, we will talk again soon!!

Slacker

Hello all.

I'm sorry, I have been a slacker, but I have a very good reason!

Last weekend was my birthday weekend, so I was busy spending time with friends and family for the majority of the weekend. But, the week of Jan 28th went well. I was able to do a bones experiment with the class where we compared real chicken bones with chicken bones that had been sitting in vinegar for a week. The class was so excited about observing and handling those bones. We put them back into vinegar for another week and looked at them this past Friday. You could really see how the vinegar had been breaking down the bones. Gross... but cool! My CT had to be out that Friday morning as well. I feel so bad that she has so much going on at home. But, I am glad that I am able to lead the class while she is gone. It is great knowing she has so much confidence in me!

This past week, I gave my first test. It went surprisingly well. Most students received an A or a B on it. I am so proud! The last question on the test asked the students to say what the their favorite part about bones was so far. My favorite response was this:

That we have talked so much about bones that I want to see my bones.

Isn't that precious! lol I told her great response, but to please stay safe! I don't need a student breaking a bone to see them. :] 

This week we are moving on to muscles in science and characteristics of regions in social studies. We are also publishing their personal narratives this week. I was supposed to take on literacy but with the crazy week last week, we just didn't have time lay out master plan. We did get that down last week, so I am set to pick it up next week. Luckily we had an extra week planned in, which we subbed in for this week instead. lol Things work out sometimes! 

Oh and this Saturday I am moving. So this week is all about back up and getting as many lessons done as possible. 

Until this weekend.... Hopefully. lol I may be delinquent again thanks to the move. Fingers crossed that all goes well!!!!

Early Dismissal

So last week, the unthinkable happened.
My school district, actually allowed for an early dismissal.

Now I'm not sure if you realized this, but the South and snow do not mix well. :-]
It actually turned out to be a good thing, because be the time school normally lets out, freezing rain was  pouring from the skies!!

Early dismissal is an interesting thing, let me tell you. My CT and I had to rearrange the entire day to try and get in the three assessments we had planed for that day. Students were leaving even earlier than the early dismissal. (I'm talking like only being in school for 2 hours... what a waste!!) We had to call parents to make sure they were actually going to pick up their students, per early dismissal information. And all day, students were being called out to go home. The office was a crazy place with all the parents and students coming in and out. My poor CT had to make copies during this time. UGGHHH :]

HOWEVER, we did manage to get through most of the work. We will have a lot of make up work tomorrow, but at least the majority of it was completed. YAY!!!

Other than that, this was pretty easy week.

I would write more, but I'm actually quite tired. lol So I believe I'll just turn in for the night!!


Wish me luck this week! I start teaching!!!!!!!!!!! :]

Oh... and I turn 22 on Thursday! Birthdays and students are always fun! 

Substitute Teaching.. Without Pay

This past week, was an interesting week readers. Let me set the stage for you:

1. Our class picture was on Tuesday... My name gets to be on the picture and EVERYTHING!!! WOOOOO 
2. It rained. All. Freaking. Week. The kids were stir crazy, and we all came close to drowning on Thursday, before freezing on Friday. (Behold, the great Carolinian Blizzard of 2013!!!) 
3. My teachers daughter got sick, so she had to leave Wednesday afternoon. (She and her husband took shifts) 
4. On Thursday, my CT's daughter was still pretty sick, and actually ended up with the flu.... which consequently my CT ended up with was well. This all resulting my CT being out from Wednesday Afternoon through Friday. 

LET ME TELL YOU!!!! It was SOOOOO much fun teaching.... Not that I like my CT being sick, because I really do enjoy working with her, I just had fun feeling like a real teacher!

My CT left it up to me whether or not I wanted to teach all day or just parts of a day. I decided to just go for it! I was able to teach 2 full days, all by myself, in my second week!.... By myself is relative, as a student teacher in my second week, I am not legally allowed to be by myself, so I had two AMAZING substitutes in the classroom with me.

Both subs, by the way, thought I  was AMAZING!

They were so impressed that it was only my 2nd full week in this class.

They joked that I must be lying about that fact. 

:-D

These substitutes just really made me feel great about teaching.

They told me I would have a great career as a teacher! 

ANYWAYS..... 

On Thursday, my students have double specials (meaning they went to both art and media) so that the grade level can have planning. The specials teachers rate the class on a scale of 1-4, 1 being absolutely dreadful and 4 being almost perfect. 

My students.... Got a one................ 

Let me tell you,

I laid it on THICK!!!

They all know better than to earn ones in specials. My CT does not allow this, and neither do I. So we had a very frank discussion, a few minutes of quite reflection on our behavior that day as well as how it should be in the future, as well losing marbles from the class rewards jar. My CT also mentioned that they might have additional privileges taken away this coming week as. She did however, think I handled the situation quite well.  

If you can't tell... I feel pretty proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish this week. I also already have plans written for the week of the 28th, which will be my first week officially teaching a subject. Tomorrow, since it is a day off, I believe I might try to write the following weeks as well. I would SO rather be ahead than behind when it comes these items. 

I hope all of you out there are enjoying the long weekend! 

Until next week readers!!!! 

Pictures and a Lesson

I've got a moment, so I just wanted to post some pictures, as promised!

First: THE DESK! That was before school started that day.
 By the end of the day, a lot more ends up on this

wonderful thing.

This is a picture of my classroom. 

It is pretty awesome! 

 Picture Day Outfit!! 

 And, here is just an average everyday school outfit. Dress pants, and a sweater or nice top! 

Finally, I have the lesson plan for the pocket solar system. This activity does not take long and is a great visual for students. 

                                                          

Until this weekend readers!