Favorite Things (February)

Teachers all have favorite grades and subjects to teach. For me, I've known since I started teaching that I was meant to teach upper elementary. When I am asked what grade I teach, most people cringe at the word "fifth," but I love it here! Yes, they can be smelly and their hormones are out of control, but there's a lot to love about these kiddos. Here are my favorite things about 5th grade...

There is one thing I hate about fifth grade though... At the end of the year, they leave for middle school. And unless they have a younger sibling, I don't get to see them again, except for rare occasions.

The Favorite Things Linky is a great way to share your 3 favorite anythings! Grab the template and button and link up below! If this is your first time linking up, check out our Favorite Things page for more details!

An InLinkz Link-up

End of School: Almost...

I know some of you are already out of school.  (Insert jealousy here.) You are probably browsing your Bloglovin' account right now sipping a fruity drink by the pool.  Sigh... I am not done YET!  I have this week and one day to go.  Can I ask WHO would think it is a great idea to come back for one day- ONE DAY- (June 1st I might add) after a weekend? NOT me!

To cheer up those of us that are still in school, here are some comics to tickle your funny bone! We can make it!

Hang in there!

Surviving and Thriving in the Tough Times {Five for Friday}

Teaching can be one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. That look on a child's face when s/he suddenly "gets it." The pride in a parent's eyes when you tell them how much their child has improved this year. The excitement when you hand back the 100 that student worked so hard to earn. Knowing that what you do today affects the future. These are some of my favorite things about being a teacher.

But if we're being honest, teaching can also be extremely difficult. It's exhausting. You care for your students like they are a part of your family (because in some ways they are). It's nearly impossible to "leave work at work." Regardless of how much we love teaching, everyone has a rough day here and there. Sometimes it's a rough week. Or month. Or year. So how do you keep going when the teaching gets tough?

1 - Teaching isn't your job, it's your calling.

Every teacher could name at least a dozen things we don't like about education: politics, testing, constantly changing expectations. So why do we stick with it? It's not because we can't find anything else to do. I know first-hand because I had two non-teaching jobs during a break in the middle of my teaching career. Neither of them made me happy like teaching, and one was at a spa. A SPA! The reason we stick it out is because teaching is far more than a job. It's our calling. Deep down, we know there's no other job out there that we could love like we love teaching. (Even on the days that we think we might hate it!)

2 - You are a good teacher.

When I first became a mom, I frequently felt like I wasn't "good enough" at this new role. I worried. I stressed. I cried. (Sounds a little like being a teacher sometimes, huh?) I shared my doubts with my mom, who, in her "been there, done that" wisdom, knew exactly what to say. She told me, "the fact that you worry about not being enough is a good sign that you are." She went on to remind me that those who aren't good moms (teachers) either don't see their faults or don't care. Of course, when we recognize a weak area, we should work to improve it, but don't be too hard on yourself. Know that in worrying about your weaknesses, you are actually exhibiting an important strength: the ability to reflect and grow from mistakes.

3 - You are appreciated.

We've all gotten pictures and notes from students, cards and emails from parents, and notes from colleagues that remind us of why we do what we do. Don't just read them and toss them. Save them somewhere you can easily get to and read them when you're having a rough day and need a little motivation. I keep a binder with notes, cards, and drawings that were especially encouraging. This binder is right by my desk so I can grab it anytime I need a pick-me-up. I've also taken pictures of a few of these on my phone so I can read them at home if I need to.

4 - You are making a difference.

Think back over your career so far. Remember that boy in your class who had never had a positive parent-teacher conference until you? The one who ran back up the stairs after the conference was over to give you a big hug and thank you for telling his mom that he's a good kid. Remember the girl who's going through things a child should never have to go through? The one who gave you a hug and thanked you for being lenient and showing compassion when she messed up. Remember those two students who had never earned an A in math until your class? They glowed when you showed them what they had achieved and seeing how proud you were of them. Ok, so those are my stories, not yours, but I know you have stories just like them. Think about those students. Think about how proud you were of the role you played in their success. Focus on these stories when times get tough.

5 - You're getting paid...and you'll get 2 months "off" in the summer!

If all else fails, remember that you'll be getting a paycheck on Friday (or whenever). And your reward for making through the year is two months of summer break. Find some inspiring blogs to follow, get in some encouraging Facebook teacher groups, read an inspirational teacher book, and enjoy some hard earned and much needed relaxation. By the time the school year starts again, your batteries will be recharged, and your passion for teaching will be renewed!

What tips do you have for making it through the tough times?

I'm linking up today with the fabulous Doodle Bugs Teaching for a different take on her Five for Friday linky. Check out all the other linkups on her blog!

Teacher Motivation on a Wordless Wednesday

I'm linking up today with Miss DeCarbo at Sugar & Spice for Wordless Wednesday to share a little teacher inspiration. This time of year, we are all worn down from all of the back to school work (SO TIRED). Sometimes I need a little motivation to keep it up when I'm exhausted!

Credit: http://dearteacherloveteacher.com/2014/09/16/what-you-are-today/

Credit: http://venspired.com/day-4-believe/

Credit: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Motivational-Poster-For-Teachers-978634

What keeps you going when this career we love gets tough?

5 Favorite Harry Wongisms for Classroom Management

It's 5 for Friday Time!  Yay! I am linking up with Doodle Bugs for their popular Friday linky.

I am keeping with the Back to School theme again this week.  I feel like my year is still at the beginning stages, and I am in need of some encouragement.  

Who better to look to at the beginning of the year but Harry Wong and his iconic book "The First Days of School".  

If this is the first time you are hearing about this book, STOP reading my blog!  GO order it RIGHT NOW from the link above!  I bet that is the first (and last) time a blogger will tell you to stop reading her blog...

Seriously teachers, it is the ULTIMATE book on how to start a school year.  It doesn't matter if you are a veteran teacher or fresh out of student teaching- it's a book you need to read.  More than read it- you need to embrace it! You can't go wrong with Harry Wong!  (Sorry...I just had to. ;)

(I hope Mr. and Mrs. Wong will not be insulted by my blog title.  I mean it with all due respect since I try to read their book every year before starting school.)

Okay...first off, I have to try to limit this to just 5 things....ummm....how to do that.......still thinking.......

Right here is where I went back and changed my graphic and added the "classroom management" subtitle.  This is what I need a refresher on in my jungle ummm classroom, so this is going to be my focus.

"The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines."

This one statement changed my teaching life.  You have to actually TEACH students procedures and routines.  Now why didn't my professors teach me THAT in college?  You have to teach them how to get a sharpened pencil, hang up their backpacks, line up, get out a reading book, go to the library, come to the carpet, use the bathroom, get a drink, and all the other hundred things that happen during the school day.

An effective teacher HAS to have a PLAN for each of these instances AND has to teach the plan to the students.

Here's the thing, students want procedures. They want to KNOW how to go about doing something.  Be careful though and don't confuse procedures with discipline.  Discipline concerns how students behave while procedures involve how students will DO something.

I have to stay here for just a moment and continue with procedures on to number 2.    You have a plan and now you have told the plan to the students.  You have told them how to line up, get a sharpened pencil, go to the library, and so on.  This is NOT enough.  It's not enough to just have a plan.  It's not enough to tell the students how to do something or even to model it for them.

Effective teachers know that all procedures have to be rehearsed!  Mr. Wong states that the first weeks of school are filled with the practicing and rehearsing of all the classroom procedures.  Students cannot be expected to get every procedure right all in one day.  (I needed to be reminded of this one.)  Students need to practice the procedures step by step until it becomes routine and automatic.

The 3 steps to teaching classroom procedures are
1. Explain, model, or demonstrate the procedure.
2. Rehearse and practice the procedure with your class.
3. Reinforce your students with praise and more practice until it becomes routine.

Harry Wong believes that schools must have rules.  These rules provide students with a safe environment to learn without fear.  Classroom teachers need to have rules posted before students come to class.  He feels that there should be no more than 3-5 rules.  He also feels that changes can be made if a situation arises that calls for it.  Consequences can be positive or negative but should be plainly stated.

Mr. Wong's Cardinal Principle of Consequences: Do NOT stop teaching to give out a consequence!

Wow, it that hard to do or what?  Sometimes it is almost impossible.  I have found that this is really a challenge for me.  I am going to have rethink a few things.  What about you?

I must say the most fun Wongism is this one: greet your students at the door.  This is not a huge chapter in his book but almost a small aside.  He mentions it and there is a great picture of him smiling at the classroom door and holding out his hand in greeting.  He does say this, "What you do the instant the student enters the...classroom communicates immediately if the student is welcome there."  I love this.  I believe it sets the tone for the day.

I actually delay opening my door a few minutes so that I can have most of my students outside when I open my door.  I love, love, love looking them in the eyes and saying, "Good Morning!"  I am the master at a sideways, one-armed hug!  A few students prefer a touch on the shoulder or a handshake and that is fine too.

The other day I got a note from a student.  I know it is hard to read but the bottom says that "you greet us in the morning and we say it back."  Love!

I think that for some of my students it may be the only smile, welcome, and hug that they get in a day.  Here is a quote my friend found and posted on Facebook the other day.  I think it sums it up quite nicely.

In all of procedures and rules, consequences and rewards, an effective teacher has to be consistent.

Day in, day out, Monday through Friday, August through June, we teachers have to maintain our stance.  We cannot waver. We have to diligently plan,  be persistent in our procedures, and unfailing in our devotion to our job and our students.  We cannot give in to aching feet, soccer mom-itus, or baby-stayed-up-all-night-blues.  We have to perform every day at optimum ability or close to it.  Because our students need us- day in, day out, Monday through Friday, August through June.

I am trying my best not to fail them.

Five for Friday: Beginning of School

It's FRIDAY! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for their weekly linky Five for Friday!

5 Things I Forgot About the Beginning of School

I know. . .  it’s shocking to me too that I could still forget things about the beginning of the school year when I have been teaching for well over a decade, but I did.  Some things seem to have slipped my mind.  It seems that I have had that, “Oh yeah….”moment quite a few times this week as my school year has gotten into full swing.

How Physically Exhausting The Beginning of School Is

Wow!  I am tired…more like exhausted and weary.  That is no joke, my friends.  Worn out.  Kaput.  I expire these days at 9:30 pm or maybe, if I have a little sugar in my blood stream, 10:00 pm.  Don’t bother texting or calling or looking for me on Facebook.  I will be surfing the sleeping waves not the internet.  Not only am I drained, but my feet ache, my head hurts, and my back literally cries at night.  It’s sad folks, and I am not that old. 

How Mentally Exhausting The Beginning of School Is

Teaching is mentally hard.  We have to think quickly and solve problems on the fly.  We have to be able to juggle about 100 things in the air at a time.  We have to know that Jimmy has asthma. Suzy has an IEP for reading but does great in math if you give her manipulatives and extra time.  John walks home with Jimmy only on Mondays when it doesn't rain because if it rains he is a car rider and his car rider number is 189.  And so on for each kiddo.  Some articles I have read say that teachers make around 1,500 decisions a day.  I think this is a low number on average and during the beginning of school, I think this number is WAY off.  When you have 22-25 little lovelies that you don’t know, you have to make a whole lot of decisions right quick.  My teacher friend put it this way: imagine inviting 22 eight year olds (you don't know) into your living room for 7 hours and only have 1 adult for supervision- YOU.  Yikes!  When you put it that way…..The first day of school gives “thinking on your feet” a whole new level of meaning.

How Much I Have to Do That Has Nothing to Do with Teaching My Students

Trainings, security briefings, more trainings, maybe some politics.  It is different for every district so I will leave it at that.  Enough said.

How Much I Have to Teach My Students Before I Can Really Teach My Students

I ended last year with such a great class of highly trained students that knew all of my rules and likes and dislikes.  And I knew them.  I knew their strengths and weakness, what we needed to work on and improve.  It was all smiles.  In comes August; a new batch of kiddos.  These students don’t know me, and I don’t know them.  I have no idea what they know or don’t know- what their strengths are or weaknesses are.  And guess what….they don’t know my RULES.  Being a good Harry Wong follower, I have to teach procedures.  Being a good Whole Brain teacher, I have to teach the rules and ways of the classroom.  Why does it surprise me every year when it takes sooooo long and is soooo laborious? It is time intensive work.  You have to go over it again and again.  Why do I forget that?

How Much I Missed the Kids

I work over the summer.  No, no, no, I don't get paid- not that kind of work.  I research, read, learn, blog, browse.  I never really give up teaching.  Ahh… but is a teacher really a teacher if there are no students?  There is just something about opening that classroom door and greeting those smiling faces at the beginning of school.  A world of possibilities, of hope.   Now how could I forget that?  This one thing that I forgot, the students, is what makes the other 4 things that I forgot worth bearing!

Why Teach?

Check out my discussion article on Edutopia.org!  I hope it gives you a little boost as you begin to begin to begin to think about the beginning of the school year.  Of course I only have 2 "free" days left!  Make sure to leave a comment on the post!  Click on the picture above or HERE.

Positive Thinking Thursday

I love this new linky from Jennifer at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings! In these uncertain days, we all need a little positivity in our lives! Here's my thought for today:

Source

Sometimes I need to be reminded that we do what we do for the kids, and that it matters. Every. Single. Day. Mrs. Nicholson still inspires me to be the best teacher I can. I can only hope to be half as good as she was.

Pop over to Jennifer's linky to find some more inspiration for your Thursday!

Five for...Sunday? + A Peek at my Week

I had my Five for Friday post all planned out, but then Thursday happened. I was sick, sick, sick all day. Thank goodness it was just a 24 hour bug of some kind. But it put me way behind on my graduate work, so I've been playing catch up all weekend instead of blogging. Anyway...on to happier things.

I'm now on Facebook and Instagram (woohoo!), so if you haven't already, click the logos below to head over and like or follow me! I'm hoping to get started with some fan freebies soon!

    

The review games I posted about last week went really well. They loved the randomness of the prizes and the unpredictably. Their favorite was by far Bazinga! I wish I had pictures but I forgot to take them the first day, and they finished the game with the sub while I was out.

It finally warmed up enough for outdoor recess! These fifth graders were like bears coming out of hibernation!  Such a gorgeous day for it, too!

Test taking strategies were so much more fun with Jamie Sears's Game Day Test Prep! We made a game day playbook with all the things they can do to succeed on game day.

Fifth grader funny... When I was going over our afternoon schedule, I told them we would be doing a test prep craftivity along with our playbooks. I went on through the rest of our plans, and a few minutes later, one of my boys said, "I see what you did there." I was totally lost, so I asked him what he meant. "Craft, activity. I see what you did there." I guess this was the first time I've used that word. Or the first time he was listening. You never know.

I saw this on Facebook and just had to share. I feel this way pretty frequently.  Usually after I run in to grab a single pack of post it notes!

A quick peek at my week:
We have standardized testing Monday through Thursday this week.  We have motivational messages on the paper covering our walls, fresh new pencils with rubber grippers, and ill be picking up peppermints and reward tickets tomorrow on my way to school.

If the weather is nice, our afternoons will be filled with recess and The Walking Classroom. Fingers crossed!

If you have fabulous testing afternoon activities,  I'd love to hear them. My afternoon plans are pretty flexible this week, and I'm still looking for a couple of fun activities for Wednesday and Thursday.

Hope everyone has a great week!