Teacher Week - "Who Monday"

This morning I'm linking up with the wonderful ladies of Blog Hoppin' for TEACHER WEEK, a back to school link up! 

So..here's a little about myself.

Teaching Life:

Last year, I was a first year teacher. I had the blessing of teaching the group of kiddos that I interned with. I taught these first graders for a year and was IN LOVE. Fast forward to this summer: I get offered a job as Communications Director & Character Education teacher at the private Christian school I grew up in. What is Communications Director? Think Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, website, parent emails, student grade website managing, marketing, creating cute handouts and signs for teachers, promotional bulletin boards throughout the school, plus teaching Character Ed. for 12 weeks in the fall. I was hesitant to pull myself out of the classroom, but I jumped at the opportunity to work at my own elementary school. I've been here for 2 weeks so far and I'm loving it! (Only having slight classroom withdrawls so far!)

My first classroom!

Leaving my first classroom...

Family Life:

I come from a family of four. My brother and I are three years apart- he's younger. He is quite the character. We used to fight a lot when we were younger, but when I went to college he realized that me missed me. LOL Now we get along. (This is not the best picture, but I'm scramblin' here!)

Dad, Nick, Me, brother, Mom after my awards from undergrad.

I married my husband almost 2 years ago. We met at our church on Halloween when I was a senior in high school. He was dressed like a chicken. (Just imagine that one!) He makes me laugh, and is always keeping me entertained. Not a single serious moment can go by without Nick making light of it! He graduated from seminary, but actually teaches middle school Bible, science, and social studies.

Candid! ...pushing me off the ledge during our Engagement shoot!

Outside of School:

Nick and I go to a wonderful church here in South Florida. Nick has worked there since he was about 11 years old. We met there. He proposed there. We were married there. We LOVE our church family!

Plus, they have Zumba at church on Mondays. LOVE!

Other than that, I'm mostly work and school. Boring, I know. I'm BUSY BUSY with work and my Master's, but I will graduate this May! Yippee!

I taught reading this summer at a camp for kiddies who are deaf/hard of hearing. It pushed me to be a better and more thoughtful teacher! My first grade creations really helped the kids to nail down some skills.

Fun Facts:

I'm slightly OCD...but not with keeping my bedroom clean.

My husband says I'm a little too obsessed with my phone and computer.

I found my favorite hobby, creating for TPT, this past April and have been blessed by it ever since.

I try to run often, but it honestly doesn't happen as much as I'd like it to.

Decorating classrooms is my favorite thing to do.

I'm known at school for doing fun bulletin boards.

I get embarrassed when people compliment me.

I wear dresses almost every day to school.

I admit I have about over 50 dresses. {no joke!}

I grew up dancing, and danced until I was a senior in high school (ballet, tap, jazz, hip hip, etc.).

I'm {secretly} sad I didn't keep the dancing up!

Head back over to Blog Hoppin' to catch up with more teacher bloggers!

Wordless Wednesday - 8/13/14

Linking up with Christina from Sugar & Spice for another Wordless Wednesday!

When I was a first year teacher, I received a little basket of goodies. So, when I found out there was a BRAND new teacher at my new school, I figured I would keep the tradition going! I grabbed one of those shower caddies from the college section of Target and some ribbon that matches her room's color scheme. Then I found things that I had bought for my classroom and never used, and bought a few things at the Target dollar section. Voila! Adorable bin that she will LOVE!

Do you have any traditions for new teachers?

Be sure to link back up!

Five for Friday - 8/8/14

Better late than never! It's Friday night and I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

First of all, THIS is where my husband is...I'm {a tad} jealous that I'm sitting at a desk all day during my first day back at work while he is here. I miss Colorado! 

This is the new desk. It's really big and has lots of space to work. I also get TONS of technology with this job which is great. I am definitely not done with decorating this space though. I will be adding the finishing touches this weekend or at least by next week. I want to add some cork on the "wall" area between the N and my computer. Maybe cover it with fabric... Ideas are welcome!

The new job has been going very well. It's truly fun being at a school that feels like home. I love working there. After only a week, I feel comfortable and happy. I think it's a perfect fit. However....My mother likes to embarrass me. Especially, because she thinks it is so wonderful that I'm back at the school I grew up in and she knows the office staff. I have a feeling this is just the beginning... LOL

 

This idea may have just made my week! Our school just repainted the walls and redid the floors for the first time since I was in school. They had wallpaper before, but it wasn't too fresh anymore. They had two brilliant ideas for the hallway:

1) Install cork on the walls so that teachers can post student work easily. Yes my friends, floor to ceiling cork in the hallways. (Aren't you jealous!?)

2) Paint 3 sections of the walls with white board paint. I didn't even know there was such a thing, but WOW is it a great idea! This idea came from a presenter at a conference who talked about all the unused spaces in schools. The plan is to have small groups continue working in the hallway, or having two students teach each other using the whiteboard as a way to reteach. What part of your learning environment isn't being used? 

I cannot wait to see this in action! More pictures to come!

This sign is hanging in the Children's Ministry section of our school. (We are connected with a church so we share the space.) I just absolutely love it. I mean really, how can you not love this?!? It's even hung on a slant. This is SO welcoming for new students and families on the weekends!

I'm excited to see how Jesus uses me this year at a new school and in a new position!

Be sure to head back to the party and link up with other teachers!

My Favorite Things - Back to School Linky Party

Hey ya'll! I'm linking up with oh so many wonderful teachers for a great big back to school linky party! Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite things (cue Sound of Music soundtrack!). 

Below are 5 things that I cannot live without during the school year. Take a look around, enter the giveaway, and then hop around to some other blogs to hear about more back to school must haves!

I admit. I'm obsessed. This is a picture of one side (my side) of our walk in closet. Nick's clothes only get the top left side of the closet. I basically own that space! During the year, dresses are my staple. It's funny...I was known for wearing dresses at my old school. I think I may have about 50...that's not a joke. :) This year, I will not be in the classroom. I have an office. Do you know what that means??? HEELS! My flats are all on the bottom of the closet, however, these beauties up above will get some good wear this year. I'm excited!

This is perhaps the best investment you can make. These cardboard magazine holders are $1.99 for a 5-pack! Yes people, five!!! Last year, I funded all my book bins for a whopping $8. Now that is what I call a deal! Go grab them today! You can also order them on IKEA's website. I bought a few extras in case I needed them. I never ended up using them. During the year, if one box opened at the bottom, I would just tape it with clear packing tape. I also made number labels for the boxes. I laminated them and added a small velcro circle to the back. Then, I added the other velcro piece to the book bin. This way, I can keep the numbers each year. Plus, if a student leaves, I just grab a new book bin and attach the number to the velcro. Voila!

This is my life. I LOVE it. Seriously, you may need to go buy it right now. It's editable which means you can make it look however you wish! I printed so many pages that I will have to have two different planners...one for each semester. This planner is serving as my work, school, TpT/blog, and Master's organizer this year. I can't wait to fill it up with school activities!

Math centers were a MUST in my classroom. They were also a MUST in my school. Luckily, I am a huge fan. I created this product a few months ago to organize myself a bit more this school year (before I found out about my new position), but it has proven to help other teachers greatly! This How-To Math Centers pack is a step-by-step guide to implementing math centers in any classroom. Whether you want to update the way you operate centers, or you have never used math centers in your classroom, this pack is a great resource to guide you along the way. It includes images and ideas, as well as a schedule and schedule cards. Check out the preview to get a closer view. If you need activities for your centers, check out some of my math center packs or just simply search "Math Centers" on TeachersPayTeachers. There are so many wonderful options available. If you would like more information about how I implemented math centers, check out my blog post all about it.

I discovered GoNoodle toward the end of the school year. I wish I knew about it earlier. My kiddos LOVED it. It is an online site that allows students to earn points for each activity they complete. Your students can do Zumba, yoga (see my kiddies above), track, or even just do silly dances! I use these very often for indoor recess because it rains a lot in South Florida in the afternoon. During testing, my students would do brain breaks with GoNoodle to get their wiggles out. This site is fabulous. I cannot get enough. Definitely check it out today!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to enter the giveaway below and hop around to the other teacher blogs below! Good luck this year! Happy Teaching!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Back to School Product Swap!

This summer has FLOWN by! Seriously, where has the time gone??? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was waving off my first set of firsties! But, believe it or not, it's already time to go back to school. Luckily, TeachersPayTeachers loves all of us. The BTS 2014 sale is this Monday & Tuesday! Are you ready? I know I am! I have a bunch of wish list items ready to be purchased.

My sweet friends Alisha from Missing Tooth Grins and Katie from Simply Creative in KY decided to get together for a mini product swap. We wanted to give ya'll a closer look at some of our brand new products!

I have the wonderful pleasure of looking through Katie's Let's Talk About It: Teaching Students How to Talk About Text. People, it's amazing! This pack has so many different resources to help you help your students discuss their reading. True Common Core, my friends. Discuss, discuss, discuss.

First off, please just look at all that color! I mean, really! Who doesn't love color?!?! This is just pure teacher happiness! This is the whole pack printed and ready to teach with!

 

Okay, now let's take a look at the inside of this pack.
Katie includes:

1. Lesson Ideas about using sticky notes, summarizing, learning to take turns, and making conversations meaningful using various resources. 

2. Stop & Jot and Text Talker anchor charts

3. Five Phrase Posters

4. Text Talk Bingo

5. Talking Sticks

6. Text Talker Bookmarks

7. Discussion Cards for chapter books, picture books, and nonfiction texts.

Katie includes so many different options in this resource. I used it in camp this summer and it was perfect for all grade levels! I loved using it and being able to really talk with the kids about what they were reading. It was quick and easy because I had questions at my fingertips and engaging ways for the kids to interact and question each other. 

(Here's a little behind the scenes action)

Those clothespins are the "Talking Sticks" that are included. Just print, laminate for durability, and attach to a popsicle stick with hot glue. BUT, I had to change it up a bit. I didn't have popsicle sticks, so I decided to use some white plastic clothes pins (super cheap at Publix!). This turned out to be super useful...more about that to come!

 Katie includes all the posters full size like this one. However, to save paper and make it easy for Small Group storage, she also includes them 4-to-a-page, which I LOVE!

 It's as simple as printing, laminating, whole punching, and adding a binder clip to the corner. 

 Here are some different ways to use this engaging reading resource...

I laid out all the clothespins for the kids. If they wanted to ask a question about what they were reading or to talk about something, they would just grab a pin.

 I am oh so glad I used the clothespins. It worked like a charm when reading with my group of 4-5th graders. Have a question while reading? Just grab a clip and attach it to your question or evidence. This way, I knew that the kids wanted to talk without any talking! It also helped because I was able to notice when students were actively reading and when they weren't. Without interrupting them, I was able to know what they were thinking about. (Katie, this is brilliant!) 

I also used these clips with a struggling reader who is repeating first grade. She needed a lot of prompting and support, but the hands on process of clipping the actual question prompt to her evidence really helped.

(She goes, "That reminds me of when my mom says that to me when I'm annoying her!")

HA! Kids tell all!

Here is the same student using the "Talking Sticks" and the bookmark. Get this bookmark as an exclusive freebie from Katie's pack here. It is fabulous! It was a great reminder for this student when she would start to get distracted. We would read her bookmark together and review how to be a great "Text Talker". This refocused her quickly and without any problems.

These colorful cards are the heart of the Text Talker product. Katie has included SO MANY questions for you to ask students. I laminated them and put them on binder clips so that they are easy to flip through and take off. I had students ask each other these questions in my 4-5th grade group. Here, the student was telling me that this picture was important because it shows the friendship between the man and his monkey after the man's paralyzing car accident. 

I also had students lead the discussion with the question cards. The older kids loved being a teacher. They were eager to add to each other's conversation and were obsessed about clipping those pins to their papers! Katie includes 3 different card sets: Chapter Books, Picture Books, and Non-Fiction Texts. You are good to go!

I love that the cards are small enough to sit right next to the student. This entire resource is so student and teacher friendly! Whether you want to lead the conversation or you want the students to, these cards are a great addition to your classroom.

Oh and these cards that I mentioned before, these are my ultimate favorite! Look at that adorable Melonheadz clipart!! Perfect size for little kiddie hands!

Freebie anyone?!?!

So, after seeing all these pictures, you will definitely want to stop by to check out Katie's adorable freebie. She has uploaded this as a sample of her Text Talker product. These bookmarks will be a perfect addition to your classroom! And if you like what you see (I mean, why wouldn't you!?!) check out her entire Text Talker resource.

 Also, you can enter our giveaway below! The winner will get all three products for free! Just in time for Back to School! 

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We hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by! Check out two more of our new products by hopping over to my sweet friends' blogs below.

Read about the adorable Back to School Snapshots with Katie!

Check out my newest close reading passages with Alisha!