This is on my wishlist

One of my darling students showed me this book and asked if I would read it to the class.

It is a wonderful story and oh, so cute! It's now on my wishlist of books.

And I think you should read it.

Some ideas to share

Have I shared these with you? They're from a while ago, but they make me smile, so I thought I'd share the happiness. One of my darling students brought this to me. It's me! - can't you tell? I had to try very hard not to laugh out loud when she gave it to me. My shirt (dress?) says 'My favorite teacher.' So precious.

My wonderful grandmother helped me sew these curtains for the metal bookcases that came with the place (i.e. my classroom.) I chose the fabric - apples, what else? and we spent a night cutting, pinning, and sewing. (I cut and pinned, she sewed. You really don't want me to get close to a sewing machine.) The curtains have a simple folded over loop at the top which a fed a suspension curtain rod through. These lovely little curtains cover all the dictionaries, binders, and other clutter that I don't mind hiding.

P.S. I am the only one who ever gets something off these shelves, so I don't have to worry about my students pulling the curtains down.

This is one of my favorite activities. I do it every year. Each student divides a piece of newsprint paper into three sections for people, places, and things. Then, armed with clipboards and pencils, we walk around the school and the students jot down all the people, places, and things they see. Back in the classroom, I give them each a square of white paper to choose ONE noun to illustrate. They tape their illustration on the big poster and then we discuss what everyone saw and what a noun really is. The poster hangs in the room for about a month to remind the students that they went on a Noun Hunt and learned all about nouns!

Inspiring

I found this quote on my friend's Facebook status, and it rang true for me.

"A teacher is somewhere in the world tonight preparing lessons to teach your children while you are watching tv. In the minute it takes you to read this, teachers all over the world are not only saving lives, but they are also sacrificing their own time for your child's literacy, prosperity and future."

Conferences are coming, so that means grading, grading, grading. Wish me luck!

New Title

Did you notice the new title? I've graduated from being a first year teacher, and I thought the blog should show it.

I'm still learning new things every day (like don't say anything you don't want repeated back to you verbatim by an eight year old in the form of "But you said...."), but I feel much more capable and experienced than I did at this time one year ago.

Yay me! and yay you! if you can also count yourself among the 'no-longer-first-year-teachers.'


Have a delightful UEA weekend, if you're lucky enough to live in Utah. :)

Have you registered?

This week will be a delightfully sweet (and short!) one for me.

It's UEA - so that means a three day week. My favorite day of the week is usually Friday, but when Friday and Wednesday combine (can you say Frendsday?), it definitely tops the favorites list.

On Thursday and Friday, I'm planning on attending the UEA Convention. To tell you the truth, I've been looking forward to it ever since I got my pamphlet in the mail listing the workshop descriptions and schedule of events. I've already planned which workshops to attend to get the most bang for my buck. I know, I know, I'm a nerd.

But honestly - I can't wait to sit in classes and take notes on how to be a better teacher. Plus, there's going to be a forum (ahem, debate) with the front-running gubernatorial candidates for the state.

Doesn't that sound like a riot? I hope to meet you there!

Cool Shoes

My favorite quote today:

"Cool shoes, Miss Hortin. The only thing that would make them cooler is some flames on the side."

A Classic

This story comes from last year, but a good friend reminded me of it, and I just had to share. My sisters laugh every time I tell this story.

Last year, I had a student who had Asperger's Syndrome. At first, teaching him was a challenge that stretched me close to the breaking point. By the end of the year, though, I held this special student close to my heart. I watched him make so much progress, and he even kind of liked me by the last day of school. :)

Around Mother's Day, my class made paper flowers as gifts for their mothers. This boy didn't want to make a flower, so he put his head down on his desk while the students around him worked busily and carefully on their gifts.

One of the sweet girls in my class finished her flower early. She came up to me and said, "Could I make an extra one for him?" I told her that would be very nice. She made an extra flower and carefully set it on the corner of the desk of my special student. He lifted his head for just a minute, saw his flower, and a little smile spread across his face. He held his flower close for the rest of the day.

My heart was touched by this precious moment.



Two minutes later, this boy was standing behind the sweet girl who had made the flower for him, hands with fingers pressed together to look like duck bills, pecking at the back of her head. "Pow, pow! Pow, pow, pow, pow!" he said. She just looked forward with a tolerant smile on her face, unphased by the pelting she was receiving in the back of her head.

Talk about a way to show gratitude. :D

Book Coma... and an appraisal

My life this week is taken up by two things.

an appraisal

and this book.

First, let's talk about the appraisal. Every school in Granite District must be 'appraised' during the span of the next two years. My school's chance is this week. Every teacher is observed, there are discussion groups held, and each teacher has a twenty minute interview with a member of the appraisal team. My interview was yesterday, and although it wasn't painful at all, it did remind me of the job interviews I experienced prior to becoming a First Year Teacher. All the teachers are making an effort to be at the top of their game, which makes for a lot of late nights and extra preparations. For some reason I can't quite place, I'm not too nervous about the whole shebang. I'll just keep teaching as I always teach - but I want to make sure nothing falls through the cracks this week, when it feels like so much is on the line.

Even though many of my teachers friends and I have been dreading this week for months, it's really helpful to take a moment and reflect on how I meet the needs of all learners, how I cover the core, and how I collaborate. Reflection is a powerful tool that always leads to improvement, at least for me.

Okay, now to the 'book coma.' (A friend of mine coined that term, and I just love it.) I was looking forward to receiving my very own fresh shiny new copy of Mockingjay all week last week. Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games series - which I will admit I am addicted to. So - between the book coma and being a full time teacher, I have very little room in my life for anything else! I mean, really. There's nothing better than a full night of reading after a full day of teaching. Especially when the book is a total page turner. No lie! I cannot put it down.

Read it. I know you'll love it.

I can't stand...

... the sound of the electric pencil sharpener. I truly dread sharpening my students' pencils after they leave for the day. Ick.

But on the spectrum of things that could drive me crazy about teaching, I guess the sound of a pencil sharpener isn't that bad. :)

A Laugh a Minute

I'm totally stressed out about two full days of parent teacher conferences and hanging my alphabet in my classroom. Oh, and the cooler is broken at my place - but that's neither here nor there.

As a bright spot today, one of my students asked me to tell a joke. I told a joke that's as old as the hills, but it was new to her, and she giggled. Then it was her turn.

Her: "Knock knock."
Me: "Who's there?"
Her: "Mountain."
Me: "Mountain who."
Her: "You walked up a mountain and fell down!"

I love third grade humor.

It's a new year!

Full of
new challenges
new kids
high expectations
a looming audit
loads of adventures
a room with a view - and a sink!

There's so much to say, but no time to say it, because, hey - it's the first week of school! I'm up to my eyeballs in school work. To be completely honest, it takes me a few weeks to get back in the groove.

Stay tuned for a story about catching up with former teachers, setting up my room (take 2), and moments that make me grin.

I hope your first weeks are going swimmingly as well.

Summertime ...

... and the livin' is easy.

What do you do when you're not in school? I personally wouldn't mind being part of this picture.

Hooray!

I made it! I am no longer a...

First Year Teacher!

But I still plan to keep the blog. Does 'Confessions of a Second Year Teacher' have the same ring? :)

Thank you

For the past three days, I've been living at the hospital. I'll spare you the details. I'll just say my sister is very very sick.

I didn't know she was going to be sick, so I wasn't prepared to be away from school for two days.

I just need to say thank you to the wonderful people I work with. They have stepped in and covered for me while I've been away. I didn't even have to ask before my army of friends moved into action to take care of my class.

Thank you to all of my friends who have sent me messages telling me they're praying for me. Thank you to an understanding principal who told me to take all the time I need. Thank you to a very special person who reminded me that I'm loved and that I make a difference in the lives of the children I teach.

Also, I had a talk with my dad yesterday. He said, "I love coming to your class. You are a wonderful teacher and your kids adore you. I know I asked you over and over as you were going through school if you really wanted to be a teacher. If I ever ask you that again, it will only be to remind myself how dumb I was."

I've always thought that teaching isn't only a job. It's a calling. I was born to teach.

To all the other wonderful teachers I know - thanks for choosing to be a teacher. And thanks for helping me to be one, too.

A little tip

Here's a bite sized tip for those of you who teach in an area similar to where I teach.

Pick up enough Spanish over the course of the year so that when you hear the word 'maestra' come up in their conversation you can turn around and ask, "What did you say about me?"

The looks on your kids' faces will be priceless.

Additional Note

I feel like I ought to be contributing to this.... I do enjoy reading.

I recently met up with some others that I had graduated with a few days ago. Getting together and talking about our first year made me think about this blog. Now, as much as I do enjoy the stories I read, I can't think of anything in particular to share. However, I really felt I ought to. This is for teachers!

I love teaching. I do have days that are really bad that I look forward to ending quickly. I do have days where I feel like I am empowering students and creating future citizens of the universe!

One thing I've really learned this year is that students want to be empowered and they want to be recognized. They don't necessarily believe that is what they want, but it's obvious. I've learned that for me to feel like I am doing my job I need to find a way to meet that criteria in some form and fashion. They learn better when they're empowered.

Also, another HUGE important aspect to 2nd grade....

if it's a song or a game their motivation and desire to learn increases 10 fold. ;)

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Every time one of my students has a birthday, they get to sit on my special chair while we sing them a birthday song. Then the special birthday boy or girl can call on three people to ask questions about their birthday.

Last week, a sweet boy in my class celebrated his birthday. He called on one of the girls who asked, "What would you like for your birthday?"

I thought he would answer like most of my other students have: "A PSP." "A laptop." "A cell phone."

What did this boy say when asked what he wished for most?

A simple answer -

"A birthday cake."

Commemorating the Olympics in Miss Hortin's Class

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!

... and I especially love the Winter Olympic Games.

We learned a lot about the Vancouver Winter Games in my class. For homework, my kids brought in newspaper articles about the Olympics. If they didn't have access to newspapers, they could draw a picture of the Olympics and write a sentence to describe what was happening in the picture.
We tallied the gold, silver, and bronze medals earned by the United States.

We also kept a count of the medals earned by a few other countries.

After the Olympics were over, we made a class pictograph about the United States' gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Not too shabby for a teacher with a broken leg, huh? :)

Book Fair!

Book fairs are the silver linings of late nights at work for SEPs. This week at the book fair, I found some wonderful books that I thought I'd share.

I'm a big fan of picture books about American History. Plus, this one is really funny.

This one had me laughing out loud in the middle of the library.

I love the rhyming in this one.

I'm a sucker for any book about the library. The illustrations in this one are beautiful.

Community Building

Community building is an important part of any classroom. When students feel united as a class, they are less likely to be unkind to each other and much more likey to encourage each other to succeed.

With the pressures of teaching the core before CRTs roll around, sometimes it's easy to let community building lessons slide. This year, I've done something simple every week that I think has brought my class together and has helped them learn how to compliment each other.

Each week, we have a spotlight kid. At the beginning of the year, I bought a package of pre-printed posters from Oriental Trading that the students colored and completed. The poster highlights the student's age, family, and interests.

On Tuesday, one student shares their poster. Then they can call on three students to ask them questions about their poster. Finally, I lead the class in singing a song. The words are set to the tune of "Are You Sleeping." It goes like this:

Who knows something

Who knows something

Nice about _________

Nice about _________

Then the spotlight kids calls on the other students in the class who share nice things about the spotlight kid. It's so fun to hear the nice things my students have to say about each other. The spotlight kid always ends up beaming and the rest of the class is smiling, too.

(A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Schlappi, the wonderful teacher who first taught me the song.)

Another day, another chuckle

One of my students asked me the other day, "Miss Hortin, how do you get your cast off at night so you can go to bed?"

Spelling Homework

The assignment? Write five sentences using one spelling word in each sentence.

The word? Stair

The sentence? "My teacher hurt her leg when she fell down the stairs."

Tell me about it.

I love it when I make it into my students' homework.

Awww... my kids love me

I broke my ankle. Ick. Thank heavens my kids love me. There's no way I would make it through the day with the immobility and pain without them.

My favorite comments:

"Can I push you Miss Hortin?" This came after watching me scoot myself around on my wheelie chair.

"How do you get to school?"

"How are you going to get home?"

"Did you cry when you fell down?"

"Are you okay, Miss Hortin?" This concerned question has come from students in all grades, some of whom I don't even know. :)

"Don't stand up, Miss Hortin!"

"Can I help you? Can I help you? Can I help you? Can I help you?"

Warms my heart.

Husbands for Sale

Your story reminds me of one of my own. At the school I am student teaching at there are three fifth grade teachers and myself. One of the teachers has been married awhile. One of the others just got married in November. And then the last teacher and myself are single.

Since the beginning of the year my students have loved to ask me about boyfriends and if I had one. They would also ask when I would get one because they wanted me to bring him into the classroom like another student teacher did (her boyfriend came and proposed to her in her classroom with the students, needless to say, now my students want someone to come to their classroom). But, it has gotten even funnier and worse since the other teacher got married.

Now my class as well as the other single teachers class are trying to find us husbands. At first they started with the usual questions of if we had boyfriends. Then it went on to things such as this:

Student: "Well, I am sure you can buy a boyfriend. Or even better, you should just buy a husband."

Next student: "You can't buy a husband. Duh. You have to go catch one."

First student: "ok. Then you need to go fishing Miss Walker."

Another student: "She doesn't need to go fishing. She just needs to marry my cousin."

Next student: "I have uncle you could marry. He is a construction worker."

New student: "Yeah. Marry the construction worker, but he has to propose to you here in the classroom."

These comments are not only going on in my room, but in the other teachers classroom as well. It makes me laugh every time that I hear them. I even heard on student in the hall ask another where they could find husbands for sale. I told them to let me know where as soon as they found out. We will see if they come up with an answer. And as funny as it is, you have to love them for trying right?

My third grade guys

A few days ago, I was called over to the desk of one of the boys in my class.

Student: "Miss Hortin, do you have a boyfriend?"

Me: "Not right now."

Student: "You should get one."

Me: "Oh? Where should I go to get one?"

Student: "The mall."

Of course! I've been looking in all the wrong places! I should have been at the 'Boyfriend Store' the whole time!

It's nice to have my third grade guys looking out for me.

Writing Sub Plans

I injured myself. Badly.

I sprained my ankle and I can't put even the tiniest bit of weight on it. Which means it's time for...

SUB PLANS!

Hopefully I'll be able to get by with just one day away from my little darlings, but I still have to write up plans for a whole day - Everything I would say or do for someone else to follow.

So... here's how I do it.

I've created an outline for each day of the week with computer times, library schedule, recesses, etc. When an unexpected absence comes along, I just pull up the outline on my computer and fill in the blanks. Then I can email the file to a grade level team member or have an angel who lives with me (Thanks, J!) bring it to my school before the day starts.

Recently, I also created a week's worth of emergency sub plans. These plans follow the outline rule, and they have activities in them that could be used at any point in the year. I plan to use these plans if I get sick suddenly (like in the middle of the night), and I don't have time to create more detailed plans. I keep them in a red folder in my desk drawer with all the necessary copies to accompany the plans.

The only problem I have is - what if I was going to go to the library to choose a new book for my guided reading groups? Do I explain to the sub how to do that? What if I plan to teach an entirely new subject to my students that day? Do I put that in the hands of the substitute (aka 'guest teacher') and hope for the best?

I'm still trying to figure out these hiccups. Please share any suggestions you've discovered.

10 things I love about teaching

1. Reading funny things my kids write. The "I can help others by..." writing prompt yielded some wonderful responses. For example, "I can help others by taking out the garbage."

2. Reading insightful things my kids write. We talked about things that don't cost money, and one student wrote, "You don't have to pay anything to look at a rainbow."

3. Being inspired by my students' strength. Some of my students are dealing with huge struggles in their lives, but they handle it with grace and a smile.

4. Every day is different. There's never a dull moment in third grade.

5. Getting really excited about a lesson I'm going to teach. Sometimes I get to a point in my planning where I get so excited about a lesson I almost giggle. Almost.

6. Seeing my kids come so far throughout the year.

7. High fives at the end of the day.

8. I never ever look at the clock and watch minutes crawl by during my work day. Time flies!

9. Talking to my cute kids about their lives. I especially love talking football or discussing music with my third graders.

10. My kids are always looking for ways to make me smile, whether it's a joke, a love note, or a compliment.

The Morning Routine

This has made such a difference in the way I feel when I get to work that I just have to share.

Every morning, I try to be ready for work at least a half hour before I have to walk out the door. That gives me time for my cherished morning routine. Here's how it goes:

Say my morning prayers after making my bed.

Eat a breakfast and drink my airborne (a MUST!)

Watch a few minutes of the local news or Fox News. (I confess, I fell in love with the anchor of Fox New's America's Newsroom while I was living in DC).

Make a lunch.

Read my scriptures and browse the front page of the newspaper.

Make a cup of cocoa in a thermal mug to take in the car with me.

I promise you - a peaceful morning routine is a piece of heaven on earth. It's exactly what I need to get me charged up for the busy day ahead.

Just a little piece of advice...

If you are considering getting your ESL endorsement, I highly recommend it.

However -

I DO NOT recommend getting it during your first year of teaching. Unless you want to bring on a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. I'm all for setting big goals and continuing your education, but honestly. This is just too much. Learn from my example. :)

Happy 2010!

Thanks to all of you who commented that you enjoy reading this blog. I'll keep blogging away just for you. :)

Last night, I rearranged the desks in my room big time. It was time for a change, so I put them together in two tables with two rows in each table facing each other. Make sense? Wish I could draw you a picture.

Anyway, when my kids walked in the room this morning this is the response I got:

"WOW! COOL! Who did this??? This is awesome!!!" Every single one of them couldn't wait to find their new seat and sit in it. I resisted the urge to tell them that the desk fairies came in the middle of the night and rearranged everything. I think it's so funny that most of my kids have absolutely no idea what I do for them after they go home for the day.

I loved that they were so excited about something so small. That's one of the best things about teaching. . . like the day when I wore a new lanyard to school and they complimented me on it all day long. Or the day when it started to rain and we could hear it on the roof and they all went crazy laughing and listening to the rain.

My kids find the joy in every little thing.

I should follow their example.