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.