The New Year Has Begun!

I'm really pretty terrible with keeping up with blogging. I totally planned to blog all summer long, but believe it or not, it was actually a whirlwind of a summer. I went to a week-long AP conference, took some time to see my in-laws in Florida, spent lots of time preparing curriculum, and moved into my new classroom. Add onto that the fact that my old district was year-round and didn't get out until the middle of June, and it actually made for a pretty busy time!

We've been back in school for a couple weeks now (only 3 days with kids, though) and I have to say that my mind is buzzing with ideas and excitement every single morning when I wake up. I've been completely exhausted this week, yet I can't wait to hop out of bed and get to work. I love what I'm doing so much this year! I loved my coworkers and kiddos last year, but third grade common core was NOT my fave. Being back to teaching French has made me so happy again, and my school, district, and students are so awesome!

Okay, a huge narrative and now onto the thing I've been wanting to post for a week: my classroom set up. After living in it for a few days with students, I think it is going to work really well. I'm sure that I will switch it up during the year (I always do, haha) but it works very well right now. Please excuse the mess as these were taken before students came while I was finishing some things up. I still have a lot to do throughout the year, but I wanted to feel settled from the very beginning so I got all my essentials up first.

From the front by the door. I have 32 desks, so I had to work hard to squeeze it all in. You can see my Whole Brain Teaching Posters in French on the wall for that daily routine, as well as various maps (some purchased/obtained, some made with a projector and bulletin board paper). The students have already commented on the curtains, which make the room feel so much softer and more homey (aka SAFE when taking risks in the language!).

From the front by the windows. I have two lamps for ambiance when I'm working late or for when the lights are off and the projector is on, and my teacher area is easily accessible from two sides but still somewhat contained.

From the back by the maps. I spent A LOT of time arranging the desks - walking loops all the way through the room, sitting in various seats to check the views, making sure they weren't so close to my desk to easily grab stuff/rifle through papers, and making sure all the things that students would use were accessible. 

From the back by my (VERY MESSY) desk. I wish I could get rid of that old TV, but it is still used at times. I may see if I can get a DVD player or something that I can connect the coaxial connection to, and subsequently connect to the projector so I can get rid of it!

Not going to lie - I am NOT the best about grouping on the spot, so I have to be very intentional in my plans, or I have to put procedures in place. Senor Next Door labeled his rows with numbers and then each desk in that row got a letter, so I stole that idea. I also put a different color dot on each desk (four total colors). This way, I can group by table (number), by letter, or by color on the fly. I also took care to make sure that I did not have the same color on every letter. For example, I put a red dot on 1A, but then 2B, 3C, 4D, 5A, etc. This ensures that the groupings truly are different. Also, if you didn't know - you CAN write in permanent marker on most desks and remove it easily with a Magic Eraser. Please test this on an inconspicuous area for your individual desk types first!

Last year, this organization system saved my life as a self-contained third grade teacher. I had a hanging folder for each day with a manilla folder tucked inside each one for every subject I taught in the day. So far this year, I've only been using the drawers to hold my copies because I haven't had time to organize my crate folders yet. I don't think the daily system with one hanging folder for each day is going to work for my very large classes this year, so I will rethink this and update at a later date.

This is my daily routine space, and I continued a lot of the things that I used when I taught French K-8. I've already gotten the HS kids to buy into my crazy calendar routine with weather (especially my L1 kids - they LOVE that they can understand so much after only a few days!). In this space, I use the black drawers for turning in work as they leave (not homework at the beginning of class or anything during class) or anything that's late, a note from their parents, etc. I stuck a picture of me receiving my college diploma on the top. There are caddies for each "table" with extra supplies, and all of my novel sets are under that piece of gray chevron fabric. The question word posters are from the French Teachers Facebook group. You can see that I stick my weather cards in an envelope that has the top cut off and is stapled to the bulletin board so that I have easy access and organization to these cards for every class period. I also added those two signs in English (leftover from my third grade classroom) because they really support the type of environment I'm trying to create. I also leave my wireless mouse and projector remote on the bookshelf to grab easily while teaching. I keep a regular mouse plugged into my actual computer as well because I found that I kept leaving my mouse across the room and having to walk back and forth, wasting class time.

I can't remember who I stole the Absent Work Binder template from - it was a Language Arts teacher that I found on Pinterest, but I need to find the source. I customized the templates to fit what I do in my classroom and have finally got a system that WORKS for me... as long as I keep up with it, ha. I'm going to teach my aides (senior AP French students!) to fill this out using lesson plans, etc. each day so I don't have to worry about forgetting it, but this is the first time I feel confident in a system for absent students. I've used that white hanging bin from IKEA for years for collecting work, but I think I like the drawers much better so I actually moved it to the closet for the time being.

This is the space right by my door. I keep some little broom/dust pan combos for when we do anything messy and some dusters hanging on 3M hooks. Personally, I don't like to anger my custodians when I do projects, and HS kids will still do this for you if you ask, especially if you give them candy. I also have a dry erase calendar that E left me. I saw that someone on Pinterest had their students sign up for after school times for tutoring, clubs, or test redos. Since I already had the board, voilà. Super easy to manage and super easy to implement.

I'm not going to lie - I hate these wall shelves. I nearly took them down completely when my husband noticed that one of my bookshelves fits perfectly under them. I still think they are hideous in the way of organization, so for now, I have my Eiffel Tower screen hiding the majority of my junk back here (purchased at Hobby Lobby two summers ago - not really my style with the paint splatters, but the students love it and it adds some much needed color to the room since I can't paint my walls here). This is also where I put everything my students need except tissues - pencil sharpeners, hole punches, tape, staplers, extra pencils, hand sanitizer, and bins of other supplies that they can access as needed.

Last but not least are my bulletin boards. I have NO idea what is going on them this year, but they are done! Technically, it's one long bulletin board that I sectioned off. I used fabric so it will not show as much wear as paper throughout the year. I made the tassels out of tissue paper from previous projects (these are SO easy to make and spice up any party or bulletin board). 

Here's a close up of the fabrics, trimmers, etc. It's actually all accented in navy (not black) but the lighting was terrible so it doesn't translate in photos. The mint and navy scallop fabric was on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and the Eiffel Tower/Paris scenery fabric is from Walmart of all places. Super awesome find on that one!

WHEW! That's a super long post! I hope you enjoyed my classroom tour. My students have already made tons of comments about how much they love it, which is exactly what I was trying to do. I've still got a long way to go (especially in redoing my maps with the new regions of France and adding lots of text throughout the room) and I have to work within the restriction of nothing in the top 18 inches/hanging from the ceiling, but it feels settled and organized!

What are you doing in your classrooms? What kind of things should I put on my bulletin board? 

I got a job!

I'm so happy to say that I got a new job! Being pink slipped was super stressful, even though I had my superintendent amend my letter to specify that my reduction was due to downsizing. I don't wish that feeling on my worst enemy!

So... that means I'm back to high school French. I have to say, I'm so relieved. I was having a really hard time adjusting to elementary, although I guarantee half of that was due to the ever-changing expectations and strategies at our school...

Now I'm looking at building my curriculum and resources, setting up my room, and getting my brain adjusted back to teaching high schoolers. Hopefully, this new school will be my last stop until retirement!

Idioms

Raise your hand if you teach third grade! If you do, you certainly teach figurative and non-figurative language. I know that we do! I was looking for some task cards hitting this standard that didn't give a multiple choice answer for each idiom to help prepare our students for state testing, but I couldn't find anything I loved, so I made this! Included are 58 common idioms that we take for granted because of our experience as readers, but that our kiddos might not understand. I've designed this to be a one or two day center, or a way to write the room and get kids moving from station to station. See an issue or want me to add another idiom to the bundle? Message me!

Well, shoot.

Looking ahead to next school year, I've been trying to find a position closer to home so I can actually spend time with my family. I don't want to keep driving 3 hours a day, even though I do love my school and am starting to love teaching elementary. I'm actually in a nice position, because my principal is leaving so I can openly search for positions without compromising my current position.

Except allocations came out, and we are going down by 1.5 teachers (IF the board decides to add the two intervention positions back to our allocations; otherwise we are down 3.5 teachers)!

Crap!

I'm one of four non-tenured teachers, and I'm one of two that are tied for least tenured. The other has more overall experience and lives in town.

There went my back up plan.

So... I guess it's going to be a scramble to find something for the fall. Luckily, my principal was super nice in letting me know now, as the jobs are just starting to be posted for next year, and to offer me help in finding a position.

Bring on the heartburn.

Survival Mode!

Anyone else being eaten alive by this school year?

It's been a huge learning curve for me, that's for sure! Has it been that way for you? In honor of my 29th birthday this week and a whole week off school for snow/extreme temperatures, I'm posting 29 things I've learned from this school year. Yep, 29, and I'm sure I could name more!

1. Six years of teaching mean diddly squat when you are switching to a new area of teaching. 
2. The kiddos make every single day worth it, and they remind me of it every single day.
3. These Common Core standards are deeper and more intricate than I could've possibly imagined.
4. Maybe, just maybe, I might be pretty good at this classroom management thing.
5. I hate state testing and its judgement of my students with a fiery, fiery passion.
6. SLEEP is the number one most important thing I can do to prep for my classroom.
7. As much as I would theoretically like to teach the K-2 crowd, I'm finding that I actually really enjoy my third graders and the independence they have.
8. A good principal can overcome just about any other issue in a school, and losing a good principal can ruin a great school no matter how great the staff is.
9. A supportive team is worth its weight in gold - I seriously don't know how I would've made it to the end of February without my teammates!
10. As much as teachers complain about having to stick to district-based alignments and curriculum maps or textbook series, trust me: the alternative - not having any - is much harder to work with!
11. I'm a pretty good scavenger in regards to putting together resources from nothing.
12. High expectations and scaffolding are KING in helping struggling readers. I have so many kiddos that have grown much higher from this than from bringing down lexile levels in texts.
13. Oh em gee do I love my struggling readers! Seriously, they are some of my favorite kiddos. I wish I was a more effective teacher for them alone.
14. Science is my favorite subject to teach by far, and it shows in my kids and how excited they get to dig really deep into the NGSS standards.
15. As much as the Common Core math standards are foreign to me (being a child who grew up in the memorization era of math), I can see the purpose behind their existence and I can see how they challenge and support my kiddos. I actually am growing in my support of the standards from where I was previously.
16. But going back to the standards, I HATE how much stress my kiddos are already under, knowing KREP is 13 weeks away. Third grade is the first year they are tested in Kentucky and while we try our best to prepare them for the mental stress of the upcoming exams, it breaks my heart that we even have to prepare them. 
17. There is nothing that makes me madder than testing, lol. To harp a little more on it, we get zero data back on our kiddos - only their proficiency level in each subject. No data on their subscores. No data on how they performed on each standard. How are we supposed to improve our teaching and improve each child's education without this? If we are going to subject our students to this rigorous exam and developmentally inappropriate test stress, why not at least give us what we need? I'm looking at you, Commissioner Terry Holliday. Rant over, for now ;)
18. I thought I would have a tougher time with the stamina of having one class all day, but I actually have settled into our routine nicely and so have my kiddos. In fact, they often help me stick to it. 
19. The personal laminator is the best creation ever! I wish I had two.
20. Working in a K-8 school has its advantages. My middle school aides help me so much throughout the day and take away a lot of my stress.
21. Working 1.5 hours away from your house exponentially decreases your job happiness and is not sustainable. Something's gotta give for next year.
22. I miss the resources of a big district, where technology and other resources are more abundant.
23. Even though I miss teaching French, and would be quite happy if the rest of my career was teaching French, I'm starting to think that I could teach elementary for the rest of my career and be equally as happy, too.
24. If I would've understood how the ins and outs of each day and each unit worked, I would've done much different prep all summer long instead of what I focused on (physical environment and classroom management). Hindsight, eh. Although, my classroom does feel really homey and functional, so that's a plus.
25. I still get super jittery when people come in and watch me teach, even if it is really good teaching that they see. I'm such a big baby when it comes to this, haha.
26. I really need a Starbucks next to my school! My caffeine intake is really high.
27. Elementary schools that start at 8:30 definitely know what's up. I'd much rather work until 3:30 than start at 7:30 (after an hour and a half drive).
28. I don't think there is any routine that could ever help stay on top of grading! Seriously, if you have one, I'd love to hear it.
29. I couldn't possibly imagine doing something else with my life.

Being a Teacher on the PTSA Executive Board

Well, happy Monday, y'all!

Today I want to talk about my experience as a board member for PTSA. Most teachers who work at schools with PTAs/PTSAs are members, but very few teachers go past paying dues and occasionally volunteering. When we started our first ever PTSA this fall, there was a void for one of the offices - Ways and Means - that I ended up filling mostly due to need and not really due to want to do the job. After all, like any good teacher, I didn't want the kids to suffer because it didn't get filled. I've found that my experience has been really fulfilling, and I think it's important for other teachers to hear why they should consider running for an office, too.

1.) I get a major voice in the PTSA. I'm one of the top dogs, so I'm one of the people proposing programs and convincing others to get behind projects that I want to see happen. For example, our PTSA is doing $250 mini grants to teachers for use in the classroom instead of random funding. I know that will ensure a wider spread of our funds yet have a large effect in each classroom funded. And the number isn't arbitrary - a lot of bigger resources come in just under $250, and for those of us that need more technology, the cost of a new Chromebook!

2.) I've built so many valuable relationships with community members and parents that are not in my home room. I now have so many connections that are there to help, which gives me a bigger voice in my school in a different way.

3.) The credibility of the organization goes up, especially in Ways and Means (fundraising), when a teacher is guaranteeing that everything is helping the school. Of course this in no way means that without a teacher, the PTSA isn't doing what they are supposed to do. That would be absolutely ridiculous! It does mean that for some reason, the community and business partners take it a little more seriously.

4.) The time commitment hasn't been nearly as much as I thought it would be. A lot of my fundraisers are things I can set up in a quick phone call and then attend the night of the event. We only have one labor-intensive event coming and it's really not bad!

I would urge you to consider giving back to your PTA/PTSA in a higher capacity. After all, you can't expect an organization to invest in you if you don't invest in it!

What are some excellent ideas that you've seen your parent organization conduct in the past? I'd love to hear of new or creative ways to do things!

Home Visits to Start the Year

Hi, y'all!

Every year, our entire district goes on home visits at the same time. It's part of our professional development hours, and it seems pretty crazy when you see the same 100 people canvassing the streets all over our small territory. But overall, I love home visits and always find them enlightening. So, what do I think about home visits? Here's some info without giving any personally-identifying information.

The first year, it was incredibly uncomfortable. I knew no parents or students, and I wasn't leading the visit (I was an enrichment teacher and didn't have a home room, so my job was to be backup/safety for another teacher with a home room). The second year was SO much more comfortable. I knew the kids and even some of the parents, and I could actually lead the conversation and ask questions that were appropriate.

Going into someone's house is highly personal, so I had to read a lot of cues. Some people open their door and invite you in and even though you may not be comfortable with their living environment, you have to be courteous. Of course, I'd never go in some place that I thought was dangerous! Some people are adamant that you stay outside (which I honestly prefer because it keeps the visit short when you are visiting ~25 houses in four hours) and some people don't want to answer the door at all, even though you can hear them inside and see them peeking through the curtains.

The visits give you a much better read on what actually goes on at home. At school, most parents are on guard regarding their behavior. At home, they start on guard but let loose usually within a few minutes, giving you a better picture of what life is like for those students. I know that this has definitely made the difference in how I approach unwanted behaviors in certain students and has totally changed my relationship with certain students from last year to this year!

I think home visits might actually be a big reason why we have a high level of parent engagement in our very high poverty district. We start the year on the right foot by seeing as many students and parents as possible and building the connection in a positive way. We also do it en masse, so that community members come out of their houses to say hi and welcome in the new school year.

Do you do home visits? What do you think of them? If you don't, would you ever consider it?