My day in a nutshell...

The first day jitters. They happened and spread throughout me like a bad rash. I was not feeling so confident when my students rushed in yesterday morning. The first day is so unstructured I felt like I didn't have enough to do. I guess the day was ok until the end when dismissal started. I was responsible for about 30 kids from my pod to escort them to the car rider line. Well, let's just say I only got about 12 there. The big kids were swarming the hallways at the same time and my darling 3rd graders hadn't listen to a word I said about where to go. Wonderful. Luckily, they all managed to find my curly head and maneuver their way to the correct classroom. Then another teacher and I waited until 3:45 to get all the kids picked up. I guess there was a bad accident. Jeez, how inconvenient. Try keeping 50 3rd graders entertained at the end of the first day...no thanks. Overall, they were great and I knew that the second day of school would have to be better.

The second day rolled around and was absolutely perfect. Students came in, responded to my greeting, got straight to work and were complete gems. My afternoon group came over with smiles and no drama. We tweeted about our day, finished our math pre-test, started our interest inventory, and then danced to the Macarena! Definitely the most fun I had all day. It really helped to laugh with them and show them how we care and have fun together. Highly recommend it.

Then it was dismissal time again. My nerves suddenly on edge...I see the thunder clouds and know that here in Florida, those thunderclouds are coming to do a job and they will not disappoint. I lead my kids out and decide to wait in the open sidewalk so the 4th graders can pass. "I will not loose a child in this mass of bodies!" I said out loud. Then of course it started to rain. Pelt. Pelting us with penny size drops. "Okay guys, let's go! Stay together!" I had no choice. I joined the river of moving students that are all flowing downstream and pray that I can make it out alive. It was hard too, because the fourth graders all want to hug me and all I can think about is "What did my new kids look like? Was that one my kid who ran to the cafeteria?" Jeez. We finally made it to our drop off location and the lightening is really coming down. The stop calling names because of the lightening and thunder. Then I see some lightening, rain, hear people yelling then lights flicker and a overwhelming sound erupts in my ears. So I scream.

Yep. I scream. Shriek maybe. In front of all the 3rd grade car riders which leads to chaos, of course. I terrify a 3rd grade girl so much she starts to cry and shake like a leaf. She latches on to my co-teacher, who is bug-eying me.  She and my team lead are looking at me like I have lost my mind. They quickly try to calm everyone down."That thunder was loud!" I spit out to try to save face. My team leader looks at me and says, "That was the toilet flushing. Way to go under pressure teach."

Well, everyone (except the girl who is crying) start to laugh hysterically and we can't hear if any of our kids are even being called to the pick - up gate. So my apologies from the third grade dismissal room. We were a little off today.

Lesson learned: I am not so great, in severe weather...

My most embarrassing moment is done and out of the way. Whew.


Tiff

Break a Leg!

I always compared teaching to acting. For most of my life I wanted to be an actress and to this day I do believe my wish came true. I sing, dance, evoke emotion, motivate, inspire, and am a one person comedy act every day. Teachers everywhere should be nominated for Emmys and Tonys and Oscars. We should be flown out to LA and have the red carpet adorned by our comfy teacher shoes and stretchy waistbands....well okay maybe we will put on heels and a sparkly dress. And everyone would admire us and whisper "How do they do it so seamlessly?" Tom Cruise would high five us and invite us to be on the next Mission Impossible. We would interview with the reporters who would ask us our favorite class and we would say with completely surprise, "Teachers don't have favorites!" Such great acting, we would think in our heads.

So maybe it is not the same as acting but the show starts tomorrow and we all need to get psyched up. My wardrobe is laid out and my mind is buzzing with my lines. All of the stars are awaiting my support as I act in their show. Not my own. But that is okay because you have seen those movies where the supporting actor doesn't really support, isn't really funny and has no chemistry with the main actor, and the movie is a lemon. Well, not this movie! I plan on winning that Golden Globe this year for best supporting actress.

To my teachers everywhere - Break a Leg!

Tiffany

Meet the Teacher! Success!

Our school does Meet the Teacher the Friday before school starts from 9-11. Sometimes we get loads of parents coming to check you out and sometimes you don't.

This year a rumor must have gotten out about my classroom pet because I have 13 out of 16 parents show up! Woot! Woot! To be really honest, I haven't had much interactions with kids over the summer as most of our friends have babies or toddlers. So I felt rusty. Right before parents would come skipping (ha) into my room, I was NERVOUS. I was like, "How do I act, what should I say?" Blank. That is what I went. Scared. That is how I felt. And I was suppose to put these kids to ease? Not gonna happen!

Then that door opened and I saw that nervous, scared face and CLICK! It all came back. "I can totally do this!" I told myself. I smoothly walked over greeting my new student, shook hands, introduced my self to the family and said something witty (who knows what it was) everybody laughed, smiled and relaxed and I guided them to the sign in station, while asking my new student if they would like to meet my special class pet. This is how it went all morning. I also do this thing where I try to guess each students name as they come in....it is like my super power. I am not joking. I look at my roster and see who they look like. Totally fun way to start the day. It never fails to see the look of surprise on everyone's face when I guess right and compliment the parents on naming their kid correctly.

Here where some interesting things that were said to me at MtheT:

1. Hey Mrs. Forsyth, look at my muscles...(takes shirt off) now feel my back muscles!

2. Ummm. Rusty pooped. That is so gross. He is adorable.

3. I left you a pencil, sharpened under Rusty's cage for you Mrs. Forsyth

4. I like to pretend fight a lot. That is why my muscles are so big.

Some previous years quotes:

1. My name is Timothy and I like dirt bikes do you?

2. I am part wolf. I was raised by them when I was a baby and then my parents found me when I was two.

3. I don't like school but mom says that's ok because I am pretty.

4. My mom said my dad is Sting.

Seriously. I couldn't make these up.

Monday is the big day and I already feel good about the year!

So what about you? What was your favorite Meet the Teacher quote?

Tiffany

Finally Finished!

I have finally finished my room...just in time for Meet the Teacher Tomorrow! I am looking forward to seeing my new bunch of kiddos!

Here are some tips for Meet the Teacher:

1. The first 7 seconds are the most important! Smile, shake hands, give a positive greeting and say something unique to that student! Don't say the same thing to everyone...they will catch on that you are being lazy.

2. Next, greet the parents! It is important to see the child first then the parents! This shows where your interest lies. Shake hands and smile!

3. Encourage the students to look around the room and explore their new classroom! I like to have something that they have to look for - give them a purpose - for example: I will say, "We have a special classmate. See if you can find our squeaky friend!" they will search for my class pet Rusty the Guinea Pig.

4. Sit the parents down and get them to sign EVERYTHING you can. Our school district is doing things really easy now. If you do NOT want your student to get on the internet, video, picture ect...they have to sign. So if they don't sign it is an automatic YES! Love it. However, we do have some iPad forms, Pet Permissions, and info cards that need to be filled out. Another teacher of mine, gives our brownies for "brownie points" for filling our paperwork! Very creative!

5. If supplies are brought, I wait till the first day of school and have the kiddos sort, so for today I just have them set it on the table.

6. I like to fill out the student's name tags as they come in. Often time students go by a nickname or middle name and I like to write what they like to be called. I make it out and then show them where I would like them to sit on the first day. This helps with jitters!

7. I try not to talk to one parent too much but encourage them to sign up for a conference. This way you can mingle and chat with more people. Sometimes it is hard to pull away from a "talker" but I always just say "I think we need more time to talk, so when are you free next week for a conference?" This shows you were listening to their concerns and want to have a more proper time with them.

8. Remember this is the first impression families have of you - Look Nice! Smile! Eye Contact!


Now for the fun part! Here is my classroom - finished!

My co-teacher and I's doors! They turned out great!

Welcome Sign - Thanks Marie and Kim!

My connecting door to my favorite grade level boss! His baseball theme is a hit!

My door ;)

My desk - nothing special but CLEAN!

Left Side

Middle

Right Side

Twitter Board on the back of door...that birdy was the inspiration to our theme! It hold the markers for the twitter board and our job sticks.

My writing work station

My fabulous Common Board - duct tape from Kmart!

My motto and rules board

My library with anchor chart tree, plus my Tale of Despereaux Poster and book - can you find it?

Portfolio wall  - hooks with key rings. Anything that the students are proud of will go on their key ring to celebrate! It doesn't have to be a test but whatever they would like to keep to show their parents at the end of they year. The blue says "Something to Tweet About"

My Pinterest Filing Cabinet and some awesome Sorting Mats! Thanks Cathy! You rock!

 

 

 

 

 Leave me your best tip for meet the teacher! I will add it to mine :)

Tiffany

So 'tweet' of you to stop by!

There are so many different ways to do Meet the Teacher. I have compressed them down into 3 categories:

1. Choose a candy/cereal/food to go with your witty welcome note wrapping it up in some adorable baggie, buying an outfit to match your theme for the year, and having a plate of brownies or doughnuts to hype everyone up on sugar,  all to show them how glad that they came to meet you.

2. Do something half way cute but not too cute because your husband will kill you if you spend anymore money...this week.

3. Don't do much of anything besides writing Welcome to Third Grade on your really old easel that has stains on it because some kid couldn't tell the difference between a sharpie and an Expo marker.

So which one will I be....Teacher number.....2. Yep. I did do something absolutely adorable but it was quick and not too expensive. My co-teacher actually bought everything so I just need to pay her back! As you know we are doing bird theme this year and I am really excited about how my room is coming together. Meet the Teacher is Friday morning and I hope to finish everything tomorrow! My laminating came back today and I sat and cut with the Hubby for about 30 minutes while dinner was simmer away. Side note - Rachel Ray's magazine is so good. Look what I cooked tonight!

White Ragu Sauce with Pici

Back to Meet the Teacher. So you never know how many parents will actually show up and then you have all the kids from last year who want to stop by and hug you. It always does my heart good to see their familiar smiles and firm hugs as they go see their new teacher and I meet my new kiddos. I am hoping for a packed room and lots of hugs/handshakes/high fives. We made these ridiculously cute "nests" for our welcome note. I hope we have 100% turnout!

That is my coveted Kagan Timer in the background too! Love that thing. We put mints and rolos in the "nests". Thanks Noris!

I also key ringed my favorite Kagan strategies and have them loaded and ready on my white board. Whew. That's another thing to cross off the list. If you are wondering about my yellow and blue poster next to it - they are my 3 essentials for the first week of school from The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. He is the reason I went into teaching. If you haven't read his book and you are a teacher...seriously get on it!

Which teacher are you this year? I have been them all at one time or another!!! Leave me a comment and let me know!

Tiff

Kagan Cooperative Learning

This summer I went to a Kagan Workshop and loved it. I learned a lot that I can add to my Whole Brain Toolbox. I started Whole brain about 4 years ago and really haven't had any behavior problems since. I do a lot of praying though. :) I really do feel blessed because I have loved all my students and never have had a year I regret. So back to Kagan...my principal asked myself and another teacher to give a little PD on this during preplanning. YIKES! So we busted our butts to make sure we knew a lot about Dr. Kagan Spencer and his structures. We were given an hour to unpack the basics and show off the great structures he has created. We had 4 sessions and they all went great, I thought! I hope the teachers and staff saw the benefit of cooperative learning and the difference from just "group work". One student usually gets stuck with the work while with Kagan it is all about PIES!

P - Positive interdependence
I - Individual accountibility
E - Equal participation
S - Simultaneous interaction

I did those from memory! My partner was absolutely wonderful and she helped me so much as I did the structures with the teachers. She is a Kagan pro now! We even did some Brain Breaks during our session and I snapped a few pictures. Even some grumps were smiling as we did Mirror Mirror!

One person is "it" the other is the mirror

I think the Backstreet Boys were on as we danced!

What great sports!

So overall a great success for us presenting some very new material. I am super excited about doing Kagan with my class this year. I also am dipping into Differentiated Instruction and hopefully will be apart of a Professional Learning Community at my school to help me out.

Some housekeeping news: I found out that I will have the ESE kids this year and am really excited. I love this group because they are so diverse! Perfect for my professional goals this year. Besides that we have a great ESE team at our school. I know that I will have lots of support. :)

My classroom is just waiting on some lamination that Ms. Bunny is going to do hopefully tomorrow!

This lady does it all!

Some of you may be wondering about my die cutting adventure. I went back to that machine and made peace. I apologized for doing anything to hurt its feelings and asked it to please cut my stuff with a funky font. It accepted and now I am left with these lovely words:

Here is the machine that worked perfectly today!

For my twitter exit ticket door :)

So all worked out well! Now just to put it all together.

Another fun surprise was from my hubby for my bird themed classroom! He got these for me at Ikea!

I am not sure you can read it but it says, "Put a Bird On it!" Portlandia reference for all those people! Thanks to each one of my friends who came out and helped. You guys are awesome!

Tomorrow I am determined to do the rest of my pinterest ideas! :) So many....

Tiff

Thinking about Common Core, I am ready. I think.

This week has been hectic. I really wanted to get my classroom set up so that when Pre-Planning actually starts I can...well plan. Not decorate. I was asked to go to a Leadership Seminar with my administration and a couple of amazing teachers. I was looking forward to it and really enjoyed dialoging with them about Common Core and getting teachers to change their mindset from being extremely standard focused to teaching our students how to THINK and solve problems. So the excuse that we don't have time for Oral Language or real world math and science would not be acceptable anymore. Our speaker Keven Baird was exceptional. He said in a nutshell - "Don't worry so much about the standards but the critical thinking skills needed to figure it out! Failure is OK."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_E._Baird

This really blew my mind because I know my standards front and back and I am one of those teachers who is determined to teach everything they need to know before FCAT. Now, I don't think this is bad, but I do think I need to spend more time letting my students explore, discover, fail, and talk through their learning instead of always giving them the answer when I see them about to make a mistakes. Most of us would refer to this as teacher prompting or guiding but I think we are afraid to let them fail because WE don't want to look bad. At least that is how I feel. Plus my students do great on the FCAT. But I am missing the point. It isn't all about the FCAT.

He also said that out of 30% of our high school students who do really well in Math and Science only half of them even want those kinds of jobs! Like doctors, scientist, inventors and goverment jobs. Um. Who is going to even do those things if our high schoolers would rather work in retail or construction? Now we need people for all those jobs too and it's important. But the students who do well in those areas, aren't interested in them as a career. Why? Because they are bored. They aren't engaged. Because their teachers are too focus on a test.

Some really great ideas and links to getting our students ready for Common Core were:

1. Read more informational text. Example - pair up a literary selection with a informational text. We always read The Tale of Despereaux at the beginning of the year so a pair up could be with castles, monarchy, mice, rats, dungeons and even an author study! Yes. Mind blown! Why didn't I think of that?

2. Talk a grade level up from what your teaching. So I should be using 4th grade key words and vocabulary as I talk. This was a Aha! for me!

3. Talk about being College and Career Ready even in Kindergarten. Engaged them in math and science through reading.

4. Fourth and Fifth Lexile (lexile.com is a great resource to find out levels)  ranges have the biggest change. And our textbooks have gotten easier. You have to supplement with other texts.

5. Use current events in your classroom with magazines such as National Geo for Kids, Time for Kids, Ranger Rick, Weekly Reader and even USA today. These are informational text on a higher Lexile level.

6. When you are teaching math and science there is no 1 right answer without proof. We need to teach students how to find the truth through backing up what they think is right.

7. Have guest speakers from the fields of math and science come and share with the class.

8. Be a student led classroom. I am going to let my students have input on what they learn while still teaching the thinking skills they need to solve the problems they will face.

Now just some other great ideas as we were talking...

1. I am thinking of doing Shark Week but with books and videos. Having the kids choose a topic and really diving into that as we teach LA. I would love this to be a school wide thing too!

2. Starting up lots of Professional Learning Communities based on different things like Differentiated Instruction, Kagan Strategies, Whole Brain, and others.

3. More real world and problem based learning activities that stem from Higher Order Thinking.

4.Do more Writing in the Content Areas

5. Having the students plan out a virtual field trip. For example having them figure out how much it would cost to fly the class to Italy. They would plan the trip! What a way to cover a myriad of skills.

6. Ever heard of Lego Intentional Play? Each child has a set of Legos where they then creatively construct a picture summary of what they have learned. Example: After learning about the civil war create something with your Legos that gives a snapshot of the civil war that also shows me compassion. Or create something that shows animal life cycles and interdependence. Yes. I want some Legos!

http://www.tammyredmon.com/why-your-5yearold-more-of-team-player-than\

7. Use more pictures in assessing.

I know that was a lot but I need to assimilate. If you managed to get through all the list...leave me your thoughts about the Common Core Shift...how are you gonna get ready?

Tiffany