It's been awhile...

It's been a long time since I have posted! I think the fact that teaching started again and life prevented me from posting and writing about what I've been doing! But I will try and keep up once a week!

So here's the scoop!
I obtained a job at a new school and I couldn't be more psyched about it! I already love the teachers and staff that I have met and spent a brief period of time with so far! So I know that the school year will start off on a positive note! I start training for my new position (still 2nd grade, yay!) on Thursday, YES THURSDAY! My vacation is winding down and I am trying to enjoy every last second of it!

My boyfriend and I bought a labradoodle about 2 months ago, his name is Fozzy Bear and it really has been a fun experience. He is a very smart dog and we love him!

So I think that this re-vamped blog of mine will be largely about teaching but will also have bits from my life, like recipes (I've started to try to cook...yikes!) products I like, dog/puppy stuff, teaching clothes that are comfy and stylish and my health journey. Other things might pop in here and there.

So now I need to hunt about my first topic for my blog post :) Have a nice day everyone!

Garage Sales

This past week I went to a retiring teachers garage sale! My boyfriend (Marty) found it on Craig's List and Jenna (a friend and first grade teacher at my school) and I figured that we should get there! And it's lucky we got there early because she had such wonderful things! I was able to get some holiday decor for my classroom, a chapter book holder that spins, posters and 59 books!! Yes, 59! Many of the books are hard backs as well and all are in great condition! The books were on sale 2 for 25 cents! Talk about a deal!
My advice to you is to get on Craig's List for the area that you live and type in the search "teachers" or "teaching" this is where you can get materials for dirt cheap! I suggest this for any and all first year teachers. And veteran teachers as well! :)

Setting up my classroom

Today will be day 2 in my classroom! I can't believe the summer has gone by so fast but I am very excited to start the new school year.
Yesterday I loaded up my car and my boyfriend's sister's car (Sarah) and we headed out to the school! She's a saint for helping! After rearranging my desks once and twice, I found the right flow for my room, the students will be in groups of 4 or 5. I may be looking at 24 students in my room this year,  more than last year!
I set up part of my desk and the library area. Today I will hopefully be working on bulletin boards and sorting through my in-class library.
Last night I spent laminating EVERYTHING, luckily I had 2 great friends to help me cut it all out! Thanks to Jenna and Liz :)
Pictures of the setting up process soon to follow!

The Tattle Monster

When I became a teacher I found that kids are always tattling on each other! Whether it's about what happened on the play ground or what happened at their desk they are constantly coming up to their teacher to tell them what happened. And as we all know, this can become daunting and time consuming! I got the idea for this project on Pinterest (my weakness!) When a student has something to tattle to you, they write it on a slip on paper and feed it to the tattle monster. But be sure that the students know the difference between a serious situation that the teacher should know and what can be written down and fed to the monster. Also, the students should ask for permission before writing something down so they are not moving about the classroom.

Caught Being Good Fish Bowl

This is my Caught Being Good fish bowl (actually, it's a glass canister from Target! Way cheaper!)
I put students' names on a small piece of paper and put in the bowl when I "catch" a student going above and beyond, helping out, staying on task, etc... I don't tell the students the names that are put in the bowl.
At the end of the day I draw out 2-3 names and those students get to choose a prize from the treasure chest!
I'll post a picture of my treasure chest and what prizes I have in my classroom (no candy!) at a later date.

Behavior Management Chart

This is the behavior management system that I used last year in my room.
The students all start out on the branches in "the nest." There are 3 moons: a smile moon on the top :), a straight face moon in the middle :|, and a frown moon on the bottom :(. You could associate the moons with the color system (red, yellow and green). Depending on the behavior of the students they could fall out of the nest to the middle or the bottom depending on how undesirable the behavior it. At the end of the day I mark in the students' planner what they got for the day: :) , :|, or :(
** I want it to be noted that throughout the day the students ALWAYS have the opportunity to have their owl fly back up to the nest by recovering from their undesirable behavior. It's common that a student can have a not so great morning but a fantastic afternoon :)

Guided Reading Organization

If you are curious about guided reading this short video gives you an idea of how to set up a guided reading lesson and organize your table. Very handy tips! It's always good to be (over)prepared!