New Year, New Post (Finally)

Well, I haven't been the best blogger so far. BUT, New Years is the perfect time to change that. In the spirit of resolutions, I have decided to make some (not huge, but still important) life changes. Vanderbilt (my alma mater) stressed SMART goals, so in that vein, I will attempt to make these goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. (Thank you, Google, for reminding me what each letter in SMART actually represents...) I have decided on 3 life/personal goals and 3 teaching goals.

Personal Life Goals:
1. I will make it to the gym at least 4 days/week: I really need to stop spending money on a gym membership that I'm not using. Plus, I feel so much better/happier/more energetic when I work out.
2. I will make an effort to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. I am not the worst eater in the world (well, not usually - thanks, holiday season), but I could certainly improve my eating habits. Going along with this, I will make dinner at home 4 nights/week and try my best to cut out processed foods. Like gym trips, I need to remember that I feel so much better when I eat real food.
3. Try new things! Go on adventures! I want to spend money on adventures, not things. I want to take opportunities for travel and try new things in my city. I grew up here, so I can get stuck going to the same places over and over with the same people. But I want to meet new people and try new places/food/adventures. Therefore, I will join at least one group to meet new people and take advantage of Groupons/Living Social deals as they come along.

Teaching Goals:
1. Interact with other teacher bloggers for new ideas and actually implement the new ideas. I want to make online teacher friends, who I can go to for support, lesson plans, behavior management, etc. I also want to become a better blogger myself, so I will make a deal to write at least 1 time per week. Hopefully, I can do more, but we'll try that at first!
2. Learn about Responsive Classroom - read books, find blogs/websites, and see if I can begin to implement in my classroom this year. If not, I plan to use it next year, so I want to become acquainted with the program anyway.
3. Seek out and find new teaching opportunities for next year. My current job (and school) is great, but as my principal referred to the position, "It's the minor leagues of teaching." (And he made sure to add that I need to "move up to the majors" - love the baseball analogy! Ha it was when the Reds were in the midst of their, ultimately failed, playoff run...so baseball was on the minds of all Cincinnatians.) I have a few leads on new positions, all of which intrigue me and are at schools where I would love to teach. I want to actively seek out the principals and learn about the schools and the positions. Then, when I am offered a position, I plan to study specifics of that grade/subjects I will be teaching. I will use the summer to actually plan for the upcoming school year!

So, I'm hoping that writing these goals out will hold me accountable for accomplishing them. I plan to refer back to them at different points throughout the year. Maybe a monthly update on how I'm doing?

In any case, Happy 2013! Let's make it a great year!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary School

Praying for all of the children, teachers, staff, families, and friends affected by this tragedy. There are no words.

Play Time - Not Just for Preschool

I've been gone too long (again), but...

We've been really busy learning through play in my afternoon kindergarten class!

We spelled our names with Wiki Stix...

(Side note: None of my kids had shown any interest in the wiki stix, but I sat down at the table where some children were playing with other toys and started spelling my first name on the desk. Suddenly, two kids joined me and asked to play too. I put the wiki stix out as a choice the next day, and most children played with them. This is something I need to remember... Children will follow my lead when they are sure of how to use the supplies. Seems like an easy concept, but it's not always easy to remember!)

The kids LOVE these huge Lego-type building blocks that I found in my parents' basement. I really like that there aren't a ton of blocks, so to build large sculptures (which they all want to do), they have no choice but to work together and share the blocks. This has caused more than one meltdown, but we have talked through each one. This group needs practice with navigating tricky social situations and handling emotions appropriately, so these blocks are a great tool.

They also have to use their spatial intelligence to fit all of the blocks back into the box when we clean up. Here they are trying to work together to make each block fit.

I bought cheap composition notebooks over the summer, and each child has a journal in the Art Center. A few of my students consistently spend all of choice time, drawing, cutting, gluing, and writing in their journals. I have decided that this can be a very free activity - no guidelines - beyond not cutting out the pages. I want the journals intact in May!

Dramatic play is a very popular center, especially among the girls. I dug through my old toys and brought in dolls, lots of clothes, beds, accessories. I also added some cooking supplies and hope to get more soon. Playing school has been the most popular dramatic play scenario, so far. There's something adorable and hilarious about the thought of "playing school" when they are AT school. I'm taking that as a sign that they like kindergarten!

I love that my kids still have time to play in kindergarten. Negotiating tricky social situations, taking turns, problem solving, creating something together - these skills are SO important. I fear that we're losing sight of them, in light of achievement scores, No Child Left Behind/Race to the Top, and education reform. Our children need to learn to read and write and solve mathematical equations, of course, but they also need to be able to work in a group, compromise, solve problems creatively and logically, and be critical thinkers.

At the end of the day, I hope I'm helping to foster those skills in my students.

Bad, Bad Blogger...

I have been a terrible blogger, but I am just now starting to feel normal after the beginning of the school year rush. I'm sure all of you teachers understand that! It is crazy to get the classroom ready, start routines and procedures, get to know your students, figure out what makes them tick and what makes them happy/sad/eager to learn, and also try to get everything else done that needs to get done! (You know, like the real life things...)

My thesis is going to be a pain in my rear until I finally get it done. I'm scheduled to defend my thesis the first or second week of November. (So...I guess I'm not actually scheduled, and I need to get on that!) I'm just realizing that is only about 6-7 weeks away - yikes! My Review of Literature section is in revision mode, and my Methods and Results are in draft modes - both waiting for official decisions from my advisor on which data to analyze and how (ugh...). The final section is the Discussion section, which may end up the most difficult...we'll see. Anyway, I need to just keep telling myself it will be SO NICE to be DONE! I. Can. Do. This. I have an exciting and busy November with multiple big football games (OSU/Michigan and a Bengals game - Go Bucks! Who Dey!) and Thanksgiving in Chicago, followed by the holiday rush. So...being done at the beginning of November is ideal - I just need to FINISH. Easier said than done...

School is off to a great start! I am loving my coworkers and my students. A few of them seem very immature for kindergartners, with a lot of difficulty following directions and routines. However, they're all eager to please and are very sweet. I think we'll see huge gains in maturity levels with most of these kids this year.

I'm liking the position of After Care Director, also. It gives me the opportunity to work with K-8th graders, helping with homework, talking with them, and playing games. I'm definitely entertaining the idea of pursuing a position in a middle/upper elementary grade next year. Still early though - we'll see what pans out this year!

I'm very proud of the new library system I set up in my classroom this week. The kids are loving it and doing really well with keeping books where they belong. I'll take some pictures and report back on it tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll get back to football watching and thesis procrastinating...

Have a great week!!

PlanbookEDU Giveaway and Meet the Teacher Night

First, The Caffeinated Teacher is back at it - this time, she's offering THREE free one-year subscriptions to PlanbookEDU. I haven't personally used this site, but Raye has a great step-by-step guide on her blog right now. I much prefer to do things on the computer, especially since I change plans around so much. If this sounds like something you could use, go over to her blog and put your name in the drawing!

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Tonight was Meet the Teacher/Kindergarten Orientation at my school. It was great to meet the kids and begin to put names to faces. I will have 13 kindergartners in the afternoon, and so far, their parents seemed helpful and friendly - which is good because I am REALLY hoping they'll send in dramatic play toys. We need more of those! The kids were excited and enjoyed looking around the room. It made me even more excited to start the year! I'll see them again Monday when they officially start kindergarten.

Tomorrow is our Staff In-Service Day. I have met a few of the other teachers here and there while setting up my room, and I am looking forward to meeting everyone else tomorrow. So far, my coworkers have been extremely helpful, especially the kindergarten teacher. Love that!

After care starts Thursday, and the kindergarten teacher and I will be assessing individual kindergartners Thursday and Friday. Summer is officially over...but I have to say that I'm ready to start. This was an awesome but crazy summer, filled with moves, thesis writing and research, weekend trips, weddings, and bachelorette parties. So many amazing memories, but so little down time. I think getting back into a routine will be good for me.

To everyone starting soon, good luck! Here's to 2012-2013!

First Day Plans (Linky Party)

The Caffeinated Teacher is hosting a First Day Plans Linky Party today. Go check out her blog for lots of first day of school plans and ideas. Plus, she has great teaching ideas and stories all the time!

My school is a K-8 Catholic grade school, and first through eighth graders start school next Thursday. Kindergartners will start the following Monday. This year, my job is a little different. I will be in charge of kindergarten latchkey (the morning kindergartners who stay full day) and the after care program at my school. Since I'm finishing up my thesis this fall, this should give me enough time to focus on that. Also, my hours are 10:00-6:00, and being most certainly NOT a morning person, I'm pretty excited about that aspect!

My current plan is to conduct the afternoon kindergarten session as more of a pre-kindergarten program. The children will have already had the intensive academic part of their day by the time I pick them up, so I will focus on social and emotional development, with some sneaky academic time mixed in there, of course! It looks like I will have a lot of freedom and flexibility with my schedule, which makes me very happy.

Here's what my first full day with the kindergartners and the after care children will (roughly) look like:

10:00 - 10:30 - Arrive at school, prepare for the day.

10:30 - 11:00 - Pick up my students from morning kindergarten, outdoor recess (weather permitting - though seeing as how today is the first rain I've seen in a LONG time, the weather will most likely permit this)

11:00 - 11:30 - Circle Time: Introductions (will pick a simple game for this - possibly, rolling the ball to another person or making a spiderweb of yarn), Schedule, Calendar (count to today, identify the day of the week and the month, write out the date). After calendar time, we'll walk around the room to look at the different areas: writing/art center, dramatic play area (if any bloggers out there want to send some play food/pots/pans/plates/cups/utensils to Ohio, I'm your girl!), manipulatives center, and the dollhouse and play animals area. Currently, I plan to operate this classroom very free choice. Once activities are introduced, children will be allowed to choose when/if they want to participate in them. We will do larger projects that will be more "mandatory" from time to time, but my main goal is to foster social and emotional development through play and peer/adult interactions.

11:30 - 12:15 - Lunch and recess

12:15 - 1:00 - Rest time. The kids have cots for naps, but since they are five years old, I don't expect all of them to actually nap. I will let the children pick 2-3 books, and the rule will be that as long as they are quietly lying on their cots, they can look at the books.

1:00 - 1:15 - Read Aloud. I will most likely read The Kissing Hand or Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for the First Day of Kindergarten.

1:15 - 2:00 - Choice Time. The children will be allowed to investigate the areas of the room we explored earlier. We will review the rules and the areas before the children make their initial choices. For now, I plan to let the children move around the room as they choose (one rule, though, is they must clean up one activity before moving onto another). If that ends up too chaotic, I will reevaluate.

2:00 - 2:20 - Clean up, Closing circle.

After Care:

2:30 - 3:00 - Check in, snack, change clothes
3:00 - 4:30 - Outdoor play (or play in gym if weather is bad)
4:30 - 5:45 - Free play in the cafeteria - board games, coloring, etc. - and homework time
5:45 - 6:00 - Dismissal

After Care is very open-ended, mostly just providing games and activities, helping with conflict resolution where needed and making sure all children get where they need to be at the end of the day. Because children are allowed (with permission) to attend various after school activities and help in classrooms, I plan to keep a very organized binder with each student's information on where they go each day/for how long/emergency contacts/etc.

I was in graduate school full time last year, so I haven't been in a classroom since July 2011. I'm excited to get started again! Here's to a great year!

Go link up at The Caffeinated Teacher! Looking forward to reading all of your first day plans.

Newbie Blog Hop: Better Late Than Never?

Just found a new blog, Grade Three is the Place for Me and realized that she had hosted a Newbie Blog Hop last week. I figured I'd join up now, even if I'm a little late to the game. Hey, I've never been known for being on time...drives some people I know crazy...

Here are my answers to her questions!

1.  what state you are in

2.  your current teaching position

3.  your teaching experience

4.  when you started blogging

5.  share a blogging tip / blogging resource

1. I am in Ohio. (Go Bucks!) Born and raised, and returning to my wonderful hometown to begin Teaching Career, Part 2!

2. My current teaching position is a kindergarten extended day teaching position, combined with After Care Director for the Catholic grade school in which I'll be working. I'm finishing up my thesis this fall, so this should be a great balance of not-as-much-planning but still being in the classroom.

3. I taught preschool and kindergarten for two years in Massachusetts before moving back to Ohio last year to work on my Masters full time. I've also taught second, fourth, and sixth grades while student teaching in Tennessee and Reception/Year 1 combined age class in England (pre-K/kindergarten in America) as a study abroad opportunity.

4. I literally just started blogging a few weeks ago and have only published two posts...oops! I've followed teaching blogs for awhile now, and I love finding ideas and inspiration from those and Pinterest. I figured it was high time for me to join in the fun!

5. Um...I have no blogging tips?? I want to read all of your tips! Although, try as hard as you possibly can to use "to/two/too" and "your/you're" correctly....we're all teachers here, after all. :)

Looking forward to "meeting" some of you and getting ideas from so many other teachers!

Early Childhood vs. Middle Childhood

During my teaching career, I have only been an early childhood teacher, with one year in kindergarten and one year in preschool. Honestly, though, in college, I never imagined myself teaching the little ones. I attended Vanderbilt, where an elementary degree is K-6, so I taught kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grades at various points. I taught kindergarten in England as part of a student teaching study abroad opportunity, and that amazing experience will have to be another blog post entirely. Believe me when I say, though, that it was an unbelievable learning experience, and I can't believe it's been four years since I was there. In fact, four years ago, at this exact time, I was wrapping up my abroad experience by touring the British Isles with my sister....and missing England/my school immensely. Sigh... And now I'm off track! Oops...

Back to my point, I can distinctly remember senior year of high school, when I applied for college, I listed my intended area of study as ECE. However, when I noticed that this would certify me PreK-3rd and an elementary degree would certify me as K-6, I immediately switched majors, saying to my mom, "Well, I'm never going to teach preschool!" Lo and behold, less than six years later, I was given the opportunity to switch from K to PreK. My school was cutting a kindergarten classroom, and I was out of a job unless I wanted preschool. I have to say my principal truly went to bat for me with the preschool director, and without my principal's support, I would not have had this opportunity. Basically, my thoughts were, "A job! Great! I'll do it!" And...I loved it. Loved. It. Preschool is everything kindergarten used to be. I was able to design my own lessons and basically design a whole curriculum with the other preschool teacher. It was an amazing experience, and most importantly, when my students were screened for K at the end of the year, all of the K teachers raved about their social, emotional, and academic skills and immediately began adjusting curriculum expectations and determining lessons/activities that were unnecessary for these children. I was so proud of my kids!

So...early childhood is definitely a passion. And I'm a talented teacher with the little ones. I respect them, I understand them, and I am extremely patient with them. (With adults, though, that's a whole other story!) That being said, I also love teaching the bigger kids, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, specifically. I taught fourth grade math and science and sixth grade language arts, and I can definitely say that my passion is language arts. I love reading and writing, and I want my students to feel the same way. I am in a graduate course right now, and we're reading The Multigenre Research Paper by Camille Allen, and it has really sparked a yearning to teach L.A. in the middle grades again.

Just some thoughts...I have many more years of teaching ahead of me (I hope!), and I would love to have the opportunity to try many different grades. We'll see what happens!

Hi there!

Welcome to my blog! I've always wanted to start one, as I love reading about other peoples' lives, but I haven't gotten around to it until now.

So...who am I, you ask? (Or maybe you didn't, but I'm going to tell you anyway! You're welcome.)

I am a twenty-something graduate student at THE Ohio State University (yes, the "THE" is important, and yes, Michigan is the worst school in the world) finishing up a Masters degree in Child Development. I taught preschool and kindergarten for two years after college before going back to school. I will be writing my thesis and teaching kindergarten this fall, and I am SO excited to get back into a classroom. I've missed it this year!

I figure I will use this blog to record funny/silly/cute/heartwarming moments, rant about less funny/silly/cute/heartwarming moments, and share lesson plans and activities. There are so many great teaching blogs out there, and I can't wait to get ideas from all of you!

Thanks for stopping by!