Meet the Teacher Night 2014

Meet the Teacher Night is in the books!

I survived.

I met {almost} all my kids.

And, I only forgot to prepare ONE thing!

I'd say that's pretty good, wouldn't you?!

I even managed to get changed into my Meet the Teacher outfit on time without sweating through it. Usually I scramble to get 954 more things done after changing, but not this time. That's a first! Ha! {And it's probably because I totally forgot to set out my Extra Supplies baggies...oops!}

Sorry for the poor-quality picture. It was taken with my 1st grade team, but I cut them out because they probably don't want their picture all over my blog! :) I had a pretty comfy outfit for the night though. I love me some linen pants and loose fitting shirts! 

This year is the first year that I didn't have Meet the Teacher the night before school starts. Our first day of school is Monday, August 25 and we had Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 21.

Over all, the night went really well. My little guys and girls are so, so cute and I'm looking forward to all the fun we'll have together this year!

As the students came in with their families, I asked them to find their desk where I had neatly outlined my expectations for the night. In one pile, I put all of the information they were to take home and in another pile I put all of the information that they needed to complete before leaving.

It worked out so well and allowed me to have the freedom of going from desk to desk to meet my sweet babies and their families, instead of being stuck answering endless questions. So nice!

I also made a little take home gift for each of my students and I tried to make a REALLY big deal of it. It was Back to School MAGIC Confetti I put all the magic I could find {mostly in the form of glitter and sequins from WalMart - less than $2 total - and cut up colored paper} into that little bag with a sweet poem that I found via Primarily Speaking.

I used the poem she listed on her blog and designed it to match my classroom theme - blue and green {some theme, huh?!}.

If you looked at that picture carefully, you may have noticed that I told my students it was "Back to School Magic GLITTER," not confetti. Leave it to ME to mistakenly type glitter instead of confetti. Oh well, my kids were TOTALLY buying it!!!

If you would like a FREE copy of this poem for your students, click HERE!

Coming up next will be my classroom pictures, but first I have to finish my room! :) Soon...I'm *this close* to being done! Have a great weekend!

How To Get Permanent Marker Off of Plastic - Classroom Tip

I worked in my classroom every day last week. Some days were longer than others, but overall I spent a lot of time at school working, working, working.

By Friday afternoon, I was sitting in my room taking it all in and feeling quite overwhelmed again. I really think I have a problem that many teachers face...I want to buy SO MUCH for my classroom! I look around and see old, reused materials - things that aren't perfect - and I want to replace those things with new, shiny, clean things.

But, I can't. Because if I did, year after year, I would never have any money! *insert pouty face*

So, instead, I selected a few items that I would replace, and decided to fix everything else!

Some of my "fixable" items were these plastic baskets. I bought these for next-to-nothing from a retiring teacher my first year. She had previously used them as cubbies for her students, so they were each numbered for that purpose.

That year, I honestly didn't even care about the marker on them - they were nearly free! I used them as-is in my classroom library and they served their purpose just fine. Not once did my kids ask about the numbers!

This year, however, I knew I wanted to clean them up a bit if I was going to continue using them. Earlier in the week, when my youngest sister was helping me in my room, I had her try the finger nail polish remover method...NO LUCK.

When that failed, Google came to the rescue and suggested this method: Dry Erase Marker. Success!!!

How To Get Permanent Marker Off of Plastic
1. Use dry erase marker to color over permanent marker. (Hint: Color in entirety. I made several "coats" of dry erase marker by repeatedly going over the same spots.)
2. Wipe off dry erase marker with dry cloth.
3. Wipe off plastic with wet cloth.

Repeat process as necessary.

I hope this method works for you, too! It helped me save a little money by making these plastic baskets last at least one more year in my classroom. Yay!

Later this week, I'll show you what I decided to replace in my classroom! After all, that's the part that I'm REALLY excited about!!!

What's in My TeachersPayTeachers Cart? - Back-to-School Sale 2014

I'm so pumped for tomorrow that I can hardly stand it! I've been patiently waiting for TpT to announce their Back-to-School sale dates so that I could snag some items on my wish list. The time is finally here!

The TeachersPayTeachers Blast off Back-to-School Sale is August 4-5, 2014. In my store, all items will be discounted 28%. Just make sure you use the code BTS14 at checkout. 

Last year I shared with you what I planned on purchasing during the 2013 sale, and this year I'm doing the same. Feel free to share your link with me if you're posting your shopping cart, too. I'd love to see what I might be missing out on before it's too late!

This year, I REALLY need help getting started in first grade! I've decided that I need to rely heavily on resources from experienced first grade teachers. I plan on purchasing these 3 items!

1) Calendar Helper by Ashley Sanderson

2) Back-to-School No Prep Math and Literacy Packet by The Moffatt Girls

3) Work on Writing Year-Long Bundle by Cara Carroll

Hopefully you have some shopping to do, too! Click the image below to visit my TpT store and many others to take advantage of the great sale! {Remember sale is August 4-5!}

The BLAST OFF Back-to-School 28% off SALE

Can you believe it? It's that time of year! 

Like every summer, this one started off with me thinking I had so much time on my hands. I certainly had time on my hands, but once July hit, the rest of the summer flew by!

At this point, I'm feeling a little bit like I don't want summer to end and a little excited, too!

Since I'm in a new school district now, I've actually been able to get into my classroom much earlier than I usually do. I've been working on things off and on since mid-July. I had a lot of organizing and thinking to do.

My mom graciously came to help me unload all of my boxes and this is what my room looked like immediately after we got everything inside...

I have made progress, but it's been a little overwhelming. I like things being organized, but sometimes I despise all the work it takes to get there!

Next week is SUPER exciting for me for two reasons though:

1) My youngest sister (11) is coming to help me decorate my room! This is a two-year tradition at this point, and I don't plan on breaking it any time soon. I'll take all the free help I can get! 

What makes this extra exciting is that I'm going to be in the same school district that she is attending! I will get to see her so much more (almost daily, in fact) and I absolutely can't wait for that. Her school is directly out that window that you barely see in the picture above.  

2) Next week is also the annual Back-to-School Sale for TeachersPayTeachers! In my store (and many others), you can save up to 28% off! I'm already anxiously preparing to buy, buy, buy!

{TpT sellers, feel free to use my sale image!}

On Sunday, in fact, I plan on sharing with you what I have in my TpT shopping cart! You'll want to see my list because I have found some GOODIES this year. Plus, I want to see what you've found, too!

Have a great weekend, friends!

Change is Happenin' Part 2 - I'm Movin' to FIRST GRADE!

Last Summer I shared some big news on my blog - I learned I would officially be moving from 3rd grade to 5th grade! Initially, I didn't know how to react.

From my blog post, Change is a Happenin' - I'm Moving to 5th Grade!

When my principal told me this, I was immediately overcome with emotions ranging from I want to quit this job right here, right now to I'm the luckiest girl on the face of the planet earth; I love my job.

Now, a year later, I'm coming back with more news. Good, good, good news.

I'll be teaching first grade.

I'll be moving to a new school.

And, I'll also be moving to a new district.

It's a lot. But, like I said, it's a lot of GOOD, GOOD, GOOD happening all at once.

Last year was so enjoyable for me. I worked with a fantastic group of kids, but fifth grade was also exhausting. More importantly, though, it wasn't what I felt in my heart.

The small part of it that was unfulfilling made me want to consider some other options. I spent many nights and days praying over what to do. I clearly remember a phone conversation I had with my mom where I said, "I just need a really clear sign about what I'm supposed to do."

I didn't know...should I apply for another position? Should I stick it out in my current position? Were things going to get better for me? 

After hanging up the phone, I felt like I had been given an immediate resolution. My prayers had been answered! I was overcome with a feeling that told me I must apply for another position and just see what happened.

Something told me that this new opportunity might reignite my excitement and love for teaching in a way that I hadn't experienced.

Now, I've spent an entire summer preparing for this transition. My heart is anxious. I'm questioning things the way many do, 'Will I be good enough? Will I not?' But, a large part of my heart is READY! I feel like I might finally be at home and that feeling is good.

Listen to your heart, teachers. It will guide you!

Teacher Tales: What's Your Favorite Thing?

I know you've said it; the "I should write a book" statement gets used by us all.

After all, kids say and do hilariously inappropriate things. Especially little kids though.

You know the classic tale of the kid who seems to draw a picture of his mom at work accepting money from strangers, right? She supposedly sells shovels at Home Depot, but his picture looks like something far different...

Yeah, that one.

Well, I recently found myself in a situation similar to this, but the specific event really - and I mean REALLY - hit home. Our Goddaughter is a first grader and she's brilliant; definitely a gifted learner if I've ever seen one.

At our Mother's Day lunch her mom showed off her most recent artwork. With what we already know about her, we usually anticipate something impressive, something far beyond her age that she's managed to accomplish before all of her peers.

And, interestingly enough, we probably can now say she really did do this before her peers...

At first sight my reaction was, "WHAT?! What IS that? What ARE those?!"

HORSES.

Her favorite animals are...horses!

Whew. I was worried for a minute. Now, I find myself relieved. When her dad asked her why the horses look like that she said, "They're like cartoon horses!"

Yes, sweetheart. Yes they are! 

PoeTREE - Classroom Anchor Chart

I'm really discovering that teaching poetry is much more fun in 5th than it was in 3rd. Because of the level that I'm working at with my students, we're able to delve much deeper into analyzing poetry and its meaning.

We've discussed figurative language: similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, idioms, and onomatopoeia. I even found this really neat Dictionary of Idioms in my classroom. I know at some point another teacher handed it down to me & my kids really enjoy talking about the idioms that are listed in the book.

The most valuable resource we have in our classroom this year is our poeTREE. Our poeTREE is designed as an anchor chart that students reference when they're analyzing poetry. I've included various elements of poetry and I've also listed the strategies I expect them to use when they're working with poetry (see the swing?!).

PoeTREE - Poetry Anchor Chart

We started parent conferences at our school this past week and I've had parents say, "My child told me all about the poeTREE." It makes me excited every time!

I got this idea from various pins on Pinterest and this was what worked best for my students. You know how I LOVE making anchor charts, so I hope that you'll find a little inspiration in this one. :)

Enjoy!!