It's the Last Day of School!

Enough said!

February Currently

I'm joining the Currently bandwagon this month! 

 

Listening: The Bridge School is a non-profit organization in California
 for children with severe speech and physical impairments.  One of their main fundraisers is a benefit concert put on every October that draws huge name musicians.  The songs are all acoustic and amazing.  I have yet to find one that I don't love.  They have the benefits recorded and available on iTunes. I think I pretty much have them all! The good news is that if you buy them from iTunes, the school gets the revenue.  Nice to know that.

Loving:  The day it was announced this week that the Newbery Medal winner for 2014 was Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo I picked up a copy.  You can't go wrong with a Kate DiCamillo book!  To be honest, I don't keep up with current kid's lit as much as I should (spoiler for 2 truths and a fib!) and didn't even know this book was out.  I still have a bit to go, but so far it is very good.  I can see how it would engage young readers right from the start.  When I finish, I will post a review.

Thinking:  In the next few months, my district will ask to fill out forms to request a change in or keep our teaching positions.  There's no guarantee it will be honored, but it is a chance to ask for a change.  I really, really miss having a homeroom.  I miss having one set of kids to work with all day long.  I feel like I have more control over their instruction and achievement than I do as a push-in teacher visiting different classes each period.  However, there are definite perks to my current position that I enjoy very much.  There are so many other factors I choose not to discuss on my blog that go into this decision.  Suffice to say, at this point, I'm not sure what I want to do.  Half of me wants to go back to being a homeroom teacher, half of me is willing to continue on as is.  What to do? What to do?

Wanting: Time! Time! Time!  I'm still working on the heroes literacy unit and could seriously use more time to finish it up. 

Needing: Magic Tree House just published in January a great biography collection on heroes.  It is perfect for the heroes unit and I'm just waiting for them to arrive.  I ordered one for myself to preview and loved it.  Now it's just a matter of wanting that time to create all the literacy work to go along with it.

2 Truths and a Fib:  Well, by now you know the fib is that I keep up with all the current children's lit that comes out.  I try, but there are these pesky things like planning, teaching, family, and having a life that get in the way! :-) However, in an effort to be better about that, I'm reading Flora and Ulysses.  I also picked up a copy of the 2014 Caldecott winner Locomotive.  A lovely picture book that is definitely for the older crowd.  Not so much a young kid picture book if you know what I mean. 

When it come to the truths, I do LOVE snow days and I do miss my plan book.  Snow days are like getting an unexpected gift.  Having said that, we have four built in to our school calendar.  If we use more than the four they start to take back other vacation days.  So far, we've used three and there's more snow in the forecast.  I'll take one more, but then that's it! 

And as for my plan book, our district is in the process of switching all plans to digital.  We have this year to do either paper or digital, but next year we will all be required to use a special computer program for our lesson plans.  No more paper books.  I've actually been doing mine on the computer for a few years now, but this program they want us to use has an entirely different format. Also, instead of turning in plan books for review, we have to post our plans in a designated file each week for review.  Oh, technology! Sometimes I just can't decide if you make my life easier or harder!

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I found these pictures on my phone last week and meant to put them on the blog. 

I had to get my car inspected and laughed when I saw my new inspection sticker. 

This is a picture of my old inspection sticker from the inside of my car.

It has looked the same for years. 

 

 This year, someone decided to change things up a bit. 

Here's the back of my new inspection sticker.

Proof from the state of New Jersey that you are never too old for picture books!

My Funny Friends

While working in my classroom yesterday morning, I came across a paper that brought this event to mind.  I just had to post it for your enjoyment.
 
Adventures in Research Reports on the 13 Colonies. . .

Last year, my class completed research reports on the 13 colonies.  In the midst of researching, one of my friends came to me from the laptop he had been working on with a puzzled look on his face.

Friend:  "Every time I search for my colony, I keep getting stuff about colonial cancer.  Is that one of the diseases the English gave the Native Americans?"

Me:  "Ahhh, wait. . . what?  You keep getting what?"

Friend, in an exasperated tone:  "Colonial cancer!  Is that one of the diseases the English gave the Native Americans?

Me:  "Ummm. . . let me take a look at your screen."

We walk over to his laptop, and I take a look at his search bar.

Me:  "No, that is not one of the disease the English gave the Native Americans.  In fact, why don't we start this search over and spell colonial correctly."

In case you were wondering, searching colon instead of colonial will give you many an article on colon cancer but not so much on colonial life!

Really? THAT'S What You Think I Would Do??!!!!!

 I post this anchor chart not because it is a fine example of an anchor chart.  It's okay. It's kind of sloppy.   I'm sure you could think of many ways to make it better. It's not even new.  It's from earlier in the school year.  I post this anchor chart because of the conversation that came with it. 

I asked, "What do you think independent reading should look like?  sound like?"
My friends did well.  They knew what independent reading should look like.  When it came to what it shouldn't look like, well they got a bit carried away.  No shopping is about book shopping.  There's no searching for books during independent reading.  We have book shopping for ten minutes each morning, so everyone has a basket full of books ready to go.  We also keep one book in our desk at all times.  It's usually the one they are currently reading.  It's our "Go To" book.  But, no sleeping?  Okay, I put it up but I have yet to have anyone fall asleep.  Thank goodness.

The funny part came when I told them that now we were going to talk about what the teacher does do and shouldn't do during independent reading.  Here's what they came up with that didn't make it on the chart.
As the teacher, they said I should not be. . .

• on Facebook
• texting my friends
• cleaning out my pocketbook
• talking on the phone to my friends
• cracking my knuckles
• eating sandwiches
• watching You Tube videos at my desk
• putting on make-up
• napping at my desk
• painting my fingernails (and one said I also shouldn't paint my toenails either. . .just in case I didn't get it!)

Here's the kicker.  THEY WERE DEAD SERIOUS!  Who are these kids???  What has their experiences with past teachers been?  Seriously, I have never done any of these things in class with my friends.   Really?  THAT'S what you think I would do?  We managed to put it all under the umbrella that the teacher should not do anything that would distract the reader.  I have to say, every time I look at this chart, I get the giggles. I tease them now that I'm going to go back to my desk and paint my nails if they don't listen.  It may just be that the thing I love most about my job is that there isn't a day that goes by that my friends don't make me smile.