Yes, it is Saturday morning and I'm about to leave my home to go to work. I'm not going to school. Well, not now. I'll do that at 5:30 this afternoon. When I leave in a few minutes, I'll be going to my part-time job! My husband asked me how long I planned to try to keep this up? My reply, "Why do you ask? Don't you think I can?" Well, what a trick question..... The actual answer is that I'm not sure. I'll do it as long as it doesn't interfere with my teaching job. I only have a few minutes and wanted to give an update on the week.
Yesterday, Friday the last day of week three, was a GREAT day. Did I get everything done I had planned? NO, I didn't. However, I saw a lot of improvements with the sound level in my room and the transitions from center to center. I was able to meet with three of my reading groups in one day which was also an improvement. I may still have to adjust the groups and try to reduce the number of groups because I don't think I'll be able to have six groups. I'm still working on that.
How do I feel? I'm still really physically tired and sleepy. This week, I have stayed late everyday and when I say late I mean I have stayed at school until after 7:00 pm every afternoon except for Monday and Friday. I had to leave at 4:00 pm to get to my part-time job. On the other hand, mentally, I'm totally pumped. I love thinking about my students and seeing changes that are already occurring. I absolutely LOVE going to school. I have 25 students and I DO have several who are very active and do things they know that they shouldn't do. However, I know that I can be consistent with my behavior management and they will learn the rules and consequences. Even with some demanding students, I am so much happier in this classroom than I was in my previous position. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely LOVED teacher training in technology integration. But I wasn't doing that everyday. If I had been doing that everyday, that would have been my dream job. Next to that dream job, this is Heaven on Earth for me!
Check back and see how week 4 turns out!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Week Three and More to Learn
Monday of the third week of school, I had to attend a workshop to learn how to teach the math curriculum that our district uses. I needed to attend but I didn't want to leave my students. Well, I went to the workshop and am thankful that my district provides this kind of training for new teachers. Now, I understand how to use all of the materials that are apart of the program. Twice during the day on Monday, I called the school to check on my students.
On Tuesday when I returned to the school, I was afraid that I might find a note from my substitute that would inform me that my students were not on their best behavior. However, that was not the case. During the day, my substitute came to my room and told me that she didn't have any problems. She had substituted before and new the students from last year. I was so excited and relieved. Later during the day, another teacher at my school was scheduled to come into my room and model teaching a group with the new reading program that we are implementing. This teacher actually came during my center time which is when I'm working with small reading groups. I haven't taught my students exactly how to rotate centers and what to do when they don't remember what to do. Well, I have attempted to but just haven't been very successful in doing it. I have some active students. During the teacher's reading session, I had several students trying to interrupt to ask me questions. I had to leave the reading group and talk to several students. I'm know that this is an area that I have to focus on to ensure that I can work uninterrupted with the reading groups when I'm alone. I plan to spend the rest of this week working on transitioning from one center to another quietly.
Today, I did just that. I did not teach my reading groups but rather I spent the center time working on helping the students learn how to move from one center to another quietly. I know that part of my problem is that the layout of my classroom is not conducive to smooth transitions because I'm attempting to have centers when I only have two tables. The desks that I have grouped together are the ones that are tilted which is perfect for allowing everything to roll right off and onto the floor! Anyway, we are dealing with that and have hopes that we'll get tables as soon as possible. I have to make the best of what I have. I was planning on six groups but based on the number of times we could rotate centers during the allotted center time, I'm going to have to adjust my groups. I'll need to work with four groups and maybe five but I do know that I will not be able to have six groups. There just isn't enough time. I plan to spend the rest of this week working on helping my students learn the routines and expected behavior during center time and next week, I'll start my reading groups.
On Tuesday when I returned to the school, I was afraid that I might find a note from my substitute that would inform me that my students were not on their best behavior. However, that was not the case. During the day, my substitute came to my room and told me that she didn't have any problems. She had substituted before and new the students from last year. I was so excited and relieved. Later during the day, another teacher at my school was scheduled to come into my room and model teaching a group with the new reading program that we are implementing. This teacher actually came during my center time which is when I'm working with small reading groups. I haven't taught my students exactly how to rotate centers and what to do when they don't remember what to do. Well, I have attempted to but just haven't been very successful in doing it. I have some active students. During the teacher's reading session, I had several students trying to interrupt to ask me questions. I had to leave the reading group and talk to several students. I'm know that this is an area that I have to focus on to ensure that I can work uninterrupted with the reading groups when I'm alone. I plan to spend the rest of this week working on transitioning from one center to another quietly.
Today, I did just that. I did not teach my reading groups but rather I spent the center time working on helping the students learn how to move from one center to another quietly. I know that part of my problem is that the layout of my classroom is not conducive to smooth transitions because I'm attempting to have centers when I only have two tables. The desks that I have grouped together are the ones that are tilted which is perfect for allowing everything to roll right off and onto the floor! Anyway, we are dealing with that and have hopes that we'll get tables as soon as possible. I have to make the best of what I have. I was planning on six groups but based on the number of times we could rotate centers during the allotted center time, I'm going to have to adjust my groups. I'll need to work with four groups and maybe five but I do know that I will not be able to have six groups. There just isn't enough time. I plan to spend the rest of this week working on helping my students learn the routines and expected behavior during center time and next week, I'll start my reading groups.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
End of Week Two?
Well, actually my Week Two ended tonight. Yes, it is a Saturday night and the clock on my VCR has 10:56 as the time. I just walked in from a full afternoon and night at the school! Today was a full day for me. I started at 5:00 because my youngest daughter wanted to get to college early and be first in line on "Move In" day. Well, the actual start time for "Move In" was 8:00 but we had to leave our home at 6:30. She drove her car and her dad and I went in my car. We had both cars loaded! When we arrived at the college, we found all entrances but one blocked off and she was about fourth in line and there were two vehicles between our cars. By 7:30 the line was so long that the college officials had to let us on campus to get us off the main road. My husband made the remark that our daughter sure was smart to press us to leave home as early as we did.
Well, I spent the first part of the day helping my daughter move in to her new dorm room and right after lunch, I went to school. It certainly was quiet. I stayed there until about 5:30 and then went home only to find out that I had left my phone at the school! I ate supper (my husband had cooked whole wheat noodles with a creamy sauce, baked chicken, and peas. It was just what I needed to get my energy back up. I also had to run to the local Target to pick up a few items for my daughter. With all of that done, I still needed to get back to the school. Not only did I NEED my phone, but I was told Thursday that I needed to attend a math workshop on Monday. Now, we have been in school for a mere two weeks and that is NOT long enough to get lower elementary students into a routine. I've been trying to accomplish this but it is going to take me a while! I certainly don't need to be leaving my babies in the hands of a substitute teacher but I have no choice. For that reason, I had to veer from the lesson plans which require a lot of moving around and manipulative s and centers (which we have only done for three days now).
I spent the first part of my time at the school creating a "Sub Folder" with all of the needed information for my substitute teacher to do as much of my normal day as possible. I had to make some very detail instructions for what she would need to do. I had to have my class list, a bus and car rider list. As far as materials, I had to pull everything that would be needed and put it in the order. Believe me most elementary teachers don't want to miss school for workshops or even being sick if that can help it because getting the material for the day ready and explaining the lessons in great detail just requires so much work.
With all of that said, I just have to tell you about Friday. What a day! The teachers in my grade have decided that Fridays will be the day that we review skills, test skills, and incorporate games that relate to the concepts we have covered into our routine. We also will use this day to help students catch up if they are missing work and provide more enrichment activities for our high achievers. Well, this will be awesome when we are able to do it as we desire to do it. I didn't get a lot of extra "fun" activities in because I gave the "spelling test." It isn't a normal spelling test like we had when we were in school. It does include spelling the spelling words but it also includes much more. For example, after spelling the words, there is a section to identify the word spelled incorrectly from a set of words. Then you have a section where you identify the word from a group of words spelled correctly. Another section provides a "dictation" portion where students must pay attention to capitalization and punctuation. The final section has directions that are stated very closely to this: "Choose two spelling words from 1 to 10 and create one sentence with each." Now, I'll explain in just a minute why I chose to tell you these directions. This little test should have taken around fifteen to twenty minutes. Needless to say, it took my babies a bit longer. Let's just say we didn't make it to games on Friday! I explained to my students that I would say the word two times and then use it in a sentence. Then, I would stretch the word out and sound out every sound slowly for them to hear. Sounds pretty simple to you doesn't it? Well, it wasn't for my babies! As I called out the words, I walked around watching what my students were doing and trying to keep them on task. By the time I got to number five, one of my strong readers state, "What was number two?" Oh my goodness, I couldn't believe it. How can I expect my students who don't read as well to keep up if my strong readers don't. Well, I knew that this being our "first" spelling test. I had to let them see what I expect of them so I responded. Put your finger on the number five (Yes, I have been telling them all along to put their finger on the number for the word that I was calling out!) or you will miss number five too. Then I continued. Yes I had several who did the same thing, blurt out "What is number" whatever and I would restate what I said. Boys and girls I am on number X. Put your finger on number X. I will say the word two times only and then use it in a sentence. Well thank goodness we only had ten words! When I reached the end of the test and read the directions that I quoted for you earlier. I told my students to look at the words 1 through 10 and that I would say them one time as they pointed to them. Well, thank goodness by student was able to write the word that was skipped earlier. Not all of my students were able to listen and figure out how to get. Well, as I am taking up the papers I noticed that one of my students wrote on number 20, "We can" and on 21 wrote, "Can we" and yes I'm sure you notice there were no punctuation marks. Anyway, I ask, "Why did you write such short sentences?" and his reply was, "The directions said to only use 2 words." Well, all I could do was laugh. My babies have got to learn how to take a spelling test like this. They have to learn to follow directions at least some of the time. They have to learn to listen. I know that these are skills that I must teach them for them to be successful. Well, I did laugh and said, "Oh, no dear that isn't what the directions meant. You are to pick out one spelling work and make up a sentences using a lot of other words from your head and write that sentence on number 20. Then you need to pick out a different spelling word and use a lot of other words from your head to make a different sentence for number 21. Yep, this should give you a better idea of what is going on in my world!
I do have one other incident that I must share with you. I have several students who have a little bit more difficulty staying on task even when I'm talking to them. I have both tables and desks in my room which isn't of my choice. So I have arranged my students in such a way that my students who are diligent workers are sitting beside one of my students who needs a reminder to get back to work periodically. I have arrange the chairs in a way that these children can be paired quickly without having to move chairs. I just leave the chairs set up all the time where these children who will work together have chairs always facing each other. I'm in the middle of giving this lovely spelling test and one of my students who has a chair that is turned toward the row where I can see the child's profile has his/her head down on the desk. I'm looking directly at him/her and he/she has this long, slimy, white snot hanging from his nose and he/she is pulling it up and down playing with it! Yes indeed this student has found something that is much more fun to him/her than my spelling test! What do I do? I'm NOT going to bring attention to him/her while I'm working so hard to keep my student's attention on the test and what I'm saying so I walk over to the kleenex box and pull out two. I continue reading the spelling test as I walk to the student's desk. I bend down and quietly whisper in this student's ear, "Wipe your nose and go wash your hands." I stand back up and repeat the item that I had just read. I know that what I have just describe is so gross but it is extremely funny! I went to school to be a teacher. What is a teacher? Teachers don't just teach knowledge and facts. Teachers teach the whole child!
On Friday afternoon, I received an email from a dear teacher friend who I have know for twenty-five years. In her email, she said, "Hello friend! Hope your year has gotten off to a smooth start. I don't know why you are back in the classroom, but no matter what the reason, I do know that your students are the luckiest in the district because they have YOU!" I have to keep telling myself that this was what I saw twenty years ago when I taught this grade. I have to remember that I'm the one who will be teaching them to read and picture what they read in their heads. I'm the one who will be teaching them to read and follow instructions, to listen and follow instructions. AND if I do my job, after the Christmas holidays, my students will be different. My students will be much more independent. They will behave differently. They will work harder. They will enjoy school and learning. IF I do my job!
Well, I spent the first part of the day helping my daughter move in to her new dorm room and right after lunch, I went to school. It certainly was quiet. I stayed there until about 5:30 and then went home only to find out that I had left my phone at the school! I ate supper (my husband had cooked whole wheat noodles with a creamy sauce, baked chicken, and peas. It was just what I needed to get my energy back up. I also had to run to the local Target to pick up a few items for my daughter. With all of that done, I still needed to get back to the school. Not only did I NEED my phone, but I was told Thursday that I needed to attend a math workshop on Monday. Now, we have been in school for a mere two weeks and that is NOT long enough to get lower elementary students into a routine. I've been trying to accomplish this but it is going to take me a while! I certainly don't need to be leaving my babies in the hands of a substitute teacher but I have no choice. For that reason, I had to veer from the lesson plans which require a lot of moving around and manipulative s and centers (which we have only done for three days now).
I spent the first part of my time at the school creating a "Sub Folder" with all of the needed information for my substitute teacher to do as much of my normal day as possible. I had to make some very detail instructions for what she would need to do. I had to have my class list, a bus and car rider list. As far as materials, I had to pull everything that would be needed and put it in the order. Believe me most elementary teachers don't want to miss school for workshops or even being sick if that can help it because getting the material for the day ready and explaining the lessons in great detail just requires so much work.
With all of that said, I just have to tell you about Friday. What a day! The teachers in my grade have decided that Fridays will be the day that we review skills, test skills, and incorporate games that relate to the concepts we have covered into our routine. We also will use this day to help students catch up if they are missing work and provide more enrichment activities for our high achievers. Well, this will be awesome when we are able to do it as we desire to do it. I didn't get a lot of extra "fun" activities in because I gave the "spelling test." It isn't a normal spelling test like we had when we were in school. It does include spelling the spelling words but it also includes much more. For example, after spelling the words, there is a section to identify the word spelled incorrectly from a set of words. Then you have a section where you identify the word from a group of words spelled correctly. Another section provides a "dictation" portion where students must pay attention to capitalization and punctuation. The final section has directions that are stated very closely to this: "Choose two spelling words from 1 to 10 and create one sentence with each." Now, I'll explain in just a minute why I chose to tell you these directions. This little test should have taken around fifteen to twenty minutes. Needless to say, it took my babies a bit longer. Let's just say we didn't make it to games on Friday! I explained to my students that I would say the word two times and then use it in a sentence. Then, I would stretch the word out and sound out every sound slowly for them to hear. Sounds pretty simple to you doesn't it? Well, it wasn't for my babies! As I called out the words, I walked around watching what my students were doing and trying to keep them on task. By the time I got to number five, one of my strong readers state, "What was number two?" Oh my goodness, I couldn't believe it. How can I expect my students who don't read as well to keep up if my strong readers don't. Well, I knew that this being our "first" spelling test. I had to let them see what I expect of them so I responded. Put your finger on the number five (Yes, I have been telling them all along to put their finger on the number for the word that I was calling out!) or you will miss number five too. Then I continued. Yes I had several who did the same thing, blurt out "What is number" whatever and I would restate what I said. Boys and girls I am on number X. Put your finger on number X. I will say the word two times only and then use it in a sentence. Well thank goodness we only had ten words! When I reached the end of the test and read the directions that I quoted for you earlier. I told my students to look at the words 1 through 10 and that I would say them one time as they pointed to them. Well, thank goodness by student was able to write the word that was skipped earlier. Not all of my students were able to listen and figure out how to get. Well, as I am taking up the papers I noticed that one of my students wrote on number 20, "We can" and on 21 wrote, "Can we" and yes I'm sure you notice there were no punctuation marks. Anyway, I ask, "Why did you write such short sentences?" and his reply was, "The directions said to only use 2 words." Well, all I could do was laugh. My babies have got to learn how to take a spelling test like this. They have to learn to follow directions at least some of the time. They have to learn to listen. I know that these are skills that I must teach them for them to be successful. Well, I did laugh and said, "Oh, no dear that isn't what the directions meant. You are to pick out one spelling work and make up a sentences using a lot of other words from your head and write that sentence on number 20. Then you need to pick out a different spelling word and use a lot of other words from your head to make a different sentence for number 21. Yep, this should give you a better idea of what is going on in my world!
I do have one other incident that I must share with you. I have several students who have a little bit more difficulty staying on task even when I'm talking to them. I have both tables and desks in my room which isn't of my choice. So I have arranged my students in such a way that my students who are diligent workers are sitting beside one of my students who needs a reminder to get back to work periodically. I have arrange the chairs in a way that these children can be paired quickly without having to move chairs. I just leave the chairs set up all the time where these children who will work together have chairs always facing each other. I'm in the middle of giving this lovely spelling test and one of my students who has a chair that is turned toward the row where I can see the child's profile has his/her head down on the desk. I'm looking directly at him/her and he/she has this long, slimy, white snot hanging from his nose and he/she is pulling it up and down playing with it! Yes indeed this student has found something that is much more fun to him/her than my spelling test! What do I do? I'm NOT going to bring attention to him/her while I'm working so hard to keep my student's attention on the test and what I'm saying so I walk over to the kleenex box and pull out two. I continue reading the spelling test as I walk to the student's desk. I bend down and quietly whisper in this student's ear, "Wipe your nose and go wash your hands." I stand back up and repeat the item that I had just read. I know that what I have just describe is so gross but it is extremely funny! I went to school to be a teacher. What is a teacher? Teachers don't just teach knowledge and facts. Teachers teach the whole child!
On Friday afternoon, I received an email from a dear teacher friend who I have know for twenty-five years. In her email, she said, "Hello friend! Hope your year has gotten off to a smooth start. I don't know why you are back in the classroom, but no matter what the reason, I do know that your students are the luckiest in the district because they have YOU!" I have to keep telling myself that this was what I saw twenty years ago when I taught this grade. I have to remember that I'm the one who will be teaching them to read and picture what they read in their heads. I'm the one who will be teaching them to read and follow instructions, to listen and follow instructions. AND if I do my job, after the Christmas holidays, my students will be different. My students will be much more independent. They will behave differently. They will work harder. They will enjoy school and learning. IF I do my job!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Week Two Has Started!
Yes, the second week of school has started and now it is almost over. I just can't believe how fast it is passing! I have been at the school by 6:30 every morning this week and today I got home a little after 7:00 p.m. The grade chairman and I finished the lesson plans for next week. I still haven't graded papers or sorted them for take home. I'm am totally busy the entire time I am at school. I only make one trip to the restroom during the day when my students are at school and that is usually during my one break! Now, just to let you know a little bit about how this week has been going.
On Sunday, after I got off my part-time job, I headed to the school to finish up things that I didn't do on Friday. I found the materials that needed to be copied in the box beside my door. The teachers I work with stayed late on Friday, when I had to leave and pulled everything. I agreed to copy the material for all of us. I also worked on revising my schedule because our new principal had made some changes. Remember, I told you in the last blog that I had two breaks each day. One was at 8:00 and that was PE and the other was after lunch with our special classes like library, music, character education, and (I can't think of the other one.)....... Well, the PE teacher was taking all classes in one grade out at the same time and not really having a "true" PE class. The change lets us, the teachers in one grade, take our on class out at 8:30 now for a "recess" time and the PE time will now be at the same time as one of the special classes. In this way the PE teacher can have a true PE class with one class at a time and we will have an afternoon break every day and not just Monday through Thursday. In other words all the teachers in my grade can now plan together all five days. Of course, we can't this week because we will each need to assist the librarian on the day our students go to the library. They will be allowed to check out books for the first time. We always have to help the computer lab teacher which means that we will not be able to meet with the other teachers in our grade on the day our classes go to the computer lab. Oh, that is the other special class that I didn't remember earlier!
Class seemed to be going fine. I still feel unsure about a lot. I am comfortable with the start of the day and my morning activities. I really don't know if I'm following the math program or spelling program in the manner that is expected within our school district. We were told last week that we would be changing our reading program so I'll be learning that along with my co-workers. The resource teacher will be pulling my students all day long to test them to determine the level I need to start them in our new program. I'm eager to see her results. I have my observations and have an idea after the first week about which ones are my higher students and which ones are a little low. I believe most teachers with experience can make some close observations during the first week and can have some close estimations. I'll see how close I am when I receive her results.
Lucky me! I got a new student on Monday! Now, I have fifteen girls and ten boys. This is a very active group of students. They can be very loud. I am not a teacher who likes to yell. I don't yell. I also don't like talking loudly. It makes my head hurt. I caught my self trying to talk over my students today as I was giving instructions. Several times I stopped, did my little clapping routine, and quieted my students down in order to talk to them in a normal voice. Each time I did that, I explained that I didn't like having to talk loudly because it made my head hurt. Well, needless to say that by the end of the day, I did have a headache. It actually started around 1:40 or so and by 4:00, I didn't think I could hold my head up. Of course, I needed to stay at school and plan. I didn't have any medicine with me. However, one of my dear teacher friends who teaches one of the upper grades in my school suffers from migraine headaches and takes the same medicine that I take, did have her medicine. I took one pill but even after an hour I didn't feel any relief. I knew that I had to head home. When I have these headaches, the only way to I can get rid of it is to take the medicine and go to sleep. I got home around 5:00 p.m. I washed my face and climbed into bed. After about three hours, I woke up. My headache was not complete gone but it was not hurting anything like earlier. The horrible nauseous feeling was definitely gone. My husband who had learned not to bother me when I go to bed with a migraine, had cooked a delicious supper and had a plate waiting for me. I ate, brushed my teeth, and went back to bed. I did wake up every two hours to make a bathroom trip...... Anyway, when I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to begin my next day, my head was fine.
Tuesday and Wednesday were busy days. I had to adapt to and am still trying to adapt to the new schedule. I almost missed my music break today. Thank goodness the music teacher buzzed the office and asked them to call down to my room. I also used these days to review the rules for our class. I have already made a change to the rules that the students "helped" me create. The rules needed to be more specific. I wanted to make sure that if they were punished for breaking a rule that they could identify the exact rule broken. I also have several good behavior incentives implemented. Of course, I have an awesome "Treasure Box" filled with all kinds of toys and other desirable items. The only way to have access to the treasure box is by not breaking a rule all week long. This week is the first time any one will have an opportunity to pick from the treasure box. It will be interesting to see how many make it. I was pretty lenient Monday and a little tighter with behavior and following the rules on Tuesday. Well today, gum balls fell like crazy!
I am using a gum ball machine as a behavior chart. Each child has a gum ball with his/her name on it. The first time the gum ball falls, it is simply a warning. The next two times, I remove the student from the activity and provide "time out." However, the fourth time the student breaks one of the rules, he or she calls home to explain to a parent what rules are being broken. I don't tell the parents. I let the students have that responsibility. If the student is the one breaking the rules, that student should be the one making the call. My first student to have the pleasure of calling home was one of my boys. After he finished talking to his mom, I took the phone and spoke to her. Let's just say my little fellow probably had very little control over his own behavior. Some times there are reasons for what students do. Well, today I had another child, a different child, make it to "Call Home." Yes, it may take a few trips to the office to call home but my students will learn that this is what will happen and most likely I won't have to make many more trips to the office for this reason. Now, I'm sure you're probably wondering about what will happen next, right? Well, I do have another level for the falling gum ball and that last level is "Office." Of course, I have rarely had to send a student to the "Office" because usually they settle down after they talk to a parent! Oh, did I mention that the only time we can call home is during my one break.............. I just had to tell you that. Well, that is almost always the case. Tuesday, I actually did it during the day. When the assistant principal walked down the hall, I saw her and asked if she would stay with my students while they were in centers so that I could take my student to the office to call home. Of course, she didn't mind and I took advantage of that opportunity.
Well, today I felt really good about my morning activities. I feel like I'm getting more on top of the curriculum I have to cover. I started to understand how the math and spelling programs work. I will be going to a training on Monday to learn exactly how the math program is set up. I stayed after school until about 6:30 p.m. today with the grade chair teacher preparing our lesson plans for next week. I have been attempting to have centers since Tuesday. Today, the center activities went a little smoother than they have the first two days. However, I have decided that tomorrow I will focus more on the procedures for going to the centers and changing centers. I will also focus more on stopping the noise level before it starts to rise. This may take another week or so but I'm determined to make center activity part of my teaching. I know that this is important.
On Sunday, after I got off my part-time job, I headed to the school to finish up things that I didn't do on Friday. I found the materials that needed to be copied in the box beside my door. The teachers I work with stayed late on Friday, when I had to leave and pulled everything. I agreed to copy the material for all of us. I also worked on revising my schedule because our new principal had made some changes. Remember, I told you in the last blog that I had two breaks each day. One was at 8:00 and that was PE and the other was after lunch with our special classes like library, music, character education, and (I can't think of the other one.)....... Well, the PE teacher was taking all classes in one grade out at the same time and not really having a "true" PE class. The change lets us, the teachers in one grade, take our on class out at 8:30 now for a "recess" time and the PE time will now be at the same time as one of the special classes. In this way the PE teacher can have a true PE class with one class at a time and we will have an afternoon break every day and not just Monday through Thursday. In other words all the teachers in my grade can now plan together all five days. Of course, we can't this week because we will each need to assist the librarian on the day our students go to the library. They will be allowed to check out books for the first time. We always have to help the computer lab teacher which means that we will not be able to meet with the other teachers in our grade on the day our classes go to the computer lab. Oh, that is the other special class that I didn't remember earlier!
Class seemed to be going fine. I still feel unsure about a lot. I am comfortable with the start of the day and my morning activities. I really don't know if I'm following the math program or spelling program in the manner that is expected within our school district. We were told last week that we would be changing our reading program so I'll be learning that along with my co-workers. The resource teacher will be pulling my students all day long to test them to determine the level I need to start them in our new program. I'm eager to see her results. I have my observations and have an idea after the first week about which ones are my higher students and which ones are a little low. I believe most teachers with experience can make some close observations during the first week and can have some close estimations. I'll see how close I am when I receive her results.
Lucky me! I got a new student on Monday! Now, I have fifteen girls and ten boys. This is a very active group of students. They can be very loud. I am not a teacher who likes to yell. I don't yell. I also don't like talking loudly. It makes my head hurt. I caught my self trying to talk over my students today as I was giving instructions. Several times I stopped, did my little clapping routine, and quieted my students down in order to talk to them in a normal voice. Each time I did that, I explained that I didn't like having to talk loudly because it made my head hurt. Well, needless to say that by the end of the day, I did have a headache. It actually started around 1:40 or so and by 4:00, I didn't think I could hold my head up. Of course, I needed to stay at school and plan. I didn't have any medicine with me. However, one of my dear teacher friends who teaches one of the upper grades in my school suffers from migraine headaches and takes the same medicine that I take, did have her medicine. I took one pill but even after an hour I didn't feel any relief. I knew that I had to head home. When I have these headaches, the only way to I can get rid of it is to take the medicine and go to sleep. I got home around 5:00 p.m. I washed my face and climbed into bed. After about three hours, I woke up. My headache was not complete gone but it was not hurting anything like earlier. The horrible nauseous feeling was definitely gone. My husband who had learned not to bother me when I go to bed with a migraine, had cooked a delicious supper and had a plate waiting for me. I ate, brushed my teeth, and went back to bed. I did wake up every two hours to make a bathroom trip...... Anyway, when I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to begin my next day, my head was fine.
Tuesday and Wednesday were busy days. I had to adapt to and am still trying to adapt to the new schedule. I almost missed my music break today. Thank goodness the music teacher buzzed the office and asked them to call down to my room. I also used these days to review the rules for our class. I have already made a change to the rules that the students "helped" me create. The rules needed to be more specific. I wanted to make sure that if they were punished for breaking a rule that they could identify the exact rule broken. I also have several good behavior incentives implemented. Of course, I have an awesome "Treasure Box" filled with all kinds of toys and other desirable items. The only way to have access to the treasure box is by not breaking a rule all week long. This week is the first time any one will have an opportunity to pick from the treasure box. It will be interesting to see how many make it. I was pretty lenient Monday and a little tighter with behavior and following the rules on Tuesday. Well today, gum balls fell like crazy!
I am using a gum ball machine as a behavior chart. Each child has a gum ball with his/her name on it. The first time the gum ball falls, it is simply a warning. The next two times, I remove the student from the activity and provide "time out." However, the fourth time the student breaks one of the rules, he or she calls home to explain to a parent what rules are being broken. I don't tell the parents. I let the students have that responsibility. If the student is the one breaking the rules, that student should be the one making the call. My first student to have the pleasure of calling home was one of my boys. After he finished talking to his mom, I took the phone and spoke to her. Let's just say my little fellow probably had very little control over his own behavior. Some times there are reasons for what students do. Well, today I had another child, a different child, make it to "Call Home." Yes, it may take a few trips to the office to call home but my students will learn that this is what will happen and most likely I won't have to make many more trips to the office for this reason. Now, I'm sure you're probably wondering about what will happen next, right? Well, I do have another level for the falling gum ball and that last level is "Office." Of course, I have rarely had to send a student to the "Office" because usually they settle down after they talk to a parent! Oh, did I mention that the only time we can call home is during my one break.............. I just had to tell you that. Well, that is almost always the case. Tuesday, I actually did it during the day. When the assistant principal walked down the hall, I saw her and asked if she would stay with my students while they were in centers so that I could take my student to the office to call home. Of course, she didn't mind and I took advantage of that opportunity.
Well, today I felt really good about my morning activities. I feel like I'm getting more on top of the curriculum I have to cover. I started to understand how the math and spelling programs work. I will be going to a training on Monday to learn exactly how the math program is set up. I stayed after school until about 6:30 p.m. today with the grade chair teacher preparing our lesson plans for next week. I have been attempting to have centers since Tuesday. Today, the center activities went a little smoother than they have the first two days. However, I have decided that tomorrow I will focus more on the procedures for going to the centers and changing centers. I will also focus more on stopping the noise level before it starts to rise. This may take another week or so but I'm determined to make center activity part of my teaching. I know that this is important.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
End of First Week
Wow! The first week of school with my students is over. I have so many thoughts running through my head. This week has been exciting, exhausting, and memorable.
First off, I have to say that I was and am extremely tired! I have 24 students who have shown up and are definitely in my class. Oh, did I mention that I have these sweet students ALL by myself! Yes, that would let you know the reason why I'm so tired. I have started each morning at 4:30 and been at the school by 6:30. The students arrive starting at 7:00 and leave at 2:30. I DON'T and haven't sat down while they are with me except for about 10 minutes at lunch. Now, I do have a PE break each day and another short break 4 days during the week (not on Friday) and I do sit down after taking my restroom break and any running around I need to do during that time. I haven't left my school before 8:00 on Mon. through Wed. this week.
On Thursday, I did not make a post because one of my sisters picked me up at school and took me to meet my oldest sister who had purchased tickets for us to go to the Chicago (the band) concert! I was so tired on Thursday afternoon that I was tempted to call and tell her that I needed to stay at school and get some work done. (I can't do it with my students there because they demand my attention. And I'm not kidding.) Well, my sister picked me up and brought my husband to get my car. Then we headed to the concert. The concert was in a town about an hour and a half away and my husband didn't want me driving home after the concert for fear that I would fall asleep while driving. He knows me so well. I haven't had much sleep this week and he knows that at some point I'm going to go to sleep no matter what I'm doing! The concert was awesome but I will admit that during the concert there were times that my mind drifted by to my classroom and what I SHOULD be doing..... Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and my sister bought me a concert t-shirt for my birthday which isn't here yet! I had a wonderful time and my husband picked me up at 10:00. As soon as I got in the car, I leaned my seat back and quickly drifted off. I woke up only once on the drive home and that was because my neck was starting to hurt and I had to find my neck pillow. It didn't take long to fall back to sleep. I woke up when we got home and went straight to bed. Man, was I tired!!!!!
Four-thirty came really fast! I was at school early waiting for the door to be unlocked. I needed to make sure everything was ready before my students arrived. At 6:30 the custodian pulled up and unlocked the door. (Yes, the custodian has a key.) I don't know where the time goes. It is 7:00 and my first student, a high school teacher's child, is in my room and not long after that the first bus rolls in and drops off more students. I do get a few morning tasks done but not many. I seem to be having technical difficulties with my SMART Board. I'll plan to call SMART tech support after school.
I write morning instructions on the board. Of course, my students haven't learned to read and follow instructions very well. I believe this is typical of my grade students. I remember that this was the case many years ago. I guess some things never change! With that in mind, I look forward to "after Christmas" when I remember that they grow up and are much more independent! Anyway, I know that I must be consistent. The day flies by and it is time for my students to leave.
After I walk my students to their buses, I meet with my grade teachers to talk about what we are doing and plan for next week. We all agree that our students need consistency and much review over skills taught last year. We also determine that we may need to make some changes in our methods of teaching to meet their needs. We plan to review next week what we covered this week. We will all work more on helping the students learn our routines, rules, and procedures in an effort to have a successful year. I had to leave because I also work a part-time job on the weekends which start on Friday. I must leave by 4:00 in order to get to work on time. We agree that they will pull any materials to be copied and I'll take care of them this weekend or early Monday morning. I leave and my co-workers stay and continue to plan.
First off, I have to say that I was and am extremely tired! I have 24 students who have shown up and are definitely in my class. Oh, did I mention that I have these sweet students ALL by myself! Yes, that would let you know the reason why I'm so tired. I have started each morning at 4:30 and been at the school by 6:30. The students arrive starting at 7:00 and leave at 2:30. I DON'T and haven't sat down while they are with me except for about 10 minutes at lunch. Now, I do have a PE break each day and another short break 4 days during the week (not on Friday) and I do sit down after taking my restroom break and any running around I need to do during that time. I haven't left my school before 8:00 on Mon. through Wed. this week.
On Thursday, I did not make a post because one of my sisters picked me up at school and took me to meet my oldest sister who had purchased tickets for us to go to the Chicago (the band) concert! I was so tired on Thursday afternoon that I was tempted to call and tell her that I needed to stay at school and get some work done. (I can't do it with my students there because they demand my attention. And I'm not kidding.) Well, my sister picked me up and brought my husband to get my car. Then we headed to the concert. The concert was in a town about an hour and a half away and my husband didn't want me driving home after the concert for fear that I would fall asleep while driving. He knows me so well. I haven't had much sleep this week and he knows that at some point I'm going to go to sleep no matter what I'm doing! The concert was awesome but I will admit that during the concert there were times that my mind drifted by to my classroom and what I SHOULD be doing..... Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and my sister bought me a concert t-shirt for my birthday which isn't here yet! I had a wonderful time and my husband picked me up at 10:00. As soon as I got in the car, I leaned my seat back and quickly drifted off. I woke up only once on the drive home and that was because my neck was starting to hurt and I had to find my neck pillow. It didn't take long to fall back to sleep. I woke up when we got home and went straight to bed. Man, was I tired!!!!!
Four-thirty came really fast! I was at school early waiting for the door to be unlocked. I needed to make sure everything was ready before my students arrived. At 6:30 the custodian pulled up and unlocked the door. (Yes, the custodian has a key.) I don't know where the time goes. It is 7:00 and my first student, a high school teacher's child, is in my room and not long after that the first bus rolls in and drops off more students. I do get a few morning tasks done but not many. I seem to be having technical difficulties with my SMART Board. I'll plan to call SMART tech support after school.
I write morning instructions on the board. Of course, my students haven't learned to read and follow instructions very well. I believe this is typical of my grade students. I remember that this was the case many years ago. I guess some things never change! With that in mind, I look forward to "after Christmas" when I remember that they grow up and are much more independent! Anyway, I know that I must be consistent. The day flies by and it is time for my students to leave.
After I walk my students to their buses, I meet with my grade teachers to talk about what we are doing and plan for next week. We all agree that our students need consistency and much review over skills taught last year. We also determine that we may need to make some changes in our methods of teaching to meet their needs. We plan to review next week what we covered this week. We will all work more on helping the students learn our routines, rules, and procedures in an effort to have a successful year. I had to leave because I also work a part-time job on the weekends which start on Friday. I must leave by 4:00 in order to get to work on time. We agree that they will pull any materials to be copied and I'll take care of them this weekend or early Monday morning. I leave and my co-workers stay and continue to plan.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Open House? Already.
We must be really special! Yesterday was the second day of school and also our official "Open House!" Don’t forget that we JUST had our “Sneak Peek” where our parents could come and meet us and bring school supplies. I stayed at school until 8:10. Then, I had to make a Dollar Tree run. I couldn't find everything that I needed, more specifically - yellow, green, and blue electrical tape. Yes, this is for school. I did make it to the store before it closed and stayed until it closed. Then I headed to Wally World. Of course, I was able to find my beautiful electrical tape at Wal-Mart, but I also paid almost $3.00 more for it! While I was walking around the store, all I could think about was to get home and take off my shoes because my feet hurt so badly! You have to understand that for two days, I have stood on my feet the entire day with the exception of a couple of minutes when I went to the restroom and met with the other teachers in my grade. When I got home, I tried to write this blog and was so extremely tired that I was falling asleep as I was typing. I finally decided to save the first three sentences and just write it tonight.
Well, I arrived at work yesterday at 6:30 a.m. I had so much to do. When the students arrived, I started class with the calendar activities. I try to incorporate graphing, comparing numbers of girls & boys, and counting. Then, I spent more time reviewing the classroom rules. I am thankful that I have a PE break at 8:00 am because I have the opportunity to do anything that I may have forgotten about the night before or early in the morning when I first arrive. Anyway, I have been meeting with the other teachers in my grade and discussing what we are doing in class both for academic activities as well as for controlling behavior. After our break, we worked on reading/phonics and writing. I actually had my students write the ABC both upper and lower case letters as I walked around and observed. From what I had already seen based on the writing during the first day, I knew that writing (legibly) was a week area. I gave them print handwriting paper. Not only did the students not form the letters correctly, but also many of the students didn’t hold their pencils correctly. This little assessment made me aware that I would have to focus more on letter formation. When students finished this math assessment, I let them work in groups of two or three, playing adding games using double dice. They really love this and it gave me an opportunity to see how they followed my instructions in a less formal setting. I have several children who I will have to make sure that they stay on task which was the case in this activity even though it was an activity that you would think would keep all students involved. I also have a couple of students who have a lot of energy. I will need to provide plenty of movement activities. I have been using music as transition cues and that seems to work.
I tried to provide some activities that the students could do independently and free me so that I could do some things in preparation for Open House. I failed. My students NEEDED my help. During my afternoon break, I met with the other teachers in my grade to discuss what we would do for Open House. We figured that we spend a few minutes with our own parents and then we would put them all together and discuss our newsletter. We planned to work on that later.
After school, the teachers in my grade did meet together. We wrote our newsletter and planned who would discuss each topic. I had a few minutes so I threw together a slideshow containing pictures that I had taken of my students during these first two days. I even had some pictures of my students with their parents. I set the slideshow to play continually. Then I hurried to help do a few things for my co-worker who was working on the Prezi. The parents started coming a little after 6:00 even though our Open House was not scheduled to start until 6:30 p.m. Our new principal kicked off the meeting in the cafeteria. Of course she introduced us and then sent us to our rooms. I'm not sure what the parents were told but I'm certain that she told them how excited she was to have the opportunity to work at our school. After the parents were released from the cafeteria, they came to our rooms. We talked to them a little individually and answered some specific questions and then we had all of our parents go in the same room and we used a Prezi to highlight details of the topics in the newsletter that we passed out. I thought we had an awesome turnout. However, after looking at my "sign in" sheet, I noticed that several of the parents who had attended the "Sneak Peek" had not returned for our Open House. I think my grade was the very last to leave the building. We kept our parents long enough to go through the newsletter, explaining our expectations in regards to both academics and behavior. In all my years of teaching, I believe this may have been the best "Open House" in which I've participated.
Monday, August 8, 2011
First Day with Students
All I can say is "Man, am I tired!"
I had great plans for the day. I arrived at school at 6:15 and no one was there so I pulled my laptop out of the bag and logged into the district's wifi and began working on a voki I wanted to use in my class. I didn't have a chance to work on that last night. I was too busy updating 3 iPod Touches with music to use for Math, Reading, Movement activities, and transitions. I also burned the transitions songs to a CD. I wanted to give each one of my grade teachers an iPod Touch to use and the CD to install the music on their computer. I used my travel time to work on clipping pieces of music for special activities. I have a piece of a song for group time, for lining up, etc. One that was extremely useful today was the "Freeze" segment. I just wanted you to know that I did work on school stuff even though I was not at the school. I believe this 7 to 3 job with summers off is actually a 24 hour/ 7 day a week job with 2 months off!
When all of my students finally got to school, I had a total of 25 babies. I'm sure that number will change this first week. Boy, do I have a couple of lively ones! It is funny how your memory works. Some things I can remember like it was yesterday and other things I've simply forgotten. An example is this. I can remember that when I taught this grade years ago, I could not believe how much my students changed over Christmas. After Christmas, they could do so much more by themselves. However, I couldn't or didn't remember how little they could do for themselves when they first started school. I know that I haven't told you the grade that I teach but I'm sure your getting the idea that it isn't junior high!
Today, when my students who rode the bus to school arrived, no one documented which bus they rode. (In one of the other schools where I worked, the teachers on bus duty wrote the bus number on the students' hand when they got off the bus. That didn't happen at this school. (This will mean more to you later.) Since I do not have a teaching assistant, I had to take up the supplies that my 13 or so students brought (you know the ones who didn't come on the "Sneak Peek" night. Did I tell you that I am the only adult in this classroom? Yes indeed. I was hopping from one place to the other. My students are soooooo NOT independent! I could only check off the supplies for a couple of children at a time and then I would have to help students with what I thought were really easy first day tasks. Boy, do I have a lot to learn. I will tell you that I'm revamping the lesson plans. I can tell right now that what we as a group had planned is not appropriate for the students we are teaching. Needless to say, I didn't get done everything or even half of what I planned to do. Now, let me tell you some of what happened today.
First, I had parents bringing in students and supplies. I had expected that. Everything was rolling fine. Then I had a student to start crying. I didn't expect that! I have a little experience with handling the separation anxiety and after a while. Thank goodness I have a break at 8:00 a.m. Yes, I know school started at 7:30 but students were getting to school at 7:00 and I haven't done this in fourteen years. I REALLY needed that break! No, I didn't head to the lounge. Heck, I don't even know where the lounge is in this school. I did head back to my class. I needed to check off some more of the students supplies. I also had a technical problem with my interactive whiteboard. My computer did not recognize the hardware. I ran the connection wizard to no avail. I decided that I could make do without the interactivity and I'd call tech support after school. Now that I wasted my time, I headed back to get my students.
I spent a great deal of time letting them help me create the rules (that I wanted) for our class. One of my students complimented me on my handwriting. After taking up one written assignment from them today, I now realize that I MUST focus on penmanship. We will have to work on the proper way to form letters and spelling. Man do I have my work cut out for me.
After going over the rules, I spent a lot of time describing the consequences and rewards. My students loved my "Treasure Box" and were eager to find out what was inside. I only showed them one toy - the whizzer. You know the spinning disc that makes a whizzing sound when you pull the string. The LOVED it! I also told them that they would have to earn the right to see what other cool items were inside the treasure box.
When we finished learning all about behavior expectations, rewards, consequences, and procedures, it was lunch time. I had a piece of paper that told the table numbers for each teacher. I get to the cafeteria and no tables are numbered..... So, I start inquiring about how the tables are numbered. It would be nice if tables actually had numbers on them. Next, I plan to keep all my students in line so that we can go through the lunch line in an orderly fashion and one of my students who brings her lunch told me that students who bring their lunch can NOT go through the line. I sure wish that I knew this a little earlier. I didn't want to be reprimanded so I quickly redirected these students to our table. I was so proud of my students because they were really good AND quiet AND still while we were in the cafeteria. Of course, I was walking here and there and did not have time to sit down. I certainly didn't have time to eat. I thought that I would use my extra time to focus on getting a bus rider list ready. I would guess that I sat down for about ten minutes. No, I didn't get the bus list ready. I only had information for about 14 of my students. I did all I could on this during lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to class. We did take time to stop by the restroom. I had forty minutes. I read to my students and talked more about rules for the restroom and hall. We reviewed the rules for the classroom. I read to books to them. One of the books was a big book that one of my classes wrote and illustrated in 1995. My students were amazed and commented on how good my students did on the illustrations. Thank goodness I had another break! It was library time.
I headed to the library with my students. I reminded my students about what I expected of them as far as behavior was concerned and told the librarian what a wonderful group of students I had and then I left them with her! I had some major stuff to take care of during this break. I HAD to find out what buses my students needed to get on when bus rider time approached. I took my list of students and bus/car information that I had and made a bee line toward the office. I knew that I would find help there. It appeared that the bus routes had also changed. Well, I was right. I did get help and was relieved to have transportation information for ALL of my students. Now, I won't know if that information was in fact correct until tomorrow morning.
When I went back to the library to pick up my students, the librarian commented on how good my class is. I do have several active students and one who does love to touch others. I will spend more time helping him learn the rule "Keep your body to yourself." Hopefully this won't take the whole year but you never know! I walked my students back to my class. We had the handbook to go over and we also had another coloring activity sheet. I set the timer after I thought they had plenty of time to finish. However, only a very few students were finished. I decided that I would reward them for finishing and doing a really good job. I had those students go to the carpet to play a game with music moving your body. Several children decided to hurry for fear that they wouldn't get to play the game. I did hang the sheets on the "Whale of a job!" board since they had finished.
Please don't think that my students were perfect today because they were not. They were much louder than they should have been. I worked really hard on trying to help them learn to use their whisper inside voices but this too will be a daunting task!
Finally, it was time to send car riders and then line up to go the buses. Now, I lined my students up and we walked in a straight line to the buses. However, when we got to the door and there were several other classes going to the buses at the same time. We walked by about 3 buses and then I couldn't find approximately 5 of my students. As I continued around the bus lot, I did locate them on their buses. They had simply ran ahead of me and I was unaware of it because of the congestion going to the buses. This is definitely on my list of items to discuss with my students.
After school was dismissed, we had a short faculty meeting with all teachers and assistants. Remember, this principal is new to our school and this is only her 2nd day. She had a lot to tell us and I made notes of everything. After we were finished, I hurried to my room because I still have that problem with the interactive whiteboard! I called the tech support line for the board and found out that there is an update. Well, I was put on hold for well over 15 minutes. When I finally got a person, I was told that I needed to delete the software from my computer and reinstall a newer version. I started the process but had to leave because it was taking too long. I plan to go early again in the morning and finish that installation. Hopefully my "SMARTboard" problem will be resolved and I can do some cool interactive activities to help with the attention span issue of my students.
As you can tell, I had a very busy day today. I didn't sit down except for that very short time in the cafeteria. Overall, I do think that I have a really wonderful group of students. I'll spend this week really reviewing rules, procedures, and expectations. Hopefully, my students will learn the routines and we can begin to focus on increasing their attention span and skill level.
I had great plans for the day. I arrived at school at 6:15 and no one was there so I pulled my laptop out of the bag and logged into the district's wifi and began working on a voki I wanted to use in my class. I didn't have a chance to work on that last night. I was too busy updating 3 iPod Touches with music to use for Math, Reading, Movement activities, and transitions. I also burned the transitions songs to a CD. I wanted to give each one of my grade teachers an iPod Touch to use and the CD to install the music on their computer. I used my travel time to work on clipping pieces of music for special activities. I have a piece of a song for group time, for lining up, etc. One that was extremely useful today was the "Freeze" segment. I just wanted you to know that I did work on school stuff even though I was not at the school. I believe this 7 to 3 job with summers off is actually a 24 hour/ 7 day a week job with 2 months off!
When all of my students finally got to school, I had a total of 25 babies. I'm sure that number will change this first week. Boy, do I have a couple of lively ones! It is funny how your memory works. Some things I can remember like it was yesterday and other things I've simply forgotten. An example is this. I can remember that when I taught this grade years ago, I could not believe how much my students changed over Christmas. After Christmas, they could do so much more by themselves. However, I couldn't or didn't remember how little they could do for themselves when they first started school. I know that I haven't told you the grade that I teach but I'm sure your getting the idea that it isn't junior high!
Today, when my students who rode the bus to school arrived, no one documented which bus they rode. (In one of the other schools where I worked, the teachers on bus duty wrote the bus number on the students' hand when they got off the bus. That didn't happen at this school. (This will mean more to you later.) Since I do not have a teaching assistant, I had to take up the supplies that my 13 or so students brought (you know the ones who didn't come on the "Sneak Peek" night. Did I tell you that I am the only adult in this classroom? Yes indeed. I was hopping from one place to the other. My students are soooooo NOT independent! I could only check off the supplies for a couple of children at a time and then I would have to help students with what I thought were really easy first day tasks. Boy, do I have a lot to learn. I will tell you that I'm revamping the lesson plans. I can tell right now that what we as a group had planned is not appropriate for the students we are teaching. Needless to say, I didn't get done everything or even half of what I planned to do. Now, let me tell you some of what happened today.
First, I had parents bringing in students and supplies. I had expected that. Everything was rolling fine. Then I had a student to start crying. I didn't expect that! I have a little experience with handling the separation anxiety and after a while. Thank goodness I have a break at 8:00 a.m. Yes, I know school started at 7:30 but students were getting to school at 7:00 and I haven't done this in fourteen years. I REALLY needed that break! No, I didn't head to the lounge. Heck, I don't even know where the lounge is in this school. I did head back to my class. I needed to check off some more of the students supplies. I also had a technical problem with my interactive whiteboard. My computer did not recognize the hardware. I ran the connection wizard to no avail. I decided that I could make do without the interactivity and I'd call tech support after school. Now that I wasted my time, I headed back to get my students.
I spent a great deal of time letting them help me create the rules (that I wanted) for our class. One of my students complimented me on my handwriting. After taking up one written assignment from them today, I now realize that I MUST focus on penmanship. We will have to work on the proper way to form letters and spelling. Man do I have my work cut out for me.
After going over the rules, I spent a lot of time describing the consequences and rewards. My students loved my "Treasure Box" and were eager to find out what was inside. I only showed them one toy - the whizzer. You know the spinning disc that makes a whizzing sound when you pull the string. The LOVED it! I also told them that they would have to earn the right to see what other cool items were inside the treasure box.
When we finished learning all about behavior expectations, rewards, consequences, and procedures, it was lunch time. I had a piece of paper that told the table numbers for each teacher. I get to the cafeteria and no tables are numbered..... So, I start inquiring about how the tables are numbered. It would be nice if tables actually had numbers on them. Next, I plan to keep all my students in line so that we can go through the lunch line in an orderly fashion and one of my students who brings her lunch told me that students who bring their lunch can NOT go through the line. I sure wish that I knew this a little earlier. I didn't want to be reprimanded so I quickly redirected these students to our table. I was so proud of my students because they were really good AND quiet AND still while we were in the cafeteria. Of course, I was walking here and there and did not have time to sit down. I certainly didn't have time to eat. I thought that I would use my extra time to focus on getting a bus rider list ready. I would guess that I sat down for about ten minutes. No, I didn't get the bus list ready. I only had information for about 14 of my students. I did all I could on this during lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to class. We did take time to stop by the restroom. I had forty minutes. I read to my students and talked more about rules for the restroom and hall. We reviewed the rules for the classroom. I read to books to them. One of the books was a big book that one of my classes wrote and illustrated in 1995. My students were amazed and commented on how good my students did on the illustrations. Thank goodness I had another break! It was library time.
I headed to the library with my students. I reminded my students about what I expected of them as far as behavior was concerned and told the librarian what a wonderful group of students I had and then I left them with her! I had some major stuff to take care of during this break. I HAD to find out what buses my students needed to get on when bus rider time approached. I took my list of students and bus/car information that I had and made a bee line toward the office. I knew that I would find help there. It appeared that the bus routes had also changed. Well, I was right. I did get help and was relieved to have transportation information for ALL of my students. Now, I won't know if that information was in fact correct until tomorrow morning.
When I went back to the library to pick up my students, the librarian commented on how good my class is. I do have several active students and one who does love to touch others. I will spend more time helping him learn the rule "Keep your body to yourself." Hopefully this won't take the whole year but you never know! I walked my students back to my class. We had the handbook to go over and we also had another coloring activity sheet. I set the timer after I thought they had plenty of time to finish. However, only a very few students were finished. I decided that I would reward them for finishing and doing a really good job. I had those students go to the carpet to play a game with music moving your body. Several children decided to hurry for fear that they wouldn't get to play the game. I did hang the sheets on the "Whale of a job!" board since they had finished.
Please don't think that my students were perfect today because they were not. They were much louder than they should have been. I worked really hard on trying to help them learn to use their whisper inside voices but this too will be a daunting task!
Finally, it was time to send car riders and then line up to go the buses. Now, I lined my students up and we walked in a straight line to the buses. However, when we got to the door and there were several other classes going to the buses at the same time. We walked by about 3 buses and then I couldn't find approximately 5 of my students. As I continued around the bus lot, I did locate them on their buses. They had simply ran ahead of me and I was unaware of it because of the congestion going to the buses. This is definitely on my list of items to discuss with my students.
After school was dismissed, we had a short faculty meeting with all teachers and assistants. Remember, this principal is new to our school and this is only her 2nd day. She had a lot to tell us and I made notes of everything. After we were finished, I hurried to my room because I still have that problem with the interactive whiteboard! I called the tech support line for the board and found out that there is an update. Well, I was put on hold for well over 15 minutes. When I finally got a person, I was told that I needed to delete the software from my computer and reinstall a newer version. I started the process but had to leave because it was taking too long. I plan to go early again in the morning and finish that installation. Hopefully my "SMARTboard" problem will be resolved and I can do some cool interactive activities to help with the attention span issue of my students.
As you can tell, I had a very busy day today. I didn't sit down except for that very short time in the cafeteria. Overall, I do think that I have a really wonderful group of students. I'll spend this week really reviewing rules, procedures, and expectations. Hopefully, my students will learn the routines and we can begin to focus on increasing their attention span and skill level.
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