Happy Hump Day

Highlights/Low-lights:

• Alphabet video for the kids :)
• poems to parents and turkeys with markers and traced hands :)
• literacy groups :(-- Play-doh center did not work out with the new mats...
• math groups with feathers/addition/dot-to-dot fish worked well :)
• math calendar journals after afternoon specials= golden :)
• getting trapped in school gossiping/rivalries... :/
• corrected and marked HW for yesterday and today during CPT = big help :)
• catching bathroom culprits by tallying # of times in the BR at the door...lots of work, but keeps them on track  o_o
• one of my kids might move away :( 

Biggest concerns:

• p/t conference on Friday
• Grade K quarterly math assessments-- finishing them on time!
• meeting with my director tomorrow morning @ 7:15am -.-
• results of the Grade 1 math quarterly assessments

Photos:

Something so simple can engage my kids and make them so excited. :)

First Parent Conferences of My Career

Parent/Teacher conferences are almost over!!  Just a couple more to schedule and meet with, and then I will be done...woohoo!

Highlights/Low-lights today:

• Parent/Teacher conferences weren't too, too bad-- My voice started shaking a couple of times thought...
• "Little Pilgrim" poems came out cute...messier than I thought though...next time, I'm going to make hats and caps out of construction paper to glue on instead of all that coloring.
• I made the songbooks from Reach for each student; so that lesson went smoothly today with the liaison.

Biggest Concerns:

• my first formal evaluation write-up
• Gr. K 1st quarter assessments
• grading Gr 1's quarterly assessments
• K's math test on Friday
• my meeting on Thursday morning...womp womp

Photos from today:

"Little Pilgrims" song

Longest Work Day Thus Far!

...meaning I spent 14 hours of my life at school today...holy smokes! My legs are so sore, and I might be so tired; but I still have things to do! Conferences 1-3, 5:30-8pm tomorrow, and I'm freaking out!  Oh well, today was a good day, and I think I am just going to ride that wave until Friday. 8-)

Highlights/Low-lights:

• I am going to break some rules and add some photos of the kids' work today because they are just so cute!  The holiday season is coming up, and I am loving the Thanksgiving activities and crafts. :)
• First parent/conference down...14 to go.  
• My four kiddos on behavior charts all stayed on green today-- silent cheer. :)
• My aide helped me get the 1st grade Quarterly Math assessments done-- she is awesome. :)
• Time flies during the kids lunch/recess break of the day...
• I like doing math calendar journals after specials in the afternoon-- it helps to wind them down. 
• The "Thanksgiving Words" brainstorm went really well...the kids have no idea what I'm talking about because most of them have never heard of the holiday!  Some just learned that it's called a "turkey," not a "chicken"...

Biggest concerns:

• nervous about my liaison coming in this week...what am I doing wrong? what am I doing right?
• parent/teacher conferences...can it be Wednesday already?
• Report cards for Grades 1 due the first week of Dec...ay yi yi
• MTELs still...
• Category trainings

Photos today:

"I am thankful for..."

Better Today

Today was a well-organized and just overall better day for me and the kids.  Moods (and colds) are so contagious in our room...when I'm happy, they're happy; when they're sick, I get sick...like right now. :/

Highlights/Low-lights:

• My Counting and Letter ID videos are WORKING!!  The kids were singing along today, and they recognized the tune and lyrics (obviously just counting 1-100 and the ABCs)...SOOO exciting!  I had to video record them for a big of the Big Number Song video because they were just so gosh darn cute!
• My L respected my lessons for the most part today, and I think we will be able to work out our differences over time by reaching a compromise about the "right" instruction for these kids.
• I can't wait to get my Math Wall updated with the student glossary pages I found the other day...It will help expose students to math throughout the day (whenever eyes wander and aren't paying attention to me!).
• Assessments are on my brain, but at least the kids are getting better at doing small group assessments and each others privacy (for the most part). 
• Parent/Teacher conferences start on Monday at 3:30 for me; then 1-3 and 5:30-8pm on Tuesday-- gonna be a long week, my friends!
• Thanksgiving activities are so much fun-- love getting crafty in my classroom! :)
• My aide videotaped me for my grad class today during read aloud and story mapping, and it is so funny to see the lesson on the flip-side! HAH! I am still cracking up while watching it.  Tooo funny.  "Where does the story take place?  What is the setting?  Where are the characters?" "In the chicken?" Oh goshh.

Biggest concerns:

• Quarterly assessments for K and Grade 1
• ZPD of students...making sure that I'm helping them to progress!
• P/T conferences obvi-- I hope I have enough student data and that I say the right things!

Photos today:

(Fine motor) Owls with 2 chalk circles and shredded construction paper

Psycho-crazy Wednesday

Today did not feel like a Wednesday, and I was on-edge aLL daY...

Highlights/Low-lights:

• I hate having other professionals come into my classroom and judge me, my para, and my classroom instruction/set-up without constructive criticism.  HATE IT!! :(  I cannot work with "my way or the highway" personalities.  WAHHH!
• My para is so supportive of me and my instruction.  Sometimes, I think she gives me too much credit, but it's such a morale boost.  What would I do without her?
• My post-conference went okay today, but I can't help going on tangents!  We spent my entire 40-minute prep time discussing her observation; followed by my gripes about other things...Just because I'm a new teacher doesn't mean that I don't know the rules and that I don't know when my boundaries are being stepped on! >.<
• I am excited for the K/1 Staff breakfast tomorrow because I just like staff gatherings when everyone is more relaxed and can see each other.  I was happy to make and pass out the flyers for it...small touches mean a lot!  However, I wish the breakfast wasn't at 7:45 because that is my prime working time.  Oh well, it is what it is.
• Conference scheduling between the SEI classrooms AND ELL families in the mainstream classrooms is so stressful!  I hope my charts are actually helping teachers and not stressing them out...
• Owl presentation today...the kids LoVeD it, but some were terrified when the bigger owls flapped their wings and tried to escape from the presenters.  One of my little ones had to sit on my lap because she wanted to cry. :( Poor thing...
• I was at school at 6:25 this morning before the building was unlocked, and left at 6:40 at night...these days are making me sooo tired.  And I'm getting sick... (silent violin)
• I got a bloody nose at school today-- what the heck?!
• DRA on one of my first graders didn't turn out as stellar as I thought she would be...however, I'm glad others are helping me to assess my kids because goodness knows I need so much help!

Biggest concerns:

• Student evidence for p/t conferences
• The L in my room-- what is her purpose; what am I supposed to do to prepare for her; how can we plan for a whole week together when we only have 40 minutes a week to sit down and discuss?; why won't she take charge of a group and just own it?; what am I doing wrong/right?
• p/t translator issues...gonna be a doozy!
• Unit ELA/Math assessments for kindergarten and first grade as well as quarterly assessments due next Friday
• My videotaping for grad school that I have to remember to do tomorrow...wishing, hoping, praying that I don't forget!

Photos:

Owls "can, have, are" Graphic Organizer

Professional Development ALL DAY

Highlights/Low-lights:

• PD today was torture...it takes skills for one person to lecture a large group of people for that many hours...My brain is fried from sitting and listening all day.

Biggest Concerns:

• PT conferences
• Thanksgiving/Friendship projects
• Reach assessments
• post-conference tomorrow
• What was I thinking juggling my first teaching job with grad school, MTELs, and life? omg.  OVERWHELMED.

Mas o menos Monday

Today was not too shabby (for a Monday)!  Two common planning times in the morning with my kids in Specials; then literacy stations went pretty well today.  Maybe I am finally getting the hang of this thing...

Highlights/Low-lights:

• ORGANIZED and carefully planned literacy stations that allow the kids to be independent really work-- but it sureeee takes a lot of work to get it all ready!
• Sometimes it's better to keep you mouth shut.
• I have so many things to do with my kids to celebrate Thanksgiving-- I hope we have time!!
• Moving my number posters around so that the kids can look at them when they're not looking at me...
• My internet connection was down at school today-- I hope it works on Wednesday!!  Or else I am in big trouble...
• New books for the kids today after the huge library book sale-- yayy!! They were so excited, and I think I picked a lot of good ones that interested them. :)
• Lately, experienced teachers have been asking for the worksheets and posters I've made/found to use in their classrooms-- I guess everyone has to change their plans no matter how many years you've been teaching!  Also, the new videos I've been finding to help the kids with their alphabet and counting are also FANTASTIC.  LOVE them, and the OT at my school was also interested in adding them to her Favorites to use with her students...:)

Biggest concerns:

• Finishing informal letter ID assessments
• Some of my 1st graders need to reread leveled texts for fluency-- how do I find time to do that with them?  I want to teach them to respond independently to texts, too!
• PT conference times keep changing-- sooo stressful >.<

Photos today:

"All About the Number __" posters