Before
After
This is/was the prop closet in my new classroom.
Organization makes me happy.
P.S. Three full days of work. *sigh
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Weekly Schedule Board
I live four blocks from school. When I have a couple of free hours and I am tired of reading (rarely!), I run down to school to work for a couple of hours. Yesterday, I worked on a place to put the schedule for the three new preps I am teaching next year. (Washi tape and letters taped with double-sided tape to the non-magnetic board. With a magnetic board, I use the same tape but then the adhesive-backed magnets for the letters.)
This negates the need for the students to ask, "What are we doing today?" They always know. (This board still needs the days of the week added along the side. I'm working on that.)
Maybe a bigger problem than students asking that question was that after I answered it 10 times, my smart mouth would start making up "creative" answers: swinging from the lights, nothing, just looking at each other, taking naps, coloring, etc.
Maybe a bigger problem than students asking that question was that after I answered it 10 times, my smart mouth would start making up "creative" answers: swinging from the lights, nothing, just looking at each other, taking naps, coloring, etc.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Summertime Teachers
Tiny Town doesn't have summer school. If they did, I would probably be teaching it. Instead, I am channelling my teaching skills in other ways.
I have been filing, storing, and trashing paperwork that I have been storing too long in my daughters' bedrooms. Unlike teaching, I boxed up what was left and delivered it to my daughters' homes. I'm sure they were thrilled.
At the end of the school year, I was cleaning out cupboards and closets for the teacher who is teaching in the room next year. At home, I cleaned out closets and cupboards for my own benefit. My husband was surprised to see there was a floor in one closet. It was pretty awful prior to the cleaning.
For my new classroom, I cleaned and weeded out things that I wouldn't need. I gave quite a bit to the art teacher. At home, I sold quite a few furniture pieces and household goods on a garage sale. Things were priced to go--and they did. Both places are now a bit emptier, and I like that. (Clutter makes me tense.)
I'm still getting up early to walk, though it is 5:30 in the summer and 4:30 during the school year. Unfortunately for them, people can see me walk in the summer-- rolling out of bed and out the door means no makeup or hair combing. It isn't pretty, but no one knows during the school year when it is too dark to see.
At home there is a stack of books on the table beside my chair and another on the dining room table. At school the stacks are always on the counter or a back table. There is always something that needs reading or grading. Piles--there are always piles.
I'm so used to schedules, that I schedule in the summer, too: appointments, vacations, lunches with friends, even hikes at a different trail every week. Yes. I admit it. Just like at school, I have been researching trails, too. Success is always in the planning. It works at school, so I figure it works at home, too.
In the summer I've been known to shush people in movie theaters, caution kids about running at the pool, and stare down an elevator full of teenagers who have pushed the button for every floor. (Not all of my skills are appreciated, I'm sure!)
Teachers are teachers are teachers- whether we are in school or not. Is it in the DNA?
I have been filing, storing, and trashing paperwork that I have been storing too long in my daughters' bedrooms. Unlike teaching, I boxed up what was left and delivered it to my daughters' homes. I'm sure they were thrilled.
At the end of the school year, I was cleaning out cupboards and closets for the teacher who is teaching in the room next year. At home, I cleaned out closets and cupboards for my own benefit. My husband was surprised to see there was a floor in one closet. It was pretty awful prior to the cleaning.
For my new classroom, I cleaned and weeded out things that I wouldn't need. I gave quite a bit to the art teacher. At home, I sold quite a few furniture pieces and household goods on a garage sale. Things were priced to go--and they did. Both places are now a bit emptier, and I like that. (Clutter makes me tense.)
I'm still getting up early to walk, though it is 5:30 in the summer and 4:30 during the school year. Unfortunately for them, people can see me walk in the summer-- rolling out of bed and out the door means no makeup or hair combing. It isn't pretty, but no one knows during the school year when it is too dark to see.
At home there is a stack of books on the table beside my chair and another on the dining room table. At school the stacks are always on the counter or a back table. There is always something that needs reading or grading. Piles--there are always piles.
I'm so used to schedules, that I schedule in the summer, too: appointments, vacations, lunches with friends, even hikes at a different trail every week. Yes. I admit it. Just like at school, I have been researching trails, too. Success is always in the planning. It works at school, so I figure it works at home, too.
In the summer I've been known to shush people in movie theaters, caution kids about running at the pool, and stare down an elevator full of teenagers who have pushed the button for every floor. (Not all of my skills are appreciated, I'm sure!)
Teachers are teachers are teachers- whether we are in school or not. Is it in the DNA?
Monday, June 1, 2015
DIY Lesson Plan Book
We have an in-school printing business; however, I'm sure any copy center could put your lesson plan book together for you.
One colleague formats every page of her book and sends it to our printing business. I did that last year, but this year I sketched a general idea of what I was looking for, and one of the students developed the pages for me. I tweaked a few things, changed a few things completely, and told her what I wanted for a cover. She did a great job and even thought of a few things I hadn't.
The juniors and seniors enrolled in the classes for this printing business do some incredible work under the eye of an outstanding young colleague. She is super organized, super detail oriented, and super insistent that her students produce quality work. (And yes, she really is Super Woman!)
Anyway, this is next year's lesson plan book.
I loved the sticky note book from last year, but I switched from card stock pages to a heavy weight paper. (Not so bulky!) The printing class even has a paper cutter that will cut through an entire pad of sticky notes, so they cut the English class (green) notes to fit my pages. The Speech, Drama, and Forensic notes come in the size I need.
Now, you might be wondering why sticky notes? I like the fact that I can peel them off and stick them to my clipboard and then return them to the page at the end of the day. (My clipboard is my brain.) I love that when our schedule changes, I just have to pull up the note and attach it to a different date. And I especially love being able to write underneath the note if I run out of room or have things I want to remember about that day's lesson.
I handwrite the dates on the weeks of my book. They could type them in for me, but I knew that made quite a bit more work and wasn't a big deal to me. I did ask them to put in blank pages to separate the months. I will add the school calendar for that month. (I reduce the size of the month and glue it in.) The rest of it I use for notes to myself. (Things I don't want to forget, standards that need to be evaluated again, or a student I want to keep an eye on.)
Finally, every month in the Notes column, I had a reminder added to check on my advisory students and how they were doing in classes. (Something, I frequently forgot to do this past year.) And I'm sure in another year, I will have several other reminders that I will be adding in the notes columns.
And that's it. I don't add the sticky notes very far out--usually, just a month at a time. It keeps me from wrinkling them before the week arrives. (My computer bag gives the book a bit of a work out.) I am going to see if I can get the cover laminated at the beginning of school. The business kids tell me that adding something or changing something (like the cover), even in the middle of the year, is a snap.
Oh, and you might be wondering about the initials: R W S L on the English page. That is to remind me that my sophomore English students should be involved in productive reading, writing, speaking, and listening in class- every single day. (Emphasis on the word productive!)
One colleague formats every page of her book and sends it to our printing business. I did that last year, but this year I sketched a general idea of what I was looking for, and one of the students developed the pages for me. I tweaked a few things, changed a few things completely, and told her what I wanted for a cover. She did a great job and even thought of a few things I hadn't.
The juniors and seniors enrolled in the classes for this printing business do some incredible work under the eye of an outstanding young colleague. She is super organized, super detail oriented, and super insistent that her students produce quality work. (And yes, she really is Super Woman!)
Anyway, this is next year's lesson plan book.
Oh, and you might be wondering about the initials: R W S L on the English page. That is to remind me that my sophomore English students should be involved in productive reading, writing, speaking, and listening in class- every single day. (Emphasis on the word productive!)
Sunday, May 31, 2015
A Teacher's Summer
Interspersed with trips to the water park, a short vacation, ball games, and other summer activities, I am already working on next year. And that is the life of a teacher.
What might most teachers be doing in the summer?
*Cleaning out files. (Sometimes, actually filing all those loose papers we didn't get to during the year. Or is that just me??)
*Weeding out supplies: markers and pens that don't work any more, dried up glue sticks, tape dispensers that have "lost" their inner core, recycling paper and magazines that aren't needed, cleaning out all the excess in cupboards and drawers, and pitching all the lost and found items that weren't claimed.
*Planning for new teaching assignments and making lessons for the first weeks of school. (Three new assignments next year: Speech, Drama, and Forensics. These require a different kind of planning than Sophomore English, but I'm on the hunt for all kinds of new activities!)
*Researching blogs and websites for new lesson planning ideas or classroom management techniques. Some favorites: Edudemic, AchievetheCore, Dr. Curtis Chandler, Edutopia, Teachers.net, ReadWriteThink, and WeAreTeachers.
(Best resource for finding new ideas: Twitter.)
*Designing needed methods of tracking data (Spreadsheets, Google Docs, etc.)--and it would be oh so helpful if Excel were working this summer.
*Writing shared formative and summative assessments for classes.
*Tweaking class notebooks in English II. (Between Standard's Based Grading and Interactive Notebooks, I'm not sure which was the best addition to my classes last year.)
If I plan and work now, next year will be much less stressful.
Oh, and I really need to select next spring's All School Production. If I leave it until after school starts, I will be hunting the show over Christmas Break. Then, I really will be rushed and unprepared at the start of 2nd semester.
June, July, and August. These days, I consider them an extended Plan Period.
What might most teachers be doing in the summer?
*Cleaning out files. (Sometimes, actually filing all those loose papers we didn't get to during the year. Or is that just me??)
*Weeding out supplies: markers and pens that don't work any more, dried up glue sticks, tape dispensers that have "lost" their inner core, recycling paper and magazines that aren't needed, cleaning out all the excess in cupboards and drawers, and pitching all the lost and found items that weren't claimed.
*Planning for new teaching assignments and making lessons for the first weeks of school. (Three new assignments next year: Speech, Drama, and Forensics. These require a different kind of planning than Sophomore English, but I'm on the hunt for all kinds of new activities!)
*Researching blogs and websites for new lesson planning ideas or classroom management techniques. Some favorites: Edudemic, AchievetheCore, Dr. Curtis Chandler, Edutopia, Teachers.net, ReadWriteThink, and WeAreTeachers.
(Best resource for finding new ideas: Twitter.)
*Designing needed methods of tracking data (Spreadsheets, Google Docs, etc.)--and it would be oh so helpful if Excel were working this summer.
*Writing shared formative and summative assessments for classes.
*Tweaking class notebooks in English II. (Between Standard's Based Grading and Interactive Notebooks, I'm not sure which was the best addition to my classes last year.)
If I plan and work now, next year will be much less stressful.
Oh, and I really need to select next spring's All School Production. If I leave it until after school starts, I will be hunting the show over Christmas Break. Then, I really will be rushed and unprepared at the start of 2nd semester.
June, July, and August. These days, I consider them an extended Plan Period.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Working On the New Classroom
My custodians took the door off of my new classroom so that they could take the scissor lift in. The ceilings are so high that they needed the lift to clean the light fixtures and replace some ceiling tiles.
I jumped on the chance to use the lift. (An opportunity available only every 4-5 years.) They helped me hang a couple of pieces on the front walls of my classroom. (OK. It might have taken the five of them plus me to do it!)
I jumped on the chance to use the lift. (An opportunity available only every 4-5 years.) They helped me hang a couple of pieces on the front walls of my classroom. (OK. It might have taken the five of them plus me to do it!)
Custodians, cooks, secretaries...
these are the people that keep our schools afloat.
I couldn't function without them.
I am assuming that the crew will be working on my floors and then moving some furniture from my old classroom into this new room. I am trying to stay out of their hair for now. Besides taking them breakfast, that is probably the best gift that I can give them.
Let's hear it for great support personnel!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
End of the Year
I love teaching. I love the fact that there is a beginning, middle and an end to my job.
That being said, the end of the year wears.me.out.!
To begin with, it would be easier to keep track of who is in class than who is absent. Everyone is absent. There are track meets, tennis meets, softball games, baseball games, golf meets, field trips, state music competitions, high honor roll trips, etc., etc., etc.!
Thus, there are many students who need to turn in late work. I spend quite a bit of time, grading late work.
I also grade notebooks for the final time, and grade final projects and final essays. The students need to put their portfolios together and clean out their classroom folders. Checking in books and chasing down students who still owe me classroom library books or textbooks becomes a regular part of lunch or plan period.
There are finals to write and grade, Accelerated Reader points to add to the nine weeks grades, and submitting one final copy of all grades to the office.
Then there is a checklist that requires initials from the librarian, lunch lady, two secretaries, and one principal.
This year, you can throw into the mix the fact that I had to pack up one classroom to move to another. I don't know how many trips I made, but more than I care to count. Even with quite a few students roped into helping, I wore a little path in the hallway.
With three new preps and a new classroom to get ready, I think it is safe to say that I will spend some of my summer at school or working on school things at home.
My last day was Thursday, and I have already put in 12 hours at school. I finished the move. (My old classroom is completely empty of my things, except a couple of furniture pieces that the custodians will be moving for me.) I have also cleaned out a huge prop/costume closet and a couple of cupboards that I needed for storage. (Merging two classrooms is work!) I have completed a little (huge size wise, little work wise) art project for the front of my new classroom. Today, I actually began organizing my desk drawers.
I'm not sure whether to consider this the end of one year or the beginning of the next. I just know that I am going to enforce a strict no-schoolwork rule for at least a couple of weeks this summer. Otherwise, next year might be a really long year!
That being said, the end of the year wears.me.out.!
To begin with, it would be easier to keep track of who is in class than who is absent. Everyone is absent. There are track meets, tennis meets, softball games, baseball games, golf meets, field trips, state music competitions, high honor roll trips, etc., etc., etc.!
Thus, there are many students who need to turn in late work. I spend quite a bit of time, grading late work.
I also grade notebooks for the final time, and grade final projects and final essays. The students need to put their portfolios together and clean out their classroom folders. Checking in books and chasing down students who still owe me classroom library books or textbooks becomes a regular part of lunch or plan period.
There are finals to write and grade, Accelerated Reader points to add to the nine weeks grades, and submitting one final copy of all grades to the office.
Then there is a checklist that requires initials from the librarian, lunch lady, two secretaries, and one principal.
This year, you can throw into the mix the fact that I had to pack up one classroom to move to another. I don't know how many trips I made, but more than I care to count. Even with quite a few students roped into helping, I wore a little path in the hallway.
With three new preps and a new classroom to get ready, I think it is safe to say that I will spend some of my summer at school or working on school things at home.
My last day was Thursday, and I have already put in 12 hours at school. I finished the move. (My old classroom is completely empty of my things, except a couple of furniture pieces that the custodians will be moving for me.) I have also cleaned out a huge prop/costume closet and a couple of cupboards that I needed for storage. (Merging two classrooms is work!) I have completed a little (huge size wise, little work wise) art project for the front of my new classroom. Today, I actually began organizing my desk drawers.
I'm not sure whether to consider this the end of one year or the beginning of the next. I just know that I am going to enforce a strict no-schoolwork rule for at least a couple of weeks this summer. Otherwise, next year might be a really long year!
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