March Currently

I'm not sure about everyone else but I sure am ready for Spring.  Today in Kansas, we had snow this morning and then by afternoon the sun was shining and it was about 40 degrees. 

Only in the fly over states does this happen. 

When do you have Spring Break? We have four more teaching days until ours.  So excited for a small break.  I sure hope that it is a nice warm break.

Well, I have not done a post since the last Currently.  I'm not sure why. Sometimes I don't think the things I want to talk about is really what people want to read. Or sometimes I think since I am not selling things on TpT that my posts are not as important.  I think I'm thinking too much about it.  I should just write and share my tips and tricks that I do in my classroom and be happy with that.  Hopefully I will find some time to do a little more posting about things like that. 

Anyway, I am linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the March Currently.  If you would also like to link up, follow this link above and enjoy the fun. It is always a great time surfing other teachers blogs and seeing what wonderful ideas they have.  Enjoy reading my currently.

 

Until Next Time,

         Happy Blogging





February CURRENTLY

Well, I am back to making this blog about me.  Our school district decided to let us have a Facebook page for our classroom and I am soooo loving it.  I have had more parents and students comment about posts and pictures that I have put on our Facebook page then I have had using my blog.  I am very thankful that our district is allowing us to do this because I love sharing things with my parents.  I do have a Newsletter that goes home each week in the students binders but you know that half the time it doesn't get into the hands of the parents.

Anyway, here is my first post back about myself using Farley's Currently.

 



I'm not too much of a Winter Olympics person but I will watch with my son since he enjoys some of the events.

 

I have been needing to fix my ceiling in my main bathroom for my visitors for sometime.  I had paint peeling from the ceiling and the bottom half of the wall was not pretty.  It was one room that I didn't paint or fix before we moved in.  We have lived here 5 years and I am just now getting that bathroom done because there is a good chance we will be moving.  I guess that was my motivation to get a start on it.  It does feel good to have gotten at least half of it done.  Now I just need to pick the paint that I want and finish it up.

 

My next two weeks are going to be a little crazy.  I will only teach 3 full days.  Isn't that nuts?  I have a day and a half of workshops to go to this next week.  Monday, Feb. 17 we don't have school because of President's Day. Then that Tuesday, Feb. 18 we have a District In-Service so I have another meeting to go to.  Feb. 19-21 we have Parent-Teacher Conferences so the students will leave at 1:30 in the afternoon.  Busy! Busy! Busy! But I'm not BUSY teaching students.  (Interesting!)

 

So that brings me to my WANTING. I need 3 good productive days with my students.  Well planned lessons with good content. I am very thankful for teachers that have shared lesson ideas about attributes. We are starting this in math and I really don't think our Math Series does a good job of teaching this subject.

 

Math is my weak stop.  I LOVE READING!! I will research and redo documents for reading instruction and plan wonderful lessons for my students but when it comes to math, I just don't have that same love for it.  I am trying really hard this year to learn to love it.  It is part of my GOALS for this year.  We have read a lot about Number Talks and Discussions.  It has been interesting but my brain just loves reading more.  What does a girl do??

 

Truths ~ We did have 3 snow days this last week and I was by the third day going stir crazy. I live in a small town and we were pretty much snowed in.  Couldn't leave for much. I was so ready by Friday to go back to work. :)  My Fib ~ I did not go out and shovel any sidewalks.  It was way too cold, plus I have a bad back so shoveling snow is not a good idea for me.

 

Hope you enjoyed my Currently for February.  It feels good to be back.

Until Next Time,

         Happy Blogging

A New Beginning and June Currently

Well, it has been a while again since I have posted anything.  Life gets so crazy sometimes at the end of the year but summer vacation has started for me and I just received my new book that I am reading to better my teaching for my students.  It is the 2nd Edition of Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller.

I love reading her books.  She writes them just like you are there with her.  I started reading the book yesterday and I already have a favorite part of the book.  See if you like what she is saying also.

"What if you are mandated to do something that you know in your heart is not best for kids?  Look at it carefully. Maybe there is a piece of it that will work.  As for the rest? Chances are good that both your method and the new one have the same goals; maybe you just believe in going after it a little differently. Think about how you believe reading needs to be taught, and be ready to thoughtfully emplain how and why. Then make an appointment with your principal and do it. Most administrators listen to and support teachers when we speak with conviction, know the research behind our beliefs, and present out point of view in respectful, rational ways.
This is even more important now. Envision yourself as a social activist, in your building and maybe even beyond. After all, we're the ones who spend our days with children, and we're the ones who see and feel the effect of ill-conceived policies and programs in the faces, hearts, and minds of the children we teach. I'm sometimes told by those in power, "What you say makes a lot of sense, but we've adopted a new program and have mandated teachers to teach it with 'fidelity' for at least the first three years."
I used to think, What? You're asking teachers to pledge fidelity to a program over fidelity to children? For three YEARS? Now I say it right out loud. Nicely.
But we can't say that if we can't show how what we're doing is working for student learning and getting them where they need to be. We have to ask the people making the mandates to articulate the purpose behind them, and work to find out if we are meeting children's needs in diffferent ways. If we don't want people to tell us what to do and how to do it, we must be clear about what we are doing and why we're doing it, and back it up with strong evidence that shows all students are on their way to achieveing at least one year of growth in their time with us."
I so like her thinking. She is feeling the same way as some teachers who really want to do what is best for students. Can't wait to read the rest of her new book. Has anyone else read this book yet?

AND on to June's Currently with Farley at Oh' boy 4th Grade. I haven't done one in a while and I miss looking at other people's posts.  Here it is:

I hope you enjoy reading my currently and that you enjoy visiting me blog.  Don't forget to go by Farley's blog and see what everyone has been up too. Have a Blessed Sunday!

Until Next Time,
         Happy Blogging