"What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know. Anymore..."

"Some nights, I stay up, cashin' in my bad luck. Some nights, I call it a draw..." ~Some Nights (Fun)- [Music Video click here]

And some nights (like tonight I will), I stay up thinking I could write a book. Good thing I don't have time/energy for that! :) I can't get this song out of my head right now! Go check it out on YouTube. It's SO motivational! It's the one that goes: "But most nights I don't know what I stand for! What do I stand for?  Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah, oh ohh"

And some nights I do wonder if it was worth it to jump through all those hoops in college. And why should I continue jumping through hoops to get my M.Ed? But here's the kicker that makes it ALL worth it: My little first grader that I've now taught for 9 months finally hugged me today (for the very first time). He doesn't like human touch. At all. He closes up and freezes and sometimes he screams bloody murder just because your skin accidentally graced his skin or clothing! But today, he asked for a hug. And I had to teach him to put his arms out. And the poor child hugged me. :) Sad thing is, he really needed that hug more than I did today.

Today we had the worst day so far. I know it was: a) because of the weather, b) because some behaviors start in the morning before you even get the chance to say Good Morning! c) our parapro is out all week on training - no change is ever bueno, and finally because d) we received a new little challenging student that sets all the other students off like dominoes (literally). And we [the other students] haven't quite learned how to respond appropriately to the new student's behavior.

So naturally, today was a disaster. The funny thing, was that I was supposed to be at a workshop, also. But I requested to be excused due to the fact that my para was out as well. Luckily, they granted my wish, but unfortunately, it was still a disaster, and I did everything I could to keep control of the reins. And finally, I gave up and said: "Tomorrow will be a better day, and we'll try again then."

Later, I remembered that every down day has it's ups. But today, throughout all the chaos, one student was proof that I'm doing something right. That boy gave me more than a hug today. He sent chills down my back as if giving me a message; a sign that I have been able to make a connection with him that he hasn't had with anybody else. He showed me that despite everything going on in his crazy home life, he knows he can feel safe in my classroom. He showed me that by creating that sense of security in the classroom, he can finally be himself and get past his fears and insecurities. I realized: "This is what I stand for." THAT, was the best hug I've ever had in my life. That might be my most memorable teaching moment so far. Years from now, I may never remember this whole chaotic day. I may never remember that I put everything behind me and rushed out of work to make it to my ASU class today. But I will ALWAYS remember that hug, and this child, and the importance of building my students a security net.

And I will never forget that I'm here to make a difference. Even if it is one hug at a time. Somebody's got to do it. Why not me?

Schedules and Routines

Fact is, I should be resting up for another big week, and somehow I am driven to finish this post that I wanted to create last week. So tomorrow starts the beginning of week 5 for my school. That's totally unbelievable, but it makes sense, because for an Autism self-contained classroom like ours, we are FINALLY getting our routine together. I have to try all new things at the beginning of the year, to find out what will work. I swear last year I changed something every two weeks, so by the last month of school, we finally had it all down.

Well, it wouldn't have taken so long this year but we started this new SLO (Student Learning Objectives) Testing for kids K-3rd this year in our county. It's a standardized performance-based test.... I'm 99.9% sure that it was basically created to measure teacher accountability. And it drives me nuts for teachers in my position. Okay, I admit, it sucks for any teacher. But especially for me because I had to administer the test to each of my 6 kids (my students are all K-2nd... urrrrg) individually, instead of small or whole group. Each grade level has 5 two-hour-long sections, so it takes a whole week to complete it. Only most classes take it in 2 hrs or less, and it takes our class the WHOLE DAY. Well the kids didn't mind it so much, because they got to watch Magic School Bus when it wasn't their turn. I loved that show even when I was their age.. I'm so glad we can watch it on Discovery on the ActivBoard now. It actually made the week bearable.
Anyways, I'm getting off track. One night last week, I was thinking about my night time routines. Does anybody else have crazy night time routines? Like, I cannot have a successful day unless I lay EVERYTHING out the night before. I'm beginning to think that it's a little too excessive. See, it's good to always have a consistent schedule and routines, especially if you teach kids with Autism. But I honestly sometimes think that I was made for this job, and it may be silly, but perhaps this is just one reason why. I am the exact way about having routine schedules. During student teaching, I had the same routine every morning, afternoon, and night. And if something got in the way, it was seriously frustrating. It still is. I'm gonna explain what I do every night to prepare myself for the unknown (You just NEVER know what to be ready for when you teach Self-Contained. Really, the better prepared you are for everything else, the better your day can go) and I would LOVE feedback, to let me know I'm completely sane. Thank you.

So, first I always have to shower no later than 8:00. That's because it gives me plenty of time to let my hair air-dry while I finish whatever gradwork or paperwork to prepare for the next day. Then, I fix my hair, and brush my teeth and set everything out for the next day. I pick out my outfit (gotta love Casual Wednesdays - just have to wear my favorite Khakis and school spirit shirt to get pumped about the hump day of the week and I lay it out.

Then, I pack my lunch. Sometimes on Sunday nights, I will try to prepare sandwiches for the rest of the week. Does anybody do this? PB&J is what I did this day, because I ran out of turkey.  And it is so convenient, because I just freeze it for the week and it stays cold the whole morning.

I can't forget to set the coffee pot. *We are old-fashioned... We're SO getting the Keurig as soon as we have our first wedding shower :) ....At least this one has the alarm, so I naturally set it for 5:10 to brew before I even get up.

  

Does anybody else use hot chocolate mix as a coffee sweetener? My friend told me that it has fewer calories, and I never checked for myself, but I don't really care because it sure is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.!!

Well I guess I will keep this post nice and short, because I've got to go and get everything ready right now. It's going to be ANOTHER busy week and I can't wait for it to be over already. Sure, we get to go on a field trip every day this week, but I'm not so excited about the schedule changing for everyone... We'll see how it goes! Tell me, am I the only one so crazy about my bedtime routine?

Back to school update!

It's official! School has been back for a week now, and no matter how long I prepared for it, I never felt ready! Oh well, I guess that's how it goes. I think it will come along as time goes on. Still, I'm very proud of the progress that I have made! I'd like to share a couple of pictures, but I'm terribly sorry about the quality! I just figured out how to upload them straight from my phone to Blogger, but I'll have to go back to the old tedious way of transferring them from now on, because I am not pleased with the product.
So here's the classroom tour! Enjoy! :)

CLIP CHART: On the wall right beside my classroom door is my Clip chart, which I turned into the THINK-O-METER this year! I LOVE my think-o-meter!! I was going to change it up this year so that it sent the message of "Great work!" and "GET BACK TO WORK!" but I never found a good time. This will do for now. :)

REINFORCEMENT POSTER: I got this idea from something that I used last year. I will need to take a picture of the tool that I use this with, but basically they will find extra copies of each reward in the pocket. They can bring it back to their desk and work towards it. :)


HELPING POSTER: They will move their clip and rotate around the jobs every week.

CALENDAR CORNER:

Here is my calendar board with our schedules on the right side. We have a kindergarten schedule as well as a first grade schedule. I LOVE the calendar and weather pocket chart provided by my school last year. It is SO much better than the one I got from Oriental Trading last year :)

READING ZONE: Here's my reading corner in progress (I still have to get the book labels printed out):

STUDENT DISPLAY: I still have to organize this writing center better, but for now I just LOVE the Great Work display! I thought of the idea to hot glue clothespins to these little pencil guys that say "GREAT WORK!" and I just love that I got them from the dollar tree :D.



FOCUS WALL: I'm probably most proud of the hard work I put into my focus wall. It makes it very difficult to keep up with standards and EQ's when you teach more than one grade, so last year all of my stuff wouldn't fit on the dry erase board. This year, I had the idea to tape up some bulletin board paper and put the standards in page protectors. (I will post an updated picture soon) Well, it was a great idea until I ran into the issue of putting this massive thing up. After it began falling off, and I ran out of book tape, I went to the dollar store again and got some duck tape. Which finally did the trick ;) All in all, I think it was a great idea at first, but I don't think I'll ever do this again. 


TEACHER AREA: I love my teacher desk location this year! I'm finally going to use my filing cabinet this year (for paperwork) instead of using it solely as a barrier for the "Calm Down" center. I'm excited that I will have everything I need just inches away from my desk this year. I hope I will be much more organized as a result.

I loved the idea of the continents map on the front side of the teacher desk! I was so busy that I didn't even realize that my assistant completely did not put them in the correct locations until I actually looked at the picture! Hahaha, oh well one more thing to add to the to-do list! On the side with the green paper, I hope to make a magnet word work center.


DESK ARRANGEMENT: I'm excited about the layout of the desks this year. I think it is perfect that they are centered around the ActivBoard. Luckily I only have four students so far, and it will be quick and easy to move them into a new layout if I want to. 


WORD WALL: Our school uses the Fry word list for First grade, so I found this excellent resource on uniqueteachingresources.com ....All in a PDF file, it includes checklists and flashcards that you can print and cut out yourself. I printed them on this bright yellow paper, and if you are interested, you may find that HERE.

Student computers - back to back. Love it!




For open house, I created First Grade Survival Packs that I got from another teacher. I also stole the idea of the "Sweet Dreams Magic Confetti" ... both very cute items, but I cannot take credit. I know one teacher got the Sweet Dreams Magic Confetti idea from Pinterest, but I do not know where, so I cannot exactly give credit. If you know where/who it came from, please let me know! :)


Does anybody give out snacks and juice at Open house anymore? Well, it's very important for me to make a good impression, especially because so many parents think I'm "too young" to be a teacher (pssh... puh--lease), so I hope it sent the right message. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

So the first week went pretty well and I am totally in LOVE with my new class!! I actually have 5 homeroom students this year, instead of two that I had last year, so I am really excited! I am hoping to do a postcard exchange this year, so if you are interested, please let me know!

I hope every one makes a great transition into the new school year! I just know this is going to be the best year ever, because I already have the class of my dreams! (I mean, Kindergarten and first grade?! It doesn't get BETTER than that!) Happy New School Year, everyone!! :)

~Sarah

Twelve More Days of Summer....

Wow this summer went by fast. I can’t believe it is already August. There is so much that I did this summer that I need to take a moment to recap before starting the New Year. Do you try to hold on to summer as long as you can? Well I am eager to get things all set up so I am spending the remainder of my summer WORKING to set up my classroom, but things are happening ALL to fast, so I’m going to relay all of the fun things I did this summer before going back to work.

*One weekend trip to New York for to see the in-laws and celebrate a high school graduation in the family! 

*One week long trip to Cancun with another couple (Best trip of my life...)

*Various trips to ATL to visit friends and family

*Working mostly full time at Daycare summer camp

*Going to Class

*Reading MANY many novels, mostly for class... but it's always good to take the time to relax. and read!

*Watching the Olympics! :) and much more... these are just the highlights...

So, the majority of my summer was taken up by the Daycare summer camp position that I also did last year. This year’s field trips were MUCH better than last year, so it kept me busy, but I also had A LOT of fun! Some of the fieldtrips included Edventure Children’s Museum (BEST TRIP EVER!!), bowling (twice), Sesame Street LIVE, going to a baseball game, going to the public library, a canal boat ride, farm trip for horseback riding and a hayride, and we even went to the neighborhood YMCA to swim every single Wednesday for a whole hour. Then, on my birthday, we went to a state park and our nature leader was SO MUCH fun, so it was actually one of my favorite fieldtrips-regardless of the fact that it was the best holiday ever (Flag Day, of course!). On my birthday, I also went to Chikfila for breakfast and got a FREE chicken biscuit, because I wore red, white, and blue in spirit of Flag Day! Yes, it was awesome. We met another couple of friends at a Hibatchi restaurant that evening to celebrate my birthday, and OF COURSE the staff came over to sing… sooo embarrassing! But I got a free cupcake and all the food was so delicious that I completely stuffed myself and couldn’t even eat the cupcake.

I also completed FOUR classes towards my master’s degree within the two months of summer, and I am officially THREE classes away from GRADUATION!! :D  Due to working half-days for two whole weeks while I was in class, and the week-long vacation that I took to Cancun, I missed many of the other fun fieldtrips that my class got to go to. They went to Publix for a FREE tour and free samples of fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and sushi! They went to Bruester’s for a FREE trip to make a batch of icecream and eat some! They went to a pottery place, and some other cool places that the kids really enjoyed. I was sad to miss some of those places L. But then again we had plenty of fun when I was there.

I conveniently told them that last Friday would be my last day so I could relax this week and try to get materials and ideas ready for this coming school year. Although I am thankful to be teaching in the same classroom as I did last year, I feel like there is more than ever to do. As a new teacher beginning in December of last year, I hit the ground running and never felt like I was actually settled. This year, I have a much better idea of what my class will be like, but it is still difficult to prepare a classroom when you have more than two grade levels in the same classroom the same time. I student taught second and third grade resource, in the same room by alternating with the parapro every other day. Then last year I juggled a Kindergartner and a fifth grader all day, along with another Kindergartner for a half hour, two first graders for an hour, and a third grader for two hours. After that, I think I can figure anything out ;)… It just takes me some time to figure everything out. So I will keep you updated with how I figure it out. I have a rough draft of my schedule, but I may have to change it if they add a new class last minute (they are apparently adding another PRE-K class).

With this week off, I thought I would have time to RELAX (Relax? What’s that?) and get errands done, and get ready for school. Turns out, it was really good that I decided not to work this week, because my agenda is full all week. On Monday, I had attended an interview for my new parapro, and then Milly to the vet to get her heartworm refill. On Tuesday, I had to go to the dentist *(I hadn’t been in over a year- since before I moved here), but I got ran awesome goody bag! Even the bag had COUPONS on it (Bonus!), which I was really excited about! Then, I went over to Kroger, which was having a givewaway for teachers. And who doesn’t love freebies? So, CHECK OUT ALL THIS COOL STUFF I got!!

 I got one free tote bag, one roll of paper towels, two boxes of tissues, two boxes of Ziplog baggies, one pack of copy paper, one pack of construction paper, two containers of wet wipes, THREE containers of antibacterial wipes, one container of each soap AND sanitizer ;), and finally, a box of bandaids (not pictured because I put it away and forgot about it before I took the picture)!! It was the BEST feeling…… I felt so cool with my free goodies (all from the SAME day), so I HAD to take a picture! 

Then, I went to dinner with the other teachers from my school to say goodbye to those who are leaving L. It was sad, because they moved our principal to a high school that’s about to hit rock bottom (I know they stole her from us because we’ve met AYP for the 3 years that she’s been with us … and she’s amazing anyways), and they are moving our bookkeeper to the same school. Our media specialist is moving elsewhere, and they had to relocate one of our first grade teachers, because they had to cut one class due to budget cuts. Ugh, so it was a sad night, but it was good to see everybody and catch up before having the stress of back to school preplanning.

Today, I had to attend New Teacher Orientation (ugh), since I missed it when I first started in December. I also have to go tomorrow, but we got free breakfast and lunch, AND a stipend for going J. Then, to make it better, I got a BILO Gift Card from a raffle!! Woot! I’m rolling in all the luck now! Then, on Friday morning I have to go to the doctor, but then I should have the rest of the day to go back to my classroom and set everything up. J Talk about a BUSY week! What a typical way to wrap up a busy summer!

So in my first or second post, I posted pictures of the classroom when I left at the end of the school year. I went back yesterday to rearrange furniture, clean, and unpack a few things. I only got an hour of work done, but I will get to go back on Friday. 

So here's my work in progress from my first day back:

This is my new teacher area, which I am actually very excited about. Our room is wired in a very strange way so that there is only one internet connection at the front of the room - specifically for the ActivBoard Connection. But most teachers put their teacher desks in the back of the room, right next to the student computer. There are two internet hookups in the back of the room. So last year, I ended up with two teacher computers that students COULDN'T use, and ONLY ONE student computer. It made no sense. So this year, I am HOPING to get two student computers for the back of the room, and make my ActivBoard Computer the same as my teacher computer. *As you can see, I still have my bulletin boards covered, to prevent dust, but I am taking them down next time I go back. :) But that's why they look so sloppy.

My Soon-to-be reading corner! I can't wait to set it all up! I have stuffed animal leap frogs for the top shelf of the cubbie shelf. I'm getting rid of the tall bookcase, because that is obviously not safe. Then, in the plastic drawers, I have my headphones for leap pad books and cartridges, which will serve as my listening station. (You can see the student computer in the back corner of the classroom. Obviously not set up yet.)

 Here's the back of the room, where I stored everything while they came in to clean the floors. I have to go through and clean out EVERYTHING on the counter, as well as everything in the cabinets... It's basically going to take FOREVER. After I clear everything off of the counter, this will become my writing center :) I'm really excited. I have many visions for this center.

 Here is the front of the room with my ActivBoard and small group table. I hope this works out to have the students facing the board. I barely used this table last year, but I also rarely used my ActivBoard last year. This year, I'm really hoping to use this table for the majority of each day.

 I am thinking this will be a station where students can sign in, put their homework folders, and stuff like that. I may put their behavior management buckets on the hooks. The blue mail slots on the right was a part of my writing center last year. I may change that this year. Not quite sure yet. They will put their bookbags on the hooks to the right of this desk. 

 The four desks here are where the students will probably do independent work. Behind it is going to be my Calendar Math center. (I usually only do calendar with one child, so it doesn't need to be a big space) I am hoping to find a cheap rug for the floor right there. Then I am covering the shelf on the left with fabric to prevent distractions. The shelf will be full of table toys and math manipulatives when I finish :). I have lots of labels to print out!

 I haven't decided where to do my ABA this year. I think it will likely occur where the four independent desks are. I can try different things and always move things around after I find what does not work. The white plastic shelf holds all kinds of rewards and flashcards for ABA. and it has wheels so I can just wheel it wherever I need it. I may also have room to store calendar stuff in those drawers. :)

Here's my clip chart that I used last year. I thought about changing it this year, but I think I may keep it the same, and use it again for one more year. I think I may put it next to the classroom door this year right next to the rules chart.

Thanks for checkin it out! I would gladly appreciate any comments with advice for setting up the rest of my classroom!

~Sarah

Bienvenidos a Cancun!

I can't begin to describe the most amazing trip of my life, right now, because I'm still upset about the fact that I couldn't stay there forever. But if any of these pictures give you the idea that you deserve a proper treatment/vacation... then please look into it by clicking here. I recommend it 100% . Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, from the room, the service, the extra activities, the DELICIOUS gourmet FOOD, the spa massages... EVERYTHING was top notch. I'm going back for my honeymoon. That's a lie. I might go somewhere else, but I loved it so much I want to recreate it exactly. Everything was more perfect than I had imagined, which motivates me to at least try another Excellence location, if I veer away from Playa Mujeres. So anyway, here's a peak into the resort that I stayed at for one GLORIOUS week: 

My fiance learned to scuba in this pool!! Yup

 Bridge over most UNtroubled water... AKA the LAZIEST ever Lazy River

 I miss lounging in the hammock with a frozen fruit drink in my hand...ahhhh

 We basically stayed at this pool the ENTIRE day everyday... The swim up bar is on the right, underneath the outdoor restaurant... Met some cool people there... 

 I miss this bathroom SO MUCH!! :( 

..Crazy cool sculptures..

 THE BIGGEST IGUANA I saw ALL week!!

 Not gonna lie, this was actually the rooftop terrace of our friends' room. We did not get the upgrade, but it sure was cool having a private pool up there!

 The only decent group picture from the trip ((in the main lobby))

 Second floor of the main lobby

 I want an umbrella-covered-bed in my backyard! Why not?

 Overlooking the ocean, saying Adios, and hoping to come back soon.

Productivity

CHECK IT OUT!!

Katie King at Queen of the First Grade Jungle is celebrating her 1,000 + followers by teaming up with some of the best bloggers out there! 9 awesome bloggers are submitting some of their BEST work and if you win, you get it ALL. Go check it out, and good luck, but I'm going to win it ;D. I am just kidding....


So wanna know what craziness I signed myself up to today? Well, I had an early doctor's appointment, which is *conveniently* across from the street from where I worked last summer. I walked in to say hello, because I have been so busy and haven't had a chance to stop in ALL year :(. So I did, and it turned out that they actually needed a liiiiiiiiiiiiitle help this summer... Well, long story short, I got MY OLD SUMMER JOB BACK!! :D So exciting, right? So my plan of sleeping late and blogging all summer is ....no longer :(. But oh well. The perks outweigh the negative. It's going to be a fun summer. (I was originally looking forward to having a summer OFF except for my graduate courses..... especially since I've worked my butt off every summer of my life.. BUT oh well) I had a BLAST last year, so I'm excited :D.

Well, so with a new job in line, I set out to get my criminal background check... again... but I forgot that I need my social security card, and I was NOT about to travel 30 minutes back home just to go 30 minutes back... so I decided to go shopping instead :D ... what?! I had HAD to celebrate my getting a new job. It's tradition. Any time I get a new job, I splurge ASAP. because I know I have a check waiting for me at the end of the month. TERRIBLE habit, right?

THEN.... I got some awesome new clothes for my trip to Mexico this summer :D and some teacher stuff for next year :).... and then I got my hair cut, went to the grocery store, picked up my prescriptions at CVS, then FINALLY went home. And if THAT'S not enough to be considered productive, I got home, cooked dinner, scrubbed the guest bathroom, organized my office (in search of my *LOST* Social Security Card), and even did the dishes! And around 9:30PM, I still hadn't found my SS Card :(. I was getting ready to dig through the trash, when Dan found it in the files that he had from when he did my taxes back in January. Wow I am SO thankful for this wonderful man :D He does my Taxes, keeps my important documents, finds the things I lose.... :) ahh. Anyways, it is found. And I will get my background check tomorrow before I get my oil changed... Oops. I should have done that today. Oh well! New exciting day tomorrow... and counting the days .... OH HEY 14 days until my birthday :D woohooo ....

Have a good night! And check out Katie's Blog! :D

~Sarah