Snow Days!

Well although I started off pumped about blogging it took a snow day to pull me back.  It didn't take long for the reality of juggling full time teaching, parenting four and being a wife to shut that fantasy down. 

 It's been a somewhat difficult year for me as moving to the 2nd grade has been an interesting transition! I pray that I get to stay in this grade because it would be great to come Into to the next year with a solid year of 2nd grade experience behind me.  It will be beneficial to have time to reflect on my year of instruction.  I already have ideas of how I will start my year next year. 

I don't just want to be an ordinary teacher I want to be an extraordinary teacher! The stakes for my students are high! Well I don't know if this is blog material it kind of feels like a dear diary moment! Until the next snow day!

Stay Calm and Teach On!!!

A Teachers Best Friend

Wednesday morning I spent over two hours laminating I can statements for my second graders.  This was after the 2.5 hours I spent cutting them out!  Ok so not amazing however I found my self oddly happy and amused while I attended to this mundane task! I thought happily about how I came to own the laminator not knowing how it would become one of my most useful tools in the quest for an engaging learning environment.  The story, neither interesting nor engaging, is simply that my husband won it  the year I started subbing. I put it in the closet where it sat until I got my first classroom a year later.  Right! Not very interesting, but the laminator and myself have become fast friends!  I don't know where I'd be with out it! Well maybe indebted to Staples for my expensive laminating needs. I found the I can statements on TPT.  I love that site! 

BFF

   I spent about 5 hours in my class yesterday and about 4 hours today!  I'm pretty much exhausted. I have realized I need to focus in on what's must important and get to the the other not so important things in the coming weeks!  I still need to fine tune my Procedures PowerPoint and my First Day Script!  I also need to work on my unit plans and my school wide expectations poster to name a few. I am nearly done with the room! I embrace the imperfections! 

I am so looking forward to beginning this years adventure in Second Grade! 

Sweet Farewell to Summer

After spending all day working on my classroom I wonder to myself, does it ever get easier? As much as I Love my career/calling, I would love to spend my last week before my "official" return to work spending quality time with my little ladies! However I do cherish the time I do get with my girls! So when a sweet little voice called to find out if I was going to take her to get ice cream and to the park I gladly said yes!  

They really enjoyed the ice cream and they had sticky hands faces and clothing to show for it! Next on to there favorite Past time: swinging!

I love my Kiddos!

 

Great Kid Books: Series we love in 2nd grade! (ages 7 - 9)

I found this blog which was really helpful for me planning my library order for my class! 



Great Kid Books: Series we love in 2nd grade! (ages 7 - 9): Second grade is a really exciting year for many new readers. Most start the year still working on decoding each word, and by the end of the ...

Teaching Goals This Year

 This has been a very busy week. Truth be told, I really don't know how I will get it all done with just a week before my "official" first day back at school.  As much as I want my classroom to look and feel perfect I realize that perfection is not really the goal!  I really want to set up the learning environment for my student's success!

I have struggled in previous years with developing routines that stick. Which is really a symptom of my disorganization! This year I am planning everything for the first two weeks and teaching procedures to mastery! I'm implementing school wide expectations and positive classroom culture on day one! I will teach, model, practice and review these expectation and procedures throughout the year!

 I believe that this will be a much better year than last year. My faith in this is supported by action!

Starting Points

I must say that I am new to this whole blogging thing. So I forgive myself for the errors I know I will make in the days to come.  I would hope that any readers would do the same.  My name is Marie I am a fairly new teacher in an urban district in Ohio.  I am super excited about chronicling my year in the second grade. This is my first year teaching second and only my second full year in the classroom.  I also have taught 5th grade science and 1st / Kinder split. Hopefully this grade will stick.  Its where I want to be.

I don't have much to say today but I do want to share a pic of my classroom as I entered it yesterday after a deep cleaning.

I didn't do much yesterday but I did change the desk and move the kidney table which will be my command center this school year.  I plan on giving up my desk this year.  I'll see how that works I'm not sold however last year It mainly became a catch all for every random thing I had. So this is as far as I got yesterday I hope to get much further today!!!

Look at my two cutie pie helpers.