Unplugged-ish

Confession time: I am really addicted to technology. Not like some people are. I'm more addicted in a teenager-who-can't-stop-checking-social-media sort of way.
I'm not a game-player.
I don't online shop (most of the time).
I don't binge-watch Netflix on my computer.
I mainly spend hours on Facebook or Pinterest ... ensuring that I am "up-to-date." 

I WISH my addiction was beneficial ... like that I was so into technology I was always creating products or that I was always doing research or something helpful, but that's not always the case. 

So I decided to do something about it. 

Around December 1st, I decided that I would deactivate my Facebook account.

Until Christmas.

It was going to be hard, because this was the time leading up to the holidays and people would be posting all types of news and fun pictures. But then I realized, that was exactly why I didn't want to be on there.

So often I found out information about people before they even had a chance to tell me themselves.
This was especially true of my students. And that was one of my main motivations for deactivating. Leading up to the holidays, my students are excited, they have family traditions, baking cookies at grandmas, all of them have Elves on their Shelves that do mischievous things in their homes, they go on trips to visit the magic tree .... they have all these fun and exciting things to tell me, and I have found that over the years I have had Facebook, and parents have "friended" me, I find things out about my students before they've had a chance to tell me their story from their point of view.
[Which is always just a little different than those five-or-so best pictures that mom/dad/grandma decide are post-worthy.]

In a world where multi-tasking and getting things done quickly is king, I too often found myself saying "I saw your elf this morning on Facebook!" and it took me a while to realize what was happening: these students are being raised in a world of technology, by parents who need things to happen instantly, and now they had a teacher who doesn't want to hear their stories either.
I was mortified. 

So this year, it was my goal in the weeks leading up to Christmas break to be as un-attached to social media as I could be and really LISTEN to my students and their stories (which usually involved an elf who hung toilet paper all over or made snow angels in sugar). This way, I wouldn't have already seen what Susie's elf did and SHE could tell me herself. 

While I felt closer to my students, I felt less connected to others. My co-workers who rely on Facebook to keep our personal lives "connected" and my friends who rely on Facebook to send out massed-messages/emotions/pictures because that, unfortunately, is our society.
I will confess that I got onto Facebook twice during this time of being "unplugged" ... once to turn off my mobile device [even though I deactivated my account, I was still getting text messages from them, and I didn't like that]. Once because I had sent some pictures from my classroom to our district's communications director and someone said he posted them onto Facebook, so I wanted to check and see which ones he posted. 

I have four days left until I will reactivate my Facebook.
And I can't say that I won't be just as active as I was before, but I will look at it another way. 

Another interesting thing that happened when I de-activated:
I lost TONS of phone numbers. People would call/text me and I'd be like "Who is this?!" without understanding why I didn't have their number. People like my brother no longer had a name or photo in my phone. All because of Facebook. 

I still used Instagram and SnapChat.
I still read all my regular blogs. 

I still used Pinterest.
I still got onto my TpT account and used my email.

But nothing like I used to; my laptop mostly stayed closed during the evenings while I watched t.v. and I went to bed much earlier every night. 

Technology is a funny thing. So helpful, and yet so burdensome. 

  

THANKSgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

I am at home, recovering from:
 two Thanksgiving feasts (my mom's side and my dad's)

Online Shopping
Movie Night (my mom and I went to see Mockingjay!)

Cookie decorating with my grade level team

AND
writing my PDP and a Unit of Instruction to share out with the district at our next PD.

When I write it all out, I really did quite a bit over this break! 

I did want to share something with you all; I've been focusing on my 'data points' this quarter.
And I created an Endless Bundle where I will add each quarter's data points to them as I go.

Each data point correlates to Common Core State Standards, and they follow what I am teaching in math. They are quick for students to do, and quick for me to grade. 

Go to my TpT store for a quick Freebie to try it! 

Click on the picture to go there! 

Here's the whole bundle if you want to check it out!

And, right now... my whole store is 10%
And December 1-2 ALL of TpT is 20% off! 

Happy Shopping, and Happy December!

My count-down is on!
(15 days!) 

Trugging Along

I know every week I say "this week is jam-packed"

BUT really, this week has been totally full! 

Monday I taught division concepts to my second graders. That's right, division concepts. We are getting pretty good at identifying the (divided by) and (times) symbols. Most days I take for granted that they know the symbols for addition/subtraction, and then I have to teach them these new symbols and I'm like WOAH! How'd they learn the other ones?!? 

We've been using the concept of groups and objects to help with multiplication and division, these are BIG concepts.
I will get a picture of my anchor chart, because it's awesome! 

Tuesday we had 5th and 6th grade teachers come and observe in our math classrooms. They all said they were really impressed with how much our kiddos knew and were able to do! It's always nice to feel validated and like you're on the right track with your instruction from time to time! 

After school Tuesday, I had a Superintendent's Advisory Committee meeting. It was my first time going, and I really enjoyed it; it was nice to sit and chat with our Superintendent about upcoming events, concerns and questions from around the district. 

Today I started teaching about word problems using multiplication and division. I was really proud with how well they were all able to discern if a word problem was multiplication or if it was division. And I was observed today by my principal which went well, she was impressed with how well they were doing.. I'm really proud of them! 

Tomorrow we are continuing our word problem work. We are also using task cards with our work that my district math coach gave to me to use!
After school, I have class for five hours in the city. A friend of mine is coming to stay at my house until her meeting in Warrensburg for student teaching.

Friday we have a field trip to our local college to watch a play. It is always exciting! That will take our whole morning; and then I have a sub in the afternoon because I have to go to the same student teaching meeting in Warrensburg to learn about co-teaching. In the spring semester I am getting a student teacher! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! 

Friday night I have a big dinner with my friends to say good bye to one of our friends: She's moving to ALASKA!
And then Saturday I'm hosting my friends at my house for the same reason: saying goodbye to my dear friend as her and her new fiance' make the move to the Alaskan tundra. eeeek! (and brrrr!)

It's just a b.u.s.y week!

Endless Bundle!

I haven't posted in about a month, and after reading my last two posts I realize that my life hasn't much changed since softball ended. I still have meetings and/or classes every night, something is always going on! 

I have fallen behind in the area of assessment in my classroom

 *GASP* 

So this weekend, my main goal was to create my data point assessments for common core/standards based grading that we are doing this year. 

I got all that done, for quarter one and quarter two.
This way I can assess my students as needed on the standards I need to still.
AND I can share them with you!

It is an "ENDLESS" bundle, which I have come to learn means that I will put up what I have done now, and you all can buy it as it, then any updates or better-ings I do, you get too!

I am excited about this, too because they are half-sheet assessments that the kids can do quickly and that I can grade quickly. Our standards-based grading is based on a 3-2-1 scale, so I tried to keep it simple with that in mind. 

Along with that this weekend, I worked on my Reflection paper on ELCC Standard 3 for my Internship (which I got finished!) and I worked on my Professional Code of Ethics (which is 1/3 of the way done!). 

I feel like I'm FINALLY on the down-hill slope of Grad-School and I'm ALMOST there. However I know I still have a TON of work left in my internship, but I also think a few solid weekends of work will get a lot of it done.
As long as I stay focused. 

This weekend my school also had its school Carnival. It is always fun and a great fundraiser for our PTA. I, of course, was pied in the face by kids. Kids throwing pie = tons of fun (and mess)! 

One of my softball girls was in charge of the pie-throwing booth with me and she sent this picture out of me to all the softball team for them to come out to the carnival! haha! 

After the carnival, I got to go see one of my very best friends from when we were little. She had her brand-new little baby boy here! I got to hold him and feed him... and her nephews were there. It was a very nice chat with some of my oldest family friends!

I hope you all have a very awesome school week!
Do you get out early for Veteran's Day? Do you have school? What do you have planned that is special? 

Homecoming

This week is Homecoming Week for me. Both homecoming for my high school AND homecoming for my college! WOAH! That's a lot of Homecomings! 

For school, we don't do anything as the elementary school for homecoming -- we just get get out of school early on Friday for the parade (which I get to be in with softball)... the girls make cute posters for the float...

For my college Homecoming: my friends and I will be getting together Friday-Saturday and hanging out at our old haunts. (I love my college friends. We are family.) 

I have so many great memories of my high school and college homecomings: football games, cheering on the tigers and mules, going to/being in the parades (drinking hot cocoa in college, because the parade started at 9am), organizing a campus-wide homecoming "Spirit Week" program my junior year, but most of all being with my friends. Because what are the memories, if there weren't awesome people there to share them with?

OH! And It just so happens that this Friday (high school homecoming) is My Birthday!!

WOO HOO! 

Be checking back for something special this week: Like a Homecoming/Birthday Party Sale! 

15 days

Do you ever stop and think "we've only been in school how long?!" 

Yep.
That's how I feel. 

I always forget how long it takes to teach routines and expectations. And once we have something some-what established, the schedule is changed again. So we do our best to adapt. 

So for the last 15 days that's what I've been working on in my room.
Routines, procedures, expectations, and math. 

I had a request to make third grade versions of the Math in Focus: Singapore Math vocabulary mini posters that I had made for second grade, so I did not disappoint -- here they are! 

Click the picture to go to my store and purchase :) 

This week, we are working on more place value things. Chapter One in our math book goes into Comparing and Ordering numbers using a place-value mat and number line. That's what we will be tackling this week! Along with taking our first test!

I'm also beginning to teach Road to Reading during our intervention time (our IE time is purely reading) ... which I'm excited about! With my crazy schedule, I need something more "scripted."

For example, here's my week this week:
Monday: Internship meeting/Out of town softball game
Tuesday: NOTHING EXTRA!! (Just practice)
Wednesday: Home softball game
Thursday: Home softball game/Math Parent Night
Friday: released from school to go to a two-day softball tournament (*Mid-terms are due*)
Saturday: Softball Tournament 

PHEW! Deep breath! I will make it through this week!
(and the next, and the next, and the next...) 

Almost ready!

Well my classroom is almost done being waxed; so I can ALMOST get in there and finish working, and when I'm done, I'll be sure to post some pictures. For now, know that it's pretty basic. 

One of my main goals has been to be "ahead of the game"
Since I ... teach, coach, work the fair, go to grad school -- which I'm working on my internship hours this semester, am the school's webmaster, oh where I work at the fair has asked me to manage the building ... and all of that is aside from actually living... I need to be as well prepared and be able to manage my time the best as I can.

SOOOOO

I have made up a bunch of things that will HOPEFULLY carry me through the entire year:

These are the YEAR's worth of fluency games that are totally made up, just have to print, cut, laminate, cut, then organize and play! ... that's going to save tons of time and they're aligned to Common Core, Everyday Counts Calendar Math AND Math in Focus-Singapore Math... doesn't get much better than that!

I also made up a whole year's worth of Calendar Math pages to use ... ya know, with calendar math.




Keeping with the Math Theme ... I wanted to make these last year, but never got around to it. These are for the WHOLE year. Vocabulary mini-posters that go with each chapter for Math in Focus-- Singapore Math!

Finally, one of my fellow teachers asked me to make her a clip-chart for writing ... She's the writing teacher in our four-woman-team and she had some specific things she wanted included, so I was happy to oblige her. Here's what we came up with, she was happy with it, I hope you all are too: 

Click on any of the pictures above to go to them in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Right now there's an awesome sale going on, everything in my store is 15% off and if you use the code BTS14 you get an extra percentage off! 

GOALS!

This summer, I can probably go back and count the days that I've slept in. 

I know, I know .... I'm doing it wrong. 

And now, I'm paying for it because I am sooooooooooo tired.
(Because also in the summer, I stay up WAY too late, and get up early. It's a vicious cycle.) 

Anyway. I am on a mission to have EVERYTHING done before I have to officially back. And though I know that this is an unrealistic goal, I know that come the fall I will be coaching softball, juggling an internship AND a class that starts in mid-October. 

So ... really, this goal is simple to me:
1. Have my back-to-school stuff printed
2. Have my room decorated (almost done!) 

3. Print my first unit of math
4. Have math fluency games organized (done!)
5. Have a way to have the kids focused during my morning (see below)

6. Get some kind of meal-plan plan going ....
7. Find a way to formative-ly assess kids and keep it organized! 

Having things printed will help me stay organized. And planning meals will help me stay on track, and be able to save some time, which I'm always about! 

This weekend I worked on putting together a calendar booklet.
I want to use this during our morning. The kids come in at 7:45am and eat breakfast in my room. They hand me notes, tell me stories, ask me to open their milk, are supposed to be signing up for lunch, run around the room, read books, tell each other stories (there's a lot of story telling going on).. but you get the picture. I am supposed to have breakfast/lunch count and attendance done and class started by 8:00am.

HA!

So I wanted to have something that would keep them (busy) focused.
This booklet is aligned to our Calendar Math program (Everyday Counts) and has just as many days as we need, but you could copy more if needed ;) 

It's 131 pages of review and those "morning routines" that I was missing out on by running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
They are very repetitive "Number of the Day" sorts of pages, with each month going a different direction with the number, as Calendar Math does.

My plan is to print it off monthly, and when the month is over we can have a little celebration and send it home!

I'm one step closer to finishing up my list of must-dos!
(I'll keep you updated on the meal planning) 

Time to get back into it...

For most, July 4th is a big celebration day. 

To me, it means we are on the downward slope toward school being here. 

I have been working hard (or hardly working) on some things to help me make this upcoming school year a bit easier, so I thought I would pass them along to YOU so you can benefit as well!

I know we are always learning new things, picking up a little tid-bit at a conference here, reading something from a book there, pinning something on Pinterest... and one of my big goals this summer was to collect games so we could use them during our "math fluency" block.

We are a departmentalized second grade, which I LOVE!
And I teach the math portion.
However, EVERY teacher teaches a section of Intervention (reading) and their own "Everyday Counts Calendar Math" and fifteen minutes of math fact fluency with their homeroom.

So I took it upon myself (being the "math person") to pull together and collect math fluency games to use during that time so we all have direction and consistency. It can be hard when you are asked to facilitate something, but don't really have a map. 

So since I did that for us ... I thought I'd give y'all a little sneak peek.
 

Inside my store, there is a FREEBIE of Part-Part-Whole Cards! 

They are just ONE piece of these games that will last you the whole year :)
Click on the picture below to grab yours: 

 

The rest of the year is in my store for just $10. You get 22 games that are aligned to the Every Day Counts Calendar Math "Computations and Connections" section. All the parts and pieces are there, so you just have to copy, laminate, and organize them! (You will need to add some dice here and there!) 

Click on the picture below to go to my store and see it for yourself:

 

Alright, That's all I have for now.
What have you been working on to get ready for the upcoming school year??

I think I can, I think I can...

Oh Lord... I KNOW that I can finish this year out strong. 

We only have 16 days left of school. 

I have printed off the rest of the math that I will need for the rest of the school year. 

I know the things that I need to do for the rest of the school year. 

I am looking forward to Field Day and our 2nd grade fun-day. 

I am excited about our Relay for Life Spirit Week coming up. 

I am gearing up for softball season. 

I am also making tons of lists of things to do over the summer. 

But isn't that the life of a teacher; hardly the time to live in the now while we are planning for the future... 

LASIK ... the real deal (a long non-school-related post)

I have worn glasses since I was six years old. For real. And they weren't these cutesy frames they have now where kiddos get glasses and people melt because they are adorable. My glasses were always HUGE, ROUND, THICK, NOT-ATTRACTIVE ... which made me feel well, not attractive. 

I was always diagnosed with astigmatism, and I was told I was near and far-sighted. When I was in middle school I tried contacts, but because of the amount of astigmatism I had I had to try to wear gas-permeable lenses. For those who have, and do, and are okay with them, I commend you. They are horribly uncomfortable and painful, and I cried. A lot.

When I was in high school and I was in show choir, glasses weren't allowed on stage. So... I broke out the gas-perms. I could kinda see. But more than that, my eyes were in pain. Our competitions were very long, and on one bus ride home I lost a lens. They were very expensive, so we scrapped that idea.

I played softball, umpired, traveled, swam, with my glasses.

My vision prescription stabilized while I was in high school. And my eye doctor told me I would be a good candidate for LASIK. I was happy, and knew I would need to save up for it. I had several family members who had it done and were very happy.

When I was in college, I once again tried soft-toric contacts to no avail. The problem with astigmatism is that it literally changes the shape of your eye, so putting a contact on your eye doesn't help because with each blink it is moving and changing shape with your cornea. Glasses will be the best fix for astigmatism, always.

Unless you do LASIK! Sooooo I called Durrie Vision. I made an appointment, and went from there. If you are thinking about doing it- think about the cost effectiveness. The cost of LASIK replaces the cost of one pair of glasses and one year of contacts plus solution for me, easy.

My initial evaluation appointment my mom came with me. We have an hour drive to the doctor, and I knew that the tests would make my eyes tired. Because of the amount of astigmatism that my eyes had, my eyes were CONSTANTLY focusing on things, and always tired- causing headaches. My first appointment my eyes were dilated, which lasted until I went to bed that night. They told me I was an excellent candidate. They also told me I have mixed astigmatism. (Which means that each eye is both near and far sighted -- WHAAAAT?!)

I got to be in a study for "iDesign" with SBK Lasik; so that required a lot more tests. So I went back. I needed a driver for that appointment as well and higher strength dilation drops were used. Because my eyes are a light color (blue), the drops are also stronger on my eyes. My eyes were dilated that day and into the next, over 24 hours. 

Tip: You have to shower the night before surgery. No lotions/moisturizers/make-up the day of surgery. Invest in some make-up towelettes. The day of the surgery I got to the office at 9:30 for some pre-op exams. One doctor marked on each of my eye balls with a purple pen on either side of my corneas. Then two assistants put in some more drops. Then the doctor came out to talk to me about the procedure and how it was all going to go -- but let me tell ya, nothing can actually prepare you for what it's like!

This whole time, my family (2 aunts and my mom) are waiting in the waiting room and watching it on a close-circuit TV.

They put you on a flat chair, and then tape one eye shut while propping the other open. There are two machines on either side of you. You slide over to the first machine to get lined up, and then slide over to the other where they "create the flap." Essentially, they use a laser to make a flap in each eye. There is a suction device used, this was the only part that was uncomfortable. And I could not have the drops that prevented my eyes from becoming bruised during this process because of my participation in the study.

After the flaps have been created, you are slid over to the other machine and asked to look at the blinking orange light. Because the flap is open, the light is extremely fuzzy, and at a point it goes totally dark. You hear the laser's "tick tick tick" noise, and you smell the burning -- all "normal"

Once the laser is done with both eyes, the doctor "wipes" your eye (puts the flap back) and puts a gel and light burst of air. That's done to both eyes and voila! The entire procedure is maybe 5 minutes!

They guide you into a little room (where my family was waiting) and put in tons of extra drops, including your anti-inflammatory and the steroid drops that you'll continue for the rest of the week. The doctor comes in to check the flaps, you get sunglasses, and you go! (You obviously have to have a driver)

The morning of my surgery I was experiencing some pretty intense allergies. The drive home was NOT pleasant. I could not breathe, I was nervous to blow my nose, my eyes were watering, I was dizzy, my vision was foggy and confusing, and I felt like crying! AHH! But fear not... it will get better! TIP: Put a timer on your phone for the artificial tears, especially the first day!

I went back to my aunt's house and just laid on the couch for the rest of the evening. When it was time for bed, I put on my "eye shields." More than once I woke up in the night to put in eye drops, my eyes were just so dry.

The next morning you go in for a one-day-post-op. I was seeing 20/15. That's what my correction was with my glasses. And I knew this was way better. Because with my glasses, I had no peripheral vision. And I was cleared to drive!  

My biggest fear was (and still is a little) showering. You have to be careful about getting soap and water in your eyes for 2 months. I've been diligent about keeping my eyes closed. I saw somewhere to keep a towel hanging over the curtain rod to pat water off your face while you're in the shower. That's helped, too. 

One of my biggest tips is to keep the preservative-free tears everywhere. In your pockets, purse, bathroom, bedside, coffee table, car, even in the fridge -- keeping them cool relieves the "itchy" feeling! They give you some samples, and I've been trying different kinds, but I've been using a LOT of them!

I am excited because I know that everyday after LASIK vision continues to get better, I'm still in the stage when it's a little watery and unclear at times.
This was my doctor, I would recommend their practice to Anyone! Click to see videos of how it all works!

Can you tell I was (and am) a little excited about all this?
Happy Easter!!! 

Preppin'

Alright... I'll admit that a big part of being a teacher is being prepared. I like to stay a week to two weeks prepped, if I can. There are sometimes that that just can't happen. (like the last whole math chapter, I was just sort of flying by the seat of my pants as we say) but this week I spent time ordering the next whole chapter of math that I would need and trying to organize my intervention time for the rest of the school year. I think it's a little motivation to "see the end in sight" as they say. 

I am also having surgery this coming Thursday, so I wanted to have some plans prepared.

We just finished taking our Terra Nova test (the equivalent to the MAP for out little kiddos) so we planned to do a "testing celebration" of all their hard work and concentration. When I think about it, these kids really do work very hard all year long. [most of the time ;)] 

Anyway, we decided to have that "testing celebration" on the day I am not going to be at school- which really works out, I don't particularly like subs to try to teach this math program anyway. So I wanted to whip up some math centers that would be easy for them to "play" during their time in my room. Sooooo that's what I did tonight:

  

There are Seven Centers in all, and they are really flexible ... I had a compilation picture, but as luck would have it, blogger is not letting me put it on right now and I'm too tired to mess with it right now. So as I like to say "ya get what ya get and ya don't throw a fit!"

Sometimes I'm not really great about preparing myself and my classroom for what's in store. But this week, I am on the ball!

I hope you all have a great week, prepared or not!
-Hilliary 

Sleep

I've noticed lately that my health is failing. Nothing "big" but as I've checked my blood pressure, it is very high for my age. I've always been a little heavy, but along with the added stress of having a classroom, coaching, being involved in the community, owning a house, keeping up with my blog/TPT store, and everything else that goes on in life: it becomes very stressful, and I'm sure adds to that blood pressure being high, along with my unhealthy habits. 

I have been doing "research" (ie: reading tons of blogs) about health/nutrition, and I honestly know a lot about it. My fault is not putting it all in place. 

One of my biggest thing is trying to cram SO MUCH into each day. I think as we are asked to do more and more and more in our classrooms, we are forced to squeeze something out of our personal day, thus creating more stress, and something's gotta give. For me it's been sleep. 

I am someone who needs sleep. Not just because I become a cranky-monster, but because when I was in high school, I had two grand-maul seizures because of sleep deprivation. Lately, I've made my bedtime 10pm. However, that still doesn't seem to be enough sleep (and nights like tonight- it's 10:12 and I'm just blogging!), as my alarm blares its first call at 5AM and I begrudgingly drag myself out of bed sometimes an hour later, and I'm still tired throughout the day. 

So tonight I searched "when should I go to sleep" on a whim ... the random site I came across said that if I want to wake up at 4AM, I should go to sleep at 8:15PM. I think I will try this. I can set my DVR to record any shows that are "too good to pass up." It will also give me some time in the morning (hopefully) that I can get a work out in before school, which should give me some added energy as well as much needed health benefits. And be able to watch those shows from the night before?? hmmm 

(Ironically, the news just did a story about waking up early being good for your health) 

Sheesh, signs much?
Have a great [stress free] week! 

TPT YIPPEE!!

I am very new to Teachers Pay Teachers. So sometimes, when I sell something or have a good day, I have a dance party! Today I reached 100 (and 101) units sold!!!!!!!! :) It makes my heart happy because it means people are enjoying my products and (hopefully) their lives are being made a little more simpler. 

I am a new teacher (this is my third year) and I know that the teaching profession has changed drastically since I was a child. I was always an observant kiddo, as I think most kids who become teachers are, and I know we don't do the crafts like we used to, we don't have the easy-breezy feel to the classroom like it was pre-standardized testing. 

I say all this because I recently read an article someone posted about how Teachers Pay Teachers is namely lazy teachers buying things to make their classroom "cute," paying no attention to the diversity in their classroom or the changing curriculum and standards. 

To that I say 'please'

1. Teachers are not lazy.
This job is hard. Very hard. There is a very real science to it. And if I can save myself a few hours by purchasing some already-made math centers that my kiddos are going to be excited about, then of course that's a no brainer! On the flip side of that, when I create a new product sometimes I will spend a week's worth of evenings preparing a product, or longer. I want those products to look their best!
 I WANT to have a life outside of my classroom someday. Right now I am not married, I have no pets, essentially it's just me and my career and I find it hard to keep up. I couldn't imagine at this point being married with three kids to chase around to games/practices/scouts/dinners/bathtime/homework plus a husband and a dog. Then I would REALLY rely on this great resource! 

2. Teachers buy things for their classroom all the time. 
I felt like a big part of the article was putting down teachers for purchasing 'pre-made' things. While I see the argument for wanting to make all your own things for ever and ever in your classroom, amen; and if that's your goal, go for it! But I find that highly unattainable in today's world. I know my district gives me a curriculum pacing guide and a textbook that I must follow. Essentially, everything I teach is from something "pre-made" ... I just like to make things more user friendly/condensed/ dare I say cute... 

3. Cute is awesome. 
We are elementary teachers. There is value in a child seeing real birds compared to cartoon-y birds, I get that. But I am not going to ask Kevin Henkes to replace his hand drawn mousy characters with the real thing. Having a "cute" (and fun and inviting) classroom makes a child feel safe. They want to learn in a fun, creative, (cute) classroom. Needless to say sometimes I spend 10 or 11 hours a day in that room! I WANT it to be cute, darnit! 

4. This is just complete ridiculousness. 
Any teacher worth their salt knows exactly what standards their students are being held up to, even if they can't quote it directly, they know where their resource is so they can tell you how Johnny is doing on 2.MD.A.2 ... The AWESOME-est thing about TPT products is that as those standards change, or as we see changes that need to be made to products because of changes to programs, etc, we make those to the documents and BAM! You get the new download ... Instead of having to pay the 2.6 billion dollars for a new curriculum from (insert any textbook provider here).
The other 'best' thing is that TPT essentially is a place for differentiation in and of itself. The people making the products are teachers, they have taught the subject and know what other teachers are going through. When I make a product, I try to think of every way that it could be used in the classroom and prepare my product for that. That's also why we do previews; if it looks like it won't fit with your learners, don't purchase it! If you do purchase it and you would like to see some changes ... let us know! It might not be possible at that very second (as I said, teaching is a hard job and it takes a lot of time) but more than likely, it will get done.

So to recap: Teachers are not lazy people who are smart and like cute things that they are constantly buying with their own money. 

Well, enough of that crazy talk -- now it's time for a freebie since I've sold 100 items! 

It's just a quick Fairy Tale Story map and components. I did it this past week with my intervention group. They enjoyed it, and we took it a step further. After mapping a fairy tale, we would watch the "new" version from Ms. Booksy and map it again, comparing the two versions! Totally fun! (if you don't know Ms. Booksy- check her out, super fun! and a little silly) 

Our Classroom

My sister is a world traveler. Seriously, she has traveled to Europe twice, which is twice more than I have been, and she just left this past week for her third trip. UGH! 

This last time, she and her friends going are going to be observing in some schools. So we made up a plan she would take a "letter" from my class and bring something back to share. Hopefully they take great notes, too because I LOVE learning about different classrooms! 

Here's what I sent them so they could see how our classroom works and what we do in America in our classroom: 

That's about all that's been going on lately. We just finished up end-of-quarter common assessments and grade cards! Phew! We also had an observer all day who floated through our departmentalized rooms. I don't know about you, but I always get super nervous before I am observed!

I know today was St. Patrick's Day, but here is a packet (in case you still need something) or for next year! It's only $2 and it's super quick. Click on the picture to find it! 

Have a great week! 

the BIG sale

I am still very new to Teachers Pay Teachers. And I'm trying to find the balance to now much time I spend creating products and how I get my products out there; how I use my blog and how I document the use of my products in my own classroom. It has definitely been a learning process, and obviously one that I continue to learn! 

When my friend Tara from Little Minds at Work mentioned the "BIG Sale" I was like whaaaaaat??" and NOW I get it.... There's a BIG sale happening! Friday and Saturday! So... fill up your carts, and get things big-time price reduced, so that you can be ready to conquer the rest of the school year OR have your stuff ready for Christmas for next year or whatever! Stock up! You can get up to 28% off 

Click the picture and it will take you to my store!
Just think, 3 million teachers all having their stores on sale for YOU! How awesome!

Enjoy your week! 

Advocare Days 3&4

I have decided that I like this. 

And that's a big step.
Even though I haven't lost any weight yet; at least anything that is showing on the scale; I like the way I have been feeling.
I haven't had an urge to go get a soda or fast food. (the thought crossed my mind -- but that's because it was a 'routine' I would have had, and I had to tell myself to forget it)
I am drinking so much water, I stay full. And I always have enough food prepared that I have many choices to pick from when meal time comes.

It's only been four days, so I am not concerned about the no weight loss thing. I know that a lot of that is more than likely because I haven't been exercising. At all. I know that I can, and should, but I also made a conscious decision from the beginning that I wanted to get the nutrition part down pat before trying to do both at once. 

I now know that I can do this routine during a busy school day with meetings and after school tutoring. Or a day where we have a carry-in lunch. I can do this routine on a weekend day when I stay at home and work. And I can do this routine on a normal school day. So now, there are no excuses. 

(and I'm almost half-way done with the cleanse phase!) 

Advocare Days 1&2

Like millions of people out there, I struggle with my weight and health. With teaching in the classroom and coaching, I struggle to have great nutrition and get good exercise as well. I have always been heavier, since I was little even -- and my genetics don't help that. I have never really let it get to me, but now that my job requires me to be so active I want to be as healthy as I can be. And with my schedule getting busier and busier, my energy level has gone down and down. So I finally decided I needed to do something about it. 

I know there are hundreds upon hundreds of diets and exercise programs that offer success. I have half-way tried a few. I never devoted myself completely to any of these efforts. And I know that is why I "failed." 

SO ... I had a bunch of friends that were doing this crazy new thing called Advocare. And a lot of them were very successful. They said they had more energy. They said they lost a lot of weight. They said that they were happy, that their skin was more clear... etc, etc, etc. 

So I did a bunch of research and read a lot of blogs and then read some more. I wanted to be sure that it was something I could actually do and not excuse my way out.

I decided to do the 24-Day Challenge. It starts off with a 10-Day cleanse and ends with a 14 day "max" phase. For six days of the cleanse phase, you drink a fiber drink -- and you get to eat, but the goal is to eat CLEAN. There is a daily guide that comes with the pack so you know what and when to eat. You also have to drink TONS of water. Like... half your body weight in ounces. Needless to say, I've been drinking TONS of water. 

So, I've done two days of the cleanse. I am not zooming around with extra energy by any means. And actually, right now I am struggling to keep my eyes open. I told myself that I would get the nutrition down really well before I tried to start up exercising as well. I have been learning a lot about what and when to eat. Over the years, I have learned so much about nutrition  -- But I have never applied it. 

These two days have gone well. No negative side effects. The biggest change has been preparing meals and snacks to take with me so I'm prepared and don't crash; also making sure I have the right supplements and drink mixes to take, and making sure I take them at the right times! 

Conferences

Well, we just finished our "spring" conferences. And let me tell you if there was ever a down to the last minute sort of feeling, these conferences were it. We had six snow days going into them, so we barely got the conferences scheduled with the parents before coming back to school from the "snow break." Just a mess. However, by some marvelous intervention, I only had two kids not show up for their conference so that is a major positive! 

Since our conferences were at mid-term this year, I basically just showed how much growth they have made since the beginning of the school year, what their goal is for the end of the year and how much time they have left to accomplish that goal. We talked a little about expectations for third grade and any areas of concern. Most parents with concerns we are in contact with on a regular basis, so they are in the know already. 

With our newly adopted math curriculum, we have had a problem with new kids moving into our building and not having the background knowledge that our kiddos do. That was a big topic of concern tonight at conferences. What our plan would be to get these particular kids 'back up to snuff' so to say. It can be frustrating as a parent to see that you child has just flat out missed concepts and we as a district aren't slowing down! I have had to think about this, and so far I haven't come up with a prominent solution.

I know other teachers will sympathize with me when I say "I'm glad they are over!" ... I became a teacher so that I could talk to kids all day. Not so that I could chat with adults. Adults are not my forte, for sure! I'd rather hang out at the kids table and color and read books! ;) 

Because conferences are over and because tomorrow's Valentine's Day, I'm going to throw a SALE in my store! EVERYTHING is 15% off!! 

Working Not at Work

Even though I've been on snowdays forever... I've still been working: creating tons of things for my classroom. I have been concerned about our calendar routines fulfilling what they have been intended to in order to compliment our math curriculum. 

ALSO, because I am the only "math" teacher, and because all the other teachers are doing calendar, I wanted it to be consistent. Sooooo.... The Calendar Task Cards were born. 

I made a set of Regrouping Problems: We started the year teaching regrouping and that was it. The curriculum does not spiral. There is no review. AHHHHHH! I can hear those third grade teachers now: "how exactly did you teach this???" lol Basically the cards are intended to be done one card per day with our calendar routine (these sets are for one month). But I've made them so that they can be done as "task cards" in a math center (there is a recording page as well).
Click on the picture to find them: 

Along with that, money is a big concern. Money with regrouping (and where we have to add/subtract with decimal points) is also a concern. SO I did Money Word Problems Task Cards. Click on this picture to find them:

I've also been working on a HUGE spelling test packet for those using Journeys materials. 

Tomorrow's our first day back to school... and it's Friday! :)  

SNOW DAY

Tomorrow marks snow day #4 THIS WEEK for us. 

I am thankful primarily because I cannot get my little car out of my driveway (I'm hypothesizing, I haven't actually tried). And I seem to have come down with some kind of sickness that makes me wish I had someone to take care of me.

HOWEVER I am dreading how the kids are going to come back. I know having days off for break is like pressing the reboot button, and students come back like they haven't seen a school before. 

With all the snow days, it will move our 100th day back and our PTA has rescheduled our Valentine's Parties. UGH. Valentine's Parties. 

So now, the parties will be on Tuesday- the day before we start Parent Teacher Conferences. 

So to paraphrase: I'm glad we're having snow days .... but they are making things a mess. 

Sleep Room Printables

I have been thinking about putting some printables in my bedroom, because there is nothing on the walls in my bedroom at all! 

So I took some time today (in between grad school assignments) to create these really quickly, and I thought I would share them with you! 

They're just for fun, so click and download! 
Have a great night!

The Perfect Storm

Teachers have a special power.

{besides the obvious} 

We know when the weather is going to change. We also know when there is going to be a full moon. With the behavior of my students, I knew something was in the works. 

Well, by 1PM it was raining, and we were getting messages that it was freezing and making it very slick and unsafe. Well, we got the kids out and then went out like a small army and started scraping our cars together. It was so heart warming to see all of us helping each other scrape the parking lot full of cars. Everyone had sincere concern for each other and worry for each others' safety. 

Then when I got home, I found out that there is a super moon outside. Which is like a Full Moon but bigger. And closer. And crazier. 

So, of course my students couldn't focus or pay attention or do their work or listen to me or ... anything! 

Needless to say, I am glad it's the weekend. Even though I know I just get two days and then it's back to "the grind"

Also: I'm working on a set of cards for our calendar set. We are currently using Calendar Math; but I find myself without direction on certain parts, and those are some of the most important parts.
What I'm working on will help us be a little more focused when it comes to the "coin counter" aspect. Calendar Math gives you a card with an item on it that is blank for the price. That makes it really hard for me to stand up there and think "well, this month we're talking about quarters, what's the best way to make them think about using quarters and handle change..."

It's just too much.

So I thought I would take month by month and make some word problems so that you could just flip through them without a whole lot of problem. Our district has also taken out the Money Chapter in our actual pacing guide, so we have to be sure to teach money really well during calendar time. (eek!)

Have a great weekend, stay warm, watch the super bowl, & Hopefully we get good news from that groundhog! 

Getting Things Done

I know they always say that "a teacher's work is never done" but I really have this feeling that I can get some things caught up so that when we have conferences and when we have mid-terms and all that jazz, I will have some of the other "little" things done. 

The month of February always goes QUICKLY so I have my gifts printed off for the kiddos for the 100th day and I finally figured out what I wanted to do for Valentine's Day. I made up a mustache-themed Valentine for the kids, and I'll put a little piece of candy on them!

And it's here as a freebie for you all!

Have a great week back if you haven't been back fully yet! 

Math Workstations

So after coming back from Christmas in Second Grade we are tackling multiplication and division. Which normally when I've been here teaching in Second Grade we have taught near the very end of the school year. So I was really nervous about how to do this. 

I took a lot of my time out of my Christmas break making plans for the next Chapter in our math curriculum (Which are here at my store) and researching math workstations. I have always wanted to do them, and never thought that I could. It seemed like such a daunting task! So after reading A LOT, I finally figured out a plan for my kids for some workstations. So..... here's what math workstations are looking like in my room so far: 

Sorry about the ultra blurry photo, I took it with my phone. BUT These are my workstations. 

Workstations

They spell out "MATH" 

M= Math Facts

A= At your seat

T= Teacher's Choice

H= Hands on

I have made tubs with the same graphics (Which are from Thistle Girl Designs) so that the kids know where their materials are for each rotation. I'll talk about rotations in just a minute. 

Inside the "Math Facts" tub I have things that will increase their math fact fluency. Ten-frames that they use for games like War and Concentration, flash cards, number cards, dice, etc. 

Inside the "At Your Seat" tub, I put a problem solving problem 1/4 sheet that they can glue into their journals and work with a partner to solve. 

"Teacher's Choice" is meeting with me at the table. We do activities according to the lesson and what the students need, as you would with reading groups. 

Inside the "Hands On" tub, I put a game, problem solving skill using manipulatives, or sort.

I also created a "When you're Finished" Tub. I put math books inside the tub that compliment the subject that we are talking about. -- hopefully this will keep them from coming to ask me "what do I do now?!"

Rotations

Let's start off with explaining that our second grade is departmentalized, which I L-O-V-E! So, I teach four sections of math: one hour each. Since I only have one hour to teach math, I was really worried in the beginning about how I was going to divide the time to allow for "workstations." 

This is what I have come up with so far, and it seems to be working & the kids are enjoying it. 

5 min: Beginning "Warm-up" Activity 
20 min: Whole Group instruction 
15 min: Workstations <--- this is where I was originally so confused. Only meet with ONE group per day. On the top of my Workstations chart where it says "rotation 1,2,3,4" Really, those are "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday" I'll get into this more in a minute. 
15 min: Independent Practice (Could be a worksheet or Journal Activity) 
5 min: Closure/Clean-up/Exit Ticket

**My groups are named things like "Quadrilateral, Hexagon, Pentagon, Triangle" ... things that second graders need to know also. 

What I have been doing is splitting the kids off into their workstation after the whole group lesson and then meeting with my group at my big table. With meeting with only one group per day, I don't have to do *quite as much* prep for the workstations, because they only go to each station ONCE per week.

Because my schedule just has four rotations and only goes through Thursday (and the M-A-T-H allows for four rotations nicely) I left it all that way. Some weeks we don't have school on a Monday or a Friday. Or we have an assembly which throws the schedule off. Or we may just need to re-do a rotation. Having just four 'rotations' gives us a little flexibility. 

Re-reading all of this it sounds very confusing but honestly it isn't not that I've been doing it for a week, and the kids look forward to it.
Add to it that each of my second grade classes has 27 kids... it can be a confusing schedule! 

In other news ... one of my colleagues asked me to make a persuasive unit up for her and so I did really quickly last night. It is a three-week unit on persuasive letter writing geared towards Second Graders, but could be used for third or fourth. Here it is in my store:
 

Have a great weekend!! 

-Hilliary 

 

Professional Development

Today our district participated in Active Intruder Training. I have always participated in "lock-down" drills through my district. But never have I actually been formally trained. Today we were made to think about some things that were uncomfortable, stressful, and also made to think differently. I have always thought "what if" in my teaching career; because I have just recently become a teacher, Columbine occurred when I was in fifth grade, VA Tech when I was a freshman in college, and Sandy Hook most recently. 

But today we were made to think differently. I always thought that I would be able to think on my feet. That I would know exactly which resources to utilize in my classroom if the situation arose, and would be able to do so. But today I was brought to the realization that I don't have all the answers, and that there is always more to be learned. I have always thought "what if" but I'm glad today we practiced a few things to take some of the anxiety away. 

I know that most of the country is under a winter storm, we here in Missouri are expecting -30 degree temperatures in the next few days! I just can't even imagine!

I'm watching my Mizzou Tigers (hopefully win) the Cotton Bowl tonight so I thought I would leave you with a little inspiration as we all get ready to go back to school for the next semester: I had to watch this video for one of my graduate classes this summer and I love it! It is one of the most inspirational "teacher-y" videos that I have ever seen!

Dalton Sherman's inspiring back-to-school speech