12 on the 12th!

I'm finally linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for her 12 on the 12th Linky Party!  I really love this party, and couldn't wait to wake up and start taking pictures of my day.  Then sadly there were a few things going on where I didn't get the chance to post until now.  So here it is!

I saw the beautiful red balloons on the front page of the paper, then read to see that it was a picture of the balloons the community sent off to remember sweet, little 6 year old Jeffrey Bourgeois.

The sweet note I found on my board after our restroom break, from my boy!  Awww!  What a surprise!

My super yummy lunch...shrimp salad!!  Mmmm....mmmm....good!

One of my other responsibilities this year, since it's a weird, crazy year for me....I help out the financial secretary a couple of days a week.

Another one of my responsibilities this year...directing the 5th and 6th grade handbell group.  I'll let you in on a fun secret if you promise not to tell. :-)  I have only told a couple of teachers, I'm not even telling the music director!  Feel special you're getting the inside scoop. :) The spring concert is coming up next month, we are going to be playing the William Tell Overture.
Of course they won't be able to play it super fast or anything, they're only 5th and 6th grade, but they have gotten it to a decent speed that we are all pretty proud of.  One boy suggested that at the concert I have them play it slowly first and then fast.  I told him that it's not really meant to be played slowly, but then that gave me an idea! (That's rare, I don't get those too often!)  I shared it with them and they are so excited.  So...for the concert they are going to go start playing the piece, I'm going to direct it a little slower than we know how to play it.  They are going to start with me, and then we have choreographed it so that some students start playing faster and some slow down.  Then they are going to start looking at each other and then me, to see what to do.  I'm going to keep directing them and "try" to get them with me, but at one point I'll stop them, apologize to the audience, then ask the kids what is wrong.  I'll say something about not knowing what is wrong, and why they are playing that way because they know the piece they have played it really well before.  Then........!!!! I am going to say, I know what the problem is....and I'm going to pass black masks to them to put on....you know, so they look like the Lone Ranger!! Then, we'll play it the right way (hopefully, lol), at that decent pace.  Doesn't that sound fun?!?  I'm so excited about it!  But remember, don't tell! Hee hee!

Taking our kids out after school to go to their rides, we get to see this beautiful tree!  This is my favorite tree to take pictures of each spring!

This is what the sky looked like when I pulled into my driveway.  It was a perfect example of what I drove home in.  It was raining on one side of the highway and in some spots and sunny on the other side.

I reluctantly had to sub for 6th grade the next day, so I had to bring the Language book home to study to make sure I knew what I was teaching.  (Then I won't share the fact that I left the book at home!!! Ugh!)

I had to add this, because I got home and mom was sitting in the living room, as she usually is.  At some point she wanted to get up and told me she didn't know where her cane was.  So, instead of relaxing and reading, I got up to look for her cane.  I looked in her room, under the bed, in the living room a couple of places, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, I even looked on the porch.  All places that she would go and would make sense for me to look....the porch because she takes our pup Bella out, so she could possibly have left it out there.  But when I ran out of all the practical places two or three times, I finally looked in the front hall closet, where the coats are, and look what I found!  She usually has her coat on the back of a chair in her room, so normally would not have thought to look there, thankfully I did!

I got a text earlier that my ballroom class was cancelled for the night :-(, that was disappointing, but... I decided to still....Just Dance on my Wii.

Relaxing with computer and TV time...LOVE The Office!!  Love how after many tries to get a good pic I caught a classic Dwight face! Haha!

I had to get my catalogs ready for my big wrap party Friday night!  I love It Works!!!  Detox, tone, and tighten in a healthy way, and many times lose inches as well!  I was so excited for my first party!  (** It went well, by the way, there were about 10 ladies that wrapped and all lost some inches, from 1 to 4 inches!  Fun stuff!)
I have seen a couple of the link ups, but look forward to checking out the rest of them!  I love seeing everyone's pictures!  I'm so glad to finally be linking up!

Survey Says Linky

Just last night I discovered the cute blog 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules from another linky party.  And now she's having a fun one!  I just had to join in on the fun!  Check out her cute blog and join in too...and check out the other bloggers who have linked up.  Just copy and paste the questions, fill in your answers, add one new question at the end of your blog, and then of course link back.

So, here they are:

1.  Are you married, do you have a bf, or are you flying free as a single lady/man?
I am one of the rare few who is flying free.


2.  Where did you grow up?

I grew up in CT, and I'm still here.


3.  Do you have any pets?  If so, what kind and what is his/her name?

Yes, I have a sweet, bad, crazy, fun, adorable diva dog named Bella!


4. What is a favorite tv show you are embarrassed to admit to watching?

The Bachelor...I know!  Then I haven't watched this in a while, but definitely hate to admit it, but Bad Girls Club.    
5.  Are you a saver or a spender?
Saver??...Saver of....what exactly??  Umm...sure...yes...I save all the wonderful things I buy! :) 
6.  What is your favorite children's book?

This is a hard one because there are so many!!   Oh my...umm...wow...I'll say...Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the Christian fiction book Treasures of the Snow, and Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry.  There are more, especially since I started finding different books to read to my kids, but I'll make myself stop! Hee hee

7.  Were you the class clown, teacher's pet, or neither?
Teacher's pet, I was one of those shy, quiet kids.  But, for some reason, these days no one believes that I used to be shy and quiet...hmmm?? :)

8.  Who is your favorite athletic team?
UCONN Huskies!!!  Just finished watching them get to the Final Four for the 5th year in row!   Go Huskies!!

9.  Where did you go on your last REALLY fun vacation?
I haven't really been on vacation since I was younger, but a year ago I spent a fun day in NYC and went to different places than I had been before, which was great!  We went to Little Mismatched, which I loved!!  And we got to go to Serendipity and have Frozen Hot Chocolate!!  Best stuff ever!!!
10.  Who is your favorite actor?  Actress?
My favorite actress is Sandra Bullock, and I love Ben Stiller. 

11.  Tell about the last time you cried because you were happy.
I think it was the day I got Bella about 4 years ago.  I have always, ALWAYS wanted a dog, but neither one of my parents liked animals.  When my dad passed away, I knew mom and I would benefit from having a dog in the house.  She was brought to school for me on the half day before Christmas break.  When I saw her coming down the hallway to me, I was tearing up...so happy!

12.  What is your favorite season?
Winter is my favorite, I love snow!!  I love the holidays!  

13.  What is your biggest regret?

I always hoped to be married and have kids by now, I'm sad that I never had grandchildren for my parents.  Mom is still alive, but has moderate Alzheimer's.  I think they would have been amazing grandparents!

14.  What food do you just NOT like at all?
Broccoli!  I don't like the smell when it's cooked...bleck.  I don't like the feel of the little buds in my mouth when it's raw...eeeww!  I always say, God didn't intend for me to eat trees! 

LAST BUT NOT LEAST FOR MY TEACHER BLOG....

15. Who was your most memorable teacher, and why?
My most memorable teacher was my fourth grade teacher.  It was my first year in a new school, and her first year at the school, too.  She didn't even start the year right away because she was from Canada and had to wait to get her Visa.  When she did come I thought she was the greatest!  The book Treasures of the Snow is a book she read to us.  I read it to my kids every year.  I also knew I wanted to become a teacher the year I had her.  I still have something that she made for us in my room, and because of that, she inspired me to make an ornament for my kids every Christmas.

Now my question...

16.  How long have you been teaching, and which grade(s)?

I have been teaching 3rd grade for 16 years.

Thanks for a fun linky party for me to do on my spring break! :)

Teacher Tips Linky Party

Another great linky party that I just had to get in on is being hosted by Michelle at Teach 123.  She is encouraging us to write teacher tips for new teachers or for teachers who are switching grade levels.  You know, those things you know now, that you wish you knew when you first started!  Isn't that a great idea??  So, I thought of a few tips I would like to share.

Sometimes as new teachers we are not as confident, and sometimes make the mistake of acting that way or saying it.  Or is that just me??  I cringe every time I think of a meeting I had with a little boy's parents my first year...he wouldn't sit still or focus, and I think maybe he told them that he was bored or didn't like school or something to that affect.  So, after talking for a few minutes, and with my confidence waning, I actually said, "Maybe it's me!  Maybe I'm not doing a good enough job to keep him focused."  (*Gasp* What did I just say??)  Now, I'm not saying that it wasn't me, it very well could have been, but don't let them think that!  How are they going to have confidence in me then?  Remember as teachers we have spent countless hours student teaching, observing, learning and preparing to be in our classrooms.  You may not know everything and may not be great at executing everything that first year, but you know what you are doing.  If you believe that this is your calling and you were meant to be in that classroom, then be confident, not obnoxious, just confident.  Don't allow parents to make you feel down because of mistakes and issues that may occur, remind them that we are all working together for the same common goal...to help children learn.

This may seem like a funny one, but what I mean by "Do you", is be yourself!  I guess I could have just put that, but I really like Do you better! :)  That was something I struggled with especially during student teaching, trying to be like others and not feeling like I could keep up with them and their creativity.  When I got in my own classroom, though, I just became comfortable in my own skin.  I may not have been as creative or as great at some things as others, but just doing my best to teach the way I was comfortable, and being myself allowed me to really enjoy that first year in my classroom!  Some creativity and fun ideas came later, but in my own way and my own time.  Even now I struggle with wanting to be like other bloggers, they are so funny, they are popular, they have such great ideas, they have so many cute, amazing items for their teacher's stores!  But then I have to remember we are all different.  That's why there can be so many blogs and we can get so much from each of them.  I just have to be me, and do the best I can.  Maybe I will get better at some of those things and maybe I won't, but I gotta be me!  Get ideas, use them...get advice, use it...get help, follow it, but adapt it to your style and what you are comfortable with..."Do you!"

I wish I would have had this book my first year, but some of it I had already incorporated into my classroom. He is an amazing teacher with so many great thoughts and ideas and ways to keep students always performing at their best.  I try to read it at the beginning of each school year.

Giving them numbers that correspond  to their last names alphabetically helps make it easier to collect papers...they just come up in number order.  It makes it easier to keep track of students, especially during fire drills, just call out numbers quickly.  It also helps to keep those numbers on popsicle sticks or some other type of manipulative, this way you can keep track of students you have already called on, or which ones have already read, or which ones have been at which centers, etc.

Some students may say or think that they are not able to fulfill the expectations that you have set for them.  They may convince their parents of this, too.  But when we set our expectations high, and challenge them to meet those expectations and encourage them along the way, you'll be surprised (and so will they...and their parents) at what they can really do.  I have had to express that to parents before..."I know they can meet my expectations, when I challenge them and encourage them in the classroom they do what I expect, they can do it."  I don't allow the word can't in my classroom.  They are only allowed to say, "I'm having trouble." :)  And you can make rules like that fun.  I make a big deal if I hear the forbidden word...*gasp*, "Now tell me 10 things you can do!"

And then because this post is long enough, I didn't put the last one on the cute design, but I do think this one is very important!  Love on them!      Sometimes that may be the only time they get loved on.  Plus, discipline seems to come across much easier if you have already established that you love them.  They realize the discipline is because of that love and your desire to see them be the best they can be.  This also helps them to work hard for you, because they want to please the ones they love.  Sorry this is so long, but I hope it will be an encouragement and help!  We have the most wonderful job ever!!! 

3rd -5th Grade Linky Party!

So many parties....so much fun!!  There have been so many awesome linky parties going on lately, I can barely keep track.  I start to link up to one, then find another almost every time.  I participated in a couple already, and hope I'm not missing a bunch more!  They are so much fun!
Lorraine at Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies is having a 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade linky party!  What a great opportunity to find other blogs in these age groups!  So I definitely wanted to link up with her!  "Hop" on over to her blog to check it out! :)

 Sorry, I don't know how to link the picture back to her blog, so don't click the picture, but you can click her name and blog title above to link back to her cute blog! :)

12 on the 12th!

When I saw this linky party over at Doodle Bugs Teaching, I just had to get in on it!  I am a photography lover!  I love taking pictures and I love looking at pictures, so this was the perfect linky party for me.  12 pictures of my day.  Although I had good intentions of taking pictures all day, I kept forgetting!

So, I missed my crazy morning, which started off subbing in the 1st and 2nd grade classroom for a few minutes while the teacher took her son home because he was feeling sick.  Then I had my students for about a half hour, when the 4th grade teacher asked me to come sub for her.  So, I think I was a little distracted, but then I got it together. :)  So here are my 12 on the 12th!

Some of the 4th grade classroom where I was subbing today.

My btf (best teacher friend), the 1st and 2nd grade teacher and myself, enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather at recess! 70 degrees....on March 12th.....in New England!

The kids enjoying the beautiful weather on the playground!

Some of the amazing High School artwork on display in the hallway!  These pieces were brought up to a regional competition in New Hampshire.

I gave a flute lesson after school with one of the 4th graders.  She did a great job, she learned triplets and we started looking at trills.  I love helping kids find a love for music!

The Finance secretary at our school who is like a second mom to me is celebrating her birthday tomorrow.  She has mentioned wanting to try some chunky jewelry.  If you have seen my A Day in My Shoes Linky Party post, you will see that I have a thing for chunky jewelry.  This is a great store for fun, chunky jewelry that is not super expensive.  Of course, I also had to do a little clothes shopping as well!

After my lesson and mini shopping spree, was finally on my way home!  Hartford skyline...:)

I love coming home and being mauled by this little girl, my sweet (most of the time) Bella!  She loves her mommy, and misses me so much during the day that I can barely get into the house!  But it's great to be so loved!

I know you may be thinking this picture is in the wrong order, that it should have been first for breakfast....ummm...no.  Every day after school, my afternoon snack is cereal!  I could truly eat it for every meal!

After being mauled loved on, and taking my girl out, we came in for a little snuggle time and reading....which actually ends up looking like this:

Ah yes, I try to be good, but this is what ends up happening after a long day of class hopping, flute teaching, and fun shopping!

Then, mom and I had yummy Bertucci's leftovers to look forward to for dinner!  She had the chicken parm, and I had the chicken piccata...YUM!!!  We also of course had the rolls with olive oil, and then yummy goat cheese and tomato...."stuff" with flatbread!  Oh so delicious!  That's my 12 on the 12th, hope you enjoyed.  Head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to check out more of the fun! :)

You Know You're a Teacher When...

I had to join the party and link up with Jeannie over at Kindergarten Lifestyle because it's such a fun one!  You know you're a teacher when... I'm sure we've all had those moments, so link up with her and join the fun if you haven't yet.

Just a couple of the ones I thought of.  There are many more great ones at her blog, go check them out! Have a great week!

Book Linky Party -Retry with an actual link this time...I hope! Please help!

OK, I'm still pretty new around here, so I don't even know if this will work for me, but I'm going to give it a try anyway.  Since I am still a bit new, I get giddy when I get new followers.  Just this week I got to 12 followers and then 2 more followers came by.   I know that doesn't seem like much, but when you weren't sure anybody would stop by it's exciting! So, since it's 2012 (and I got 12+ followers), and since it's almost my birthday, I wanted to have a party!  I love parties!  I also love books!  I have many of my favorite books on my shelfari shelf on the side of my blog page.  I would love to find out what other great books some of you love that you read to your class every year.  I just found...and bought the Bucket Filler book because of some great blogs about it!  I had never heard of it, but got it, read it, and fell in love with it!  Now I have a new book to share with my students!  So....that's what this party is...please link up with some of your favorite books.  It would also be nice if you can tell why you or your students love the books!  I have my set favorites every year, but I would love to find some new favorites.  Please join my party and share it with others so I can have a great Book Linky Party!  Would love any comments and links!  Let's Party! :-) OK, that was a bit of a fail on my part! Let's try to party again, I hope this works with the link below. So please come back and leave a link...please! i really would like to get some other book ideas for all ages. So now that I think I actually have a link below please help me out! Truly appreciate it!

Multiplication Times...hee hee

Denise from Yearn to Learn just clued me in to a Multiplication Linky  Party by Adrienne over at Wiggins World.  She is looking for some good Multiplication ideas, head on over to her blog to help out, I'm sure she would appreciate it.  I figured I would write a post to share some of the ideas we do in our class.  We have a great time learning our multiplication tables.  They have already learned some of the tables in second grade, but when I introduce it to them, I use candy (usually Starburst) in baggies.  The candy gets their attention!  I put 2 or 3 starburst in each baggie.  I write out the number of baggies on the board, then write out the number of candies in each bag with it and show them that multiplication is just a faster way of adding.  Of course if they do well listening and learning their multiplication, they can have a piece of candy.  I also use an egg carton to show six rows of two equals 12.  Candy or other objects can be used to put in each cup to make other multiplication problems.  Sometimes I will have a few students come up to the front to stand in front of their friends, each student has two eyes, how many eyes total.
Then comes the really fun part, we have charts for each table and review each table several times.  We say them doing head, shoulders, knees, and toes.  One problem as they point to head, next problem as they point to shoulders, etc.  We also "ping pong" our tables.  Split the class into two groups (boys, girls, rows), first group says first problem, second group second problem, and so on until table is done.  If either side takes too long or makes a mistake the other side wins.  My kids often like to stand next to their desks and pretend they are hitting a ping pong ball to the other group.  Sometimes the girls will say the problem and the boys say equals and the answer, and vice versa.  Another fun review that my students like is having the first person in each row say the first problem, then they walk quickly to the back of the row, and the second person in each row comes to the front to say the second problem, then they go back while the third person in each row comes up, that continues until the table is finished.  That one is always helpful to hear smaller groups say the problems to make sure they are all getting it.  Other times I have each row or group stand and say the problem, then sit back down, while the next row or group stands to say the next problem.  One other thing  that  I actually just thought of would be to put the answers to a table around the room, call out the problem, say equals and have a couple of students see who can find the correct answer around the classroom first.  Keeping them moving in a fun controlled way helps them to learn many times without even realizing it.  My students really enjoy these.  We also of course do flash cards.  Around the World of course is fun, but I also play Four Corners, four students pick a corner and whoever answers correctly gets to move to the next corner, whoever gets back to their corner first is the winner.  Another challenge that I enjoy doing with them is having them add the answers to two flashcards together, really makes them think.
I also found sheppardsoftware.com that has great math games for kids, and they can be customized to where the kids are in their math skills.  I also love pages that have 100 problems on them, have the students work on them several times.  They have 5 min. to finish, then see if they can lower their time.  I remember doing that when I was first learning my facts and it helped me so much.
There is so much fun to be had!

A Day in My Shoes Linky Party

Another fun linky party that I just had to get in on.  I hope I can figure out how to do this correctly. It sounds like fun!  Katie over at Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher is hosting her very first linky party.  Go check it out at her blog!  I have enjoyed reading other teacher's posts about their days!  So, now I'm going to give it a try and pray that I don't bore you to death!! If you have read my One Little Word post, you already know that this is not a typical year for me, so this is not going to be a normal look at what a day in my shoes would usually look like when I was teaching my normal class, but I still wanted to join in the fun.  So, here goes...
5:08 my alarm on my phone goes off, but isn't that first alarm more of a suggestion?  Well, that's how I think of it and I snooze it a couple of times. If I accidentally turn it off...no worries, I have another alarm set that goes off at 5:30.  By 5:30, I roll out of bed and get washed up.
6:00ish I go into mom's room to wake her up and remind her to get up to use the restroom(she has Alzheimer's).  I also get Bella (our dog) off of mom's bed and take her out to go potty.
6:15 or so we head back inside, I check to make sure mom is in the bathroom and that her bed is OK, if so then Bella comes into my room to hang out on my bed with me while I get ready.  I put my makeup on, (so as not to scare anyone) and watch the news, and figure out what I am going to wear.
6:55 I head out to the kitchen to scramble an egg and get some toast for mom for her breakfast.  I make toast for myself to bring with me to school.  I also put mom's medicine by her plate.  I get Bella's water and food ready for her.  Go back into my room to finish getting dressed and accessorize my look.  I like LOVE jewelry, especially rings.  I find the right rings to go with my outfit, as well as a necklace and earrings.  As I often tell my students, "I put my makeup on today, have my hair looking nice, have my sparkly jewelry on, so you will look at me, not out the window or at the ceiling, or at your friends." :-)

Almost all of my rings, there were a couple missing, hee hee

7:20 All set and ready to go (most of the time), say goodbye to mom and Bella and get in the car.

7:55 or so (OK, really closer to 8 if not after somedays), get to school, and head to my classroom, drop my bags off and head right to the teacher's lounge for my daily pick me up of coffee, definitely a very important part of my day.  I also get my instant oatmeal ready.  I head back to the classroom and have my oatmeal with toast and my coffee.  Since this is a different year for me, I don't have any students come in until 9.  So, I sit in my room, make sure I have everything ready for the day and blog stalk a bit, or start a post.
9:00 my kids come in ( all 2 of them), and we have Language.
9:30 is restroom time
9:35 (remember there are only 2 of them, so, many times it doesn't even take that long) We have Arithmetic class.  We have some fun review games and then learn our new concept.
10:30 is Spelling, where I always try to keep them on their toes by making them spell their words in all different ways.  They think I'm crazy, but that's goooood!! :-)
10:50 Reading class
11:15 Lunch time -the kids go with the 4th grade teacher and if I remembered to bring something for lunch I will also eat at that time.  The 4th grade teacher does lunch everyday, so she doesn't have to be outside, especially on the colder days.
11:35 Students come back from lunch, and we have our afternoon Reading time.
12:00 Recess: 1st -4th grades all have recess together with the 1st and 2nd grade teacher and myself on duty each day.
12:30 we head back inside.  My third graders are back with the 4th grade for the afternoon.  I head to my classroom to get it ready for the next day. From 12:30 to 1:33, I have free time and classroom prep time.
1:33 on M, W, F, I go to the computer lab to help monitor the 9th grade keyboarding class.  T,Th, I help the finance secretary in her office.
2:30 on M,W, head back to my room to finish things up if needed, and T,Th, lead the 5th and 6th grade handbell group. Friday at 2:30 I go back and help the finance secretary, usually doing a deposit for her.
3:00 getting ready for flute lessons on M and F, and getting ready to tutor on Th.
3:30or later on lessons or tutoring days, head home
4:00 get attacked by the cutest little bundle of joy, Bella, who is so happy to have me home, say hi to mom, take Bella out.
? Whenever the little diva decides, we go back in the house.
4:30 have a bowl of cereal (a mixture of Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries and Special K with chocolaty bits...it's like having chocolate covered strawberries...with a little milk....and some flakes....OK, it might seem weird, but it really does work!  Love cereal!)
5:15 or so, start dinner for mom and I, check email, facebook, pinterest, and my blog on my phone
6:00 or a little after, have dinner
6:30 on Thursdays, head to my ballroom class!
7:00 take a shower and take Bella out again before I go hunker down in the basement to get on the computer and watch TV at the same time.
10:00ish  take Bella out once more before bed, give mom her meds and Bella a fresh breath treat (definitely needs that) pray with mom, put Bella on the bed with her and say goodnight.  Then eventually some time before 11 hopefully I get in bed, to rest up for another day.
OK, you can wake up now, I'm done! :-)  Pretty pitiful and a bit boring, but hope I didn't bore you too much.
Click on the link at the top to go join in the fun and/or read some of the other posts...some actually good ones.

Currently January

Another fun part about teacher blogging!  I have been enjoying reading people's Currently January posts!  So much fun, I had to join in!  Farley has a January linky party called Currently January.

This is the template she used which is so cute.  Unfortunately I don't have the computer skills I thought I had to fill it in as all the cool kids have done, lol.  So I will just fill it in below.  She also is giving away an amazing pencil sharpener that seems pretty cool.  So head over to her blog to join in the fun!  Maybe you can figure out how to link it properly on your blog! :-/  :-)  So here are my answers:

listening: to the Bachelor ( not sure why, but I always watch those shows, lol)

loving: this new teacher blog world, so many amazing teachers with some incredible ideas!  So exciting!

thinking: that I want to learn how to do some of the cute teacher bloggy things

wanting: some snow!!!

needing: to learn how to make great worksheets and fun pages for my kids

olw: fresh (fresh start, fresh ideas)