I slowly turned around, hoping my dreams had come true and that the doctor was there with an outstretched hand, ready to take me on adventures to everything I ever wanted to see.
But it was just the custodian with a vacuum.
Gertrude Lang, Mr. Holland’s Opus
One of the many mistakes and faults I had during my first year of teaching was not leveling my books in any way AND just putting them out there and expecting the kids to use them. Needless to say, my library was abused and used incorrectly. I believe I have come up with a way, a system, that will encourage my students to read them. Right now I am leveling them by AR levels and points, grade level, and guided reading level (for my sake). I was worried my books would be too hard for most third graders, but I seem to have a variety. It’s a time consuming process, but it is the summer! I have been using an app that i plan on reviewing since i see a few I want to use this year. I’ll keep you updated on my plan! How do you organize your classroom library?
I am so pumped to set up my first classroom-before the students arrive!! I don’t even know if I told you all everything, i guess I’ll have to update you soon!
An awesome and simple little teaching tool over at Teacher Tipster’s Facebook page!
(look for “Teacher Tipster” on Facebook if this link doesn’t work; it’s in the recent wall photos)
Genius
It’s okay to be the last one leaving the school.
It’s also okay to be the first.
Keeping your sanity is just as important as those papers that have to be graded, or that science activity that needs to be set up.
Either way, you’re still a good teacher.
If you can read this, please do. There are seriously some special moments. My personal favorites:
“on Sunday is the day I have to go to church. I go there to worship God because he’s the Lord.”
“but sometimes I miss him because I never get to see him for a whole day. The reason is that he has a job”
“I also have a kind mom. She doesn’t go anywhere that much. She just stays at home and cooks food not a very busy mom.”
“there’s a ton of things on the Internet that I could do. But I just don’t know what.”
This was precious.
Thank you teaching.
“While walking through a toy store, the day before today, I overheard a crayon box with many things to say…” Once upon a time, Shane DeRolf wrote a poem. It was a deceptively simple poem, a charming little piece that celebrates the creation of harmony through diversity. The folks at the Ad Council heard it—and liked it so much that they made it the theme for their 1997 National Anti-Discrimination Campaign for Children. Today, it is presented in picture book form for all children to read and learn to appreciate diversity and embrace the things that make us all unique.
After reading, Make Your Own Class Crayon Box, conveying the sublimely simple message that when we all work together, the results are much more interesting and colorful.
Oh oh! I used this poem for a lesson in diversity during the week of MLK day, in my senior internship. I actually gave candy to all the kids who had brown hair like me, without telling the class that. We had a discussion of how it felt not to get something, and not know why. Then we jumped into how it felt to not get something knowing it was because of how you looked. The kids (they were 1st graders then) were really affected by it, and when it came time to decorate their crayon with something that makes them, them, I got a lot of good material.
I just realized those first graders are now in fourth grade…oh…my…gosh.
EDIT: AND THEN I WENT BACK IN TIME AND THOUGHT ABOUT HOW OLD MY GIFTED FOURTH GRADERS I TUTORED IN HIGH SCHOOL WOULD BE NOW, AND THEY ARE PROBABLY IN COLLEGE OMGOSH.
