Time to Adjust

Adjust - to adapt to a new environment or condition

That's my word for this school year - adjust.  There have been many changes in both my personal and professional lives recently that have inspired this post.

In my personal life, my oldest is now a college freshman at University of Minnesota.  I am so proud of him - but our entire house is adjusting to him being gone.  He is my early bird friend and I miss his goofy opera singing in the mornings. My husband misses him. His brother and sister miss him as well. I am blessed with kids that like each other and enjoy each other's company. I hope this continues into adulthood. We will adjust, but it will take time.

In my professional life, there have been a lot of changes - with these has come the need to adjust some more. My district has gone from half day kindergarten to full day.  I am thrilled and so thankful for the gift of time this gives to my students, but it is really different from half-day. I am still experimenting with my daily schedule and helping my students build their stamina.  I have found some spots that are going very smoothly and at these times I feel in the groove. We accomplish a lot during these moments. Other times are still quite bumpy and need some tweaking. I will adjust, but it will take time.

Last year I had 15 students. The most I've had in the past 7 years has been 19. This year, I have 23 bright, bushy-tailed students with energy to spare. This has been my biggest adjustment.  I have had to adapt and change some of my everyday routines from how I pass out papers to how I dismiss from our floor seats. We are figuring it out together and as we settle into our routine, their personalities are shining through. Getting to know my students as individuals is one of my favorite parts of being a teacher. As I learn about them and they learn about each other, we are becoming a classroom family. They greet me with smiles every morning, are eager to learn, and are beginning to love books as much as I do. Read alouds are quickly turning in to the favorite parts of my day. We have even had some lively discussions already. I love the thinkings of kinders. I can't wait to see the progress we make.  I know I will adjust to the larger number of students, but it will take time.

This year I also have a new team.  My teammates are two wonderful, goofy ladies and we are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. They are my curriculum nerd herd. We work well together and are getting really good at dividing and conquering the many tasks associated with all day kinder.  I have to admit though, that this change has been bittersweet. This is my third new team in three years. Losing a teammate for one reason or another is hard. If you've never had to experience it, be thankful. People move on, change careers, change buildings - I get it - but it's like having your best friend move away unexpectedly. You keep in touch (thank goodness for Facebook and texting), but it's not the same. I will adjust and lesson plan on, but it will take time.

And so, as I take the time to adjust to the many changes in my life, I'd like to leave you with a few pictures from the first ten days of school...

Can you tell that is has been a VERY busy ten days? I have hardly had a chance to take pictures, but I'll be back soon to tell you about that picture of shoes. It is one of two photos used in my favorite class book of the year! 

Wishing everyone a smooth transition into the new school year and for those of you who need it, I wish you the time to adjust!

Let's Sort This Out

Please don't pass out - yes, this girl has posted twice within a week. Get out of town, right? Yesterday I finished up my summer coursework.  I finished my Masters last year and I am trying to maintain the momentum to keep moving over lanes in my district. I set a goal that if I finished the coursework, I would reward myself with a little classroom shopping. That coursework is in the mail and I am ready to shop. Yeah! 

I plotted which stores I would hit and in which order. Favorite stop of the day? Dollar Tree. I went in there with a mental list, but found some bonus items. 

These chip trays are by far my favorite bonus item. 

I bought four blue and four white. I had planned on just buying one color, but a very friendly store worker did her job and helped convince me I needed both. 

So you might be asking yourself right now how I am going to use chip trays in my Kindergarten classroom. The answer? They make the best sorting trays ever! I put a group of mixed items in the center and then let students figure out how they want to sort the items. We will have worked on the different ways to sort such as by color, size, shape, etc. These "free sorts" - where the students are in charge - provide me with so many insights into my students' thinking. I love it when when unexpected leaders pop up or when a student thinking outside of the box is actually visible. These lil' tidbits are pure joy to me and are one of reasons I love teaching. 

So, back to the colors. Like I said, I was only going to get one color. But now I must admit something - I am quickly become slightly possessed with little fun erasers. They provide great fine motor opportunities for my Kinders and my kiddos get such a kick out of them. The erasers just make learning a little bit cooler. I can even up the fine motor element by adding tongs. Well, while I was in Dollar Tree, I found some new erasers to add to my collection.  I snagged some cute school erasers and some funky, slightly punky erasers I think my girls will love. 

Back to the trays. As I was placing the erasers in the trays, The store worker and I realized the school erasers just didn't stand out enough in the white tray. They actually kind of got lost. And the colored ones stood out so much better in the white try so...I had to get both. 

I now have sorting trays that I can use with any of the erasers in my collection. Wala!

Organized-The Oxymoron

I love to be organized-truly I do - but it can be a struggle. To get organized, sometimes I have to create a mess while I figure out things best fit together.  I lay things out into what seem like logical categories, put them into some type of binder/holder/container, and label them so I can find what I need. Or so this is what I do in theory.

This year I have been a little overwhelmed with organizing. For the last seven years, I have taught two curriculums each day. For most of of those seven years, it has been half-day kindergarten in the morning and Kindergarten Extended Day (an at-risk literacy program) in the afternoon.  These programs, though similar sounding, had two separate curriculums...which required two separate lesson plans...which required two separate sets of files.

This year we are moving to full-day kindergarten (yeah!) and Kindergarten Extended Day (KED) will no longer exist. So now, the HUGE task in front of me is to take all my files and somehow blend them.  I have to figure out what in KED can be utilized in full-day kindergarten, what can be tossed, and what may just need to be stored. I have frequently felt like I am drowning in papers. This is what this looks like:

Crazy and overwhelming isn't it? And these are just my August and September files. Ahhhh!

Little by little I have been piling and pitching. Thank goodness my husband is understanding since I keep taking over our living room.  I get happy when my piles get to this stage:

This is when I bust out my three hole punch so that I can load up a three ring binder.

Then, if I am really lucky, it all comes together and looks like this when I am done:

Not very cutified or pretty I know, but I have had to switch binders around and change things frequently mid-organization, so I am waiting until I'm all done to add cute labels to the sides. 

I'll keep you posted about my organization chaos as the year goes on.  I am determined to tackle my many, many files!

A Blog Hoppin' Scavenger Hunt

So over the last 8 days I have had an absolute blast participating in the Blog Hoppin' 2014 Instagram Scavenger Hunt. I saw the announcement on Facebook on July 5th and decided I had to check it out. The grand prize is a REALLY nice camera and accessories which I would love to win, so I jumped right in on July 6th.

I have had so much fun.  I have gotten my entire family involved (although some had to be dragged into it). My youngest has been my scavenger hunt buddy and is pictured in many of my photos.  We have definitely had some bonding time while hunting for items on the list.

I have also connected with many new teachers across the nation via Instagram.  This has been an unexpected bonus of doing the scavenger hunt.

Here are my favorite pictures so far.

 Someone posing by a statue. Here's my youngest. He decided he wanted to pose just like Scooby-Doo.  We were at Six Flags Great America.  We actually checked off a lot of items there.

 A water fountain. I say go big or go home. That is Buckingham Fountain in downtown Chicago.  We were at the Taste of Chicago.

 My youngest again.  Chicago has double decker buses and he spied one, grabbed the sign and got in position just in time for me to snap the photo.

 8 business cards.  This picture is a favorite because it was the beginning of this blog.  I attended a blogger meet-up in Indiana as a "blog-stalker."  Attending that meet-up gave me the courage to finally begin my own blog. Thanks Indiana blogger meet-up friends!

 A snow cone. The friendliest group of strangers I have met.  I asked the young man in the center for a picture of his snow cone while we were at Six Flags.  All of his pals wanted in on the picture, too.

A man wearing a dress. Ya gotta love my nephew's confidence.  None of the men in my own household would put on a dress.  My nephew did not even hesitate - but he did pose so that no one would doubt he is all man. :)

Wish me luck - I currently have 88 points. Only 17 more go to qualify! And if you would like to join in the fun - it goes until August 6th - click on the button below.

Baking in the Summer

Today's blog post has little to do with teaching because it's summer. I love being home with my three kids in the summer, even if they are teenagers now and hardly ever home. It is a perk of being a teacher. 

One of the other things I like about summer is baking. With work, sports, and home, I hardly ever have time to cook or bake during the school year. During the school year, as I read all the Facebook posts from friends, I share many recipes so that they will be saved on my timeline for a future date. I decided today was one of those future dates. I wanted to make some desserts for the 4th, but wanted a variety - not just one. So I went back into my timeline and found some yummies to bake today. 

First up, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Poke Cake from the Six Sisters Stuff blog.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/06/reeses-peanut-butter-poke-cake.html 

I have not yet tried an entire piece, but the peanut butter layer that is under the cool whip is pure heaven. Overall, the recipe was easy to follow and turned out well.  I will say, however, this cake was not cheap to make.

Next I made Salted Caramel Pretzel Crust Brownies from Living Well Spending Less. http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/09/18/salted-caramel-pretzel-crust-brownies/

These were also easy to make but I think I want to fiddle around with this recipe in the future. I really wanted the pretzel crust to be crunchy, but it wasn't.  Also, my caramel sunk into my brownies. I may have needed to heat it up further to make it thinner so it would float on top of the brownie batter.   Finally, these needed to cook about 10 minutes longer than the recipe said. They just weren't getting cooked in the center.

Finally, I made my brother-in-law's favorite cookie since we are going to my sister's tomorrow. I made Oatmeal Scotchies.  Not a Facebook recipe, but definitely a childhood favorite. 

On Sunday, I plan to make Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls. Kindergarten Smorgasboard's Greg Smedley shared them on his blog which I saw on Facebook. http://www.thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2014/06/a-kindergarten-smorgasboard-tasty-treat_24.html?m=1

My kids cannot wait!

Happy summer!

Students Are Like Tie-Dye

For the last few years, I have ended my year with a Kindergarten Fun Day instead of an end-of-year party. We join up with the other Kindergarten class in our building. I round up as many parent volunteers as I can to help. It Is a hands-on, crazy day but my students and I love every minute of it. There are four stations.  Station One is making a Dirt and Worms cup with chocolate pudding and Oreos.  Station Two is creating a keepsake placemat with handprints and a poem. Station Three is painting fabric bags from Oriental Trading with stamps. And finally, Station Four is tie-dying t-shirts. Yes, folks, I tie-dye with five- and six-year olds. It is a blast!

This year as I laid out all the tie-dyed shirts I realized how truly they represent teaching and the myriad types of students that walk through my doors each year. You see, I provided all the students with the same materials - same colors, same pans, and all the t-shirts were even wrapped in the same bulls-eye  way. Do you see where I'm going with this - we as teachers provide all our students with many opportunities for learning.  During whole group lessons, all students are provided the same lesson. But we as teachers only have so much control on the outcomes.

Just look at my classes t-shirts...

Even given the same tools and opportunity, the t-shirts are as different as the students themselves. The students made color choices, quantity choices, and choices about how long they wanted to spend completing their shirts. Some students were hesitant and had a lighter touch.  Others were carefree and bold, at times even reckless. As I looked at the shirts, I just couldn't get over how much these shirts represented a teacher's daily life. Some students love learning and boldly dive in; some students are timid and fearful of failing, so they just dabble in learning.  

One of my favorite shirts is in the bottom picture. It is the third up from the bottom on the left. This shirt so demonstrates this student as a learner. She came into Kindergarten shy, hesitant, and unwilling to take risks. We worked through the year on self-confidence, taking risks, and believing in herself as a reader and writer.  She is still quiet as is shown by the large amount of white showing, but she is gaining confidence. Look at the bright pinks, oranges, and yellows. She passed the blue, green, and purple dye on to the next student without hesitating. She knows who she is now.

This is what I LOVE about teaching. No two students alike, no two years alike, no two days alike and in some ways no control. But with differentiation, patience, and an eye for color, every student can reach  their potential. I cannot wait to tie-dye again next year to see what it reveals about my next colorful crop of Kinders!

Book Talk Tuesday - The Wonder of Wordless

Please forgive me blogger world.  It has been 4 weeks since my last post.  My daughter's knee surgery, a teammate's maternity leave (Congrats Steph!), and prepping a house for a graduation party (Yikes!) have kept me away.  I am back and trying to find balance!

In June of 2013, I completed my Masters in Literacy.  I have always been a book lover, but this grad program further instilled in me the importance of teaching my students to love books as much as I do. So my hope is that a couple of Tuesdays a month, I will highlight a book or two that my students and I have fallen in love with.

This week: the wonder of wordless books. I was introduced to these two books by Dr. Maria Walther - one of my professors and one of the most well-read people I know.  I admit to being skeptical about wordless books.  But with these two books, it was love at first read.

The 2012 Caldecott winner, A Ball for Daisy is about a spunky, little pup who loves her favorite possession - her little red ball.  That is, until one day, a pooch pal accidentally pops it at the park. Your students cannot help but feel empathy for Daisy and immediately want to figure out a solution for her. The illustrations speak straight to your heart. This book is great for talking about something being done purposefully or accidentally.  It can also be used for predicting, inferring, and problem solving.

Chalk is the story of three friends who find a bag of chalk hanging from a metal dinosaur at a playground on a rainy day. The children soon realize that the chalk they found is no ordinary chalk.

Chalk made me realize the power of wordless books.  When I showed my students the first page's lack of words, one of my students was aghast. "How are you going to read that book without any words, Mrs. St. John?" he exclaimed. "Oh friend," I said, "that just makes this book even more wonderful because I get to tell the story using my own words.  And when I put this book into the library - you can tell it using your own words." Seriously, folks, there were oohs and aahs coming from my class after I said that.  I have not been able to rotate this book out of our classroom library.  It is still one of the most popular books - especially with my boys.  I absolutely adore hearing my students tell the story to each other in their very own words.

Now if you teach older students, please do not shy away from wordless books.  Both of these books would be wonderful for introducing the concept of theme or a book's lesson. The themes/lessons of these books are actually deeper than one might think. Both books would also work well for creative writing.  Instead of telling the stories in their own words, older students could write the stories in their own words.  In the case of Chalk, it also lends itself quite well to students writing about "What happened next?"

I hope you enjoyed my little books talk.  If you are interested in these books, both are linked to Amazon (I even tried to link the pictures, but this is new to me) so that you can immediately put them on your wish list. :)

The First Step

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”   
-Lao Tzu

That’s how I feel about this blog. First, it is a journey and second, I only have to take a single step to begin.

So here it is…that single step…

Two years ago, the internet began changing my teaching – for the better. So…I thought I’d share with you a few of the small ideas I discovered that have had a BIG impact in my classroom.
  
IDEA #1 – In the summer of 2012, I took a professional growth class in my district on Pinterest.  Yes folks, you read that correctly – a professional growth class on Pinning.  It was a huge hit in the district and has been offered every summer since. I had no idea what I was doing, but I’ learned quickly. During my maiden pinning voyage, I came across a pin for classroom trash buckets from Tara West at Little Minds at Work. You can find it here. Tara even has the labels as a freebie on the blog post.

Let me tell you, when a classroom full of 5-year-olds dives into a craftivity, these buckets make a world of difference in the mess created.  I cannot tell you how many other teachers have come in my room and said, “Oh, my gosh, these are awesome!” $4.00 folks – that is all these mess-savers cost me.

IDEA #2 – A former teaching partner introduced me to blog stalking – the act of checking frequently for new posts by your favorite bloggers. Luckily, I discovered Google Drive (and now Bloglovin’) to help me manage my new addiction, which has allowed me to stalk to my hearts content. Sorry, I digress. While searching for new blogs to stalk, I came across a blog called Smedley’s Smorgasboard of Kindergarten. He is a kindergarten teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. One of his posts was about glue sponges. And once you go glue sponges, you will never go back – to glue sticks that is.

I despise glue sticks when mixed with Kindergarteners. The clumps, the waste, the lost caps. Glue sponges are inexpensive and easy for kindergarteners to use and…what they glue together actually stays together instead of drying out and falling apart. I have only used a total of 8 bottles of white glue this entire school year – and it is April! My new blogger friend, Greg Smedley, has a great video that shows you how to make 4 glue sponges for about $6.00.  Watch it here.

IDEA #3 – Now sometimes, I try to give my blog stalks a purpose – you know, to justify the amount of time I’m spending doing it.  Well, differentiation was a hot topic awhile back (and really still is) and I was trying to figure out ways to differentiate/tier my centers, yet still allow my kinders to be independent. Marsha McGuire, of A Differentiated Kindergarten, had just the blog post I was looking for. She gave a great explanation of how she differentiates her Math Centers and even has diagrams that walk you through it.  Read it here. She does a similar set up for her beginning of the year literacy centers.

I tweaked her set-up a little to make it work in my room.  Here is an example of a differentiated center in my classroom. I just realized that it also has one of Marsha’s great differentiated I-Spy TPT products ready to go for tomorrow, which my kinders LOVE.

Whew! This first blog post has wiped me out. I am hoping and praying that all my hyperlinks work correctly.  Please forgive this newbie if they don’t.

And please, stop by again.  I will be sharing many other ideas from my classroom that I hope you find useful.