Teaching With Intention - Chapter 1

I am so excited to join Kindergarten Smorgasboard's book study of Teaching With Intention by Debbie Miller. Debbie Miller is AMAZING. A few years back, I had the opportunity to attend one of her day-long conferences. I learned so much and she was even gracious enough to autograph my book. Can you say starstruck?!!!

My ideal classroom is one where the students walk in on meet-and-greet day and turn to their parents to say what a cool room it is with a huge smile on their faces. It's bright, colorful, and sends a "You will have fun here" message to the students right from the get-go.  Rainbows make me happy so my room has bold primary colors. This past year I did what I called a primary pirate theme. 

My ideal classroom has lots of student work all around it. I don't worry about the things I hang looking perfect; I want them to look like true made-by-a-five-year-old work. It is kindergarten after all. During the first week of school each student made a self-portrait pirate for our doorway to build ownership of this space and place. 

In my ideal classroom, testing is minimal. The teacher learns what she needs to know about her students from watching them and conversing with them. Also, in my ideal classroom, student anxiety is non-existent. Students are confident in who they are because they know that the teacher believes in them and will support them no matter what.

My ideal classroom has the students names in several places around the room so that they know they are an important part of my Mighty Fine Crew. My classroom is not a quiet place. Students are involved in learning discussions and social conversations constantly. So many students are coming to school these day with language delays. They need many opportunities to practice speaking and to gain vocabulary. 

In my ideal classroom we have FUN with learning everyday. My students do 3 literacy centers every day as well as 1 math center. The centers are hands-on and engaging. I use lots of manipulatives. My centers are also differentiated for multiple learning levels. Sometimes one literacy or math center will have a more social focus. Students need the opportunities to interact, to problem solve, and to use their imaginations (or in other words - a chance to play). The ideal classroom still has a dramatic play center, a block center, and other centers like this that help them learn the life skills of negotiation, self-regulation, and turn-taking. Here are a few pictures of my centers in action.

Students and teacher are moving and grooving. In my ideal classroom, we move a lot. From the floor, to the tables, from one center to the next, from quiet to active. 

Students and teacher are talking with each other frequently. In my ideal classroom one of our favorite things to discuss is books. This past year we read 368 books (next year my goal is 500.) We keep a book tally for each month. And as we read we discuss - what did we like, why things happen, how a characters feels - we talk about it all. 

In my ideal classroom, students do many things independently and the teacher facilitates as needed. I establish a strong routine in the beginning of the school year that cultures independence. As the school year progresses, students do more and more on their own.  

This is an easy question to answer. ORGANIZATION!! I am often overwhelmed and consumed by papers. One corner of my room is my teacher hidey hole. It's small and compact but the amount off papers in it pack a powerful punch to my neatness. I also need to pare down the amount of things I have. I have a super small room with minimal storage. I am working on that as we speak.  I feel if I could get organized it would give me more time to zero in on my students' skills and develop lessons to better meet their individual needs.

I also struggle with finding BALANCE between work and home. It always seems like if I do well with one, the other suffers. I am the working mom of three teens. We are knee deep in college searches for the second, paying college bills for the eldest, and helping the youngest survive his freshman year of high school. There are days I am literally overwhelmed. 

My classroom is student-centered and student-focused. It's a happy place where a lot of fun and a lot of learning take place. My students make a lot of progress and gain many skills without even realizing it. In my classroom there is mutual respect between all parties. I pride myself on learning as much as I can about my students: the names of their brothers/sisters, names of their pets, their favorite color, song, food. For nine months of each year my classroom is not a place with a teacher and students, it is a place with a very large family that learns, laughs, and lives together. 

Want to know more? Click on one of Chapter 1's hostesses links below or The Kindergarten Smorgasboard to learn more about this book study. 

Thank you Jessica for the question headers!

Be sure to check back in next week to read about Chapter 2.

Spring Teacher Blogger Meet-Up 2015

     When I told my friends and colleagues that I was going to French Lick, IN, they would look at me quizzically and say "French what?" Many people have not heard of French Lick. Last year I was one of those people. This year, I knew exactly where French Lick was and I could not wait to get there!

     Because French Lick means Teacher Blogger Meet-Up and Teacher Blogger Meet-Up means seeing old friends and making new friends which means one heck of a good time!

French Lick is a 6 hour drive from my hometown, so I hopped in my car bright and early. I was a little excited.  Can you tell?

     I mean why wouldn't I be excited.  This was truly a life-changing event for me in 2014. Last year I attended as a blog-stalker. I had blogs I followed regularly and had given blogging a few passing thoughts, but never thought I could be a blogger. But just look at me now!

     This year's Spring Blogger Meet-Up was equally exciting and life-changing, but best of all, it was so much FUN!

     Holly Ehle and Brittany Banister did a wonderful job organizing this event.  It's professional development meets weekend getaway. From the festive decorations to the food to the camaraderie, this weekend had it all! The theme of the weekend was "inspiration." As a warm-up to meet new bloggers and blog-followers each table was given a letter to decorate with your name, favorite subject to teach, your blog, and a few more things. Our table was the letter S. When it was put all together, it truly was inspiring.

The teacher swag bags were out of this world thanks to the generous donations of so many companies! Look at all the goodies that were included.

The gifts from these companies were amazing!I have found that I am quickly becoming addicted to Scentos products.  I had to restrain myself from opening the smelly gel pens until I could get this picture taken.  Smelling will commence soon!  My daughter took one look at my Erin Condren planner - that I am saving for next school year - and wants me to find out if she makes one for college students. Thanks goes out to Vera Bradley, Lakeshore, Creative Teaching Press, Origami Owl, Scentsy and even more who will get their shout outs later in this post.

On Saturday afternoon we were able to pick three mini sessions to attend on a variety of topics.  This was new to the meet-up and I so hope that they do it again next year.  I learned so much! I attended sessions on selling on TPT (my next goal after getting my blog started), using iPads in the classroom, and social media for teachers.

And then, there were the raffle prizes. Each attendee received 5 tickets to place in the 5 bags of items that they would like to win.  It was really hard deciding. The bag I dropped my last ticket in was for a free registration fee at an SDE National Conference. I want to go to iTeach K in Las Vegas so badly, but with college tuition payments, it was just not happening, until......

...my ticket was picked out of the bag.  You should have heard my whoop of joy. Vegas here I come! I cannot wait.

After all of the afternoon events, teachers went off and grabbed dinner in large groups. It was at here that I got to chat and develop more teacher blogger friendships. It was very relaxing.

And then...
the event...
the event that made this blogger meet-up into the coolest thing ever...
The Pajama Party to end all Pajama Parties.

A huge shout out to GoNoodle and TeachersPayTeachers for sponsoring this event! I had a blast from the moment I walked in and was given a GoNoodle Lanyard to the moment I left exhausted and ready for bed. There were adorable PJ cookies, pizza, snacks, drinks, design-your-own pillow cases, a photo booth, and dancing to GoNoodle! Lots of chatting, more prizes including three teacher lanyards from Origami Owl, more inspiration, and a send-off that will not be forgotten. Here are a few pics of the fun that was had!

Finally, I want to tell you about my two favorite parts of the Meet-Up.

First up - meeting some of my favorite bloggers - I admit to being a little starstruck. I felt like such a dork asking for a picture with them - but how  many chances might I get - I would kick myself if I didn't ask. Here's a little photo collage - an app I learned about at the iPads in the classroom session I attended. From left to right, top to bottom - Crystal Radke, Kim Adsit, Deanna Jump, DeeDee Wills, Amy and Lisa from All Y'All Need, and my first blog-crush, Greg Smedley-Warren.

My second favorite part - catching up in person with blogging friends I met last year and making new blogging friends. This is my favorite picture from the Meet-Up.

So I want to leave you with one last thought - never, ever forget to have fun in life - because you never know when a 6-hour car ride might change your life.

And to prove I practice what I preach, have a laugh at this picture taken by Cierra Harris - I wanted to be one of those people that photo bombs just their head - I think I nailed it.

Want a chance to win your very own swag bag? Here's a link to a rafflecopter. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to see and learn more about the Spring Teacher Blogger Meet-Up - choose any of the blogs in this linky.

Thank you to Brenda Hart Frady at Primary Inspired for hosting this linky.

Teacher Tool Gift Exchange

Last weekend I attended the Spring Teacher Blogger Meet-Up in French Lick, Indiana. I had a blast catching up with friends I met last year as well as making a bunch of new friends!

One activity we did at the Meet-Up was a teacher tool gift exchange. You bring a small tool that you can't live without in your classroom wrapped up and ready to go to a new home.

We divided into grade level groups and played a very fun left-right  written by Amanda Pauley and watched our gifts travel around the circle. I will admit to being a little starstruck during this game as I was in the Kindergarten Circle along with Deanna Jump, Kim Adsit, Crystal Radke, DeeDee Wills and sat right next to my first blog crush, Greg Smedley-Warren ( more about this in a later post.) That's me to the right of Greg - not the best picture of me.

These are the wonderful items I received in my gift from the lovely Amanda Pauley at Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten. Ink joy pens, Flair pens, and Scentos dry-erase markers are bringing color and happiness to my teaching world. Thanks so much Amanda!

Just for fun - here is a pic of all the teachers in the Kindergarten Teacher Tool Swap.

You can see all the tools exchanged and start making your wishlist by following this linky back to Christine DeCarbo at 

An InLinkz Link-up

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!