Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week. Looking for celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with me.

Today I have a short list of random celebrations.

Celebration #1 - My son turned 18 on Thursday.  Time moves too quickly and it is days like this that remind me to enjoy each day with my children - even as they become young adults.

Celebration #2 - I renewed my teaching license yesterday for another five years and the process was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Celebration #3 - Our student council sold friendship bracelets during the last week of school.  I just made the deposit, and they raised over $600 which will go toward new books for our school library!  I can't wait to start suggesting titles from all of my Twitter and blogging friends!

Celebration #4 - Our pool opens Tuesday and THAT is when summer officially starts for me!

Have a great weekend and I hope you find many celebrations!

Apples to Apples

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life. Read more slices or add you own here.

I love summer holidays!  We typically spend them at the pool complete with all the menu requirements of a cook-out:  burgers, brats, hotdogs, strawberries, sweet corn and watermelon.  This Memorial Day there were some issues with opening the pool, so we had to succumb to an indoor party.  But this lead to playing games, specifically Apples to Apples.

I have a nephew who just finished first grade and was home visiting from Tennessee. The last time we played this game, which would have been Christmas, Brooks was with a partner because many of the cards he could not read, and he needed help.

But not this time!  Now, that he "is second grader" he got to play by himself.  He didn't need any help.  It was so much fun not only watching him read the cards, but watching him think through his choices.  Watching him use his reasoning skills to decide which card was the best answer.

One round he had the card snow cones and he played that card.  The next round was the word delicious.

"Oh man!" he said.

"What's the matter?"  I asked.

"I should have saved snow cones for this one, because they are delicious!"

Although it was a summer holiday with no pool, I had a great time watching my nephew think - it must be the teacher in me!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What Are You Reading?  Be sure and stop by to participate or see what others are reading and recommending this week.

Our last day of school was Friday, so it is time for summer reading and the summer Book-a-Day Challenge. Read here for more information about Donalyn Miller's summer reading challenge.

A Hundred Horses by Sarah Lean

This is a book by the same author who wrote A Dog Called Homeless, which I loved! Both books had moments of breathlessness.  A moment when I literally stopped breathing and goosebumps tickled my arms.  This is a book about family, friendship, and belonging.  It is a book that makes you question why things happen and why people are placed in your path.  I am a "heart fiction" reader and this book belongs right there.

Nell spends the beginning of a school vacation on a farm with family members she doesn't know.  She meets a young girl named Angel and with the help of a hundred horses and each other, they learn lessons about belonging.  

The Riverman by Aaron Starmer

I have read so many tweets and reviews about this book, but truly did not understand until I read the book.  This book left me with more questions than answers.  I was thrilled to learn that the answers will come because it is the first book in a trilogy.  This book is definitely on the higher end of middle grade and will certainly push you as an adult reader.

Fiona tells her friend Alistair about the Riverman, a creature who is out to steal the souls of children. Her soul could be next.  Does Alistair believe her and try to help her, or does he choose to believe something else?  

Tornado Alley by Marlane Kennedy

Because I teach 4th grade, I am always excited to come across books for lower reluctant readers.  If your students love the "I Survived" series, then they would enjoy this book. This is a great book for early chapter book readers who need plot-driven stories. The story line moves quickly, keeping the reader engaged!  This is the second book in the series with a third coming this fall.
  

Happy Reading!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! 5/24

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week. Looking for celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with me.

Let the summer begin!  What a great week this has been with so many fun activities, but I will celebrate just a few.

Celebration #1 - Our last day of school was yesterday, and as much as I will miss this class, I am so ready for a break.  It is a time for me to rejuvenate, review my year and think about changes for next year.  Reading of course, takes center stage along with pool time.  Last year I "unofficially" participated in #bookaday because I had just entered this blogging-tweeting-sharing world and was just getting my feet wet.  This summer, I am ready for #bookaday.  Click here to read a post about the #bookaday challenge by Donalyn Miller at The Nerdy Book Club.


Celebration #2 - This week I celebrated books with my students.  At the beginning of the year I challenged them to read 40 books as suggested in the Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.  I think my students were surprised and proud of the reading they accomplished this year.

Celebration #3 - I received two Barnes &Noble gift cards from my students, so I will be making a road trip very soon!  My TBR list is so long, and it seems like each day I add to it thanks to my blogging friends and Twitter!  Please feel free to share any reading recommendations with me in the comments!

Celebration #4 - Thursday we had first annual Franklin Fear Factor.  I will say this day ended up being much more fun that what we first anticipated.  The teachers were divided up into teams and we had challenges such as catching crickets and worms, holding a 6ft. snake, drinking pond water (ginger ale with cilantro and relish) and passing crawdads.  We even had three teachers catch a worm in their mouths for extra points.  Here is a picture of two of my teammates - and YES she caught it!  The kids loved it!

Celebration #5 - We had our first annual book swap.  Students could bring in books from home and swap for new-to-me books.  For our first ever swap, it was a huge success, and so many kids were able to take home books to read this summer.  This was an easy project and would highly recommend it to any school!

For those of you stilling waiting on summer - hang in there and remember to find time to celebrate this wonderful time of year!

Trust

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life. Read more slices or add you own here.

Throughout ones life, there are many people we are supposed to trust.  When that trust is broken, life becomes different, difficult, damaged.

Today, trust has been broken.  I know I shouldn't put people up on pedestals - that is a fault of mine.  It makes the fall that much more difficult.

A heavy heart

Afraid to trust

Trust has been broken

Damaged

Destroyed

How do we rebuild 

On a crumbling foundation

How do we pick up the pieces

Are they worth saving

If trust is gone

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! 5/17

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week. Looking for celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with me.

Celebration #1 - My students wrote and illustrated a book made of prepositional phrases.  We use Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins as a mentor text.  As a way to share our learning, we read these books with our kindergarten students because most of the prepositions are their sight words.  My kids are always impressed by their reading skills.  This is collaboration at its best!

Celebration #2 - Wednesday night while I was on Twitter chatting away, I heard my husband and two children laughing at "Looney Tunes" cartoons in the living room...my children are 21 and 17!  That makes me smile!

Celebration #3 - Yesterday was one of my students' last day.  It is never easy when students move on to the next grade, but I know I will get to see them next year.  It is another thing when they move two states away, and I know our paths will probably never cross again.  This morning when I woke up, I checked my email, and there was a notification from Kidblog.  It was from Zach telling about his arrival into Memphis and all about the hotel he will be staying in while they search for a house.  I was thrilled that he shared this with us on the class blog.  Celebrating connections!

Have a wonderful week and I hope you find many things to celebrate!

The Invisible Boy

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life. Read more slices or add you own here.

A month or so ago people were tweeting words of wisdom spoken by Ruth Ayres. She was speaking at a conference, and the tweets were flying!  Seems everyone was talking about a book that she had "blessed" - The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Patrice Barton.  Within minutes it became unavailable on Amazon, but I ordered it anyway, and I am so glad that I now own this book.

Goodreads Summary  


Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.







As we read the book, we stopped and talked at key points.  We discussed how we would feel if we were Brian, being unnoticed by classmates and teachers.  Many said they thought they knew someone who was like Brian.

The discussion moved on to not being picked to play games at recess or not being invited to birthday parties.  Again, many made personal connections.  We talked about new kids coming to our school, which doesn't happen often, and what they do to help make the new student feel comfortable.  They realized how sometimes it only takes one person or one act of kindness to make a person feel noticed or special - as in the case with Brian and Justin.

In the story kids laugh at Justin, the new boy, about what he is eating for lunch.  Brian notices this and wonders, "which is worse - being laughed at or feeling invisible."  I asked my students this same question.

Surprisingly, most of my students, said they would rather be laughed at than feel invisible.  This age group has grown up with anti-bullying campaigns and programs as part of their curriculum.  They know the affects of teasing and bullying, yet they felt they would welcome being the target of that behavior over being being unnoticed.

One student replied that even though she may be laughed at, she would still be getting attention.

This discussion left me with many questions.  Is this where we want our students to be - negative attention is better than no attention at all?  Are they that starved for attention or so focused on themselves that all the attention, negative or positive, has to be on them?  Can they not be content with being in the background and not on center stage?

I guess because I am more of an introvert, and I want people to like me, I would have chosen feeling invisible to be the better option.  Maybe I am reading too much into this.  I know that neither situation is good for children, but I was just surprised at the direction our conversation took.

If you have not read this book or do not own it, I highly recommend you fix that.  It is a book that needs to be shared with any age group.  The "Brians" of our classrooms need us to help them feel important and not feel invisible.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On 5/10

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week. Looking for celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with me.

Celebration #1 - We are down to two hands.  Two hands is important because that means there are only ten days of school left.  It is a bittersweet moment for me because I truly love this class, and I will miss them terribly.  

They make me smile.  They make me laugh.  They are hilarious.  Sometime, they are just downright goofy.  That is the beauty of teaching 4th graders.

Their sense of humor is what has made this class special.  We can laugh and have fun, (and boy have we done that!) but they know when to get right back to work.

Celebration #2 - Our DOE is holding 19 technology conferences around the state of Indiana this summer, and our school corporation is hosting one.  Click here to take a look.

I have been asked to present at this conference.  I was a little nervous about accepting at first.  Technology is certainly not my strength and this IS a technology conference after all.  I began doubting myself   What can I offer other teachers?  What can they learn from me?

Then it was explained to me that a technology conference is not all about learning from the technology experts in the field, but it is also about learning from teachers in the trenches - those who have found ways to use technology in the classroom.  So, I reluctantly agreed.

My presentation is blogging as a teacher.  I will be showing what I have learned from my personal blog, as well as my classroom blog.  My goal is that they learn and take away one idea to use in their classroom.  That should be easy, right?  We will see!

I am compiling a list of classroom blogs who are willing to share with other teachers. Please leave a comment with the grade level you teach and a link to your blog if you would like to be added to my list. Also, if there is something you feel beginning bloggers need to hear or advice for classroom blogs, please feel free to share that with me as well.  

Celebration #3 - This week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week.  My students wrote a letter to a teacher they have had thanking them and sharing a favorite moment.  I think this was a celebration not only for the teachers, but the students as well.  Sometimes a simple thank you can make all the difference.  This is certainly something I will do next year.  

Have a great week and may you find many celebrations as we wrap up this school year!

You Have Made a Difference

Thank you Two Writing Teachers!

With this week being Teacher Appreciation Week, 

I think it would quite fitting to thank a teacher today.

Not just one teacher

many teachers

you

who have

inspired me

encouraged me

pushed me

supported me

to become a better teacher 

a better writer

a better person

You have made a difference

to me...

Thank You!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! - 5/3

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week. Looking for celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on life. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with me.

Celebrations at School

Saturday we had our annual Challenge Research Fair for our high ability students. The students have spent a better part of our school year researching a topic which culminates with a 20 minute presentation in front of three judges.  We had 15 students participating, and I am always amazed at the talent and potential of these students.

Evel Knievel

Faith Ringgold - Author of Tar Beach

We also completed a research project on a much smaller scale in my classroom.  
My students picked a topic and spent several days researching.  Talk about engagement!  The final project was a file folder report and presentations to the class.  

Friday we finished our state standardized testing.  I feel very positive about our results because my students worked extremely hard!  I am so proud of the effort they gave.  

Celebrations at Home

This week we bought a third car.  We are a household of four drivers with four different schedules - each day we all go in a different direction - and two and a half vehicles.  A half vehicle?  My husband has a truck - a 1987 dodge Ram which he has completely overhauled.  The problem is that he doesn't want to drive it and will only drive it in extreme emergency situations.  So, buying this car is a huge celebration!

My summer calendar is starting to fill up.  I signed up to go to Edcamp Indy and All Write! and I am so excited!  Looking at going to Scholastic Reading Summit in St. Louis.  Anyone going or have gone to one of these?

Last night my daughter and I had a girl's night.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant and talked education!  She is finishing up her third year as an education student and it is exciting to talk "shop" with her.  She will student teach next year, and I don't know which one of us is more nervous.

I hope you have a great week and find many celebrations!