Everyday I'm Shuffling

I’m the type of person one looks at and says, “Live a little!”

         What they probably should say is, “Live a lot!”

I’m mildly Type-A, love checking off boxes on my To-Do list, revel in making plans, and have to take deep breaths when those plans veer off course.

However, since my daughter was born, I obviously have had to laugh in the face of my Type-A personality on many accounts.  There’s nothing like a baby to teach you how to live in the moment.  And, since going back to work, my personality is in a constant state of back-and-forth between not taking a single moment for granted and making sure all of the zillion To-Do’s are completed in the short time I have to get it all done.

Enter my New Year’s resolutions, which included being more spontaneous and not taking a single minute for granted.

         Yeah, I’m still working on that.

But I think I’m making some progress!  I really am trying to enjoy every nook and cranny of my days, I just wish I could get even better at being more spontaneous, not sweating the small stuff, and soaking in every single second.  It’s a process, I guess.

So anyway, every Friday afternoon when I pick up my daughter from her "school", we (or I) jam out and dance to the “Everyday I’m Shuffling” song by LMFAO (I can’t remember the actual title… but every time I hear that line, the song gets stuck in my head.)  It’s our little tradition, celebrating the fact that the weekend is here and we have two whole days to spend together.  So last Monday morning when I got into my car, the song was still cued up from Friday.  My first reaction was to change it – that’s the Friday song, not the Monday song!  But then I thought, why not?!  And I proceeded to car-dance all the way to school, with the song on repeat.  No joke, I was literally out of breath from dancing as I drove down the road.  People drove past me and looked at me like I was a lunatic.  BUT, most of those people ended up smiling and laughing at me.  So hey!  Maybe the positive energy was contagious, which we all know is needed on a Monday morning.

These days, I’m all about relishing in little moments like that, moments that can unexpectedly put a smile on your face.

What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that I’m attempting to live… A LOT.

In fact, the song doesn't say, "On Fridays I'm shuffling" -- It says, "Everyday I’m shuffling." J

 

Don't Forget!
*March 26th - March 29th - 3rd Quarter Testing

*March 29th - Kathy Bryant visits PLCs

*April 9th - Report Cards due to Administrators

*April 20th - Kindergarten Screening

The Light Bulb

I recently experienced trying to teach my four-and-a-half-month-old to eat from a spoon.  Sounds pretty basic, right?

It was a disaster.

At first.

It was a Friday night, and I was sooo excited for this huge :) event in my daughter's life.  She'd practiced sitting in her high chair and has great head control... so, with the recommendation from the pediatrician, we were ready to try rice cereal.  We pulled out the bibs and baby spoons and two different cameras (we had to take pictures AND video, of course!) - and she HATED it.  She fussed, and cried, and eventually screamed.  Poor girl had a giant eating utensil coming toward her and was expected to just KNOW to open her mouth and ingest the food.  We eventually gave up, put the cameras away, and decided we'd try again tomorrow.

Enter Saturday.  Same characters, same props, same scene - ENTIRELY different ending.  She did GREAT!!  Lo and behold she actually enjoyed the process the second time around.  She smiled and made her happy little noises, opened her mouth when the spoon "airplaned" toward her, and successfully managed to eat a few spoonfuls (while also getting quite a bit up her nose, in her ear, and all over me).

This whole process got me thinking about our job as educators.  I mean, we all know we "teach" - but have we ever really thought about what a huge responsibility it is?

Being a parent is agreeably the most incredible, most important job I'll ever have.  The lessons I'll need to teach my daughter will be far greater than eating off of a spoon.  But the whole rice cereal saga got me thinking about how amazing it really is to be teaching her something for the very first time.  Something I, as an adult, take for granted.

When our students enter our school, they are relying on us, depending on us to give them the knowledge they need to be successful.  Some days are better than others.  Some days they're "fussy" and not really ready to soak in the information we have to share - and some days they're actually hungry, and ready, and all of a sudden the light bulb goes off.

I think that's what we - educators - live for... the light bulb.

Sometimes the light bulb goes off right away, sometimes it's a little more delayed.  Sometimes the light bulb goes off faster for one child in one subject, but not another.  It is our job, as educators, to instill in ourselves the stick-to-itiveness to keep teaching until the light bulb is lit - even more challenging is the task of instilling in our students the stick-to-itiveness to keep trying until they "get it."

But practice makes perfect.  And a positive attitude can make all the difference.

When my daughter was crying and refusing to even TRY to eat off of a spoon, my husband and I kept smiling, kept giving her pep talks, and tried to keep the atmosphere positive.

Sure, it may be laughable to imagine us putting THAT much forethought into a tablespoon of rice cereal.  And sure, it may be a stretch to compare spoon-feeding with teaching fractions.

But to me, teaching is teaching and learning is learning.  During these last few long winter months, don't forget how important it is to stick-to-it, keep the encouragement rolling, and be persistent - eventually, the entire school will be well-lit. :)

Don't Forget!
*Now - March 16th - ACCESS Testing
*February 28th - March 13th - QSP Magazine Fundraiser
*March 1st - 30th - Extend 1 Field Testing
*March 2nd - Dr. Seuss's Birthday!  Staff members dress up as their favorite book character!
*March 2nd - 4th Content Writing Due
*March 6th - Multicultural Night
*March 15th - Kathy Bryant visits PLCs
*March 26th - March 29th - 3rd Quarter Testing

Today, I REALLY Missed Being a Teacher

I'm baaaaaack.

Truth is, I've been back for awhile now.  14 days to be exact.  But I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to figure out life as a full-time working mama, and I'm FINALLY getting around to the word "Blog!" on my To-Do list.

Man, what in the WORLD would I do without To-Do lists these days?!

So obviously, I've had my baby (the most perfect little girl in the WHOLE world, but I'm not biased AT all!), spent three and a half blissful months learning how in the world to be a parent, and now I'm back in the real world of working.  It was so, so hard leaving her after being around her all day, everyday, for 15 straight weeks.  But luckily for me, I LOVE my job and, even moreso, LOVE the people I work with - so the transition went much better than I thought it would.

So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the incredible staff, students, and parents of Moore for welcoming me back with open arms.  The hugs, the encouraging words, the smiles, the notes... It all helped me get through those first few days when all I could think about was missing my sweet girl.

Coming back to work has reminded me how much I do enjoy my job.  Most of you know I was a classroom teacher for five years before becoming the Curriculum Coordinator.  I absolutely, positively LOVED teaching - but after five years of teaching third grade, I was ready for a change.  This job presented itself, and I thought, "How cool!  I can try to impact elementary-aged kids from an entirely different perspective."  While there are many, many times (like now!) that I am so, so busy tackling the day-to-day tasks of Curriculum Coordinator duties (especially when it comes to testing!), I sometimes have the opportunity to get back to classrooms to teach or work with small groups of students.

As I said, unfortunately, right now I'm playing catch up from being out with my little girl AND administering testing sessions, so I can't exercise my love of teaching.

However, I am able to visit classrooms as an observer while doing my classroom walkthroughs.

And today, I was blown away by the teaching and learning I saw.  I LOVED what the teachers were doing, how students were interacting, the conversations that were taking place.  I was in AWE of the level of thinking going on, the student-guided lessons, the obvious planning that had been done.  I mean, I REALLY missed being a teacher today!!  I almost wanted to jump right in, put back on my teacher shoes, and see if I could still do it!  But, duty calls, so I just had to hold in my excitement and move on to the next task at hand.

But man, to my teachers in the building, you guys are ROCKING IT!  I know you're overwhelmed, and tired, and your plates are oh-so-full... but learning is obviously going on in your rooms, and I think you're all doing a fabulous job.

Now, off to tackle this To-Do list and get my head back in the game so that I can get back to some of these classrooms and be that TEACHER I miss being!

Don't Forget!
*Now - March 16th - ACCESS Testing
*February 27th - April 27th - DIBELS Progress Monitoring
*February 14th - WSFCS Science Fair (Good luck Syan!)
*February 17th - WSFCS Spelling Bee (Good luck Chloe!)
*February 27th - Milkshake Drinking Contest (Go me!)
*February 28th - QSP Magazine Fundraiser Begins!
*March 6th - Multicultural Night

Change

Change is inevitable.  Change is hard.  Change is refreshing.  These are three statements I believe to be facts concerning change - whether it's a change in your personal life or professional life.

I am about to go through some major changes personally as I am anxiously anticipating the birth of my first child. (!!!!)  So obviously change has been on my mind lately.

The teachers at Moore are going through major professional changes lately - with recent budget cuts and new curriculum standards rolling out across the state, teachers are more overwhelmed and overworked than they've ever been.  So it's hard for me, as a person who thrives off of helping and supporting teachers as their Curriculum Coordinator, to feel comfortable abandoning ship to go on maternity leave for the next three months.

I know, I know - once this baby comes, my mind will be anywhere but work.  However, I hope that anyone who knows me knows I am 100% committed to this job, a job that I love, working amongst the best school staff ever.  So it's difficult to just let go and leave when I feel like I'm needed the most.

But that also may be narcissistic of me, to think that anyone around here really NEEDS me.  Regardless, I just wanted to do one last blog entry before my maternity leave to remind my fellow staff members that WE CAN DO THIS.

I know it feels like just when we get a handle on things, something else comes our way that is totally unexpected and more overwhelming than we'd ever imagined.  But as I said earlier, change is inevitable - ESPECIALLY in education.  And since we can't control the changes coming our way, let's all try to control our attitude toward the change.  Easier said than done?  Sure.  Possible?  Absolutely.  We can fight the change, swim against the current as much as we want... and be miserable.  Or we can look at the change as a possibility, an opportunity, as something positive - and push through the stress, the exhaustion, the never-ending to-do list in order to spread an "I Can Do" attitude amongst ourselves.  Call me Suzy Sunshine if you must, but I've always believed in the power of positive thinking.  So since I'll be gone after today, I'm gonna need y'all to keep the positivity alive amongst yourselves and trust that it's all happening for a reason - a good reason - even if it's hard to see that now.

Yes, I'm about to be a sleep-deprived mom who doesn't know up from down or left from right, but I am going to miss this school while I'm gone!  I know the upcoming changes for all of us - both personally and professionally - are going to be difficult... But I'm excited about the future, and I intend to always feel that way.  So bring on the change and the challenges, because we can only grow from it all!

I'll see you in January!

Don't Forget!
*October 24th - 1st Quarter Test (Reading)
*October 25th - 1st Quarter Test (Math with a Calculator)
*October 26th - 1st Quarter Test (Math without a Calculator)
*October 27th - 1st Quarter Test Make-ups
*November 2nd-4th - CogAt Testing
*November 14th-16th - ITBS Testing

There's Only One YOU

Since the beginning of school I've been working to get into every single classroom to do a 30-minute lesson.  I like to remind the students who I am and what my job is, and - let's face it - I NEVER want to lose my connection with teaching.  I did these lessons last year, and was a little hesitant to tackle them this year, being that I'm 9 months pregnant... but I decided it was worth it, and I've been trucking along for the past month to get into each room.

I do a different story/lesson in each grade level, and first grade's is about how we are all different - some of us smaller, or taller, or rounder, or thinner.  It seems like a giant concept for a 6-year-old, but I had success with it last year and decided to try it again this year.

In one of the first grade classes, we were discussing the book I had just read (called The Big Seed, in case you're interested).  I was trying to get the concept across, trying to get the students to understand that the book was about more than just a little girl planting a sunflower seed.  One little boy raised his hand after he realized that his classmates just did not get the point.  (And now I'm going to attempt to quote him word-for word.)  "Well, it's like this... there's only one YOU.  There's never going to be another YOU again.  That's why we're all so different.  We can't be the same, because there's only one YOU."

Pretty profound for a 6-year-old.

While I looked at him in awe and continued the lesson with the class, I haven't been able to forget what he said.  Obviously we, as adults, recognize that there's only one of us.  But are we getting this message across to our students?  Or are we making generalizations and grouping them together without paying enough attention to individual differences?  As a teacher, it's tough to pay attention to the individual needs of 20+ students... but that doesn't make it any less important.

Your students will never have a teacher like you again.  Make yourself memorable - make your classroom a place where the student feels cherished, and special, and important, and unique.  Give each child the opportunity to grow as an individual, to reach his/her true potential - a potential that is incredibly different for each and every student.  Hold high expectations, but differentiate those expectations.  Get to know your children.  Don't make assumptions.  Don't make generalizations.

Remember, there's only one YOU.  And you're the only person who can be the best YOU.  So you'd better get started!

Don't Forget!
*October 3rd - SMART Response Workshop at Moore
*October 6th - Kathy Bryant visits all PLC's
*October 24th - 1st Quarter Test (Reading)
*October 25th - 1st Quarter Test (Math with a Calculator)
*October 26th - 1st Quarter Test (Math without a Calculator)
*October 27th - 1st Quarter Test Make-ups
*November 2nd-4th - CogAt Testing
*November 14th-16th - ITBS Testing

Lots of IMPORTANT Curriculum Updates ~ September

Math Updates - Velvet Simington

• New textbook trainings are THIS week!!
• 3rd Grade - 9/19 - 4:00-7:00 at Griffith
• 4th Grade - 9/20 - 4:00-7:00 at Griffith
• 5th Grade - 9/21 - 4:00-7:00 at Griffth
• Essential components of math include 90 minutes of daily instruction; integrating Week by Week Essentials, Indicators, and Classroom Strategies; Integrating problem solving through collaborative groups; Consistently using technology to deepen math instruction; Students having and using strategies notebooks
• Standards for Mathematical Practice should be implemented NOW!  If your math rep has not shared these with you, ask him/her ASAP!

Imagine It! Updates - Mary Ruth Teague

• Don't get slack on following the routines!!  Every teacher should be following routines exactly, or the program will not work the way it's supposed to.
• Everyone MUST use the sound/spelling cards the way they're supposed to be used.
• The Morning Message is a key component of starting the day off right.
• Make sure you're using "stick and ball" handwriting, NOT D'Nealian.  "Stick and Ball" should be used when teachers write AND when students write) -- the appendix gives explicit details on penmanship instruction
• The puppet should be used!
• Blending is one of the most important components of the program - Follow the blending routines!

K-5 Writing Plan - Janie Costello

• You will find a grid in your box laying out this year's writing plan.  This year students will experiment with different types of writing for quarterly prompts to prepare for the new Common Core.
• The Common Core ELA training on Rc days will be front loaded with strategies to teach these new, different types of writing... Grade level reps will then need to teach their teams.
• Writing will NOT go into the K-2 Data Warehouse this year since we're experimenting with different types of writing... this year is about learning HOW to teach it.

Science Updates - Benika Thompson

• For grade level science reps - Your meeting dates will be October 31st, January 23rd, and February 20th all at Sherwood Forest.
• For additional support related to Science Essential Standards, all teachers are welcome to attend the following sessions (all last from 3:30pm-4:30pm):
• October 12th (Speas), 13th (Lewisville), or 19th (Forest Park)
• November 15th (Old Town), 16th (Whitaker), 17th (TBA)
• March 13th (Southwest), 14th (TBA), 15th (TBA)
• For our Science Liaison (yay Mrs. Barney!), here is your meeting schedule:
• November 1st
• February 28th
• March 6th
• April 25th
• Next year in 4th grade, Ecosystems will switch to 1st Quarter.
• The STC kits have been realigned to fit the new standards... see my email.
• For all other updates, see my email. :)

Social Studies Updates - Patty Grant

• Each grade level MUST be represented at the upcoming meetings, which start next week.  The meetings last from 3:30-5:00 and there are two locations you can choose from.  If you have any questions about the schedule I emailed, come see me.
• Don't forget to use the online resources that go along with the Social Studies textbook - They are GREAT!
• For the new Social Studies assessments, sample items will be published on the online community by this Wednesday, 9/21.  Teachers are to examine these together... grade level reps who attend the meetings will bring feedback to the meetings to finalize assessments.  Final assessments will be emailed to me by October 5th.  I will then send these assessments to grade chairs, who will need to prepare copies and administer the assessments to students by the end of First Quarter.  Teachers will then turn in rosters with scores to me/Mrs. Conner, who will then forward results to Central Office.

Museum of Anthropology - Tina Smith

• Programs are offered for K-5
• The museum also offers kits for schools/grade levels/teachers to check out
• Students can go to the museum, or the museum can come here to Moore
• I will put handouts in your boxes from the Museum of Anthropology - there are some GREAT resources!  Especially with the budget being so tight!

??Have you ever heard of http://www.theteacherregistry.com/?  Check it out!

Don't Forget!
*September 12th - September 23rd - DIBELS BOY Window
*September 19th - 3rd Grade Textbook Training 4:00-7:00 @ Griffth
*September 20th - 3rd-5th Gradebook/Report Card Training 7:30am @ Moore
*September 20th - 4th Grade Textbook Training 4:00-7:00 @ Griffith
*September 21st - Call for Change Training in Media Center 7:30am REQUIRED
*September 21st - 5th Grade Textbook Training 4:00-7:00 @ Griffith
*September 26th - Door Decorating Contest Begins!

*September 29th - Curriculum Night!! (Doors judged and winner announced!)

*October 3rd - SMART Response Workshop at Moore

Living Each Day to the Fullest :)

So, we all know the old adage, "Live each day as if it were your last."  A little sappy, sure - But I feel like it describes my work-life these days!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be too dramatic.  But as most (if not all) readers of this blog know, I am currently pregnant and due in about a month. (!!!)  I have already completed my paperwork for my maternity leave, and had to pick an "end" date.  Since I am due on a Monday (10/10), I went with Friday, October 7th.  And thus the countdown begins...

21 days left of work!!!!!!!!!  And while it's definitely exciting to think about staying at home with my little one, it also definitely stresses me out to think about all of the things I need to accomplish during my last 21 days here at work.

And let's be real - when do babies every REALLY come when they're supposed to?!  The truth is that Baby Peele could make his/her debut ANY day now, meaning that I am truly living each work day as if it were my last.  And let me tell you, I've never been so productive in my life!

I am trying to utilize every minute I can to cross off my To-Do's while also soaking in all of the things I love (and will miss) about Moore during my 3 months away.  So the old, sappy adage is definitely proving to define my work life, and it's got me thinking...

I know it's quite the cliche, but what if we truly all attempted to live in this manner?  I think that we, as a culture, take so many things for granted, believing that the next day is always promised.  But we are smart enough to know that it's not.  And I think it's time we start soaking in every minute life gives us, knowing that each of those moments is precious and never guaranteed.

And as for me and my expanding girth?  I'll be HOPING to make it to October 7th... But in the meantime, you'd better believe I'll approach each day as if it were my last day as a working non-mama. :)

  Don't Forget!
*September 12th - September 23rd - DIBELS BOY Window
*September 26th - Door Decorating Contest Begins!

*September 29th - Curriculum Night!! (Doors judged and winner announced!)

*October 3rd - SMART Response Workshop at Moore