All I Want For Christmas...

Well this marks the end of the 2nd nine weeks which means the first half of the school year is officially over. Our school district has administered our Benchmark Tests and we are officially on Christmas Break. During that last week of school I really took a good hard look and my students and though about which direction we will move in when we return to school in January. I keep a desk calendar in my classroom work area that I use to write out week by week what I want to make sure I cover what is important. This is my quick way to make sure I am meeting the standards and staying on track with my county's curriculum map. When we return to the school in January I know that I will begin to focus on subtraction, taking a very hands on approach first including lots of "munchin math," to get students to understand that once you subtract, they (the numbers) don't come back. Then we will move into basic fact practice, fact families, inverse relationships, and then problem solving. In terms of reading, I will focus on daily reading comprehension strategies and really dig into the meat of how to read a story for meaning, and fact finding. Grammar will basically spiral over topics we have already covered, but I have noticed that my students still need more practice with ending punctuation.

One great aspect about 2013 is that I won a $125 grant from KDP (Kappa Delta Pi is the international teaching honor society and provides great resources and opportunities for students, novice teachers, and practicing professionals. I am also the state delegate for the state of Georgia.) and will be able to purchase some materials to help my ELL students with reading for comprehension and meaning. I will also have a student teacher which I will mentor, advise, and have assist me in the classroom. This is a great asset for me as a teacher because it causes me to refocus and strive to be a great example for her. It also will provide an additional person in the room that will help me help students that need the most extra help. We have a saying that after the Christmas break when students return, their "light bulbs'' turn on. This year, all I want for Christmas is for that to be true. All I want for Christmas is for my students to return to school happy, healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Because God willing, I know I will be ready to teach!