"Working Nine to Five"...and then some!

Well, right now I have a student teacher in my room. I love the opportunity to help aspiring teachers reach their goals and have a chance to practice their craft before going on the big stage of their own professional full-time classroom. It also gives me a chance to reflect on what works in a classroom, try new things that I may learn from them, and it also gives me the chance to work to the best of my ability to be a good model of the best practices for him or her.

Hence the title of this week, "Working Nine to Five," well as a teacher, my day starts way before nine and ends well after five. I have a full plate and don't mind pulling up a chair and digging in! I know we are all very busy and have our own tricks of the trade, but as a First Grade teacher, what are some of your go to sites? I wanted to post a few that I can always count on to help round out my lessons. I have posted a few of these before, but I think the busy teacher always can use a refresher. I really believe in working smarter not harder!
http://www.ixl.com/
http://www.starfall.com/
http://www.education.com/
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
http://www.brainpop.com/

Some of the sites above require paid subscriptions, as a teacher leader, you may want to try the free trial and then explore ways to introduce the sites to your school to see if they would foot the bill or buy a personal subscription to use in your classroom. I know that lots of teachers are now ipad aficionados, so what apps do you use? I haven't made that leap in my classroom yet, but I have used my kindle fire to review math facts with my students.

My student teacher and I are collaborating on a thematic unit about plants focusing on sunflowers and will use many of the above sites to tie it all together for our students. I am really looking forward to her ideas and implementation and hope to share some of the ideas that I help create here in the next few weeks.

By the way, are you an educator that is looking for a professional place to meet, connect, exchange ideas, and grow? Then think about joining Kappa Delta PI International Honor Society. This organization has many opportunities for scholarships, grants, Common Core resources, webinars, career planning, and much more, take the jump into professional and personal growth.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/KDP-Georgia-State-Delegate/508293119210310

..."On the Good Ship Lolipop...."

Well today is Valentine's Day and we know that our little ones will fill our rooms with tons of candy to eat and exchange. As a mom, I cringe to think about how much candy my own children will come home with. Of course, I do like most parents do....I ration it out over the next few weeks. But what will you do with the large amount of candy you get in your classroom? I know what I will do, turn it into tasty manipulatives! How do you use candy and other treats in your classroom to teach or enrich lessons? I know many of us use skittles for graphing, but have you also used it to teach adjectives? Marshmallows are great for addition or subtraction, but have you used it to teach students how to use a number line? Fruit loops make good necklaces for counting to 100 (or now 120) but have you used them to help explain describing words? Please, share with me some of your great ideas using food with your Firsties. Or send me a message and I will share with you some of my ideas also.

Give Your Heart a Break

It is with a heavy heart I make this week's post. My beloved school principal passed away suddenly and with her a spark, magic, and greatness seemed to slip away with her. She was a great administrator, devoted mother, loving wife, kind person, and very funny to get to know. Just last week I posted about taking time to check in with your children (students) because we never know what emotional tolls they may carry.

This week, I take the stance to make sure you check in with someone you love to let them know how much you care. It goes without saying that teaching takes heart, let's all really take a moment to get to the heart of the matter this month, the month of Valentine's Day to really let someone know you love them, care about them, and show it. It is a great time to hug your firsties just a little closer and smile at them a little wider.