Quotes

“Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within.”

-Stephen Jay Gould

Valentines Bags

Cute animal Valentine's bags :)

Silhouette Art

We did this project for Halloween, but it could really be done for any season.  It is a simple project and turns out beautifully.

Materials

• Small pieces of watercolor paper
• Paint brushes
• Water color paint sets
• Black construction paper OR black tempura paint
• Glue

Steps

1. Paint a skyline with watercolors, covering the entire watercolor paper (may need to discuss the colors of the sky at different times of day).
2. Cut a scene out of black construction paper or paint it over the water color with tempura paint after it dries.
3. Glue the scene onto the water color paper.

Dr. Seuss Art

This project is a low-prep, fun way to honor Dr. Seuss!

Materials

• 11 x 17 in white construction paper (twice as many as you have students)
• tempura paint
• paint brushes (small and large)
• black permanent markers
• pencils
• glue (school or stick)
• Dr. Seuss books for reference

Steps

1. Students paint broad horizontal or vertical stripes across their first piece of construction paper in a single color, leaving the background white.
2. While the backgrounds dry students draw their favorite Dr. Seuss character lightly in pencil.
3. Paint over the pencil with tempura paint.
4. Once the paint dries, outline the character in permanent marker (optional).
5. Cut out the character.
6. Glue character onto background.

Stained Glass Craft Project

2013 Student Samples

This is a semi-complicated craft that the kids love!  It can also be done around any holiday with holiday-themed templates.  It could be done with any grade level, but it is pretty complicated.

Materials

• Sharpies (Various colors, lots of black, at least the number of sharpies as you have kids unless you want to do this in stations)
• Plastic wrap (1 roll, any brand)
• Heavy duty aluminum foil (1 roll, any brand)
• Paper plates (just the basic cheap kind)
• Tape (any kind, really, it goes on the back.
• Stained glass or mandala templates printed on plain paper (see below)

Preparation

1. Cut aluminum foil and plastic wrap in square or rectangular sheets that are big enough to cover the paper plates.
2. Print mondala and/or stained glass templates on normal paper.

Steps

1. Crinkle up aluminum foil into a ball (not too tight because you'll need to flatten it out!)
2. Flatten out the aluminum foil.
3. Cover the bottom of the paper plate with aluminum foil and tape the corners on the other side.
4. Choose a stained glass template and wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the template.  Tape it on the back of the template.
5. Color the plastic wrap with colored sharpies, starting with the inner portions of the stained glass.
6. Outline the colored portions in black sharpie.
7. Remove the plastic from the template. (Template can be recycled)
8. Cover the aluminum foil plate with the plastic wrap and tape on the same side as the aluminum foil was taped.

Modeling Points

• Color in gentle, even strokes.
• Wait to outline until the very end so mistakes can be covered.
• Work from the center outward so the marker doesn't get on your hands or get smeared.
• Spread the plastic wrap gently with your fingers as you color to prevent wrinkles.

Step-by-step pictures to follow.

The First Year

Let me tell you, they aren't lying when they say your first year of teaching is an exhausting whirlwind.  But, on the bright side it doesn't have to be as bad as they say!  I've made it thus far without having one moment that I wanted to quit the teaching profession, move to Africa, or jump off a bridge!  From what I've heard my first year has been pretty smooth sailing so far.  Here are the things that I've heavily relied on:

• Resources from college and student teaching, (yeah, I actually use that stuff!).  I was a HUGE pack-rat during college, volunteering, and student teaching.  I took anything and everything people offered me, asked for copies of things that I liked, and wrote lists of things I would like to buy.
• Resources I scrounged out of what I like to call the "dungeon" at my school (aka the old shower room with piles of stuff that the teachers don't want anymore).  Warning:  Make sure you check with people before you make off with anything!  Teachers are very protective of their collections.
• My AMAZING grade-level partner.  She was recently moved to 4th grade after teaching 1st and 2nd for a long time, so the year is new to her, too.  BUT we plan everything together.  We share our good ideas, edit out our bad ideas, take turns planning units, etc.  It really has saved my life.  Oh, and she's been teaching and at the school for a long time, so she helps me remember the things a firsty might forget (meetings, calling parents about student of the month, etc., etc.).
• Utilizing the summer.  Be careful of burn-out, but I spend pretty much my entire summer planning my curriculum.  Many new teachers are hired on the spot and don't have this convenience, but I took full advantage.  I gathered up all the teacher and student books, brought them home, and poured over the school and my own resources and the standards to create a thorough curriculum.
• Create an organization system for EVERYTHING.  You are going to have so many calls, papers, meetings, planners, notebooks, tests, assignments, e-mails, appointments, forms... that it is critical to be organized.  I have a parent communication binder, a curriculum binder, folders in my e-mail, a file for graded work, work to grade, work that the students need to finish or start, a shelf for all my supplies for each day of the week, a hanging file pocket-chart for the day's activities, etc.  My students and I would be swimming in paperwork if it weren't for these things.
• Start the year out positive, firm, and know your stuff.  Of course things are going to come up that are unexpected, but the students are expecting to learn the ways of your classroom on the first day, and it's your job to have every detail planned out.  I probably spend the most time this summer planning out routines and behavior systems.  From going to the bathroom to sharing ideas in class to lunch count to homework, you need to have every detail mapped out.  Trust me though, there are going to be some things that you find just aren't working, and you need to make a little tweek.

First Day!

The big day is tomorrow.  I can't believe how fast the summer flew by!  The first day is like anything else, I had so many grandiose plans, and many of them came to fruition, but many of the details didn't.  It's time to let these little things go, take a sigh of relief and know that tomorrow is going to be fabulous.  I'm so excited!

This is what I wrote in my journal this morning:

I can feel myself click-clicking up the track, my descent just visible beyond the edge of my cart.  My heart rate is increasing, my mind is a blur.  This ride is surely going to have it's ups and downs, but I have my trusted colleagues at my side...  We round the top of the track and here we go!