#TeacherWeek15: Sanity Savers

Hi, friends

So, I skipped yesterday's classroom tour link up because I don't have a classroom this year, and I never took enough pictures of my classroom to do a tour of an old classroom.  But I am back in business for today's Sanity Savers conversation.


I think as teachers one thing that is INCREDIBLY important is working smarter, not harder.  I mean, teachers definitely work hard.  But it's also important to work smart, or you'll never get anything done.  So I'm going to share a few of my work smarter/stay organized strategies that helped me stay organized and calm when I was teaching.

Number those nuggets.
Every year, I numbered my kids.  Generally, our list followed ABC order, but invariably we'd gain and lose some kids throughout the school year so it wasn't always 100% true, but close.  Here are reasons why numbering kids is a sanity saver.
1.  It allowed me to reuse materials when students came and left class, so I could get more bang for my buck.  Students could use the same folders, pencils, scissors, and crayons as the student who just left.
2.  It eliminated line up issues.  Students always lined up numerically, so there was no arguments about who was busting, or how someone cut in front of someone else.  (Line leader was a job in my class; that person would just line up in front of number one for that day.)
3.  It gave students a certain sense of anonymity.  While students did know each other's number as the school year went on, it let me organize data, conference notes, and assessments in binders by number and they didn't necessarily know whose it was.

Use pictures whenever possible.
Now, I realize that this is mainly an early elementary tip, but using graphics in my classroom was key.  Especially early in the year, and especially with my lowest nuggets.  For example, our work station rotation board always had pictures as well as group names and pictures as well as the written name of the work station.

This was part of our fall work station board.  Each group is clearly named, but also has an icon/graphic to go with it so that if you can't read the word pumpkin you still know your group.  

And here's just a quick example of rotation cards.  Station name underneath, with a picture on top.  

Organize your student data.

Okay, so I realize this is a terrible tip because obviously you want to stay organized.  I don't have pictures to go with this, but I am planning a Periscope in the next few days about this same topic.  (You can follow me at Whale_Tails_DC.)  I'm going to give you the highlights of how I organized student data.  First, and most crucial, was a grid that I created and printed weekly.  In the header, it had the week (Week of August 31) and then below was a grid.  It would have each of my students' name in a square, and beneath their name it would say "math, reading, writing".  When I conferred with that student, I would highlight the subject so that as the week went on I could see at a glance who I had met with and who I had not.  When I met with students, I would quickly jot notes on address labels.  Address labels come in lots of sizes, but I have big handwriting so I always liked to get the biggest address labels, but you can get them in any size.  I would just jot their number or initials, the date, and the subject (which I usually abbreviated--M, R, W) and then at the end of the day I would stick their label on their page in the binder for that subject.  I realize that pictures would be really helpful to this; hopefully, it will make a little more sense after you see the 'Scope, but I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about this method.  

Thanks for sticking with me to the end!  Those are my top 3 Sanity Savers.  And don't forget to check out Blog Hoppin' to catch other teachers' brilliant ideas.  You're almost to the weekend, teachers!  You can do it!

xoxo

#TeacherWeek15 Make Ahead Meals

Hi, friends

This is just a super quick post; the twinnies aren't feeling terribly cooperative today.  I'm obviously linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week, and today is about make ahead meals.


I love using my crockpot during back to school season, but this is a newer recipe that I am legitimately obsessed with.  I would honestly make it every single week if I could get the hubs on board for it.  But tragically he doesn't love Mexican the way that I do.  So here's why I think this recipe is so great:  first, I feel like often 30 minute recipes really take longer than 30 minutes to make because you have to cup, chop, etc.  But there's no cutting or chopping in this recipe so it really takes 30 minutes (sometimes 25 if you're really organized and your meat is thawed).  Secondly, you only need one pot to make it so clean-up is super easy.  And, as a bonus, there are always tons of leftovers (lunch the next day, anyone?)  I could write a love story about this recipe, but instead I"ll just share the link with you.  Put this in your belly. NOW.

(For the record, it never looks this nice when I make it, but it's so dang delicious.)

xoxo

Five Fun Facts

Greetings, my friends

I hope everyone is surviving the back to school season.  Some people have already been in school for 2 or 3 weeks now, and some districts (especially near me) are just starting back today, and then, of course, there are those schools that don't go back until after Labor Day.  As a student and a teacher, I was always envious of those schools that don't go back until after Labor Day.  That really seems like the way to do it to me.  But I'm not in charge (which is really a shame), so I'll just keep plugging away with the school calendar we're given.

I'm so excited today to link up with Blog Hoppin.  Teacher Week is one of my favorite weeks of the school year, and I'm hoping to link up most days.  Cross your fingers on that one.  Without any more yammering, I'm going to jump right in and share my Five Fun Facts.

                                               

1.  I'm not teaching this year.  :(
This was an incredibly hard choice, but when this happened earlier this spring the hubs and I had some serious conversations about the best use of our time as well as money.

Out here, childcare is ridiculously expensive and we'd have to pay twice.  The amount of money I would take home after daycare just didn't seem worth the cost of missing out of some much time with these boys.  So this year I'm kicking at home on the daily with these young gentleman.  I miss classroom teaching, but I also feel really thankful that we have the resources to make staying home a viable choice.

2.  I have a muppet face problem.
Some people do duck lips.  Some people just do a regular smile.  I have an uncontrollable Muppet face.  It started as a joke in college, but I don't even remember what the joke is.  But it's a real problem that still occurs in my life on the regular.  Even at weddings and on honeymoons.

3.  I had teaching cold feet.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a teacher, but when I was in college I didn't major in education.  I got cold feet from Negative Nancies, and it didn't help that the education department was a bit of a disorganized mess when I was in school.  But after 1 year of office work, I realized I couldn't hack it long term as a worker bee.  Ultimately, I went back to school and got a master's in education and haven't looked back since.  

4.  I live here.  

I've lived out here for 6 years.  It was a really impulsive move, and when I did it I never imagined that I would go to grad school, have my first real job, meet my husband, and have babies all in the main nerve.  And while there are some down sides to living in the nation's capital, it is also pretty cool to be able to walk the babies and the pup past the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and Capitol daily.  

5.  But, I grew up here.
                               
While lots of my most recent life events have transpired in other places, my heart still belongs in Cincinnati.  It's hard for me to imagine loving a place the same way I love Cincinnati.  I still have lots of family and friends in Cincinnati, and love going back there for visits.  If I were in charge of my own self I would move back to Cincinnati in a minute.

I can't wait to read your Five Fun Facts!  Don't forget to link up with Blog Hoppin' yourself and share 5 facts.  And if you feel so inclined (maybe you also have uncontrollable muppet face?  or you have twins, too?!), leave a comment below.  I love hearing from y'all!

Happy Monday!
xoxo

Blog Hoppin' Back to School Week

Friends.  This is one of my most favorite weeks of the year!  It's Blog Hoppin's back to school week, where they pick a different theme each day for a week.  It's also a time when I generally tend to over commit myself.  Maybe this is really the week where I learn how to use the schedule post?  Stay tuned for that.  Without any more babbling I'm going to link up for Monday of BtS Week.

First up, let's talk about family.  Now I have the song We are Family! stuck in my head.  So, there's that.  But seriously, my family is fantastic.  I want to say the best, but I bet y'all are pretty fond of your families, too so I don't want to get anyone panties into a twist.  So we'll just say fantastic.  Because that's absolutely true.

Here's a picture of me and the hubs at our wedding.  Obviously.  Per the dress.  (As a side note, I wish it was acceptable to dress up in your wedding dress outside of your wedding.  I would wear that at least a few times a year.  That dress is my jam.)

This nugget here is the legitimate love of my life.  (Don't tell the hubs!)  My four year old niece is adorable.  I love hanging out with her, and it hurts my heart that we don't live nearby.  This is a picture from Christmas morning.  G got a make-up set from Santa this year and she had to do our make-up so that we looked beautiful.

This picture makes my heart happy, too.  It has almost all of my favorite people in it--the hubs, my parents, my super bestie and her boyfriend.  I wish all of these people lived close by to me.  Instead I settle for soaking up as much of them as possible whenever I'm back in Cincinnati.  I'm sure you're starting to get bored of pictures of random people, so I'll start moving along.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Starbucks.  My sweet pup.  Color-coded calendars.  Running.  Drinking wine with the girls.  Watching re-runs of Friends.  And Criminal Minds (who am I trying to kid?).  Reading.  Especially reading an entire book in a day.  Baking.  Gum.  Shopping.  Visiting home and spending time with my fam.  

IF YOU WEREN'T A TEACHER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO BE?

If I wasn't a teacher, I would want to be the President or a Supreme Court Justice.  Or an NFL coach.  Or a baker.  (Clearly, I'm assuming that actual skills aren't a prerequisite.)  

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Friendly.  Out-going.  Team-oriented.  

FINISH THE SENTENCE, "________,  SAID NO TEACHER EVER!!"

"Yes.  I'd love to stretch a 20 minute meeting out to fill an hour!"

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU CAN INVITE ANYONE {DEAD OR ALIVE} TO THE PARTY. WHO ARE YOU INVITING?

Um, so this is weird, but Abraham Lincoln.  And Jennifer Lawrence, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler.  All together.  

IF SOMEONE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE?

There's No Such Thing As Perfect.

YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

I don't know if this is really a superpower, but I want to speak all the languages of the world.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

I know this is awkwardly long, but I LOVE this Teddy quote.  Also?  I sort of wanted to invite Teddy to my birthday party, but I was trying to tone it down a little.  

IF YOU HAD TO SING ONE SONG ON AMERICAN IDOL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone.  Or Yesterday.  It's hard to decide.  It's unlikely that I'll end up on American Idol though, so I don't think a decision is necessary.

ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL

Probably morning person.  Especially if I can get a few cups of coffee.

SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU!

I have a problem that I call Feelings Face.  It's basically the total opposite of Bitch Resting Face (BRF).  In BRF people are nervous to approach you because you look so aggressive.  With Feelings Face nobody needs to approach  you because they can already tell exactly how you feel.  

I'm sure that's more than you ever wanted to know about me.  I can't wait to hear more about you, and I can't wait to participate in the rest of BtS week with Blog Hoppin!  Have a great night, friends!

xoxo

Fitness in '14

Greetings, friends!

I know that I've been taking a lot of time off over break, but I'm finally starting to get back in the groove, and to prove it I'm linking up with Bloghoppin'.  (Hopefully for the rest of the series, but things just keep popping up!)

The hubs and I are still back in the Midwest and it. is. glorious.  It's so nice to see friends and family for such an extended chunk of time, instead of the 48 hours we're normally home for.  Today, we're babysitting the love of my life, my 3 year old niece.  Melt my heart.  She's so darn adorable!  We're all going to a wedding tomorrow, and then heading back to DC on Sunday.  It's so close, but it feels so far away.  I will say the one thing that I've been TERRIBLE about this year over break is planning.  It's like I thought that I was never going back to school or something.  I'm sure next Tuesday will be rough.  But the point of this post is fitness, so we might as well get down to biznass.

I have 2 major fitness goals for 2014.  The first is to lose 20 pounds before I turn 30.  I know that will require a lot of effort, and I think that I'm really prepared to put the work in this time.  In the past, I've been really committed, but refused to do certain things that could have pushed me over the hump, like give up the boozey booze.  However, I'm all in this year to lose 20 before 30.  My second goal is to beat my previous half marathon time.  I'd like to beat myself by 5 minutes, but I know that 5 minutes is a lot to cut off.  Honestly, if I beat my previous self by even 1 minute I'll feel happy.  So, those are my goals.  I feel like there are lots of smaller goals that make up those mega goals, but that's what I'm setting to do in 2014.

Good luck to everyone in meeting their fitness goals in 2014!  And if you're already back to school I hope your students are going easy on you.  =)
Happy new year!
xoxo

The Best Laid Plans

Friends.  I'm shaking my head at myself.  On Monday, when I was home getting myself organized I really thought to myself "Heck yes!  I am going to blog EVERY day this week as part of this Bloghoppin' linky party".  Spoiler alert:  I failed.  :(  But, I ended up being surprisingly busy outside of school this week and I didn't realize that was happening ahead of time.  Like, Wednesday one of my super besties was last minute in town for just one night and I couldn't really say "No, I can't meet you for drinks tonight because I have to blog".  I mean, I guess I could have done that, but I just never see that Libb and I really wanted to hang out with her.  So I'm sorry that I was a minor fail, but I'm going to link back up today, get back on the wagon, and share some new(ish) ideas.

This is 100% a recycled ideas, but it's one of the best ideas I've ever heard of.  Give your children numbers.  I'm going to say it again because it's so awesome:  give your children numbers.

I like this idea for several reasons.  1) Everyone only has one number, so if even kids have the same name when you call numbers it eliminates confusion.  2)  My particular school has a lot of transience, so it makes it easy to re-use materials if one kids leaves and another comes in.  It's hard to reuse a folder or notebook labeled "David", but if your pencils and folders say "18" then it's easier to recycle that for students.  3)  It gives students a space in line and eliminates all those busting/cutting arguments.  (I suppose this isn't necessarily inherent in assigning numbers, but I always tell my students to line up in "line order", which means that they line up numerically.)  I really cannot emphasize enough how positively I feel about giving children numbers in a classroom.

This is my other "new idea" that probably also qualifies as a helpful hint.  I started this last year, and to be perfectly honest with you, it was more successful last year than this year, but I think that's because my loves this year are much more DEpendent and much needier than my group from last year.  In any case, I'm going to stick with this idea because I know it will ultimately pay off for me.  And here it is:  The Question Box.  Say, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  The Question Box is a large square that I tape off on the floor near my table using blue painter's tape and I label it "Question Box", and make sure to draw question marks on it.  The way the Question Box works is that if you have a question during any type of work station time and you ask your group members and they don't know you come to the question box.  The rules of the question box are that there can only be one kid in the box at a time, and that you  have to wait quietly in the box until I can pause my teaching to help you.  It works really well once you teach it...or at least it has for me.  It's really nice because it gives kids a way to get your attention quietly without distracting themselves and other kids.  Another really nice fringe benefit of the Question Box is that you can leave kids in there indefinitely.  What I mean by that is that if you have kids who come to the box all the time for silly or unnecessary reasons (or non-question reasons) you can make them stand in the box longer, and sometimes they will get bored and leave.  Last year I had one sweetheart who came to the Question Box every. single. day.  So I started making her wait longer than I would make other kids wait, which was also really helpful for me because I knew that if she waited it out that she really did need me.  It was a nice silent signal.  Honestly, it takes about 30 seconds to tape down a Question Box and it saves so much time.  I don't have a picture of my Question Box because I'm a terrible blogger and I always forget about pictures.

That's about it for me, friends.  Tomorrow is Smithsonian Teachers' Night (yessssssssssssssssssssss), so I hope to be back tomorrow with some more treats, but I can make no promises.
Happy Friday!
xoxo
Rachel