10 Things I've Learned from Teaching {Linky Party}

Okay, even though I've been taking a hiatus from blogging, I saw Miss Kindergarten's Linky Party...and I HAD to join!  So here goes:

1.  No matter how many trips to wash hands or sanitize, you will NEVER break the unabashed nose-pickers from doing their thing...NEVER...that said, keep trying!

2.  Kids will randomly fall off of their chairs--this is normal.  I'll never forgot how shocked I was my first year of teaching (and I had FIFTH graders) how often kids just randomly "fell" out of their seats.  I had no idea--just PLOP and they'd be on the floor.  Now, after 14 years of teaching, I don't even bat an eyelash!  I just calmly ask, "Are you okay?"  Then wait for them to get up.

3.  It is OKAY to sometimes pitch a stack of ungraded papers...it's hard to do at first, but liberating once you get the hang of it!

4.  You'll ALWAYS know when a full moon is coming...so creepy, but true!

5.  Even if you practiced a skill for months on end, your students will ALWAYS tell the next year's teacher that they NEVER learned it...however, try to show a video they saw three years ago, and you will hear a chorus of "We already SAW this!!"  A simple, "Fine.  We won't watch anything." usually quiets them.

6.  School supplies are always exciting--for both teachers and kids--make sure they have time that first day to ooohh and aaahh  over each other's new things!

7.  No age of students are too old for stickers.  

8.  You must believe that everything you are doing is fun AND cool.  Own it.  Sell it.  They'll buy it.

9.  Nothing beats seeing one of your student's faces light up when they spot you off school grounds.  They may try to downplay it and "act" cool after the fact--but those few uncensored seconds prove you are SOMEONE to them!

10.  There is no better life than teaching.  It is not a job, not even a career...it is your life...and if you see it as anything but...maybe you doing it wrong...

Burning the Midnight Oil...

So, once I start on something, I am like an obsessed woman--driven to finish it completely...And now that I have started creating things for my TeachersPayTeachers store, I  fear that it might be a LONG summer, full of late nights, blurring vision, and pale skin.  I fear, in essence, that I will become a vampire.  Okay, so maybe that is extreme--however, if the past two nights are any indication of how things will play out...I should probably order in a case of Excedrin now!

That being said, my project as of the past few nights is COMPLETE!  Yay!  (Cue confetti guns and trumpet blasts.)  I was working on finishing a Classroom Decor pack called, "Black & White & Bright" and it is FILLED with lots of fun stuff.

There are calendar pieces, name tags, incentive charts, print ABC's, Welcome pennant, Word Wall small ABC's pennants, and small labels...for a start!

The other thing that I am super excited about is that I was able to create matching embellishments in the form of clip art so that they can be used to create other things the teacher needs--like newsletters, posters, Open House info, and other labels...I love having the versatility to create what you need!

I just can't seem to switch off my "teacher-mode" yet.  I wandered into the Dollar Tree today and found myself going straight to the Teacher stuff.  Of course how can one even begin to think of summer when I am wrapped up in a blankie in my dreary living room!  Oh well, I can't complain...as I am quite comfy here with my laptop on my lap...

Off to poke about my neglected house so I don't feel too guilty about...well...neglecting it...Go check out my store and my stuff!  :)

The Frenzy Meets Little House on the Prairie...

So as some of you may know, the most exhausting awesome thing about being the third grade teacher at my school is I inherited the tradition of a day at the Little School House.  The Little School House is part of our local Rural Arts Museum, and is a historic (yet very functional) country one-room school house.  And every year, at the end of the year...when we are all drained of our educational purpose...I muster up the energy to take my students back in time over a hundred years ago...

The students are required to dress historically...including my schoolmarm self!

(How cute are they--seriously?)

And we take our mile-hike to the schoolhouse...rain or shine...this year brought a little rain on the way there. Once we arrive the students leave their lunch pails on front steps and play until I ring the bell.  Once inside they "make their manners" and our day begins!  We try to be authentic as possible...reading lessons from McGuffey Readers, Arithmetic work using slates and slate pencils, 

a Spelling Bee and recititations that they prepared ahead of time, 

old-fashioned games at recess...three of our favorites are Kick the Can, Hide the Handkerchief, and Red Rover...

we also make button toys and cup-and-ball toys...

Regardless of how much work it is, and how exhausted we all are when it is finished, the day is definitely worth it.  There is just something magical about it.  Being on our own, no distractions--no other students, or colleagues, or computers (or electricity), just us...left to appreciate each other with whole-hearted attention is so refreshing.  It's an experience that is hard to explain until you've lived through it.  There is no coincidence that at least half of our 8th graders this year listed "The Little School House" as their most cherished elementary school memory.  It gives the students a taste of everything our modern world has robbed them of...it allows them to simply be...kids...nothing more...and nothing less...

The New Face of Frenzy

     Okay, so I will not even bother making excuses for my lack of posts...I can only say I spent much time this morning revamping my blog...you see, I had a great debate over whether I should start a new, separate blog for my teaching, or just combine it all into one...and I finally decided to do just that.  I have a hard enough time keeping up with ONE blog, let alone two.  And...practically everyone I know is a teacher...so why should it matter?  I guess if people stop by to read about my random life, they will have to skim over my teaching stuff, and vice versa!  With that said...I have to share the classroom stuff I have been working on...

This was my first project this last week...I have been seeing milk crate seats all over on Pinterest, and I just had to try it out!  So...out to my garage for a discarded crate...which just happened to be the perfect color for my classroom theme I'm working on...and into my fabric bin for something fun...and down to the farm for a piece of plywood...add an old discarded pillow...and VOILA!  I had forgotten how I am seriously in love with my staple gun...which brings me to my next project...

I know I already posted this on facebook...but I had to share everywhere!  I went to Good Will the other day and saw this bar stool.  It had a horrific, dirty, badly done pleather seat...it was on clearance for $4.99...but Neil and the kids were in the van...and I can't make decisions...so I left it.  The NEXT day we were back in Marshfield and this time I insisted on stopping and checking if it was still there...it was...hormonal tantrum averted!  Picked out a quick scrap of fabric from Walmart next door and took it home to meet my staple gun.  Now, if they kids don't destroy it before I can get it to school, it will move in next to my projector cart!

I know this is a bad picture...but I am too lazy to retake one, and transfer it to my computer and such.  But you can get the general idea.  Once again, this is TOTALLY taken from Pinterest, but I had to make them for my classroom!  It will stay in the room all year, and each student will pick out a silly straw balloon to keep on their birthday/half birthday.  Ooooo...a silly straw you say--exciting stuff!  This was the thought of my 17 year old step-daughter...but, hey, when you are nine...little things like this are HUGE...and sometimes...even when you are 35... 

I am TEACHER...hear me ROAR--or not...

      Okay so I have to admit as a teacher...it is hard to turn that part of myself off...which is sometimes nice…like when helping my own kids out with something new or patiently helping my mom attempt to coincide with technology...but other times I worry that it pops out at inappropriate times. Take the other day, for example.  I was cruising through Walmart with my cart, dodging people left and right when I came upon these two boys…I'd say about nine to ten category...brothers...and they were all hands-on-each-others-shoulders/arms-locked-wrestling in the center of the aisle.  Finally, one of them just hauled off and kicked the other one...and before I knew what I was doing I found myself giving them the full on--oh no you didn't/that was horrifically uncalled for/100 watt teacher stare. The same one I dish out to my students on a daily basis...and let me tell you that kicking boy FELT IT...he squirmed...and dropped his brother like a hot potato and fell in step with his mother in a ploy of obedience. I couldn't help but walk away chuckling at my extreme teacher power…until I got a sobering look at my OWN children…oops…never mind.