The Many Hats that Teachers Wear

1. Teacher- Of course, that's what we're hired to do.  We must get information across to our students- both academic skills and life lessons.

2. Nurse- I am so thankful we have a school nurse!  It's an amazing comfort to know when there are emergencies, we have a professional that will be there in seconds to take care of things.  Not all schools are so blessed.  I could keep our nurse busy from 7:50 until 3:00 if I sent every student who has a headache, stomachache, paper cut, bruise, etc. to her office.  Fortunately, a sip of water or a Band-Aid can cure most of these ailments, whether real or imagined.

3. Counselor- If I could attend any professional development of my choice, it would be something in the psychology field.  Perhaps I'll get better at this as I gain more years of experience, but I would love to be able to read my students better.  Is she yearning for attention?  Is he crying because he's sorry for what he did, or because he doesn't want to get sent to the office?  What is the right way to get her mind off of her problems at home?

4. Interrogator-  This could also be referred to as "lie detector", and is another area I am not so good at yet.  I'm not great at cracking a student who I know is lying.  Thankfully, my coworkers have been doing this a whole lot longer than I have, and they graciously help me out in difficult situations with students.

5. Jury- Is the student guilty?

6. Judge- What is his or her punishment?

7. Secretary- I am so thankful for our school secretary.  She accepts phone calls from parents and relays messages to us.  We are responsible for information traveling the opposite way, from teacher to parents.  This communication could be because the student is in trouble, to brag on the student, to inform parents of unusual behavior.  I have also communicated with many of my students' doctors through paperwork.  Besides phone calls, there's the matter of making copies.  I can't imagine how much extra time I would spend at the copy machine if it weren't for our wonderful paras.  Many teachers do not have paras to rely on for things like this!

8. Dietician- When students complain of headaches or stomachaches, I normally start my questioning with what the student ate.  I also have several students who don't like the school lunches, but won't bring a lunch from home, either.  Coaxing them to get a school lunch plate and eat the roll, the fries, something, is not a rare occurrence.

9. Lawyer- I defend.  I defend my students when they are not getting along with their classmates.  Through paperwork, I argue a case for certain students who need testing accommodations.  I also must defend my decisions as a teacher to parents, and probably there will come a day when I must do this to administrators as well.

10. Cheerleader- Each and every day, I'm learning the importance of this "hat".  I must cheer on the students who are high-achieving and well-behaved.  I must also cheer on the students who are not.  After getting to know my group of kids this year, there are a few kids that I have a hard time believing they have an advocate at home cheering them on, giving affirmation, showing pride.  All children need their teachers to be cheerleaders, but those that I just mentioned especially need to be reminded of their worth and their abilities.

The purpose in posting this is certainly not to complain, but it's a realization just how intricate my job is.  I have a long way to grow in each of these areas, but I love what I'm doing!

Being a summer person during the winter

I'm a summer person through-and-through.  Sunshine and warmth make me happy.  Don't get me started on how happy going to the beach makes me.  Vacations and time off aside, I am in a better mood a whole lot more when the weather is warm.  Even when it's suffocatingly hot.

During December and January, it's dark when I leave for work in the mornings.  It's still dark when I get to school for a couple of those weeks.  Then the sun is down just an hour after I get home. This describes the hardest time of the year for me.  When my time in the sun is limited, I can tell a difference in my mood.  (On a side note, I'm so thankful that the joy we are commanded to have in Christ is a completely separate quality than moods.  Joy is a decision, a choice, and not an uncontrollable emotion!)

There are a few steps I've taken to boost my mood this winter.

1.  Yoga with Adriene

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had really been neglecting exercise of any kind.  Thanks to my friend Anna, I started Adriene's 30 day challenge on YouTube.  I don't have a ton of yoga experience, and the experience I do have is about 5 years in the past.  You certainly don't have to be an expert to keep up with Adriene.  She shows different variations to suit the beginner and the advanced yogi.  She's so laid back and relaxing, and she teaches in a way that doesn't require a lot of fancy equipment.  I don't even use a mat- just my carpet.  If you're looking for a high-calorie burning routine, you'll want to supplement with something else, but yoga is great for strengthening the entire body.  I was amazed that after only 5 days, I could tell a difference in how long I could hold plank!

During a time of year when I don't want to step foot outside unless I absolutely have to, yoga in the comfort of my own home is the perfect solution to getting some exercise and relaxation.

2.  Warm drinks

I always have coffee on school mornings, but I've been making warm drinks in the evenings as well.  Sitting and sipping on a hot drink is relaxing, whether it's hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.  Though it's not the healthiest, I've been on a hot chocolate kick.  I've gotten some delicious varieties as gifts over the holidays!  Sleepytime tea for the Keurig is great for the evening time.

3.  Showers

Sometimes I tend to put off showers, especially on school nights, until right before I go to bed.  Then it feels more like a nuisance that's cutting into my sleep time.  This winter, I've been showering earlier in the evening so I don't feel as rushed.  It's turned into a time for relaxation and warmth, not just something on the to-do list.

TPT seller!

To my fellow teachers: Do you have loads of tests, study guides, or worksheets that you've typed up yourself?  Creating a seller account on Teachers Pay Teachers is super easy!  You can upload your files, and other teachers needing your resources can pay to download your files.  There is no complication of shipping!  I've uploaded the study guides I've made to go along with our reading book, and a few grammar tests.  I priced all of my uploads at $1.00, and each purchase brings in $0.30.  I know that isn't much, but when you're making these resources anyway for your classes, it literally takes less than a minute to upload them to the website.  Maybe over time, your profits will add up!  If you decide that you want to make a seller account, follow this link saying you were referred by me!  One of the great things about teaching- we don't mind sharing!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:les032

The Dreaded Lice Outbreak

It happened this week.  Thirty students among the lower and upper schools were sent home for lice.  Yikes!  I think the teachers get a whole lot more nervous when you mention the "L" word than students do.  Here are a few preventative measures I've learned from our school nurse and other school staff that you can take in your classroom!

To avoid lice yourself:

• Wear your hair up instead of down.  There's less of a chance it will come in contact with lice.
• Wear hair products- gel, hairspray, oil, etc.  The lice can't grab onto your hair and stay there as easily.

To prevent them from spreading in your classroom:

• Don't allow students to share headbands, jackets, hats, or anything that could transport the lice.
• Spread backpacks out, don't pile them on top of each other.  This is another way they can be transported.
• In P.E., sanitize all equipment that students share.

GradeCam- Making teachers' lives easier!

GradeCam is all the rage at D'Arbonne Woods.  I've just signed up and loaded my classes.  I can't wait to give my kids a test this week to try it out!  

Here's how it works:

1. Add your classes.
2. Add your students with a personal number ID to each class.
3. Add an assignment, and choose how many questions are on the test.
4. Print out your answer sheet straight from the website.
5. Give your kids the test.
6. Hold up each answer document to a camera (your webcam, document camera.. anything that's hooked up to your computer from what I understand!)

GradeCam tells you which answers are incorrect, and then gives you data on most missed questions and average scores.  You just physically write the grade on each student's paper.  Other teachers have told me that it took about 30 seconds to grade a whole class' test.  What a huge time saver!  

The best part... It's free for 60 days!  You can earn credits by inviting other teachers, but after your free trial runs out, it's $15 a month.  I think that's totally worth it!  If you're interested, click the link below.

www.gradecam.com/signup?referrer=acowyk

Target Finds for my Classroom!

I love Target.  I love dollar stores.  When these two things combine, you get the Target bargain section.  Many a dollar of mine have been spent on their $1 items!  Here are a few ways I've used these bargains in my classroom.

These file folders are adorable.  They come in 3 packs for $1 each.  I have three set up as unfinished work folders- one for each class.  Students can go grab their work from that folder when they have a few extra minutes, and I can easily determine who isn't finished yet.

I also set up my makeup work station with these file folders.  I have them labeled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Last Week.  These were two of my biggest struggles while student teaching and subbing, so I hope these two sections of my classroom will eliminate some headaches.

Each of these miniature buckets were $1.  As you can see, I'm storing office supplies in mine.  I prefer this to digging through drawers to find what I'm looking for!  In each bucket, I have Sharpies, highlighters, blue and black pens, colored pens, mechanical pencils, thumb tacks, binder clips, paper clips, and miscellaneous items (like staples and rubber bands).

Frustrated by papers with no names?  I'm going to hang up unidentified work here so students can claim their papers.  These little blue glittery clips came in a pack of 5 for $1, and the white and gold baker's twine was on a spool for $1.

This cute magnetic notepad is hanging on my filing cabinet.  I am such a list maker.  Some lists are just too long for a sticky note, so this was definitely a necessity!  

I'm in love with these packs of notecards!  8 cards and 8 envelopes are in a pack for $1 each.  Every time I go in Target, I look for more, but I haven't seen any in a while.  These are handy to keep around, especially if you're an elementary teacher, for when students bring you gifts!  You can write them a quick thank you note quickly so you won't forget.

My wonderful sister-in-law picked up all of these books for me!  Yes, $1 each!!!  They are all abridged versions of classics with super cool covers.  I am tickled over these.  One of my goals this year is to expose my fourth graders to some of these classic novels.  She got me The Story of Doctor Doolittle, The Secret Garden, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Wind in the Willows, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Little Princess.  

Grace and Faith Bows

My cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) has started an Etsy page where she makes the most adorable bow headbands and clips for your darling little girl!  Kyndall's own baby girl can seriously rock those big bows!  These would make wonderful gifts for birthdays or showers.  Check out her page!

GraceAndFaithBows