changes.

I got sucked in to student teaching and have not been very good about keeping up with this at all.  It is now coming to an end, though (extremely bittersweet), so I am going to really get the ball rolling.  I know I have said that before, but I am for real this time.  Over the next couple weeks you will probably see a lot of changes.  Be patient.

That being said, I thought one way to keep on top of it and organize the million things I want to post is to have themed days like a lot of blogs do.  So, the schedule will be as follows:

“Make It Monday”– This is obviously where I will be posting ideas of things to make for the classroom that are usually affordable for newbie teachers like me with little supplies and even littler bank accounts 🙂

“Tidy Tuesday”– I am obsessed with organization, so once a week I will indulge and put all the million things I want to implement to organize my classroom and my life.

“Wonder Wednesday”– On Wednesdays I will post things that cause children to wonder and explore something.  Nothing is more exciting than watching that take place.

“Thoughtful Thursday”- If my students walk out of my classroom only knowing one thing (which let’s hope is not the case!), I want it to be that I care about them so deeply and they can always come to me for anything.  Nothing they can do can make me stop loving them.  Thursdays will be used to share ideas for reminding kids how much you care about them.

“For Me (And You) Friday”- As much as I love my students, I would be lying if I said I was not happy every time a Friday rolls around.  On Fridays I will be posting things that are not necessarily for the classroom but things that I enjoy and think you all might as well.

Weekends will be spent catching up on much needed rest, cleaning, and laundry.

I am excited about the changes that are to come and really hope I can turn this blog in to something great!

calming jar.

We have several students in our class that suffer from anger management problems.  They are all sweet as sweet can be, and then out of the blue, something will set them off, and they will become so angry.  Sometimes their anger makes them cry and flail around on the floor.  Other times it causes them to scream, disrespect teachers and classmates, and destroy furniture and classroom surroundings.  I hate to see this happen because I know something is hurting them inside.  I hate to send them to time out because I know this will just give them more time to simmer in their anger and grow even more livid sitting there thinking about it.

That is when I discovered calming jars.  While they do not always work, it is a good way to give the child an opportunity to calm down, control the time he or she needs to take a break from what is happening, and to think about something else other than the situation that just occurred.

A calming jar is a mason jar or old peanut butter jar filled with water, glitter glue, glitter, and food coloring.  When students become angry or need to be taken out of a certain situation, they can shake the calming jar.  They are supposed to sit there and utilize the calming jar until the glitter all settles and they are feeling as calm as the glitter.  If they need more time, they can shake the glitter up again.

While this could lead to children acting up to use the calming jar or saying they are not ready to spend more time away from instruction and activities, remind them that it is a privilege that can be taken away if it is abused.  On a completely opposite note, it will not always work.  I would like to always give them the option, however, to let them be in control of how the situation will be dealt with.  I want them to know that I have the faith that they can pull themselves together and overcome whatever is going on.

I have not perfected the creation of the calming jar, but I will go ahead and post the instructions I have found for making one.  I will update if I discover any other ingredients or methods that produces an even better one.

How to make a Calming Jar:

Materials: glitter glue, hot water, glitter, food coloring

Procedure: Mix 1 tbsp. glitter glue with 1 cup hot water.  Increase the sizes of these depending on the size of the jar.  Mix in a small tub of glitter and a couple drops of food coloring to match the color of the glitter glue.

 

behavior rocket ships.

The behavior rocket ship is something another first grade teacher on my team introduce my mentor teacher and I to.  It is a rocket ship on a piece of paper that has different levels with each part of the day written in each level.  You give one to students who are having trouble with behavior.  As you discuss it with them, you talk to them about a reward they would like to have for coloring in every two sections, the whole thing, whatever is necessary.  Then, throughout the day, the children get to color off each level if they followed all the rules after one warning for that subject.

While it causes minor problems with the children constantly asking if they can color their level in, it is so far the only thing I have seen work with some of our toughest students this year.  In order to alleviate the need to ask if they can color in a level, I suggested to my mentor teacher that we give them stickers to mark off each level instead, and one of us would just put the sticker on their desks after each subject if they earned it.  We have not tried it yet, but I definitely think it is something that could work.

I was nervous about these because I thought once the other students in the class saw them that they would want their own to earn rewards each day, but we have been using them for months now, and no other student has ever said anything about them!

Like I mentioned earlier, you can start out giving rewards for every level or two that is colored in, and as time progresses and behaviors become more controlled, you can increase the amount of levels between rewards.  I think one of the most important parts is letting the children having a say in those rewards.  I think the other most important thing is leaving the children in charge of their own rocket ships.  They need that constant reminder and responsibility in order for it to be effective.

cheap ice packs.

I’m sure I will constantly be posting cheap ideas, but here is one my mentor teacher has recently started doing that I just couldn’t wait to share.  I am student teaching in first grade, so children are always complaining that something hurts or someone hit them or their eye or sore or what have you.  I have taught in third grade, too, and I know the older students are always complaining about injuries as well.  And what fixes almost every single injury an elementary school student has ever endured?  Ice, of course.

Now we all know we cannot send a constant stream of students to the nurse.  First, it wastes learning time.  Second, the office will start to wonder what is going on.  But let’s be real… none of us really wants to spend any of the tiny salary on twenty ice packs.  So here comes the genius part: wet, frozen sponges.  If you have heard of this or are doing this, don’t ruin my fun, please.  The sponges are drenched in water, put in a ziploc bag, and are placed in the freezer or refrigerator.  They form solid ice packs that I have never heard a child complain about.  They stay cold for just the right amount of time, and sponges are sold by the dozen at the dollar store.  It is a winning situation all around.

catch up.

I know I have been slacking so much with this blog… I have barely even gotten it started!!  I promise I will pick it back up and go full speed ahead now that the semester is winding down.  Thanksgiving break is almost finished, but I only have two more final portfolios to turn in and then I am finished for the year.  That means I can spend time exploring wordpress and making this blog the best thing it can be.

I have come up with endless ideas for the classroom over the past couple of months.  If you are not on Pinterest, I highly suggest joining it now.  I cannot begin to tell you the amount of great, easy, CHEAP ideas I have gotten just for simple things in the classroom you never think to get creative with like marker storage.  You can bet I will definitely be sharing these ideas as I get on board fully with this blog.

Anyways, since I have already mentioned the marker storage… here it is.  An old wine rack with cheap plastic cups, perfect for sorting and storing crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. as you please 🙂 The possibilities are endless.

Just an idea of things to come.

some inspiration.

cheap whiteboards.

I always planned on having small whiteboards for each individual child in my classroom.  I saw something in the background of a TV show the other day that would be a cheap alternative those first couple years when I am teaching when I won’t necessarily be able to afford all the classroom supplies I would like.

Putting paper in sheet protectors.

This particular person had handwriting paper in the sheet protector, but printer paper, practice worksheets, construction paper, etc. would all work!!  Sheet protectors work with dry erase markers and are cheaply replaced should need be!

starting out.

I have decided to create a blog to document my journey in teaching.  I am almost through with my undergraduate years in college, and I have come up with several ideas, learned through countless experiences, and have developed many beliefs about education and my role in it.  I would like a place to share all that I have to say about becoming a teacher.  Enjoy!