YOU are a Hero!

Really, you are! 

I am blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and dedicated teachers.  Day in and day out, teachers put in so much time and energy into their students' educations.  Teachers, you truly are heroes.  And don't ever forget it!

Take a minute this week to honor a teacher you know.  Write them a note, give them a compliment, buy them coffee, or just say THANKS!

In honor of all of the hard work teachers do every day, TpT is throwing a sale starting on Wednesday, February 25th.  My entire TpT store will be an additional 28% off when you use the PROMO code HEROES at the checkout.  And hey, while you're there, follow my store!  :)

Soooo…. What did you put in your cart?  I'd love for you to share below!

Do YOU Love to Read?

Around here, February is "I Love to Read" month!  Our school challenged teachers to decorate their door with a reading theme.  It was so fun to see what everyone came up with!

For our door, I gave the task to my students.  Someone suggested a Superhero theme, and miraculously, everyone agreed.  I had them make a list of supplies they needed, and I provided them.  They used an image on their iPads and projected it onto the screen to trace the big superheroes.  I am so proud of their teamwork and collaboration!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the building!  :)

Heard of RedBox?  Wouldn't you love a real-life READ-box?

"I Mustache You to Read"- This one has pictures of the kiddos holding their favorite book and a giant mustache.  Cuties!

Awww, one of my favorite childhood books recreated by our speech-language pathologist.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a favorite in my class.  Each day, these fourth graders add to their own class diary.  How cute is that?

This teacher brought Elephant and Piggie books to life!

Dr. Seuss was a popular theme for teachers, too.

This one has the kinders' faces in the little flowers in the grass!

The Pre-K kiddos worked hard on their ABC pages for this door.

Yes, those are students holding mini trufflula trees.  Love!

Along with the door decorating, we got to read in our PJ's and counting our reading minutes to earn a pizza partyDoes your school celebrate "I Love to Read" month?  What sort of fun events do you do?

Five for Friday- I'm back!

Happy Friday, friends!

It's Friday, which means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for another Five for Friday!  Five for Friday is a weekly link-up for teachers to post updates to their week.  Now, I know I've been M.I.A. for the past few months… So I think this post will be more of a Five for the Past Five Months.  So here we go!

1.  New Look!

What do you think of my new blog design?!  I am in LOVE with it!  I asked PJs Design Laboratory to help me out, and I am so pleased with the result!

I've got all the fancy social media buttons up top… click around and if you feel so inclined… FOLLOW ME!  :)

2.  Classroom Reveal

The start of a new job took it's toll on me.  To be honest, I was unhappy, overwhelmed, and ready to quit (hence my absence in the blogosphere).  I talked with my doctor and got things figured out.  Now, I love my job (most days)!  

Anyway, I missed the frenzy of everyone revealing their classrooms.  For the first few months of school, my room looked pretty bland.  But with each new month, I feel like I can take on a little more, and now my room feels near "complete".  Take a look!

Here's a peek at my room from the door.

Top left: I have a wonderful long counter in the back of my room, with nice shelves underneath.  I keep my word study bins and classroom library on the shelves.

Top right: I've had these drawers forever.  They used to house my craft supplies, but I brought one to school and keep all my copies and plans for each subject.  GREAT way to keep organized!

Bottom left: This year, I've let go of the mentality that my room needs to be "TpT bought" or "cutesy" or "digitally made".  I found that in order for things to actually get done, I need to just make them by hand.  Here's my reading groups and word study schedule.  Simple markers on construction paper.

Bottom right: I call this Grand Central Station.  In the back, my desk area, and in the front, my doc cam area.  I keep my name sticks, pens, textbooks, and you can see my subject copies cart there on the right.  Also on the left (not pictured), is a lamp I found in my parents' basement, which gives a nice warm light to the area.

3.  Wedding Weekend

This past weekend, Kendall's cousin got married in northern Minnesota.  I just love this photo of us from the reception.  Congrats Amy and Matt!

I know this is only a Three for Friday, but I've got some new posts in the works, so stay tuned!  Feels good to be back in the blogging world!

Teacher Week- My {bare} Room!

It's Tuesday of Teacher Week with Blog Hoppin', so today I'm sharing all about WHERE I teach!

This will be short and sweet, since I just recently moved into my new room!  It's far from complete, but I can point out some features that I am pretty excited to have.  :)

Mmkay…. see that SMART board on the wall on the right!?  Can't wait to play around with it and use it every day!  And lots of storage with the closets on the right and the low shelving on the left.

My room came with beautiful, sturdy mailboxes.  Y'all know how expensive those can be!  See that printer there too??  For those moments where you're like, "Oh crap, I'm TWO copies short!"  I know we've all been there.  Behind the mailboxes is a sink with drinking fountain.

The desks most likely won't stay like this for long… I just wanted to get them down and off of each other.  Is anyone else totally annoyed by that one lower desk?  #teacherOCD

I've been spending most of my time lately organizing my picture books.  Because I'll be teaching 6th, I am putting a lot of my low level books in the closet for now.  I know that at some point, I will need a picture book for a read-aloud or something, so I wanted to organize them in a way where I'd be able to find a book if I needed it.  

I started by entering all of my books into a spreadsheet.  I included the book title, author, and illustrator.  Then I organized the titles alphabetically.  First into piles with sticky note labels...

Then each pile got organized alphabetically and put into a box.  If I need a book, I can look on my spreadsheet and easily find it in one of the boxes!

The other books in my library will be available for my students to borrow.  These are the higher level chapter books.  To keep those organized, I am using The Brown-Bag Teacher's iRead Book Bin Labels.  I'm in love with them!

Stay tuned for more photos of my set-up as I spend more time in my classroom!

And don't forget to link up with Blog Hoppin' to show off your learning space!

It's Teacher Week!

It's Back to School- Teacher Week!  I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' this week to tell you all more about me and what I love to do most- teach!

Who am I?

I'm a 25 year-old teacher, blogger, and TpTer.  I'll be starting my third year of teaching this year, in a new school and a new grade!  I taught a classroom of 3rd grade ELLs, and now I'm moving to 6th grade.  I'm ready for the adventure!

Make Way for Ducklings!  In Boston Public Garden

I've been with this guy for nearly 7 years!  Love him! 

My team and I during our school's Hmong New Year celebration.

If I wasn't a teacher, I would definitely be a baker!  I loooooove making cupcakes!

My new classroom is AWESOME!  It's slowly starting to come together.  :)

TpT is a huge hobby of mine!  Here are a few of my favorite products from my store.  

Take a peek at other products in my store here!  Speaking of TpT, did you hear about their one-day BOOST sale this Wednesday?  Wahoo!  Start adding to your Wishlist now!

So that's a bit about me… Be sure to visit Blog Hoppin' to meet other teachers during Teacher Week!

Tomorrow I'll be linking up to share WHERE I teach.  :)  Can't wait!

Meet the Teacher Linky!

My Instagram has been buzzing with posts about this linky, and I just couldn't pass it up!  Falling Into First is hosting a Meet the Teacher Linky so we can meet some new friends before back to school time!

Hellooo from Minnesooota!  I'm Ellie, a 25 year-old teacher, blogger, and TpT'er.  I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will be starting my third year of teaching in a couple weeks.  I taught 3rd grade for two years, but this year I'm moving up to 6th!  Someday, I hope to return to the lower elementary grades, but for now I will enjoy my adventure with big kids!

This summer has been one to remember!  I visited Sin City, had a birthday, and saw Paul McCartney in concert!  In September, I'll be moving into a new apartment with my boyfriend, Mr. Wolf.  The end of this month will mark SEVEN years dating this guy!

Vegas, Mr. Wolf, and the Paul McCartney concert

 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

Blogging. TpTing. Fresh flowers. Days at the lake. Baking. Antique vases. Food Network. Smelly markers. Leggings. Infinity scarves. Smoothies. Caribou (the Starbucks of Minnesota). Pretty binders. Sewing. Decorating. Creating art. Farmer's markets. Crafting. 

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

A Baker!  I LOVE baking, especially cupcakes!  Maybe someday, years from now, I will open my own cupcake shop.  :)

THREE LITTLE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOU.

Creative. Funny. Kind.  

 

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

"Sure, I can certainly do that in my free time ...said no teacher EVER!!"
 

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

Jimmy Fallon!  And Martha Stewart (to decorate).

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

 Colorful Tails 

 Q:YOU GET TO PICK ONE SUPERPOWER. WHAT IS IT?

 Tough choice!  Invisibility, or… the ability to travel back in time.  Mhmm.  :)

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYING?

“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

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

 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

I love me some oldies!

 

 Q: ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?

Depends on the day!  This summer, I have been a TOTAL night owl, and then sleep in late and take a couple a nap during the day.  During the school year though, I would rather go in to school early when it is nice and quiet.  I get a lot done in the mornings before the bell rings!

 

Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RESOURCE THAT YOU'VE CREATED IN YOUR TPT SHOP?

 I can't choose just one!  My most recent is my Back to School Morning Work packet.  Coming in a close second is my Pairs of Pears Homophone Activities packet.  For some strange reason, I just LOVE  homophones.  They are one of my favorite things to teach.  :)

Q: SHARE SOMETHING WE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU! 

Sammie, Rusty, and 9 mo old Trapper (hunting dog)

My parents have three dogs… but I am allergic to them.  Every time I go to their house, I come stocked with allergy pills and nasal spray.  How could I possibly stay away from those adorable faces?

One more fun fact?  I've never dyed my hair.  I refuse to!  I love my natural color.  :)

Be sure to visit Stephanie at Falling for First and link up to introduce yourself!

The First Days of School: Unit B: LINKY

Hello everyone!  Today we're discussing Unit B of The First Days of School.  If you've read the book, or even if you haven't read the book, link up with me!  I want to hear your thoughts!

Grab this image, include it in your post, and link it back here! OR Pin it! :)

Unit B is all about positive expectations.  I really liked how on page 37, the authors say, "Expectations are different than standards."  It's really a good point to keep in mind, because standards are levels of achievement.  Standards are the academic concepts we teach our students.  An expectation is what you believe will or will not happen.

Another good point to keep in mind:

"Humans have a success instinct." (p.35)  It goes on to say that we can accomplish anything with our students if we have high expectations.

This unit reminded me of a video I came across about a year ago, which many of you have probably already seen before.  I feel it's a good reminder that WE set the expectations for our students.  And that EVERY student can succeed if we show them we care about them.

Page 45 begins to discuss how schools, parents, students, and the community should celebrate the first day of school.  Some schools have had big assemblies where parents and students wear formal attire.

1.  How does your school celebrate the first day?  Are teachers required to be outside of their classrooms greeting students as they enter the building?

During my first year of teaching, I had a student whom I had a hard time "reaching".  He never wanted to participate and often had outbursts and would storm out of the room.  He would slink into the classroom every morning during morning work, not saying a word to anybody.  Every morning, I would greet him with a smile, saying, "Good morning, _______!"  I would stop whatever I was doing to greet him.  Most days, he wouldn't respond.  After a few weeks of consistency, he began to greet me back.  "Good morning, Miss Woodward!"

2.  Does your school or district have a dress code?  What is it?  Do you think how you dress determines whether or not you're effective as a teacher?

While I do think it's important for teachers to be dressed appropriately, I didn't agree with everything on the "What's In" and "What's Out" list on page 57.  Some examples:

What's in: Career suits for women; bright colors for elementary teachers; soft, muted colors for secondary teachers.

What's Out: Excessive jewelry; blue denim only on Saturdays; and bold prints, plaids, and colors are no-no's.

Do you agree?

One last point from the unit:  In Chapter 10, page 71, the authors discuss using manners like "Please" and "Thank you".  While I agree with this point, I recently got some good advice from a teacher friend. She said, "Do not say 'Please' or 'Thank you' for expected behaviors."  For example, "Class, please sit down." Or, "Class, quiet down.  Thank you."  Because those are behaviors you would expect for learning to take place, you should not use "Please" or "Thank you".  Now, if a student gives you a beautiful picture or you need to ask a student to grab something off the shelf, then you should use "Please" and "Thank you".  To me, it made perfect sense!  What do you think?

3.  What were your biggest take-aways from this Unit?

Now it's your turn!

Write a post answering the three questions, post it, copy the page URL, and then link it up below!

Next Monday, we will be looking at Unit C: Classroom Management.  Looking forward to it!  :)

An InLinkz Link-up