Before the next "Currently" ...

I didn't get the chance to share this last weekend because .. well, I was just so knocked out from all the fun I had!

Because I am in the Northeast and teach in Jersey, I am a H U G E  Lucy Calkins' fan.  I picked up her book Pathways to Common Core in 2012 when I was finishing my student teaching.  I didn't really know who exactly Lucy Calkins was, but the book title really intrigued me.  I finally read it this past summer and done so much research in educating myself to be a better teacher that I am Calkins' biggest fan!  I know that I blogged in an earlier post about her Units of Study and the trouble I was having with that.  But as I continue to research and grow as a teacher, I find that I like her work and will continue to utilize it because I esteem her as making very big contributions to the education field.  (I will post about my adventures in teaching fairy tale adaptations at a later date .. LOVE IT!).  For now, my goal is to transfer from the graduate school I am currently attending to go study at Teacher's College at Columbia University.  I would L O V E to study under Lucy, her work, and her colleagues.

Needlesstosay,  in October of this year, I went to my *first* Teacher's College Saturday Reunion.  I was still a newbie to all this blogging and instagraming and let's-take-pictures-to-share-with-the-education-community that I forgot to take picture, plus I was so focused on getting through the day with a colleague.  Then last weekend, I went again to the 86th Teacher's College Saturday Reunion.  What a blast!  I am super MEGA excited for the Units of Study in Reading to come out in Spring 2015.

First, my friends and I attended Lucy's two sessions: one about reading, the other about reading-writing connections.  Excellent!

Then, we went to Stephanie Harvey's workshop on Information Text.  Excellent!

And I must say, she is quite comical too!  If you do not have her book Strategies that Work, then you are really missing out.  

We also attended a session on Author's Craft.  It was between Author's Craft and another Lucy session, but this time on writing.  We were in such a pickle because our students need work in author's craft, but we as teachers need help in teaching writing!  I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones who feel incompetent to teacher writing. :(  (Sidenote: follow educators on Twitter.  It was there that I realized - the same struggles my students have during writing, they need to see me struggle as a writer too.  I need to model for them as I write  in  front  of  them  that "no, writing is no picnic, but it's the most amazing accomplishment")

Anyways, we attended the author's craft session which was helpful.  It reinforced for me to help students pay attention to the vocabulary that author's use in their language.  For example, "Why did the author write that the character's ears were 'glued' to the radio rather than just saying that the character was 'listening' to the radio?"  I have to say, it sounds fun and it is becoming more fun to teach this because then students turn key this information into their w r i t i n g.  They are now the author doing this for a reader.  I *love* watching them switch hats from reader to writer.  They become so mature, and ... happy.  Does that make sense?  

Though the school year may be winding down, I still look forward to implementing in the classroom the things that I learn at the workshops.  One of the biggest things I have been working on with my students is metacognition, which I will have to post about at another point this week.  But with metacognition comes post-its!  #postits #God'sgifttoteachers

Seriously, how awesome are these ?!?!? I found them at walmart.  #gogetthem

I know that with the amount of post its we teachers use in our one classroom alone, we could probably cover the whole USofA with the post its we use.  But there is honestly no better classroom necessity than a pencil, some colored pencils, and post its!  I thought these post its specifically would be an excellent addition to reader's workshop because students can read and jot their thoughts on this post it about 5-10 minutes before share time.  It helps too because then students aren't so concerned about their overwhelming composition notebook reader's journal that they have to respond in with their writing.  Rather, students collect all of their thoughts on post its.  As those post its add up during the week, they can then do some writing at the end of the week.  Their post its become larger thoughts for them to write off of and break down their thinking/reasoning after accumulating their theories and thinking.  (I know I'm being redundant, but I want to make sure I'm thorough).  Plus, with the metacognittion/think/speech bubble outline of the post it, it is a visual reminder of what this post it is for exactly... What are you thinking as you're reading?

Currently ... March ???

Andddd we have arrived in March!

How ??? !!

All of these snow days. Ugh! I'm  o v e r  it!

But I digress ....

It's March which means it's another "Currently" thanks to Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.  Make sure you head over and link up too!  I love reading what other teachers are up to. Here's mine -

listening: well, that's pretty self-explanatory. haha! I even played it for my kids this past week while they were cutting things out.  It worked great!  Kept them quiet and they worked quickly.  It's a catchy tune, so make sure you check it out if you haven't heard it already!  I'm going to see the movie tomorrow.

loving: I just got back from getting my nails filled.  I find March to be an awkward month of what design to do on my nails.  I always do pink, but I figured I needed to switch up my game.  I'm in denial about the cold weather that's still here in Jersey, so I decided to do baby blue and orange with a white chevron.  It's a change of pace for me.  Maybe a little obnoxious, but I can handle it for about 4 weeks.  Yes, it'll probably clash with just about everything I wear.

thinking: I'm going out tonight with Mr. Handsome. After 5 days of not getting enough sleep, I woke up Friday with a sore throat.  And even though I only went to get my nails done today, I'm just exhausted! I came home and now I just wanna stay home! wah! I don't wanna go out, but I owe it to Mr. Handsome to go out since I cancelled on him on Thursday. :(  I know once I get out, I'll be okay.  We're going to Olive Garden.  yum!

wanting:  I brought my Intervention binders home this weekend to straighten them out and get them ready for the end of the year my third observation.  The teacher evaluation system we use has a standard for how we use the data to guide our instruction.  Hence, as much as I have data of all of my conferencing/meeting/anecdotal notes/observations/behaviors, I need to tidy it all up!  This standard in our evaluation is weighed 3x more than the other standards.  Oh! And our state team is coming on Tuesday and word on the street is that they will be checking the binders as well.  Oyy ve!  Is it summer yet?

needing: So we have another snow storm headed this way on Sunday night - Monday.  -_______-  I'M OVER THE SNOW ALREADY! With our state team coming on Tuesday, I still have things I need to do before they come!!!! Writing wall, anchor chart arrangement, classroom library, outside display case. boo!  Basically, I'm not ready for Tuesday if Monday doesn't happen.  hahaha!  In all seriousness though, we've had wayyyy tooo many snow days this year, and our school district doesn't build snow days into our calendar.  I need to be in school! My kids need to be in school!

????????: The mystery, million-dollar-question's answer is 6 weeks. ;)  Good luck!

I Teach Because ...

where credit is due

Just like majority of teachers, I don't do what I do for the recognition.  We do it - we show up to our classrooms every day, we stay late after school differentiating and planning small groups, we get to the bottom of incidents that happened at lunch - because we have ten months to make a positive impact in a child's life.  That equates to approximately 900 hours in the classroom.  All to let a little soul know - they are cared for and they are loved and someone is investing time in them because they. are. the. future.   

Next month, March 3rd to be exact, will make one full complete year of me being a teacher.  And this past week I had one of the most honoring and humbling experiences I could ever imagine.  My vice-principal approached me last Tuesday night, at 5:00 pm when we were beginning report card night.  She sat down at my team teacher's blue kidney table, complimented how nice I looked, then pulled out a magazine with a lined post it on the cover and a big smile on her face.  I thought, "Okay, she wants me to write an article for this magazine."

No.

It was something much bigger.

She said, "So every month a teacher is featured in this magazine and they want to feature you next month!  You'll be on the cover!  So call this man, at this number, and set it up!"

..............

My jaw dropped.  All that went through my head was, "I don't deserve this.  I don't deserve this. There are so much other teachers who are exceptional!"  I couldn't believe my VP thought so highly of me.  I'm tucked away in a little room in a random hallway just teaching my students how to be leaders, bucket fillers, analyzers, role models, writers, readers, authors, creators, gentlemen, ladies, polite, chivalrous, you know - the usual.  But this .. honor ... has really made me dig deep and think hard.

I have reflected on this for the past weekend, especially since the magazine asked me to fill out a questionnaire.  I was forced to really think about why I do what I do.  It took me about 3 days to answer all of the questions.  I would get really distracted, shut down to answering them, over think them, and just question myself - "is that answer 'good enough'?"  And then I remember - "good enough" in who's book?  I doubt myself a lot because I'm "inexperienced", "new", "young", whatever I want to label myself as.  But I look around at all the other teachers I work with, my colleagues, and I realize it could be any one of us - we all deserve to be "featured".  We are all exceptional, and if we did what we do for the recognition - then we're in it for the wrong reasons.

Nonetheless, today, through the messy morning commute and through the 30983091 inches of snow we already have here in the north east, the magazine made their way to my classroom.  Out of 27 students, I had 15!  Anyways, the man in charge and his photographer were there for I guess almost 45 minutes - taking pictures and asking about my classroom.  It was truly an experience that I will savor.  It was humbling yet inspiring.    

Sometimes I wonder if I'll "burn out" from what I do, but I like the business of it!  Maybe it's because I'm young, I have time, blah blah blah ... but what I do is a gift that God has given me.  I may work my gluteus fabulous off way too hard, but is that even possible when investing in the life of the child?  Working too hard?  It's a lifetime investment.  It's not an IRA, the stock market, or the slot machines.  It's the brain, the heart, the soul, the life of a little one.  These little ones are some one's niece, nephew, best friend, granddaughter, cousin, daughter, son, grandson.  These little ones are the future of tomorrow.

where credit is due

Why do you teach?

Currently - It's 2014 ... bringing a lot of memorable things!

New year = A LOT of great things coming up ... I must have something for every month until June! And then July is my birthday, so my calendar is basically filled up until August! woo hoo!

New month = new currently.  Be sure to link up with Farley and let the blogging community know what YOU'RE Currently doing. :) Mine is super quick and not very school related, even though we go back to school tomorrow.  Last day of break = enjoying break.

Today is the last day of our winter break.  It's been a great break to catch up on things and get my feet back underneath me.  2014 brings soo many exciting events and trips!

Right now, I'm listening to my friend yell at the top of her lungs! at the LSU game.  She was hosting a "viewing party" since she goes to LSU.  Currently, it's 7-14, LSU.  LSU should win, but they're all droppin' like flies right now. -_-

I'm loving that I was able to get some reading done over this break - Notice and Note by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst as well as A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop that came in my Units of Study Grade 3 - Writing. (Lucy Calkins)  I *finally* understand close reading and how to help my third graders fall a little more in love with reading. :)  Through that, hopefully it will life their level of writing.  2014 - BIG THINGS for my 3rd graders. :)

I've already put it in my agenda for this weekend that I will be devoting my weekend to grading the 55 mini assessments that the students had over break .. that's IF I get all 55 of them back by 3:00 pm on Friday.

I'm waiting for my second mom to break out her chicken noodle soup that she bribed me with .. that's the other reason why I'm at her house. :) ...and the sangria.
I'm also waiting to see if this schedule I have planned out for Janurary -- works.  I guess we'll find out next month after the third benchmark. *fingers crossed* I help my students fall in love with reading and independently do their own close reading of the texts they read.

I definitely need a pedicure, but that can wait like 2 more weeks. Thank goodness it's not flip flop season yet!  While getting my pedicure .. you know I'll be reading. :)

Favorite memory - it was this time last year that I was getting ready to sub in a low-income district that I was dying to land a job in just a few months prior.  I focused on urban education in my undergrad years, student taught in an urban district, and had interviewed in the district I was getting ready to sub in  (it's where I would primarily sub for the next 2 months before beginning my official career).  Come to find out, it would only be 3 weeks later - while subbing in this low-income district I wanted to be in - that I would get a phone call from ANOTHER low-income district to ask "Are you still interested in a position with us??"  :)  2013 had a lot of great moments for me to learn from, grow from, reflect on, leave in the past, and look forward to the awesome things that come with being a big girl with your own teacher paycheck in 2014. ;)

Oh, Winter Break. Are you here for me? Or the kids?

Sooooo...

Just like all of my IG friends, I, too, have been spending my "break" relaxing in my jammies all day, eating cookie dough, and all that other good stuff that comes with having 8 days of no responsibilities.

However,

I have ALSO been reading! dun*dun*dun!

Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing Elementary Series Bundle Grades K-5 with Trade Book Packs

This year, my district rolled out the Lucy Calkins' Writing Workshop for grades K-2.  Grades 3-5 will have the roll out next year.  Over the summer, however, I purchased the Grade 3 Units of Study.  So I have a little bit of a head start for next year, and my students will come to me ready for the Units of Study Grade 3!  :)

As you can read in my About Me, I have only really been teaching for a few months.  This past September marked my first legit school year. *yay!*  Nonetheless, when I started back in March, I was very intimidated to teach writing.  I had student taught 5th grade where the school had essays done once a month to comprise a student portfolio, and three students from each class were chosen to be "Writing Wall Portfolios" displayed in the hallway.  I was having a hard time adjusting myself from a 5th grade mentality to a 3rd grade mentality.

Then, one day, I just decided I would teach writing.  I had to teach it to invest in helping these students develop their knowledge of the world around them + it was in my schedule for a 43-minute block of time = TEACH WRITING! I picked up some of my undergrad textbooks, one being A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Struggling Writers.



I haphazardly threw together a writer's workshop for the last 3 months I had with The Students of Homeroom 9, and we were off!  They adjusted well to the workshop and thrived from where they had been before.  I will admit though, if Lucy had walked into my classroom I would've walked out the classroom with my head hanging low. :(

At the end of June, I approached my Literacy Supervisor and asked her what I should be looking at to improve my teaching.  She recommended Lucy Calkins Units of Study.  I finally caved and purchased the Units of Study for Grade 3 kind of late in the summer which meant I didn't have the proper time to sit down and read what exactly I was getting myself into.  When September came, like 3 days after my package arrived, I figured I was just gonna dive right into the Unit that was aligned with our curriculum.  I. was. lost!  I did a few of the sessions and then gave up.  A few weeks later, our year was already progressing into our districts Unit 2 curriculum alignment.  (Our district follows the NJ DOE Model Curriculum where we cover a specific standard at a specific time in the school year.) I knew I had to get back on track with writing because our unit was focusing on numerous writing standards.  If I wanted my students to grow as readers, I HAD to get them to write.  I tell them ALL. THE. TIME. "Good readers make good writers; good writers make good readers."

I can't preach something we don't practice.

Since then, I was faithful trying very, very hard in transitioning my students to a writing curriculum as well as lifting the level of writing.  I. DEMAND. A. LOT.  and yes, I demand A LOT out of my 3rd graders. To make that happen - to effectively reach all of my 27 / 28 (27 is my homeroom, 28 is my afternoon class) students, I HAD TO GET MY FEET UNDERNEATH ME!  I can't keep "wingin' it."
Ultimately, this post is about this book ... A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop (the second book - the greenish one).  My book looks a little different because my book: a) came with the Grade 3 Units of Study pack; and b) is part of the CCSS alignment pack. :)



I would HIGHLY recommend the Units of Study bundles for your grade level.  They are .. rigorous, but worth it.  I think the reason I became so discouraged with the way I was utilizing the units of study earlier in the year is because I had no idea where Lucy and her colleagues had come from to put this together and where each unit intended on the students going! It's like trying to juggle with one ball - it doesn't make sense.   Outside of the fact that the students I am working with have no background in the Grade 2 Units of Study let alone an actual writing workshop environment!  And, it is intimidating for teachers to teach writing when they ... aren't really sure how.  I wasn't about to give into the "skill sheets/worksheets" because - to me - that's not how students are going to learn to write.  They're going to learn from mentor texts and studying what other authors do because, in turn, that's what we're making students to be - turning them inside out .. from readers to authors.

I think the best thing I read so far from the Guide was a quote from the novelist Margaret Atwood.  She says, "The fact is the blank pages inspire me with terror.  What will I put on them?  Will it be good enough?  Will I have to throw it out?  The trick is to sit at the desk anyway, every day" (Donald Murray, Shoptalk: Learning to Write with Writers, 1990, 72).  That's how I feel as a teacher teaching a handful - and then some! - students to write.


"I can walk into a classroom, look over children's writing, and know immediately whether children are taught to write because strong, clear instruction dramatically and visibly affects student writing.  When teachers explicitly teach the qualities, habits, and strategies of effective writing, that writing becomes better - and the improvement is evident within days and weeks, not just months."
~ Lucy Calkins (A Guide to the Common Core Writing Workshop, 22)

One year ago.  The tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

My second "mom" had taken me to school that day.  She offered to take me to school since the school I was subbing at was only a few minutes from her work, and, of course, it's always so much more fun to commute with someone.  :)  Anyways, I had worn my stilettos with my gray boot cut dress pants and a black top.  I was originally scheduled to sub in 3rd grade that day with a co-teacher, but by 8 o'clock, I was asked to go sub in Special Ed.  It turned out to be a K-2 LD classroom.  That is one classroom I never forgot subbing in.  I learned so much about special ed that day.

I may not have had a full-time teaching position, but on December 14, 2012, I was a teacher.  I was in a school.  In a classroom. Sitting at a desk with 2 other aides in the classroom and approximately 7 children.  One of the aides was calling students over one by one to the table near the desk. She was painting their hands a variety of colors to finish calendars they were making their parents for Christmas.

I remember it was the students' special.  The physical education teacher came to the classroom to excite the students for physical education.  The aides bundle the students up in their coats, scarves, hats, and mittens and went outside with the students.  I sat at the desk for those 40-minutes while the children went outside for phys. ed.  I looked at my phone and read the CNN, Fox News, and USA Today reports come through on my phone.  One by one.

I don't think I really processed what was coming through on my phone.  My phone was constantly asking for my attention with all the updates that were arriving on my home screen.  No other teachers had really discussed the same updates I knew they were getting on their phones.

Until around 2 o'clock.

When we went to another special ed classroom for Friday afternoon movie and popcorn.  I was starting to process what I had been reading all day on my phone.  The teachers and aides read news articles on the computers while the students were occupied with the movie.  They talked about a variety of things about what had happened.

It wasn't until I was waiting for my "mom" to pick me up that I sat in the office of the school looking out the glass windows that I realized what could have happened in that school.  Images of the principal coming out of his office to stop what he could, windows being broken down, the cafeteria to the left, teachers room straight ahead.  The classroom I was in .. just to the left.

Had I not subbed that day, I think the events of December 14, 2012 would have affected me differently.   But on December 14, 2012, I was in a school as a teacher responsible for 7 innocent lives.  I was in a school building during the day that gave me the time to think about something that could happen in that building the same way it did in Newtown, Connecticut.

To the Students of Homeroom 9

7 things I’ve come to learn from being a teacher:

1.                    Children, students, are sponges.  They absorb anything you – their teacher, role model, “mom”, counselor, comforter, and comedian – do or say.  They pick up on the things that you subconsciously teach them.

2.                    Children, students, can do anything they put their little minds to.

3.                    Children are smarter than anyone gives them credit for – including their teacher.

4.                    Children just need someone to believe in them – because not every child comes from a home where somebody believes in him/her.

5.                    Don’t be afraid to let your students be independent.  They want the opportunity to prove their responsible and can do what you want them to.  After all, Rule #5: Keep your dear teacher happy. J

6.                    When you give students the opportunity to write, t h e y  c a n  w r i t e.  They just need some guidance.

7.                    A positive classroom environment – positive feedback, comments, sayings, and feeding into students’ intelligence – will take them a long way.  They’ll want to keep coming back to class.

This is a list of things that have come across my heart the past two months of teaching.  This is technically my first year teaching.  I started teaching in March – taking over a third grade class whose first teacher took an early maternity leave, followed by a sub replacement who took on a different position in the district, and then me. Mind you, I teach in a low-income district – my choosing.  In college, I focused on urban education.  It’s where I felt like what I did as a teacher was actually going to matter.  Yes, teachers matter to every child who walks through the classroom door, but something about an urban, low-income district makes me want to take on the challenge.  

Back to my first few months of teaching, it was hard – coming into a classroom two-thirds of the way through the academic year and picking up where everything was left.  I won’t lie, it was super hard to figure out where each child was developmentally and all teaching techniques, practices, and expectations that were being thrown my way left and right. I did it though – to the best that I could.  That’s all anyone asks for, right?  We ask our students to do the best they can, and at the end of the day, it’s all we, as their teachers, can do too.  Those 22 little third graders will never understand the immense impact they had on my life that let me evolve into the teacher I am just 6 months later.  Maybe they will when they look back in 5 years and remember all the times they visited me in my classroom while they were taking a bathroom break from their 4th grade teachers.  ;)

To my former students in homeroom 9, thank you… from the bottom of my heart.  We had some fantastic times together – the best and the worst.  You may not remember what I taught you, but may you remember how you felt in my classroom.  I hope you felt special because that’s exactly what you are.