Smile.....SUMMER is in sight!

“OVER THE MOON” EXCITED…

…about being the Featured Teacher Author in the  Teachers Pay Teachers newsletter today!  Having the opportunity to collaborate and learn with so many awesome teachers across the globe is a blessing in itself. Being featured and getting attention for my store was icing on the cake!  It’s been a great day! I am so thankful and just tremendously blessed!  All of the traffic, excitement, and congrats have really got my wheels turning…..now I’ve just got to calm them down long enough to create all the random awesomeness floating around in my head!

My two featured items are pictured below and you can click the pic to check them out if you’d like!

      

April has been a very busy month (aren’t they all) for us in the classroom.  It is National Poetry Month and the Month of the Military child.  I teach in a community that is primarily military so we couldn’t let this opportunity pass us by to recognize our littlest soldiers!  Everything about being a child in a military family is just a little bit different, sometimes difficult….but always special!  We’ve had fun creating original poems.  One of the poem types we chose to play around with was an acrostic.

After introducing the concept with the letters that spell out my name.  {Yeah…I let them tell me what they REALLY think of me!} Heheeehhehe…come to find out, they REALLY do like me! I was even likened to a character in a Dr. Seuss book!  I guess that verifies that I’m pretty animated!  I’ve got the greatest class of kiddos on the planet!  Wouldn’t trade ‘em for anything; they’re the best!

You can click the pic to grab a copy for the special military kiddos close to your heart.  There are two additional versions that will come up on the GoogleDoc: one with a saluting boy and another with a saluting girl.  I like to doodle, so we used the version above to write and illustrate.  Each kiddo drew themselves under the helmet!  They turned out absolutely adorable! Did I take pics?  N-O! For my kiddos that are not or chose not to do the military child poem….I allowed them to do an acrostic poem using the letters of their name.  Sometimes, thinking about deployed parents or how they feel about it can be a little much….

While the acrostic poems brought out our sentimental sides, we had pure fun learning that some poems follow very strict rules and that not all poems rhyme.  I say we had fun! Man, we worked out little bottoms off to follow these rules and come up with different cinquains….I’m still hoping that I even pronounced that one correctly, lol!

We used Cara Caroll’s poetry freebie to model and think aloud during small group to create these original pieces of poetry.  It was a great review of parts of speech and left us with a little brain pain from thinking so hard.  We did the one above together and created self-titled poems with a little help from friends in small group.  Check out what some of my little poets came up with!

                      

Pretty good, if I must say so myself! Some of our buds down the hall made the most adorable clouds with lists! We plan to wrap our poetry study up with some tongue twisting alliteration this week.  I can hardly believe it, but it actually IS almost May!  Our last full month of school!

To celebrate the end of the year, we’ll be continuing our A-Z Countdown to 2nd Grade.  My goal is to share what we did each day with you, so we can spend these last few days getting to know each other a little better! For B Day…we hung out on beach towels with our favorite book!  C Day brought out the caring side of us all as we purposely used kind words to compliment our friends.

Tomorrow will be D day….we will Drop Everything And Read for a while!  What do you do to celebrate reaching this milestone?  Enjoy what’s left of your weekend!  I’m off to get groceries for the week and throw the baseball around with my little sonshine!  Have a magical Monday!

The Ones that Matter Most

When I have a rough week or think it's all just too much, all I have to do is step back and think that my kiddos are the ones who matter the most! What THEY think of me and knowing that they look forward to coming to school each day reminds me of why I am a teacher. Knowing they leave each day smarter and with a smile is all the reason I need to keep moving forward!

CREATURE FEATURE

Ummm, was today national bug day? Bring an Insect to School Day?  I had kids show up at school today with all sorts of creepy crawlies!  It all started with a very talented little caterpillar, named Speedy.  That’s his name because he moves very fast on the sidewalk.

 

After having spent the day with a 5th grade (twitch, scratch, wink, wink….) yeah, you heard me, 5th GRADE class!!! AaaHHHH, Oh….excuse me…..as I come to. I don’t want to dwell on it. Let’s just say….I was glad to be back in the Land of Firsties and thrilled to see bugs less scarier than those big kids! HA!

Speedy was promptly introduced to the kids and incorporated into our morning work routine! After getting him in focus and featured on the document camera…he became the topic of our journal writing.

                                                        

Then I hear…..LOOK what I’ve got Mrs. Dwyer! (That’s always a fun thing to hear first thing in the morning. :-) Yep, you guessed it…another critter! Ironically, this one was just the opposite of Speedy, lol!  He was going nowhere, fast! Did you know that the cups for balance scales make great day homes for snails?  Me either!!!! But it worked well for one today!  Remind me to rinse that out later……

Think our critter parade ends there? Not a chance! We have beetles on the playground that have been providing the kids with lots of entertainment.  Well, wouldn’t you know it, one of my lovelies has been collecting them in his backpack! Sooooooo….if one friend’s bug is featured for morning work and another’s is given a comfy day home, what do you think kiddo number three did?  You guessed it….he whipped out his candy wrappers, leftover snack, AAAAAAND beetle collection from his BACKPACK!

After the bug parade finally calmed down, we settled in for a quiet day of measuring capacity, writing about how Alexander Graham Bell has impacted our lives and began our A-Z Countdown to 2nd Grade!  Today was A Day, so you know me…..A stood for Art and we hopped to it, incorporating our spelling words for the week!

I gave each kiddo a plain piece of printer paper folded into ten sections.  They then traced the fold lines with crayon, wrote, and illustrated each spelling word for the week. Watercolors won’t mix with the wax from the crayons, so it creates a cool paint affect when used together.  Can you tell what skill we’re reviewing?

We had a blast; now this chica is heading off to get some shut eye! There’s no telling what unexpected excitement tomorrow brings! Have a thrilling Thursday!

THINKING ~ISHLY…

…allows me to create freely.  I’m not a perfect person.  Realizing this, I don’t try to be. I don’t compare myself to others.  I go to school each day to inspire my kids to become their individual best selves.

Our story last week was The Dot by Peter Reynolds. It is my ABSOLUTE favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sit on pins and needles once we move into the last six weeks waiting for it because I know how fun it will be to dive into it.  Part of the reason I love it so much…probably?? Who am I kidding?  The entire reason I love it so much is because it’s centered around art.  All of the stories that we’ll read as we finish up the year are “confidence boosters” and have a focus on friendship.

{source}

Have you ever watched the Disney movie, Tangled?  Well, in it there’s a scene where Rapunzel  lays on her bed looking up at all the pictures she’s drawn over her bedroom walls.  They each light up one by one as she realizes that she IS the princess that the king and queen have been longing for! THAT is exactly the feeling I get when reading The Dot and its sequel Ish!  Really good, crazy good….things happen in my head when I read a children’s book that I connect to and these two books describe me to a ‘T’.

We created this venn diagram to compare and contrast the two stories.  Each group discussed the two stories and added to the chart individually.  Once I had met with the last of my reading groups, we met in whole group to go over the entire chart together.  Each friend contributed to the chart in some way and they were super proud of the finished product!

I love these type of activities because it really causes them to think deeply about the story.  There was quite the debate about both of the stories starting with the character not liking art because Vashti refused to participate in art class while Ramon drew everywhere he went…..(even on the toilet). Yes, on the toilet! {{Insert 25 engaged, giggly 1st graders here!  :-}} Can’t you just hear the laughter?  The kids finally agreed to write the first statement in the ‘both’ column after stating that though Ramon did like drawing, his feelings changed when his brother criticized his art……BUT I won’t spoil it for you, just in case you haven’t read these two stories! If you haven’t, you’ll want to and will be kicking yourself if you don’t!

Now, we couldn’t read stories about art all week and not be a little creative ourselves! After our wonderful discussion, the girls were grouped together to do “dot” art and the boys were grouped together to do “ish” art.  They had a ball with this if for no other reason than being able to sit in another person’s seat! ….and we pulled out the paints and markers!

As others walk down the halls of our school and see my kid’s art, I’m sure they just see dots and squiggles….but me? I see so much more.  I picture the student who made it. I picture the smile on their face that beamed with each stroke. I know that they may struggle in math or reading, but creating art is freeing and they’re willing to try.  I see that when given a blank sheet of paper, they can be creative and follow their own rules for a little while.  There’s no pressure to be as smart as the next kid or as pretty as the girl with perfect clothes.  They know its ok to color outside of the lines or to create their own.  They can be free, dream and create whatever they like and just in case they might need a little help…I’m there for them.  

You have to reach your student’s hearts before you can reach their heads and art is the connection that allows me to do that in my classroom.  So the next time, you think of that perfect project you’d like to do…the one with a million pieces to cut, paste or glue…put it away….give ‘em a blank sheet of paper and tell them this…….. “Just start with a dot and see where it takes you…..thinking ~ishly will allow you to create freely!” 

Tell them to think about Vashti…the girl who thought she could not create art.  Tell them to think about how after she discovered her own talent helped some one else to discover his own….You just may be surprised, very pleasantly surprised!

MEASUREMENT MISCHIEF

Today was a blast! We started the day with our usual morning meeting ritual, a little Jack Hartmann and a fun book. We read How Big is a Foot? by Rolf Myller. I like to keep my kiddos guessing, so after we talked about what it meant to use nonstandard measurement, I instructed them to each take off one shoe.  I guess they couldn’t decide if I was serious or not because they all just kinda looked back at me with a sneaky little grin. Once they realized it truly was ok, the party started….there were shoes flying everywhere and crazy socks revealed, (for those of us that were wearing socks)!

                    

They each traced one of their own feet.  We discussed the importance of lining up our measuring tool exactly with the item being measured, then got to work making comparisons.  It was fun for them to see just how many different feet we meet during the day! 

After the tracings were complete, it was off to desks to cut them out!  We worked on making comparison measurements today…simply,  longer or shorter and making sure our nonstandard unit and thingy being measured were lined up. 

As much as possible, I try to squeeze a little writing into math time. As the kiddos were sent off to measure objects of their choice, they were provided with two sentence stems.  The first was… {blank} is shorter than my foot.  The second was… {blank} is longer than my foot.  They had a blast and were all smiles from the beginning to end of this activity.  We had such a ball that we whipped out our linking cube “rulers” and continued to measure beyond a “foot”.

  

Math was marvelous and set the tone for the rest of the day. What did you do at school today?

TAG WITH A NEWBIE TWIST

Tag is fun, but it’s hard to run when you keep getting tagged twice at once!! Whew! I’ve been tagged by Valerie @ All Students Can Shine and Kathy @ Kafy’s Books. 

My pastor speaks on the importance of divine connections all the time.  I couldn’t help but to think of that as I was combing through my list of blogs I follow to share with you as part of this post.  Tag is so much fun, but also allows us an opportunity to connect with other people that we might not have otherwise ever met.  How awesome is that, when you REALLY think about it?  As Valerie reads this in Canada and Kathy’s reading it in California….I’m reading it in Texas! I don’t know about you, but that makes me do a little happy dance to be able to collaborate with such a wide variety of great teachers! Get ready, get set, let’s go!  You’re in the right place at the right time to get connected!

Here are the rules to this tag game:
* Post these rules
* Answer the 10 questions that the tagger posted for you
* Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag
* Tag 10 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)

I was asked……

1. Coffee or Tea? Neither…I don’t like caffeinated drinks.  They feel funny going down my throat! I know, weird…I’ll only drink them if I have absolutely NO other choice or tons of sugar to add to them.
2. Teachers Pay Teachers or Teacher's Notebook?  I currently have shops at both sites.  My preference?  Teachers Pay Teachers…the atmosphere there is nothing short of amazing!
3. Dog or Cats?  Neither…I’m not a pet person.  Dogs scare me….{{yikes}}!
4. Summer or Winter?  Summer, definitely! I live in Texas….MOST of the year IS summer.  We go from piping hot to lukewarm and back to HOT!
5. Back Pack vacation or Beach? I haven’t been to the beach in years, so I’d really like to take my kids to the beach for the first time!
6. Book Reading or Blog Stalking? Right now…blog stalking. I’m totally addicted! I tend to read more during the summer months.
7. Meat or Veggies?  Both…I’ve been eating a lot of salads lately.  Applebee’s Fried Chicken Salad is my reigning fave! Yummy!
8. Married, Single, Engaged, or other? Married…I’m a proud Army wife. My soldier rocks! 
9. Giveaway or Freebies? Uhm…freebies…I like giveaways too, but don’t feel like I’ve personally developed a flair for them yet.
10. Nightlight or Darkness?   Darkness…I think I may have been a bat or an owl in a former life.  I come alive at night when all is still and quiet.  I’m quite the night owl and usually have all the lights off in my house during the daytime too! In my classroom, we keep half of the lights turned off for most of the day (it’s very calming). Again, weird…I know!  It’s one of those little quirks that make me ME!

AND NOW, my turn…..with a newbie twist! For this round of tag…..being a relative newbie to blogging myself, I thought I’d introduce you to some friends that are newbie-er! Is that a word?  I don’t think so, but anyhow……here are the latest and greatest friends that have joined the blogosphere.  Please head over and join in the fun at their blogs.  Nothing makes a new blogger’s day more than seeing that follower number increase!  The last two of them, especially started blogs and then backed away from them…keeping up with all of this can be very overwhelming! Stop by and give them a word of encouragement to rekindle that first desire to connect with other educators! 

“Greatness is contagious….if you spend your time in its company, you can’t help but to catch it!” ~TD Jakes

Barb @ Itsabouttimeteachers

Mrs. Rios @ mrsriosteachessecond

Dawn @ bloomingkiddos

Arlene @ arlenesandberg

Colleen @ theteachingchameleon

Shawna @ KinderGarden Seeds

Dayna @ Bookability

I am asking…

1.  What state do you live in?

2.  Why blog?

3.   Teachers Pay Teachers of Teacher’s Notebook?  Why?

4.   Who’s your favorite children’s author?

5.   Are you Artsy Fartsy?

6.  Who’s your favorite blogger?

7.  How often do you blog?

8.  Do you use a reading series at your school?  Which One?

9.  What’s your favorite subject to teach?

10.  How do you wind down at the end of the day?

I had incorrectly listed DeAnne from Fabulous in First as a newbie blogger.  I had just met her in the forums at TPT, but she’s been sharing her talents for some time now on her blog! Please blame this error on my head, but definitely not my heart! We all LOVE followers so I know she’d appreciate the “hop over”…and she’s a firstie blogger too! That in itself is fabulous! Thanks, DeAnne!

I know that’s only 7 friends and the rules say 10, so if you’ve stuck around to this point….consider YOURSELF tagged and join in the fun!  Have a blessed Sunday!

super Saturday & a new series

Hey there bloggy buddies!  Today began much earlier than a normal Saturday for my family and I.  We marked the beginning of baseball season by attending my little sonshine’s league opening ceremony at 10 am. 10am may not sound early, but it’s early on a Saturday for any teacher at this time of year! In order to get every team on the field we had to be there waaaaay early {yawn}.  Now, I know that TEXAS and SPORTS are one and the same, but man…we were up at the crack of dawn for a ceremony that lasted all of 15 minutes! Parade, national anthem, first pitch, *blink* and it was over! Good thing my crazy, little guy looks super cute in his new uniform!  He’s quite the clown, hence the expression on his face…

After a quick run home (and double checking to make sure I had my favorite “bug-eyed” pair of shades), we headed off to prep for some play time.  This is me with my kiddos and nephews after getting whipped in a game of glow-in-the dark mini-golf. It was super fun and quite the experience!  If you have a place to try it in your area…head on over!  Again, notice the face?

Family fun always ends with a good meal!  My sister prepped a really yummy one.  It was so good that it got my creative juices flowing and I finally finished another little packet!  This one is the first in a series. Now, that I’ve completed it, it shouldn’t take me as long to add some “cousins” for related activities.  Head over and check it out!  If you’re the first 3 of my fab followers to comment below with your email address, I’ll email it to you for F-R-E-E in exchange for any feedback you might have!

This Texas girl has been up since before the rooster crowed this morning, so I’m off to lay me down to sleep!  I hope you had a super Saturday as well.  Enjoy your SONday! God bless you!

Ooh, I think they like me!

After waiting and wishing and checking and looking and wondering….it finally happened! Follower 100 joined in the fun! I’m so excited to have connected with all of you and am looking forward to all the fun there is to come.  Please be sure to stop by her blog and say hello! Let her know, Tanya sent you. Thanks, Angie!

Wow, what a week!!!  Why is it that 4 day weeks seem longer than a regular 5 day week? We had loads of fun reviewing the last six weeks of school and squeezed in LOTS of learning over last 4 days. Being that we were wrapping up the end of a grading period, it was also time for progress monitoring.  I have to say….that though it’s the craziest time of year; its also my favorite!  It’s the best because this is the time when it all “comes together”.  The light bulbs are on and shining brightly!

I try to keep it together, but it’s such a wonderful feeling to see how much firsties grow over the course of one  school year that its hard not to shed a tear or two.   We’ve worked, we’ve cried, we’ve played and tested AND gotten on each other’s nerves some too, lol! The countdown has begun and we have a few short days left together……{tissue, please}!!! They’ve grown from curious little kinders to stars soaring into second. It feels great! This time of year makes me super emotional….

In between assessing all the great growth, we wrapped up fractions, sent our chicks off to their new home, worked with phonics and had some fun with that crazy old lady!  Why is it that this woman never has a normal meal?  Should she be featured on My Strange Addiction?  Have you ever seen that show?  It’s crazy what people will actually eat!

                                              

I really like doodling, so consequently…..we doodle (with a purpose) a LOT! We completed a directed drawing with her big ‘ole mouth wide open ready to eat up yummy diphthongs {I love that word-heheheheheee!} with ou and ow.  The kids thought it was a perfect illustration. As we brainstormed words together, they filled her right on up!  April is also national poetry month, so as an extension to our phonics lesson, each kiddo worked to write rhyming couplets to accompany their drawing~two sentences that end with words that rhyme.  We’ll continue the poetry fun next week.

In my infinite wisdom…of course, I thought we needed an anchor chart to go with this activity! I immediately doodled a pretty boarder and just as I finished writing the heading…….There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Diphthong {{insert giggle here}}, I imagined my principal thinking otherwise, LOL! Needless to say, we will have an anchor chart, but it will NOT involve any wording that includes ‘thong’! Big fun…..:-D

My absolute favorite time of day is work stations (centers).  As we continue on this journey together, I’ll be sharing how we run work stations in our classroom.  I’ve always used puzzles, but have longed for a way to make them a more cognitive activity. Gotta keep those “thinkers” thinking.  Insert literacy skills review…...  After I assemble the puzzle on top of a large poster board, I trace the outline of each piece.  As each piece is returned to its box, I add a word that extends the skill we’re reviewing. In this case, it was synonyms. It takes some time, initially…but after its done and laminated, can be used over and over again.   I’ve also used them to review sums, differences, sight words and different vowel patterns.  You can find puzzles pretty cheap at stores like Ross or TJ Maxx. My kiddos have enjoyed lots of discussions using this means of concept review.

I’ve seen this little booger on lots of blogs and am so happy to share that my blog has been rated a TOP 10 by Jackie @ Second is So Sweet! Bloggers are the best!  Thank you for the constant encouragement!  We spend our days, encouraging others….it’s so funny…we teachers, like stickers and little pretties too!  Thanks again, Jackie!

Check out these great blogs, that you’ll be adding to YOUR list of “must~see” blogging TOP 10 list too!

Dawn @ BloomingKiddos

Chery @ The Easy Peasy Classroom

Oh…and I’ve been tagged again!  …be back soon to play!  Baseball season has begun and we’ve got to get up early to get my little sonshine to the season opening ceremony. Have a great weekend!

Got Chicks?

We do! This a quick post to share a quick FREEbie! Our beautiful baby chicks have hatched! The kids will be so excited to come back after a long weekend to meet out new little friends! Grab the freebie below to make your own observations about the chicks in your classroom! Don't you just love spring ?

Click the pic to use it for writing about YOUR chicks! Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! Follower 100...I know you're out there! See ya tomorrow {fingers crossed}!

Happy Easter & a Thank you give~away!!!

Having began the day in the midst of the most awesome Resurrection Day service I’ve ever attended, I feel GREAT! I am renewed and grateful for the opportunity to have connected with all of you! One of the most profound things that I learned today is that people often mistake a blessing for being something tangible that can be seen or held.  Blessings in the purest sense of the word =  “opportunities”.  When I started this blog just a few short weeks ago, I wondered if there would even be anyone that would want to hear anything I had to say….NOW, I’m excited to be counted in the midst of some of the most talented teachers on the planet! This blog has been a blessing and as it continues to mature and grow……I hope it will be a blessing to you too! So, let’s have some fun with all the new opportunities to come!  This is a picture of me on the way to church this morning! These are probably the biggest pair of sunglasses I could possibly find and they give me a little giggle when I wear them, BUT I love them! Do they remind you of anything???? Hahahaaaa!!!

                                                                                                                                                          

It’s so ironic that I posted previously about my love for literacy and my last two new products have been all about math! Can I just say that I LOVE teaching, lol! Teaching firsties is like having a room full of little caterpillars that you get to see change and grow into beautiful butterflies! It’s simply amazing how much they grow in just one year.  While upper grades have the intense stress of preparing for the days of standardized testing, we “foundation builders” get to have fun with our kiddos in engaging ways to set the foundation for all things learning…it’s a real challenge, but is so worth it. To that end, I have a newbie that I’ve just added to my TPT and Teacher’s Notebook catalogs. 

It includes activities that are a fun take on fractions that my kiddos and I have really enjoyed.  There is a full color example of a book we made to illustrate equal amounts and a quick to assemble mini-book to inspire writing in math! And speaking of making math fun….I received another wonderful surprise today from Scipi over at Go Figure with Scipi!  It’s the Calculating Heart Award! Thanks so much!

To receive this award, each recipient agrees to:

1. Thank the person who bestowed this award in a short blog article that includes a link back to the blog of the person who gave the award.
2. Become a follower of the presenter’s blog.
3. Choose three new blogs that meet the above criteria to receive this award.
4. Post their blog sites and write a short explanation of why each blog was chosen.
5. Leave a comment about this award on their blog site, and then become a new follower.
6. Visit Go Figure With Scipi and grab the award under Blog Accolades, and place it on your blog.

My three recipients are listed below as numbers 4, 5, and 6:

1. Zombie Math Teacher Don't you love the title of this blog? Anyway, Mandy teaches 7th grade math, and I love her posting on state mandated testing. She claims it is for good and not evil; so, to know why she believes this, head on over to blog for an interesting reading.
2. Love 2 Teach 2 is a brand new blog by Kim who teaches second grade in the great state of Kansas - where I live! She has a wonderful article (Feb. 25th) on how she taught perimeter and area to her students using the tiled hall floor. Now there is a hands-on (feet-on in this case) approach!
3. For the Love of Teaching Math is a unique blog in that Andrea uses unusual and very funny clipart to get your attention. So far, my favorite posting on her blog is the one on Pi Day which is March 14th. For those of you who aren't mathematicians, it has nothing to do with cooking!
4. Math Coach’s Corner is wonderful blog that presents math in a clear way that makes it enjoyable.
5. Mrs. T’s First Grade Class for her inspiring illustration of tens and ones using the hundred chart.
6. 2 Crazy Texas Teachers for creating fun materials to keep kiddos engaged in math!

As these three people pass on the Calculating Heart Award :

1) The next three chosen will copy and paste the above list of the three honorees before adding three new ones to the bottom, making a total of six.

2) When the next person receives this award, they will delete the top three blogs on the list, and add three additional ones to the bottom of the list.

3) There should always be six exceptional blogs listed.

4) Be sure to visit all six blogs on the list and become a new follower of each one.

I had set a goal for my blog to reach 100 members before the close of the school year…..well, guess what! …….with 38 days left {{who’s counting:-)}}…I’m almost there! …..only 4 more to go! Soooooooooooooooooooo, in the spirit of celebrating math….if you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far…tell a friend to come and join in the fun too!

Leave a comment with your email and the name and email of the friend you told about A+Firsties. If you refer lucky follower number 100 that joins my blog…I will gladly email YOU & your bloggy buddy my latest little creation for your classroom!  I hope all of you had just as happy of an Easter as I had.  Blessings to you and have a great week!

I’ve been tagged…..twice!!

I’ve been tagged by Donna at Math Coaches Corner AND Marissa at Wild About First Grade!  Thanks, ladies!! 

Here Are The Rules:

* Post these rules

* Answer the 10 questions that the tagger posted for you

* Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag

* Tag 10 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)

So…let’s get to know each other a little better, shall we?  20 questions…to answer about ME! I can definitely do this, lol!

1. Have you always wanted to teach?Interestingly enough,yes. I tried to AVOID it for a long, long time though…but it was my destiny…can’t run from that for very long! 

2. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?South Carolina…or Korea…there are a couple very special people in my family serving in the military that are spread around the world…

3. Dogs or cats? Neither…so far, I’m a “no pet” person. Dogs give me the {{heebeegeebees}}!

4. How many different grades have you taught?3…3rd, PreK and 1st (my favorite)

5. Are you more or a book or movie person?Movies during the school year, books during the summer :)

6. Describe a student who particularly touched you. Why?I’ve got one student that is “that ONE..the one that EVERYBODY knows”! We’ll call him Student C, but honestly…I just love him so! I love him because I can see that at his best, he just craves consistency and to feel valued.  I can handle that! He has a smile made of gold and gives the best hugs! We began planning for next year today and I actually found myself tearing up thinking of having to get ready to let him go.

7. If you found a spare $100, what are you likely to spend it on?This week? Groceries, my sister and her family will be visiting and they REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like to eat (she’s gonna kill me:)!

8. Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show?Yep! Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Real Housewives of Atlanta….a hot mess, I know but I just can’t seem to turn away!

9. What famous person would you most like to have dinner with? Oprah Winfrey

10. What's your favorite stress reliever?  In all honesty……taking a smallish nap or two (or three)! I love a comfy blankie and my couch…put the two together and its like a little slice of heaven for me!

Still here?  Yay!!! We CAN do this!  Here are the questions from Marissa…

1. Are you a night owl or early bird?? Definitely a night owl…(it’s 12:48 am right now).  I think I was a bat in a former life.

2. What was the last book you've read? (Not related to teaching) God’s Divine Destiny for You by Pastors Chad and Marla Rowe

3. What kind of movies do you prefer? Comedy, action, drama, love story???  Cartoon/Comedy…I’m a big kid with kids!  I love to laugh!

4. What is your favorite grade to teach? Fabulous, Fantastic, 1st! :)

5. Coffee or tea?  Neither…caffeine makes me do really crazy things!  It’s like a jolt of nutty straight to my veins.  Every so often my coworkers bring me a cappuccino.  I’m pretty sure its just to watch the affect it has on me.  I run around like a lightening bolt after I’ve had it and EVERYTHING seems really, really funny…..I mean REALLY funny!

6. Are you married or do you have kids? I’ve been married to my high school bestie for almost 13 years and I have the 3 best kiddos on the planet, ages 19, 11 and 7.

7. How long have you been teaching? 11 years & counting…What grades have you taught? 3rd, PreK and now 1st:)

8. Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher? OOOH 2 for the price of one, (see above:)

9. What do you like to do when you're not teaching? Blog, paint, text/chat, hang out with my kiddies, nap….create materials for school.

10. What is your favorite song that puts you in a good mood?  Beyonce’s Love on Top. 

And….now the really fun part…muhahahahhahaa…I get to pass it on and ASK 10 questions.  Here are my questions and the  list of the folks I’ve tagged! Go check ‘em out!

1.  How long have you been teaching?

2.  What’s your favorite subject to teach?

3.  What’s your favorite season?  Reason?

4.  Have you begun to count down to summer?

5.  How would your team mates describe you?

6.  What’s one of your pet peeves?

7.  What’s one thing that makes you “over the moon” happy?

8.  Are you crafty?  Artsy Fartsy?

9.  Who is your favorite person? Anyone…

10.  How long have you been blogging? …and why?

Tag….you’re it!

Ana @ Ingles360

Lori @ Teaching with love & laughter

Stevi and Tamara @ 2 Crazy Texas Teachers

Rachel @ A-B-Seymour

Teresa @ 2nd Grade Pigpen

Karen @ Farming the First Grade Crop

Jenn @ Finally in First

Heather @ Heather’s Heart

Kathy @ Kafy’s Books

Sara @ Smiling in Second Grade

Thanks for sticking around! Whew! You’re a real trooper! Have a great weekend!

funny story & a sneak peek

Ok, so my class and I begin our calendar routine by reading the morning message every day.  We’ve really grown as writers by this time of year, so now it also includes mistakes for proof reading.  I purposely make mistakes that they have to find and edit.  There is one thing that’s consistent about our daily message~the end line.  It always reads……Smile; you’re the best!

Well, as we were packing up today, one of my little firsties came over and said, “Mrs. Dwyer, can I tell you something?”.  She asked me to lean in close so she could whisper.  I began to get a little suspicious, but wanted to know what could possibly be so juicy that we had to suddenly start whispering.  Then, with full on deep dish dimples she blurted in a very low voice……… YOU’re the best too! We just don’t get to write you a message everyday!  She’s quite the little jokester, so I began to giggle just a little.

Would you believe she looked at me, {full on…hands on hips} and said, “Mrs. Dwyer, I’m serious!? You’re the best teacher I’ve ever had!”. I smiled and gave her a hug, a thank you….and whispered back, “It’ll be our  little secret that we’re BOTH the best”.  AND without skipping a beat…..she gave me a wink and said, “Mrs. Dwyer, it’s too late; I think everybody already knows!” Haahahahaaaha! I LOVE MY KIDS!  When I feel like I can’t make it another minute, they lift me up in so many ways!

I think what started that little conversation was our classroom phone.  It was ringing off the hook today! Every time I opened my mouth, it rang again…so much so, another of my little geniuses proudly announced to the class that we MUST be famous! LOL, kids….I love ‘em!

Well, that was my full on giggle for the day! Being the very visual person that I am, I thought I’d share a few pics of our little “home away from home”.  These are close-ups of the parts of our room that we use during my favorite part of the day ~work stations! I LOVE peeking into other classrooms.  There are also a few shots of the “What am I?” projects that I had posted about previously….(and our plants are STILL alive)! 

                 

                               

Did I mention that we’re hatching baby chicks?  Here’s a pic of my little sonshine looking at the first of the little hatchlings from last year!  Can’t wait to meet the newbies!   They should arrive in about a week or so!

…..the long forgotten Cat in the Hat drawings….better late than NEVER! So, sweet!

     

  

…and last, but not least, the What am I? riddles.

 

                   

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek and have a terrific Tuesday! Night, night bloggy buddies! I’ve got to get some rest. It takes lots of energy to spend the day in the midst of celebrities! Pinkies up! :-)