Teacher's Lounge Radio Episode 15

Thank you for tuning in for episode 15! 

Uncommon Uses for Common Things
Using fabric and sheets in the classroom

 Book of the Week
Why We Must Run With Scissors: Voice Lesson in Persuasive Writing by Barry Lane and Gretchen Bernabei

Song of the Week
Math Songs I Must Sing by Karl Roemer

GATE Guru
Create a menu!  Below is a sample I created about explorers.


Website of the Week
Weebly!

 Feature Teacher Blog
Q) How long have you been teaching?  What grades and where? A)    I am going into my 4th year teaching fifth grade. I have taught fifth grade each year in Michigan. 

Q) Why did you start your blog? A)    I have always loved reading other teacher blogs! In my first few years teaching, I saw a lot of awesome ideas which really helped me through through my first years of teaching.  I started my blog, “Young Teacher Love” in 2011 because I wanted to have an outlet to voice my own challenges being a young teacher and hopefully provide some support and tips for others as well as share the ideas and materials that have worked for me in my classroom.  Unfortunately, my year was pretty tough and I was as active as I wanted to be with the blog. After the year was over, I started back up in full force in the summer of 2012. When the teacher blogging community accepted me and embraced me so positively, I decided that no matter how busy I get, I would not stop blogging! 

Q) What is the best part about teaching? A)    There are so many reasons why I love teaching, how can I choose?! I know this sounds cliché, but I really enjoy those experiences where my kids are pushed to the limit, and then they have that AHA! moment. I love to see them smile when they “get it” for the first time. It really makes me proud and happy to know that they challenged themselves, accomplished something big, and as a result, felt better about themselves. Another thing I love is the connections I make with my kids. I teach in a tough area outside of Flint and I find joy in being there not only as their teacher, but as someone they can turn to that will always support them. I enjoy going to their extracurricular activities, and seeing them outside of school too! It’s fun to see a different side to them, and to show them that their teacher is a real person too!  Also, I can’t help shed a tear when my past 5th graders come back to visit me and tell me how much they miss having me as a teacher!

Q) What is the most difficult part about teaching? A)    The hardest part of teaching if fitting everything.   I teach all subjects including reading, writing and, spelling, math, and science and social studies.  Getting through all the standards and topics is very difficult.  **Teacher Tip #1** Get creative and start coming up with cross-curricular activities in order to meet all the requirements! :)

Q) What advice would you like to give to fellow teachers? A)    I’m glad you asked this, because this was the inspiration for my blog.  Slow down:  Your students feed off your energy.  If you are going a hundred miles per hour and yelling, students will respond with that same energy (I probably should take my own advice sometimes!) When you slow down, your kids feel it. You may not get to every single thing you planned that day, and that's ok. Your kids will get what they need to get from you and will learn too. Don’t beat yourself up if you need to take a minute to sit and enjoy your kids. The second piece of advice I have for young teachers is to find a mentor.   If you don’t know something, be open and willing to ask questions and find out from someone who does.  Listen to some veteran teachers and don’t re-invent the wheel if you don’t have to.

Q) Favorite professional book? A)    I have two favorite professional development books: Robert Marzano’s The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction, and Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child 

Q) Favorite read aloud? A)    My all time favorite read aloud that I start my year off with every single year(that never gets old!!) is, Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls. 

Teacher's Lounge Radio Episode 11

Book of the Week
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by Susan M. Brookhart

Management Magic
Give your students a brain break!

English Language Learner Strategy
Three Step Interview

Website of the Week
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Feature Teacher Blog

First, some basic information: How long have you been teaching and what levels have/do you teach and where do you teach?

I am in my 9^th year of teaching.  I was a kindergarten paraprofessional for two years, taught second grade for 3 years. I am now in my fourth year of teaching fourth grade!

What inspired you to begin your blog?  How long have you been writing?

I was inspired to begin my blog when I began reading other teacher blogs.  After several months of reading, I thought I had some ideas I could share too!

I launched my blog in February 2012.

What is the best part of being a teacher?

The best part of being a teacher is seeing the light bulb go on for a child.  I love the “ah ha” moments when you find that strategy or trick that finally makes a concept or idea click for that particular child.  Also the hugs are pretty awesome too!

What do you find is the most challenging part of our job?

The things that keep us from teaching or planning for teaching…those tasks that are a necessary evil like money collection, RTI, lunch count, and all that other paperwork stuff.

Also, seeing a child struggle due to circumstances beyond their control.

What advice do you have for fellow teachers?

Don’t sweat the small stuff!  We have so much on our plates…so many mandates and requirements, and demands, but when it comes down to it, do what you feel is best for children!  Just close your door and teach!

Do you have a favorite professional book?

I am constantly reading professional books, so I have many, many, many favs!  For math, one of my favs is Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies, Grades K-5 by Sherry Parrish.  My  language arts favs are Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven Layne,The Daily Five and The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

Best read aloud?

One of my favorite read alouds to share with my students is Rules by Cynthia Lord. I often have an inclusion class, and this book helps to teach students respect and tolerance of others’ differences.

Any other information you want to share?

I enjoy teaching all subjects, but my absolute favorites are math and social studies--math because I want to help my students understand number concepts that I didn’t when I was in school…and social studies because 4^th grade is American History, and I love the exciting adventure of our countries founding!

Song of the Week

The Sing & Read Number Collection CD by Frog Street Press

Teacher's Lounge Radio Episode 10

Thank you for tuning into episode 10!  Thank you for all the support as this podcast continues to grow!

Book of the Week
The book of the week is How the Brain Learns by David Sousa

Song of the Week
The song of the week is Monkey in the Middle off The Learning Station's Physical Ed

Uncommon Uses for Common Things

Need a place to store stuff? I needed a spot for all the things left on the floor at the end of the day.  Here is my lost and found box made from a baby wipe container.  What can you store?

Website of the Week
Get great resources while supporting fellow teachers at Teachers Pay Teachers

GATE Guru
Think like a.... is a strategy developed by Dr. Sandra Kaplan.   Long Beach Unified School District has posted some great graphic organizers and information about different disciplines.

Feature Teacher Blog

I'm so happy to introduce Emily, the author of http://ilovemyclassroom.blogspot.com/.  Read our full interview below:

First, some basic information: How long have you been teaching and what levels have/do you teach and where do you teach?

This is my 13th year of teaching.  I have taught everything from Kindergarten to 8th grade in some manner or another including a year teaching Special Education/Communicative Handicapped and a year of Elementary Science.  I am presently teaching 4th grade in Northern California.  

What inspired you to begin your blog?  How long have you been writing?

I started I Love My Classroom this past May after the teaching aspects of my family blog took over.  I love teaching and I love sharing what I'm doing in my classroom with others.  My teaching friends told me that the information that I was sharing with them would be good to share with others too.  It's also been a wonderful experience learning from so many creative bloggers out there.      

What is the best part of being a teacher?

My most favorite part of teaching is getting the kids from point A to point Z.  I love being a part of the memories they are making and knowing that I'm teaching them things that they need to know for their future.  I get to help build their foundations.  I get to also help them discover their strengths, and to help them learn social skills.  I love knowing that I'm making a positive impact for our future generations.  

What do you find is the most challenging part of our job?

Can I be honest and say lack of a budget?  I want to create the best environment for my students and it's hard to do when there isn't any money.  We have to fundraise for field trips, copies, and school supplies.  We have to ask for donations of kleenex and copy paper.  I'm in a portable that doesn't have water access, so I have to ask families to fill up the 5 gallon water cooler for me.  This year we have been told that we can't even ask for baby wipes, hand sanitizer, or disinfecting wipes because our insurance doesn't allow us to anymore.   It is hard to create something out of nothing and to stay healthy in the process.  I am thankful for generous families that step forward to cover the gap. 

What advice do you have for fellow teachers?

I think the advice that I would like to give fellow teachers would be to simply remember the reasons that you wanted to become a teacher.  For me, I was 3 years old when I told the world that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.  I grew up knowing that I wanted to work with children and make an impact in their lives.  When something in the classroom doesn't work the way you want it to, it's not the end of the world - just change it.  You are in control of your classroom environment.  The kids love to feel needed and respected.  The kids want to have fun.  The kids are kids - they need to learn to be responsible and they are not cookie cutter images of each other.  Becoming a mother changed my outlook on teaching.  It's not all about the long to do list in the classroom, it's wanting to learn about each and every child that is in my classroom on a personal level.  By taking the time to learn about them, they want to do their best for you.  By showing them that they are important and special, they start to believe it for themselves.  Just my thoughts.     

Do you have a favorite professional book?

This past summer I reread the The Daily Five, The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literary Assessment and Instruction, and The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child.  All 3 of them are wonderful books that have inspired me to try things that have worked out wonderfully in my classroom.  The past year I have also found so many great resources in the blogging community, on TPT and Teacher's Notebook.  There is so much out there for teachers!

Best read aloud?

For my own boys (I have 3 sons ages 8, 6, and 2) my favorite read aloud over the years has been How Do I Love You? by P.K. Hallinan.  I can "read" it without the book and I can sing it to them in the dark when I have rocked them to sleep.  So many good memories...

In my classroom - I absolutely love reading  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing for our first read aloud of the year.  The kids love having anything "4th grade" in the title - and they can relate to so much of the book.