I'm BACKKKKKKKK!

Whew! 4 more days of school and I am on summer break. I have never felt more ready for summer. My class this year was incredibly challenging. For those that don't know, I taught a K-3 self contained sped class for students with extreme behavioral needs. This year I got bit, hit, kicked, punched in the face, etc. It was an eye opening experience to say the least.

On a happier note, next year I will be teaching KINDERGARTEN! I applied for a job at a new school, in a general education kindergarten class, and I got the job! I am so excited to be starting something new, and to have a team of teachers who have years of experience to help me. Kindergarten is my dream job, so I am ready for the switch. :)

Third Month Check-In

I want to say that I can't believe that I haven't blogged since August, but that would be a total lie. This year so far has been challenging, exhausting, overwhelming, time consuming, and crazy. Of course I haven't had time to blog!

Teaching a class of students that have behavioral needs is a whole different ball game. I thought I was ready and prepared but there was nothing in the world that could have prepared me for this class. And form what I am being told, I have an "easy" class compared to the previous years, and what I "could" be getting.

It's hard. I spend so many days frustrated. Days where I barely get to do any teaching because I am too busy trying to prevent dangerous behaviors.

Don't get me wrong, we have some great days! And many of my students have had HUGE behavior progress since the beginning of the year. And I have amazing and wonderful support at my school. My principal, my paras, even the other teachers- they are awesome and I can't imagine not having them for support. But this class is hard. It is frustrating. And it is definitely starting to take it's toll. 

Watch Me Prove You Wrong

I had an interesting experience today. And maybe I'm overreacting. But maybe I'm not.

I went into my classroom today to work on setting up. On my previous trek into my classroom, I removed a bunch of furniture- mostly the desks. These desks were giant (the size of a desk for a 5th grader-which was not going to work in my K-2 class), and were the ones where the chair is connected to the desk. They didn't work nicely in "groups" of desks, and they seemed so separate from each other. I hated them. So out into the hallway they went with a note for the custodians letting them know that I did not need the desks.

Don't get me wrong, I think desks are great. I used them in my last class, but I almost always had them pushed together into a "group" format. And because of that, I made the decision to ditch the desks and use tables for my students. I love the group work, the conversations, the discussions, and the teamwork that tables encourage. I love that because I only have a couple small tables, my students can choose alternative seating if they want to. They can sit on the floor, they can stand, they can sit at other centers around the classroom- the possibilities are endless!

Now it took me a long time to commit to this kind of seating arrangement. And to be honest, I do still have some desks hidden in my room for those kiddos who can't handle the group time. As a SPED teacher, I know that this might pose a problem later on down the road, but I want them working in groups. I want them working with their peers. I want them learning those social skills. What I DON'T want is them sitting by themselves at a desk where they feel alone. Unless that's what they want- then by all means, go for it.

I promise I'm getting to the "story" part of this post...

Today when I went into my classroom, I was immediately approached by my custodian. He proceeded to inform me that the desks were in my room for a reason- because my SPED kiddos throw the chairs. And it's dangerous. And that's why my classroom needs to have the desks. He told me I have "those EBD kids..." and I became extremely frustrated.

I know my kids have behavior concerns. That's why they are in my class. But I have extremely high hopes and expectations for the kiddos. I worked with an EBD student last year, and I was AMAZED at the amount of progress we made in a short time period. Sure, there were a couple days in the beginning of the year where he picked up his chair and chucked it across the room, but that didn't mean that he didn't deserve a chair. He needed to learn coping mechanisms and replacement behaviors. He wouldn't always be in a class where everything was strapped down so he couldn't throw it. So we worked on it. We practiced. We made improvements. And in less than a month, that same student never threw a chair again.

I guess my point is: I know I have difficult kids, but I am not going to walk into this year expecting the worst. If I have low expectations, I am sure thats how the kids will act. And for my custodian, a man who interacts with my students, to tell me that I have "those EBD kids..." really makes my heart hurt for these students. There will be no chair throwing in my class, because our classroom will be a family. We will have expectations and consequences, and we will learn to cope when we are upset. We will sit in groups, and we will work together, and we will have everything that our general education peers have. We will not sit in ugly, dysfunctional, too-big desks just because someone says that we can't handle. Because I will not allow anyone to classify or judge my students based on the class that they are assigned.

Advice Needed...

I'm having a hard time setting up my classroom this year. I want to be excited about it, but I just can't seem to find my inspiration. I think it is hard because:

1. I don't know how many kids I have... Last I heard, I only had two students, but my principal said that could change and go up to eight. 
2. I don't know the grades of these kids... that could be anywhere from K-3. 
3. The furniture in my classroom is mismatched, and I'm having a hard time deciding what the function of it all should be. 
4. I don't know what the behavior level is of the kids I am teaching (I am a SPED teacher and will be teaching an emotional/behavioral class).
5. It appears the teacher before me was just trying to "just get through the year" which left the room in complete chaos. 

So how am I supposed to know if I should keep the desks, or switch them out for tables?
How do I even use "table groups" when I may only have 2 students?
Should I make do with the furniture that I have and try to make it work, or do I go to ikea and get some that I know will be functional and useful?
Do I set up spaces for eight kids, or do I set up spaces for the two I know I have?

I have so many questions and I am having such a difficult time. I've always LOVED setting up my classroom, and I don't know why this year seems to be different. Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated. :)

MIA!!!

I am so sorry for the lack of posts- I moved! About a month ago I moved from Hawaii to Washington, and between closing the school year, packing, moving, and getting settled, the time just disappeared! I promise I will be back soon. :)

The Liebster Award!

I was nominated for The Liebster Award by Nicole from Adventures in the ATC!!!!

The Liebster Award is given to beginning bloggers to help acknowledge up and coming blogs. Upon receiving the nomination, the blogger answers 11 questions to help their followers get to know them better. Then, I will have a chance to nominate 11 other bloggers!

1.            Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I have been blogging for a couple of years now. It started out as a way to laugh about my student teaching experiences, and a way to share with my family who lived far away. Now I am trying to transition it into something more like all the other teacher blogs that I see.

2.         What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?

Sharing! I am sharing with my family, sharing with other teachers, and they are sharing with me. I love seeing all the different things that other teachers are doing, and being able to connect with other SPED teachers who just "get it."

3.     Is there something you learned late in your blogging journey you wished you knew before?

I am still so knew to blogging that I am learning something new every day!!! I would love to learn teachers come up with the things that they post and how they continue to post in a timely manner!!!

4.         What is your favorite pastime other than blogging?

In my spare time, I have been coaching cheerleading for girls in grades 7-9. I also love hanging out with my zoo at home (2 cats, 2 dogs).

5.         How many hours a week do you dedicate to your blog/TPT?

Not as much as I should. :) I am still trying to figure out how to balance my time teaching and personal life with blogging. Plus- I'm prepping for a big move in the next couple months, so I really need to work to make time to blog.

6.         What category of blog posts do you enjoy most?

I love blogs where people are just telling stories about their experiences. And I especially enjoy posts where teachers are "venting." I find so many posts to be incredibly relatable and it just reminds me that I am not alone.

7.          Where does your blog inspiration come from?

Currently my inspiration comes from whatever happened in the classroom. Art projects, lessons, funny stories. I also really enjoy participating in linky parties that way I can discover more blogs, and have a set topic to write about. :)

8.         Which post that you’ve written are you most proud of?

I must say that I don't really have a standout post yet, but one that I currently am working on in my "drafts" is probably going to be a real favorite!

9.     Is there a post you have been planning to do but have been postponing it for a while now?

The one that is currently in my draft.... I think it is the best one I have written!!! We will see once I publish it.

10.     What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

My favorite aspect of blogging is being able to make friends with teachers all over the world. It's crazy to think that someone reading my little blog could be in Texas or Florida or even Australia!!!

11.         Which idea from a blog would you like to try yourself?

I want to try the Brigance Safety Sight word pack from Simply Special Ed. Many of my kiddos are working on personal safety, so I think this would be a great idea in my classroom!!! I also find many decorating and classroom set up ideas from all of the blogs I follow, and I can't wait to try it out in my classroom next year!!

Now I nominate these wonderful teacher bloggers:

• http://kindredinkinder.blogspot.com/


• http://sparklinginsped.blogspot.com


• http://apassiondriventeacher.blogspot.com/

 

Meet: The Special ABC's!

Blog name change? Check!

Blog design makeover? Check! (Thank you so much to Lindsey from Miss Johnston's Journey and L. Paull Designs For All!)

Instagram at over 100 followers? Check!

I am so excited for my new design! I am hoping that this is the kick in the butt that I need to start blogging more! I do post more on my instagram than I do on my blog, so please follow me on instagram as well- thespecialabcs.

*For my family who reads this blog, if you aren't on instagram, you can click the camera button on the flags at the top of my page. That will take you to my instagram page so you can see my pictures!!!*

For those who are new to my blog/instagram, I currently am a special education teacher in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. I teach a K, 1st, and 2nd grade class for students with moderate-severe disabilities. It is a lot of work, but I love it so much- more on that in a later blog post. :)

At the end of this school year, I will be moving back home to Washington State, where I will be living in the Tacoma area. I don't know my exact position yet, but I have been hired in a school district as an elementary special education teacher. I will find out my grade and classroom type soon (fingers crossed).

I have a link to my TpT store at the top of my blog, however I haven't mastered the art of teaching AND creating for others yet.  Currently, I am still in the "figure out what I want to teach and find something on TpT to help me teach it" stage, not the "I know what I am doing and can share it with others" stage. :) I'll figure it out at some point, right?!

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I love getting to share about my experiences and ideas, and I love reading other blogs in my free time. If you are reading this and have a blog, please leave your blog name/instagram name in a comment below so I can follow you!

Under Construction

*Blog under construction until further notice!! New url will be:   thespecialabcs.blogspot.com   

Surviving until Summer!

With only 6 weeks left to go in the school year for me (yay!), I can't help but look forward to summer. I have so many adventures coming up at the end of the school year and so much to look forward to, but I also have a ton of stuff to get through before that time comes. I'm linking up with Fabulous in First and Queen of the First Grade Jungle to share how I am Surviving Until Summer both at school and at home!

Inside the Classroom:

1. Go Noodle! Since my students have been a bit more fidgety and unfocused than normal, we have been taking lots and lots of go noodle breaks! They love doing the Mr. Catman brain teaser videos, and they all love to dance. They all have their favorite videos that they ask for every day. I love seeing their enthusiasm for dancing and moving. Sometimes they even ask to do the videos instead of going out for recess!
2. New Student! Even though we only have 6 weeks left of school, I got a new student from another class (newly qualified for SPED) and she is a joy! She is more verbal than most of my students and enjoys playing with my non verbal kiddos. She participates well and follows all directions and seems to crave positive attention! She is a great fit in our class and is really helping the non verbal kids try to "talk".
3. New Curriculum! Although I tried my best, I wasn't the greatest at making time for science/social studies. But now, thanks to TPT, I have some new activities for both of those areas, and I have lessons planned through the end of the year! My kids love doing science, and I am so grateful for the wonderful resources online that are allowing me to keep them engaged!
4. Yoga....! I am thinking about doing daily (or maybe weekly) yoga time in my class! I think my kids would love it, and it would be great for some of my kiddos with motor delays. Anyone want to come teach my kids yoga?!

Outside the Classroom

1. Exploring Hawaii! Since I only have about 7 weeks left of living on this wonderful island, I am trying to make the most of my time. I am going to cram as much "touristy" activities in as I can before I leave! Some of the things on the agenda include swimming with dolphins, shark cage diving, sea walking, parasailing, and just spending some more time at the beach.
2. Packing! Since I'll be moving right after the school year ends, I am trying to slowly but surely pack up my apartment for the move. Even though I am leaving a lot of stuff here, I still magically have a lot of stuff to bring. I don't think I'll ever be done packing!
3. Blogging/Instagram! I am trying to blog more and be more involved in the wonderful teacher community that is online. I created a blog instagram (follow me!! my name is thespecialabcs) and am in the process of having my blog name changed, as well as my design! I love being able to share with all the wonderful teachers out there, and getting advice for all the problems I run into. Plus, it's a great way to keep my family updated on my teaching adventures, since they all live on the mainland. 

How are you surviving until summer? :)

My SPED Daily Schedule

I am linking up with Schroeder's Schenanigans and Lucky Little Learners to share my daily schedule! For those that don't know, I teach a special education self contained class for grades k-2. My schedule is sort of funky because I tried to mesh it with the kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade schedules.  

Ms. Mullen's Daily Schedule
7:40am- Students begin to arrive, unpack their backpacks, and finish eating their breakfast.  7:50am- School officially starts, and my students work on their morning journal.   8:30am- Morning circle time 8:45am- Math review 9:00am- Math lesson for the day 10:15am- Lunch 11:00am- Independent reading 11:30am- ELA lesson for the day 12:30pm- Other content less (spelling, science, social studies, art-depending on the day of the week) 1:00pm- Recess 1:15pm- Other content cont.  1:45pm- Pack & Stack  2:05pm- Dismissal *This schedule is different on Wednesday since we get out early! Plus it changes all the time due to my students' speech, OT, PT, and other schedules.

April Currently

I can't believe it is already April... I am now in the 4th quarter of my first year of teaching! Where did the time go? How is it already April?

I'm linking up with Oh' Boy 4th Grade-

Listening: HGTV is pretty much constantly on in my home. I love getting ideas about how to renovate decorate my future house.

Loving: During spring break, my school installed AC in my classroom! As a teacher in Hawaii where it is hot every day, this is huge news!!! Now I can wear nicer clothes because I won't be worried about sweating all day. Yay AC!!

Thinking: I am going to Disneyland in July with my parents. I know I am going, I am committed to going. So I should probably book my flight/park tickets soon... Then I'll be really committed!

Wanting: I spent all week in GLAD training at my school, and I learned some awesome strategies for my ELL students and even some good ideas to try with my SPED students. I have a few strategies that I plan on trying to implement next week, and I can't wait to see how my students respond.

Needing: I am so thankful that there is no school tomorrow. 3 day weekends are the perfect amount of time for a weekend!

Blog name: Well, I'm a teacher, I drink way too much coffee, and I live in Hawaii! But- my blog name will be changing in the next month since I will be moving to Washington, and my blog will be getting a complete make over from Miss Johnston's Journey!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Ok, it's not April yet. But it's close. And it has been raining like crazy the past few days in Hawaii.  I haven't updated this sweet little blog since September. OMG. I'm the worst blogger ever... So much has changed since then. Am I going to actually start blogging on a consistent basis? I don't know. Do I have time to blog on a consistent basis?  Definitely not. But every so often it is fun to sit down and think about how much I love my job. :) My job changed again. I am now the K-2 FSC SPED teacher at my school (I was hired as the 2-3 FSC SPED teacher). My 3rd grader moved to a different class and I gained three sweet kindergarteners. They bring quite a few challenges to my class but they still make me smile. One of the new kinders has severe behavioral problems... I'm talking flips his desk, throws his chair, hits, kicks, bites, and barks like a dog- kind of behavior problems. Every day is a new behavior with him, but we are working on it. He is making progress, and that's all that matters!! I also decided to move... Next year I will not be teaching in Hawaii, and will instead be back in my home state of Washington. I can't wait to be back closer to family, but I am going to miss it here so much. I have secured a SPED job in a school district back home, and will probably write a post about it when I know more.  I will probably be changing the name of my blog now that I won't be in paradise anymore... any suggestions are greatly appreciated! I also might start a blog instagram since that seems to be easier to keep up with than a blog... but we will see. 

Five for Friday {Late to the Party}

Ok- I'm a little bit late. It is now Monday, but I wanted to do a linky anyway, and as far as I can tell, this was the most recent one. So here it is! My five for Friday Monday. Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching. 

 I had an emergency IEP coming up for one of my students, so now I will be throwing together my very first IEP in a little less than a week. I'm pretty much done at this point, but I was SO overwhelmed when I found out that I had to do it. I am a huge planner, and now I didn't have enough planning time. I am thinking it is going to be ok! If you have an IEP tips or tricks, let me know!

 We had a science block where we started working on apple life cycles. We had a lot of fun with it, and my kids understand it! Yay! Let's see if we can make the connection between the plant and animal life cycles...

We had a data team meeting with my grade level, and I discovered that my severe SPED students are actually not that far behind the general education students! Especially in math... we are right on their heels! The gap is closing!!!

My cheerleaders had a football game on Friday. It was hot and muggy, but we almost won! Which was really impressive considering we were playing a D1 team who kicked our butts last year. We were only a couple points away, and played really well! 

My mom comes into town this Thursday, so I spent a majority of the week/weekend cleaning, organizing, decorating, and trying to make my apartment look nice... Easier said then done. That will continue through out this week, and probably right up until she gets here. 

Well that's it! Only 4 more school days until a much needed fall break. Woo hoo! This new teacher desperately needs the break...

Over 2 Months Later...

I have NO IDEA how all of you teachers out there make time for teaching, family life, AND blogging. There aren't enough hours in the day!! Maybe it is just because I am a new teacher and I am also working another job... but I don't know how you do it. Every time someone mentions to me that I haven't blogged in a while, I feel like punching a wall. HOW ABOUT YOU WRITE IT FOR ME?! I'll just tell you what I want it to say and you can write it since I spend all my free time asleep! Just kidding... but not really.  It has been over 2 months since my last blog post, even though it feels like it was just yesterday. Oops. Let's see... where were we?! Oh yes! I had just finished teaching summer school. I hadn't even started setting up my school year classroom yet. Hahahaha... I had no idea what was coming. Summer school was a breeze compared to what I was about to walk into.  I went into my new classroom on the first day that I could get my keys. I had friends to help and plan to get started on. Boy did that plan go our the window fast. There was SO. MUCH. STUFF. in that classroom. Seriously. It was the entire center of room (about 10ft by 8ft) and it was stacked all the way to my very high ceilings. There was furniture galore, more desks then I would ever need, left over student work, left over professional resources, garbage, dust, geckos and cockroaches. Ew.  The classroom I was moving into had previously been shared by 2 teachers. One of the teachers had moved to a different island, so she had left majority of her stuff. Luckily she had a lot of things that I found incredibly helpful. But it was still a lot of stuff. The other teacher had moved into a classroom that was itty bitty, and couldn't take most of her stuff with her. So she just left it in the room. Along with a lot of garbage (old student work, broken supplies, old food-YUCK). Because there had been 2 classes, there were enough desks for all those kids. I counted over 30 desks. That's a lot when your class size is going to be 8. I'm very thankful for our wonderful and helpful custodian who immediately offered to help me move any unwanted furniture and trash out of my room. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My planned time for going through stuff already in the classroom was 1 day. It ended up taking 1 week. I was tired, frustrated, and hot every day. Oh yes, I was doing all of this in the middle of a Hawaiian summer, in a classroom with no AC... it was HOT! In addition, almost every day more "stuff" showed up into my room for anonymous other classrooms. Although I was grateful for all the resources, it was just more stuff that needed to find a home. Once we got all of the sorting, throwing away, and organizing done, we started bringing in my stuff, setting up the furniture the way I wanted, and decorating!  Decorating was absolutely the fun part. I don't have a classroom "theme" so I just went with bright fun colors. There is a little bit of chevron and polka dot, but mostly it is just solid bright colors. All this work was totally worth it because my room is absolutely huge! I see some of the itty bitty classrooms that some of my co workers have, and I am forever grateful that I have such a giant room. I also got blessed with a very wonderful classroom EA (advantage to being a SPED teacher). She came in almost every day that I was in the classroom working to help me. She did all of the tasks that I didn't want to do, and she always did it with a smile on her face. To this day she is the greatest resource that I have, and I am very lucky to have her help and support.  Here are some pictures of my bright and giant classroom (things have changed a little and gotten more filled up in the 2 months since these pictures were taken!):

^This is my student computer area.

^Front of my classroom/student desk area

^Math manipulatives/dictionaries

^Another view of the front of my classroom

^Teacher area

^Back of my classroom (Morning meeting/calendar area)

^Material storage and another view of the teacher area

^Classroom library

^More classroom library and my EA's area behind

^In classroom bathroom area! 

We had parent night the night before school started. That was terrifying. But most of my parents came. They were all very friendly and loved my classroom. First scary part of being a first year teacher... check! As I went to sleep the night before the first day of school, I was scared, but also prepared. I had extra lessons ready to go just in case. I had memorized my students names and pictures. I knew my classroom was as perfect as it could be. I actually got a really good nights sleep! The first day of school went pretty smoothly if I remember correctly. I only sort of remember it as one giant blur. One of my students never showed up, so I went from a class of 8 to a class of 7. I had six 2nd graders and one 3rd grader.  A few weeks into the school year, we had some issues with the grade level below me, and they asked if they could move the only 1st grader up into my class. I said sure! I had one kid never show up, so I had the desk and materials for one more student. Why not?! Let me tell you... trying to coordinate schedules with 3 grade levels is no easy task! Luckily all of the teachers are very helpful and understanding. They frequently remind me of things since they know I have a lot to keep track of. They are all so great. :) So now, I am officially a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade severe SPED teacher! Now we have been in school for almost 2 months. The first quarter of the school year is coming to an end soon, and I can't believe how fast it has gone. I was really hesitant about accepting this position. I had very little experience in severe special education, and I didn't know if I was up to the challenge. But I can honestly say that accepting this job was the smartest decision I have ever made. I love my students. More than I ever thought would be possible. They understand me, and I understand them. I have eliminated problem behaviors that other teachers have been trying for years to eliminate in these kids. They are calm and relaxed in my classroom, and they are learning more than I ever thought possible. They are smart, and happy, and I can't imagine having any other class for my first year. These kids make me smile every day, and I have never once dreaded going to work. I can't wait for the rest of the year, even if it means I never have time to blog. :)  Now if I can just stay on top of all the meetings and paperwork... :)

Last Day of my First Job

Today I finished my first ever "big-girl" teaching job. Yes, it was only 5 weeks. Yes, it was just summer school. Yes, it was just reading. But OMG it was a reality check.  There was no mentor teacher to watch teach or ask questions. There was no one to watch my class when I had to go to the bathroom. There was no one checking my lesson plans and giving me feedback. There was no one telling me whether my lesson was going to fail or not. There was no one checking to make sure that I was meeting standards. There was no one else disciplining my students. It was all ME.  There were SO MANY KIDS. I had over 80 kids in those short 5 weeks. That's a lot of kids when my student teaching only had 10. I learned most all of their names.  But... I survived! I always had a lesson prepared. The kids had stuff to do when they finished early. I got a student with autism to actually sit and participate in my lesson with enthusiasm. I got students that swore they hate reading to tell me "it's not so bad." I had kids tell me they loved my class. They followed my rules and respected my discipline. They talked A LOT... but that wasn't something I minded to much. They wrote me letters, drew me pictures, and told me that I was the best reading teacher ever. They improved in their reading, their ability to find answers in a text and referring to the text in their answers. They learned!  And now... it's over. By noon today they will be gone and on their way. They will have their report cards, their portfolios, and will set off to prepare for the school year. My classroom will be cleaned and packed and ready for me to move into my next room.  I will miss this room dearly. It was a HUGE room on a top of a giant hill. Nothing blocking my wonderful island breezes. We were never hot (which is important in Hawaii). I will miss my ocean view from my desk and my ocean view on my drive to school. 

Now... on to my next teaching adventure! Classroom set up begins on Monday!!!

July Currently!

It is now July, and as my mom kindly reminded me, that means it's time for another Currently with Farley!

Listening: Summer school is starting soon. The kids are running around outside. How do they have so much energy in the mornings?!

Loving: Between school all last week, cheer camp all weekend, and now school again... I'm ready for a day off. Hooray for Friday!

Thinking: Last Friday was a SPED team meeting at my new school. I got to go in and see my new classroom, take pictures, and see what I am looking at. All I want to do now is set it up!! 

Wanting: If I had the keys, ^^ would actually be possible! 

Needing: I just looked at my "To Grade" bin and there is a huge stack!! Oops. Guess I should get those graded before the kiddos come in. 

4th Plans: My roommates family got a hotel room right in front of the fireworks in Waikiki. We are going to spend the whole day there, and then watch the fire works at night! 

Substitutes!

Monday is my first day since becoming a real teacher where I will have a substitute in my classroom. She is great and I know my kids will love her, and I totally trust her with my class, but OMG. There is so much to do as a teacher when you are going to be out for a day!  I've known that this would be the case... I've watched my mentor teachers prep for sub before. But it is sort of overwhelming. I had to make sure all my copies were done today, the kids are prepared for a different person, notes and directions are written on the board, my lesson plans are done and printed, she knows where she is going, etc.  AND I am still coming in on Monday morning, before school starts, just to make sure that she is ok and understands what needs to be done.  It is literally more work to not come to school. 

Five for Friday {First Time!}

I am trying to link up with as many linky partys as I can that way people can see and maybe even follow my blog! So here is another one... 

It is time for five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

 I finally got some student work up on my boards in my classroom. So now it doesn't look so bare! Yay!

Wednesday was a holiday here in Hawaii so we had the day off from school. I went with a group of friends to get breakfast from this place in Kailua called Cinnamons. They have THE BEST guava chiffon pancakes. They are so incredibly good. Like dessert but for breakfast. Yum! That was great.

22 Jump Street comes out today. I am pretty excited. I want to go see it today, but I don't have time. So I am going tomorrow. :)

I spend one of the days earlier this week organizing all of my photo albums and backing them up to drop box. I found baby pictures of all of my 3 fur babies. I am glad they are now backed up and going to be saved for ever! Here are some of their cute baby pictures.

I made it all week without going to Starbucks. I made my own drinks at home before I left for school. But this morning, I caved. I went to Starbucks and got a bagel AND and and Oprah Chai. It was wonderful, and well worth it. Made this Friday go by much faster!

Monday Made It {First Time!}

Yesterday was my FIRST DAY teaching summer school, and my FIRST DAY having my very own class with out a mentor teacher. It was so much fun yet so incredibly terrifying at the same time. Luckily... it went really well! My kids were well behaved, they followed my directions, they told me they loved my class at the end of the day, and they got their work done! I call that a success! Having my kids enjoy this class is really important to me. I am teaching summer school at a fine arts summer program, but my class is reading class for students performing below average. So they go to all these fun classes (like dance and ceramics and PE), and then they come to reading. If I can keep them interested and having fun- my job is complete!

Time for my first Monday Made It! I know it is a day late, but better late than never! Thank you to 4th Grade Frolics for putting this together! 

I'm pretty excited about the one thing I made this week... but it has a lot of parts. I made.... MY CLASSROOM!!

Yes my first every classroom is decorated and ready! I'm pretty proud of it. It started completely blank with all the furniture stacked. I had no idea how much I would have to set up for summer school, but now I love it! So here are all the pictures of my new classroom. 

^This is the front of my classroom. It has the alphabet at the top (which I made), the 1-2 grade library on the left, my READ table on the right, and the behavior chart. 

^These are the birthday sticks that I made for my students. They are just crazy straws, and they get to pick one when it is their birthday. 

^This is my desk area. I LOVE that the bookshelves were already painted yellow, considering it is my favorite color. It's kind of organized, and kind of just stuff thrown in bags... oops. :)

^This is the student work wall for my 3-5th grade class. They each have a folder hanging, and as they finish work, they will add it to their folder so it can be displayed. Also, this shows my 3rd-5th grade library. 

^My READ table! I made the letters myself. They are just wooden letters covered in scrapbook paper. This is the table where our pencils, erasers, and highlighters live. Each student picked a folder when they came in on the first day. Each folder had a parent letter and an "about me" paper for the students to fill out. 

^This is where I have my rules posted. I am using the whole brain teaching rules with my class this summer to see how they work out. The rules are:

 1. Follow directions quickly.

2. Raise your hand for permission to speak.

3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat. 

4. Make smart choices.

5. Keep your dear teacher happy. :)

^This is my anchor chart bulletin board and my behavior chart. I am planning on leaving this anchor chart up. In my reading class, we are doing close reading as our "curriculum." These are just the basic steps for close reading so that my students can refer to them. 

The behavior chart I got from That's So Second Grade. I love it! The levels say: Parent contact (red), teachers choice (orange), make better choices (yellow), ready to learn (green), great choices (pink), and outstanding day (purple). All the students start on green, and can move up and down the chart through out the day depending on their behavior. 

^This is just another view of the front of my room. The display folders for my 1st and 2nd grade class are located below the white board. 

^Another view of my 1st/2nd grade library. 

^The view of my room from the door! My roommate made all of the pom poms for me that you see going across in the back.  That's it! I hope you all enjoyed my room tour for my first ever Monday Made it!

My First Currently... June!

Since my blog is now up and running and it is June 1st, I am just in time to link up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade to do my first ever currently post! 
So, here it is!

Listening- Seriously, the Pandora 2000's hip hop radio is the greatest radio station ever. Flashback to junior high/high school for me!
Loving- That my hard work payed off! I love my new blog. 
Thinking- Wednesday is my first staff meeting for my first big girl teaching job. I am so excited, yet so not prepared... haha! I have no idea what to expect!!
Wanting- I spent yesterday making some DIY projects for my classroom, but I want to make more!! Starting as a first year teacher means I have NOTHING for my room, so I have tons of ideas and plans. But all those ideas involve money... Ugh!
Needing- Lunch! I have spent all morning and afternoon working on this darn blog, and I seem to have forgotten to eat. Oops. 
Summer Bucket List- 1: Thinking about maybe taking a trip to Maui. 2: I need to go through all of my books that I will be taking to my classroom, and label/sort them. 3: Since I have a few more days off, I want to create some fun and yummy things to cook/bake. 

Happy June Everyone!