131 Days!

I hope that everyone enjoyed spring break and are ready to finish out the year strong. As I worked on my comps paper over break I realized how close we are to finished. I can't deny that it has been a busy, stressful, and enjoyable year. At times, I wondered if I would survive, (and on some days still do) I realize how quickly it has flown. We are so closed to finished!

Things in my room are going great. I finally feel that I have a plan and can work ahead. For so long I was feeling day by day, and now I am to week by week. I know that probably isn't how experienced teachers are, but everything has been new, challenging, and exciting to me.

My teamboard is amazing. My kids love doing anything on it, and it is a great tool for me to have. It brings a new approach to each lesson. Tomorrow is opening day for the Royals. So, we will be having a baseball themed day. Slugger has a kids site that will allow us to investigate the Royals history, players, and symbols. We are also going to make our own pennants, and the internet helps the kids to explore other baseball teams. It has also been helpful in helping me plan writing activities that go along with my theme. There are so many great websites out there!

One thing that I did do on line that I have to share is that I bought children's books off of Ebay. I got 28 Gail Gibbons books for $45. Her nonfiction books can sometimes be hard to find, and they arrived in perfect shape. I want to continue to look for classroom books and supplies on line because I can get nice things for a reasonable price. If you have an author that you really like...you might want to check it out and see if there are any lots available.

That is what is going on here. I hope everyone is doing great and taking time to enjoy the nice weather. It is so great to have outdoor recess! Happy teaching!

Middle of March

I can't believe I am on spring break....it is such a great feeling! I am trying hard to work on my comps paper, but it is easy for me to think of other things to do. More than anything, it is nice to have time off but I know April and May may get long with no breaks.

Everything is going great. I love my teamboard and I think it is a great way for my kids to see technology integrated into the classroom. sometimes, it is as easy as when i am unsure of how to spell a word and I type it in word and do a spell check....my kids love to see that! To me, that is a practical use of technology!

Our district e-mail was down from home all of last week, and it made me realize how much I rely on my home internet connection to do basic things for school. Whether it is retuning parent e-mails from the comfort of my couch, or checking my e-mail nightly to see if anything new is going on. Technology is great, but when it doesn't work....I get frustrurated!

Anyway, all in all everything is great here and I am looking forward to the rest of the week relacing. Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the signs of spring. Happy Teaching!