A Blogging Epiphany and FREEBIE!!

I love words. I love the word epiphany. Today, on the way home from a super fun playdate, I had an epiphany. I'm pretty sure if I was able to still teach with the two ladies, Laura and Lori (from The Thompson Trio in Texas), I would have more of them.

Blogging has become a kind of obsession with me this summer. It annoyingly (sorry everyone) comes up in my daily conversations. I was determined to make this work. Life has a tendency of getting in the way of so many things, but I thought if my students were going to do this then I'm going to do it too. So, needless to say, blogging has been on my mind.

On the drive home, I began thinking about blogging with my kids. Was I going to use kidblog or Edublogs? Was I going to have the same requirements as last year? What was I going to introduce to them first? How? Then it occurred to me. The teaching blogs I read, I've been exposed to them through a linky party. Why not have a linky party with my students? Why not have guest bloggers on my teacher blog page? Thus, the epiphany!

I came home and began to think of all the things that I want my kids to do on their blogs. This is their reader's/writer's notebook. I want them to write reflections, wonderings, book reviews about their books, etc. I also want them to be creative and create their own writing. I want them to share with their peers. I want them to give each other feedback about their reading and writings.

That's what we do as professional educators. We aren't reading one another's blogs looking for mistakes and how to edit our writing. We're learning about teaching from one another. We're looking at the content of the blog post. I learn just as much from an elementary blogger as a middle school blogger as a high school blogger. This community has so many talented people in it. I want my classroom to have that same sharing of ideas and community feel.

I made this schedule for my students to follow. I won't require them to blog every day. Let's be real here- these middle schoolers have their plates full with athletics, extra-curriculars, and academics! I do expect one blog post a week. They can pick the day. They'll link up like we do here in "teacher blogging land" and share with one another. Here is the schedule I've created. It's FREE on my TpT store. Get it now!

Back to School Goals and Easy Anchor Chart Redo

Last summer I was cruising Pinterest {no surprise} and I came across this idea for gluing tacks on the back of clothespins to hold my anchor charts up. I'm sure many of you have seen this same thing. I went to Joann's, found some fabric, mod podged it on the clothespins, and hot glued the tacks to the clothespin. Score! Well, I used them last year in my classroom {I really wish I could find the picture!}.

They were so cute...until the day the tacks started to separate from clothespin. Great. What was left? Ugly brass tacks holding up my anchor charts.

I decided to handle that this year! This past week, I took all those clothespins, tacks, and E6000 glue. Yeah I brought out the big guns. I reglued those bad boys back to the clothespins. This time I also attached two tacks to the back of the clothespin too. I'm hoping for better success this time! Only time will tell...

I'm also linking up today with I {heart} Recess for the Monthly Goals Back to School edition.

Here's mine!

Personal: Leave work by 5:00, eat better, and workout
Okay. Our school gets out at 4:30. That leaves me 30 minutes to get my stuff together and be out. Now that I have Avery I just don't have the time I used to have to be able to spend at the school! I know this is going to be challenging but I'm going to have to make good use of my time and not spend so much time socializing. {That's} going to be hard! Eat better and workout...hmmm. Eat better isn't too bad. I kind of ignore that over the summer and do an okay job during the school year. Working out is going to be the tricky part. Ugh. Just thinking of it makes me cringe. I'm going to do it though! I have to do it! I wrote it down...

Organization: I have a tendency of not wanting to grade written work until I absolutely have to. I {hate} grading essays. Especially those the kids give me at the beginning of the year before I've had a chance to cast my spell over them and brainwash them. This year, {because I'm writing it down- this is starting to be a problem ;) }I'm going to have those essays graded AND put in the grade book within a week. Yup. I said it. One week.

Planning: Mr. Bush wasn't thrilled about the price of the Erin Condren planner but I'm going to use it! It's going to be used to organize my life and help plan out my lessons. I'm going to use it for good and not to just show how unbelievably cute it is.

Professional: This year I'm going to reach out to students' parents even more to keep them in the loop and continue the communication. I feel like I've made a good start with what I discussed in the last blog post about connecting with them through Twitter and Instagram. I still think I can continue that and more.

Students: Our school has a 25 book campaign where each student's goal at the end of the year is to have read 25 books. It is so hard to get 8th graders excited, motivated, and keep them on track. I feel like last year when I was out on maternity leave for two months I really wasn't able to guide them the way I normally would have to achieving their goal. As a result, I'm sad to say many of mine didn't reach it. It really breaks my heart too. This year, I'm going to spend more time conferencing with them about their goals and what they need to do to reach their goals

Motto: My motto for the year is going to be "Take it one day at a time!" I think that's perfect for me and my students alike.

One more thing. Have you started following Life With Middle Schoolers on Facebook yet? Check it out! Have a great week everyone!

Beginning of the Year Prep

I've gone to school one time. I've gone to training multiple times. Now is the time that I really have to buckle down and start thinking about what I'm doing this coming school year. I've decided to incorporate more ways to connect with my students and parents. With all the technology available to my students and their parents I feel as though I should really utilize it.

Our students will each have a Dell tablet. I'm going to have them blog for their Reader's/Writer's notebook again. It was pretty successful last year and I've learned a lot. I have a much better idea of what to expect from them and what I need to do this time to start them off. I loved seeing the progress they made. It was such a great journey we had together. My favorite moment was when one of my students who was dead against blogging at the beginning decided to start a story. She had submitted multiple chapters and I had been getting behind in approving posts. So she came to me and asked me to hurry up and at least approve hers because she had people who were asking when the next chapter would be out! I loved that! From not wanting to blog to having fellow classmates waiting for the next chapters? That to me was awesome!

I still haven't decided which blogging platform to use. We used kidblog last year. It worked. It was easy to use both for students and myself. This year, I've been seriously thinking about Edublogs. It gives my students a little more options with widgets and personalization that they didn't necessarily get with kidblog. If anyone has thoughts on that, please comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. If you have never blogged with your kids and want a place to start, I would recommend using kidblog. It really is super easy!

I've made an additional Twitter account where I'll be posting upcoming assignments and reminders for parents and students to follow. From last year, I learned my students are using Twitter more than Facebook and I really do like being able to shoot a quick tweet about what we're doing. This would help communicate with parents and hopefully allow my 8th graders a way to take some ownership over what they're responsible for.

I also added an additional Instagram account. This is going to be more of a headache for me going back and forth between my personal Instagram and school one. I think I'll manage though. I want to use this to show parents the work their kiddos are creating as well as a place for my students (and parents) to reference anchor charts over what we're learning. My kids rely on the anchor charts and I have them create them as well. The anchor charts at school aren't helpful when they're working on something at home and don't have that visual reminder.

Due to all these places to connect, I plan on making these magnetic business cards for parents to pick up at Open House. It gives them access to all of it conveniently placed on a magnet! I'll have this information on my school website for parents that can't make it.

Technopalooza 2013

So the first day of Technopalooza didn't happen due to my mom getting hit by an 18 wheeler. Yeah... Long story short she's okay. The car isn't pretty and my daughter wasn't with her. Needless to say, I missed the first day and was super disappointed but thought it would be better. I did get my Dell tablet! But didn't get a chance to work on it.

Technopalooza Day 2! I'm pretty excited today. Either I've had too much coffee or it really is excitement causing my nervous shaking and fast talking. I was surprised at how few people from the district were there. Our district is {majorly} into technology. With an opportunity like this to spend a couple of days and learn more about technology available to us I would have expected more people to be there. That's kind of disappointing.

Here we are! Day 2 peeps!

One of the neatest sessions I was at today was one about Google apps. I'm going to have to do a blog post dedicated to only this after I've had more time to go through these and try them out. There were some that I had no idea about. The guy who presented had us scan a QR code when we got in the room that connected us to a website that was packed full of lessons and links to even more for all grade levels and subjects. I mean {all} subjects! Not just the core ones.

Some sessions I was disappointed in to be honest. I am no technology guru but after working in this district, I know a lot! I wish there were more differentiated sessions for people who are more advanced than others. The district did a great job of putting this together. I got to learn how to use Windows 8 today on my tablet and that was a {HUGE} accomplishment. I felt like such an idiot today not knowing how to use this. I got it now though. The tablet's charging and we're going to get to work on getting some things done!

If anyone has any suggestions of some great apps to use in a Language Arts class for a Windows tablet I would love to hear about them! Comment me below.

Unproductive Day :(

I went up to my school today to do some cleaning, organizing, and getting some of the stuff I've bought out of my house. I took Avery with me and my mom came to help. This was probably the {least} productive time I've ever spent in my classroom. Ever. This little girl makes me and anyone in range only want to play with her. Therefore, not much work was done. But, she's pretty cute.

I did get my filing cabinet cleaned out. It was stuffed with folders and student work that I was holding on to. I saved a few things and took pictures to save electronically to my computer to use as exemplars and trashed the rest. I hate saying that but I can't hold on to it!

I plan on using my filing cabinet as a magnetic board. I think I will implement a "No Late Work Club" or "Homework Club" idea. Once I see what classes I'll be teaching this coming year I'll be able to wrap my brain around that.

I'm so excited about tomorrow and Thursday! My district is having it's annual Technopalooza!! I will definitely be blogging about this in the next couple of days. Talk about a technology overload! We also are going to be getting our new Dell tablets! I can't wait to see what all I can do with it.

Monday Made It! Woot Woot!

The random budgetary meeting with my husband went very well yesterday. I feel like I got what I wanted (the ability to spend some money on some much needed goods) and he got what he wanted (a guideline of how much money I could spend on said goods). Today, I'm linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for a Monday Made It.

Let's look at the projects! 

First up: Teacher Emergency Kit courtesy of the Target Dollar Spot and Michael's! I went to the Target Dollar Spot last week while grocery shopping. They have lots of fun stuff too! I found all this and thought it would make a great emergency kit.

Shout wipes, Cepacol, Airborne, pack of tissues, the cute little makeup bag, and I can add a few band-aids and some Burt's Bees. 

It all fits in here so nicely! All this for $5! But really less since the sale was buy 3 get 1 free!!

Then, I headed over to Michael's and tried to contain myself with their dollarish section. I bought these two things to add to the little bag. Who doesn't need a mini sewing kit and a cute rhinestone encrusted compact!?! Each was $1.50. Working with a budget here!

Next Up: Teacher's Toolbox

I finished my Teacher's Toolbox, which I blogged about last week with the spray painting incident. It's completely dried. I printed the labels courtesy of Erin at I'm Lovin Lit. I printed them off at Staples due to my husband working there and they're kind of my bread and butter. I trimmed them up, smacked on some double sided tape, and presto! Here are the results.

Now I'm in the Teacher's Toolbox club. Have a great week everyone!

The Quietest Pencil Sharpener

"Wwwhhhrrrrr" "Wwwwhhhrrrrr" "Miss! This sharpener broke my pencil." "I think someone broke the electric pencil sharpener." Ugh. These are the sounds I hate the most in my classroom. I hate the pencil sharpener above all. Last year, I would unplug the pencil sharpener when class started as a passive aggressive attempt to stop those sounds. Those kids are smart! They caught on. When they went to put their pencil in and nothing happened, they plugged it back in. Students-1 Mrs. Bush-0.

I found the Quietest Classroom Pencil Sharpener a couple of years ago and pinned it then. In the back of my mind while battling the pencil sharpening noises I would think about it. Then I started reading blogs with other teachers who used it. I knew I had to do it too. Today is that day. With the husband's budgetary meeting pending, I told him I needed to spend $25. He told me $25 isn't a big deal (who knew!) and to go ahead and buy it. So that is exactly what I did! Today I placed my order for the pencil sharpener to end all my headaches. More to come when it gets here. I sure hope this works!

Classroom Friendly Supplies

Progress is Good!

I never made it to Lowe's yesterday. Naptime yesterday didn't quite go as planned- the whole day. Scarlett O'Hara said it best, "Tomorrow is another day." Anyway, I went to Lowe's after BG's nap today (3 hours!!!) and picked up the Stack On Storage System Drawers. They were smaller than what I pictured in my mind but somehow relieved they were. As many people who have blogged about their Teacher Toolbox have done I knew I needed to spray paint it because the navy blue wasn't going to work for me.

BG and I ran some other errands somehow stopping at Dollar Tree, but being so overwhelmed and not really having anything in mind, and walking out empty-handed. On the way home, I started thinking I don't have the colors I needed to fix up the toolbox. My room is black and gold (yellow). Disappointed I continued home. I wasn't about to go back to Lowe's with the baby right then to browse for spray paint. Last week's accidental turn down Bourbon Street in New Orleans at 9 o'clock at night was enough questionable mom behavior. I don't need looks about the amount of spray paint I would buy. What can I say? I like the colors spray paint comes in!

We get home. Feed her. Change her. Put her down for another nap. Then the toolbox is all mine. I look and see what colors of spray paint I want. I have gold! Now mind you this is like metallic gold. This gold will not match my room. However, I can always repaint AND I'm pretty sure I can convince my middle schoolers it's a special supply box that they're not allowed in because it's a special color.

So, here's what I have so far. It's painted. I haven't done the labels yet. I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to do on those. Oh, be careful with spray paint. Don't remove any white doo hickey things from the nozzle. If you do your paint job will be really bad and paint will leak on your skin and you will begin to feel like a gold covered tin man from The Wizard of Oz. Just a friendly spray painting tip!

The {BIGGEST} news of the day is that I was browsing Pinterest after ruining dinner. What should I see?? Just that Erin Condren pinned my blog thanking me for supporting her!! WHAT?!!??!? I immediately jumped up from my chair, grabbed my planner (it was sitting right next to me) and screamed to my husband that Erin Condren pinned my blog while waving the planner around. He didn't really know what to say because he didn't understand. He also might have been slightly scared of me. Ugh. After I screamed an explanation to him in a voice I don't think I've ever used before. After I explained he was very proud. Just for kicks here is the pin. So excited!

Naptime Means Time to Blog

So, it's naptime at my house. This means I potentially have two hours of time to get something done. This could also mean I have as little as 45 minutes. Come on two hour stretch!

Since I spent last week on vacation I feel very out of the blogging world. I didn't read blogs (gasp!) or post anything. As a result, I'm reading posts this week and coming across about a bazillion things I want to do which is nearly impossible. BUT I did place an order today for the Stack-On 22 Drawer Storage System for... the Teacher's Toolbox!

Practically everyone has blogged about this. Directions for this can be found on a million blogs. I logged on to ebates (my go-to website for attempting to get money back from online purchases- and I make a lot!), typed in Lowe's (3% back!), searched the Lowe's website for the Stack-On 22-Drawer Storage System, and then added it to my cart. After Baby Girl wakes up from her nap and eats something I'm going to take her on over and we're going to pick it up. Under $20 people! Hopefully, I'll be able to work on this during naptimes this week and have it ready for next week's Made It Monday.

I'm trying to buy as much as I can this week for the classroom since my husband wants to talk on Sunday about a "budget." Does he not realize it's Back to School season?? A budget doesn't really fit with this. Off to take a shower before BG wakes from her nap.

Me? Nominated for a Liebster?!?

I'm finally back from a long week at the beach and in the car traveling and what should I see in my inbox but a message that I've been nominated for a Liebster by Miss Brigotti over at Write in the Middle! I'm so excited about this!!

So, what is a Liebster exactly? Well, it is an award for bloggers with less than 200 followers to recognize new blogs. When I first started this blog about a month ago, I just wanted it to be a place for me to share classroom ideas and to be a good example for what I expect my students to do this year on their own blogs. This has become something much bigger! I enjoy reading all the blogs I come across and getting inspired from all the ideas. 

As part of accepting this nomination I have 11 questions that Miss Brigotti made up for me to answer as a Q&A. At the end, I'll nominate 5 more blogs for this award. To accept my nomination, you must answer the questions I ask, tell us 11 things you want to share about yourself, nominate 5 fellow bloggers with less than 200 followers, and make sure you contact them!

Miss Brigotti's 11 questions for me:

1. What made you decide you wanted to be a teacher?

I've always wanted to be a teacher. My aunt taught elementary school and I used to go with her to help in her classroom during the summer. I've always loved the act of teaching. I used to play school with my brother. I had fantastic 7th and 11th grade English teachers! They made me want to do what they did.

2. What was the hardest thing about your first year?

I guess the hardest part of my first year was not realizing that they really don't teach you everything you need to know about teaching in college and learning how to really teach.

3. The funniest thing a child ever said to me was...

I teach middle school so I get funny things every. single. day. I wish I would have kept a journal of funny sayings from kids from the first year of teaching to now. It would be fun to look back on it and be reminded of that student. 

4. If you could change one thing about your school, it would be...

To allow the 8th grade Language Arts classes to have a 90 (I'll take 70 minute) minute block of time. 45 minutes does not do a Reading/Writing Workshop justice!!

5. What's your favorite hobby?

I love to knit. I taught myself to knit my first year of teaching. I needed a way to de-stress. I never knew  how stressful teaching could be and knitting allowed me to relax after the day.

6. Tell me three things you couldn't live without.

-Starbucks

-Cell phone

-iPad

7. Where would you go on your dream vacation?

Anywhere in a warm, tropical climate with sandy beaches and crystal clear water.

8. What was the most valuable advice you ever received?

I can't really think of any one piece of advice that stands out. I know I've received advice over the years. Some of it was good and some of it was bad. 

9. What classroom supply will you NOT share with your students?

I will not share my stapler with my students. Somehow it will end up broken before the end of the year. They have a stapler they're allowed to use.

10. What color pen do you grade with?

It's usually green, purple, or blue.

11. If someone gave you a grant to help start a school, what would you name it?

Miss Brigotti, these are hard questions! I have absolutely no idea. I'm not sure I would want that.

11 Random Things About Me:

1. My favorite color is red but I wear mainly blues and greens.

2. I love online shopping. 

3. I'm a high heel fanatic! 

4. I love going to libraries and bookstores just to look at all the books even though I get most of my books on my iPad.

5. Target is my favorite store (who doesn't love Target!?)

6. I become a culinary genius in the summer when I have time to cook but can't seem to manage during the school year.

7. Pinterest is my crack.

8. I've only taught at one other school.

9. I'm not a perfectionist in my own life but when it comes to school I am.

10. People think I'm organized but I'm not!

11. My favorite season is Fall.

Questions for Nominees:
1. How long have you been teaching?
2. What's your favorite teaching moment?
3. What's your favorite blogging site? (it doesn't have to be related to teaching)
4. What is your favorite place to buy things for your classroom?
5. What advice would you give new teachers?
6. What three things are always in your teaching bag?
7. What's your teaching style?
8. What do you love most/worst about teaching?
9. What's your favorite piece of technology to use in the classroom? How do you use it?
10. What could you not live without in your classroom?
11. What do you love to do when you aren't teaching?

Blogs I'm Nominating:

2 Peas and a Dog
i run read teach

Mentoring in the Middle
Tales of Teaching in Heels
Middle School Teacher to Literacy Coach

Go check out these blogs! I enjoy reading them. I'm catching up on blog happenings from last week this week. So we'll see what all I can get done!

It's a Sunday Smorgasbord!

Today I'm linking up with Michelle over at Fabulous in First for a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And that's exactly what's going to happen today!

I'm already a little bit scattered with ideas and I've been catching up on blogs, packing for this beach trip (packing the baby for the trip!), and thinking of things I want to do in my classroom next year. I don't think since I've been out of school my brain has stopped. Maybe this week while on vacation I can actually stop and enjoy the time with family and friends.

Bit #1: Tomorrow we leave from DFW and drive to New Orleans for the first leg of the trip. We'll spend the night in New Orleans and then continue to Pensacola, Florida the following day to {finally} get to spend some time on the white sandy beaches of Florida and in the emerald green water of the Gulf of Mexico. I know. Jealous right? If you have any ideas for what we should definitely not miss out on (with a 7 month old) let me know!

Bit #2: She has arrived! {Cue trumpeters} My Erin Condren planner is finally here. In my previous post I forgot to mention I also got a matching iPad case...yeah. It's beautiful. Gorgeous. Everything I wanted. I've already spent yesterday filling in the calendar and taking pictures to make all my friends envious. I already feel organized. I won't stay in that place, but it's nice to start there :) Here she is. This picture definitely doesn't do it justice.

Bit #3: I've seen a lot of people blogging about what they're going to be doing in their classroom next year. I'm going to be honest. I have no idea. I know that I want to keep my gold and black theme (our school colors). I know I want to redo the labels on my bins in my library. Anything beyond that and I'm clueless. I think one reason is because I'm starting a literary magazine at our school but not sure if I'm getting a class to get my staff from or if I'm going to have a club. That makes it hard in figuring out exactly what I'm doing. I also only know that I'm teaching 8th grade Language Arts. I'm not sure how many sections or what else is going to be added. And so I wait. I continue to gather ideas. I add them to my Pinterest boards. My mind might just explode!

I guess that's about it. I probably won't be blogging this week. We'll play catch up when I get back! Have a great week!

An Erin Condren Giveaway! What?!

Tori over at Tori's Teacher Tips is doing an $50 Erin Condren Giveaway.

Now I've blogged before about how I'm waiting for my Erin Condren planner. I think this is a fantastic giveaway! The teacher planner if you haven't had a chance to check it out is full of pages that only a teacher could appreciate. And did I tell you about the options? The personalization? The choices?? I think it took me two days just to decide what all I wanted to include. Go on over to Tori's Teacher Tips and take a look at all the pictures she has of her planner and get in on that giveaway!

UPDATE: Blog Hop!

I don't usually post twice in a day, but I just had to share about the blog hop over at Sixth Grade Tales. Jamie has it set up for middle grade teachers to connect. I love this idea! As a middle school teacher, it's sometimes difficult to find fellow middle grades teachers to connect with. I do love the elementary teachers and their blogs though! If you're interested, here's the button and link. Join us!

July Currently and a FREE Reading Log!

Today I'm linking up with Farley for July's Currently! I feel like I'm late to the linky party since it seems like every other blog I read has already posted. Oh well! Today's the first day that I've had a chance to really sit down and gather my thoughts. I'm also linking up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It (I know it's Tuesday :-/).

This past weekend, we've had family visiting, Avery's swim lessons, and then just normal every day life! I've been trying to make sure I have everything we could possibly need (ha!) ready to go to the beach next week. This will be the first vacation for Avery and our first big vacation away with Avery as a family. It will definitely be an adventure! I also released control of things and let my husband make the reservations and the plans. 

So, let's talk about July's Currently:

LISTENING: I'm listening to the Wendy Williams Show while I blog. I pretty much have the TV on when I'm in the house to keep track of the time of day. Silly I know. I'm not even watching it.

LOVING: I love the time I get to spend with Avery this summer. We've been going shopping, to the pool, playing games, and going for walks. She is so much fun at this age (7 months). I could talk and brag about her forever.

THINKING: I can't help but think I need to get organized for next week. I'm trying to make sure I have everything I need. I guess we'll find out next week if I was successful or not. I can't imagine why I'm going to need 10 spray bottles of sunscreen, but you never know! 

WANTING: I went ahead and did it. I ordered the Erin Condren lesson planner. It shipped last week and now I'm just waiting for it to get here. I. Can't. Wait. Any. Longer! Hopefully it'll be here today. I just love stationary and office supplies.

NEEDING: Well, I'm taking care of one part of the needing. I finished The Book Whisperer and am currently reading Or Give Me Death by Ann Rinaldi. It's young adult historical fiction about Patrick Henry's family during the time of the American Revolution. It's told from his daughter, Patsy's, point of view. The way Ann Rinaldi writes through Patsy's perspective really teaches you a lot about Patrick Henry's family and what all was going on during that time period. I'm only on Chapter 5 (hence the reason for the needing category) but it's a pretty easy read that's holding my attention. Now, I just need to read it!

TIPS/TRICKS/HINTS: For my tip, I would say never be afraid to share what you've created. I used to think "Oh, no one's going to want this" but now I think "Share! Share! Share!" As a result, I created a new reading log to use in my classroom this year. I was inspired by what I learned in Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. She gives her students a goal of 40 books to read. Our school's goal is 25 books, but I wanted to give my students an idea that 40 books is totally doable! I made this reading log and printed it over at one of my favorite printing places, Vistaprint, as a rack card. It's about 3.75"x 8.25". They're perfect for bookmarks. You can download for FREE from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Thanks to Lovin' Lit for the free Chevron frames I used in the reading logs.

Whew! That sure does seem like a lot. Have a great week everyone! Enjoy the Reading Log. I'm going to start trying to get organized for this beach trip.