Grin and Share It!

Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.

~Sholem Asch

Once again I found myself in the learner’s seat. Guess what kids? Today, I learned how to create a podcast! Bridget, a patient soul from our district technology department, walked me through the steps to set up the podcast. What an excellent communication tool. With her expert help, I was able to transfer the written principal’s message in our school monthly newsletter to an audio format with a couple of bells and whistles. I can’t wait to see where it takes us from here!

This is shaping up to be a busy week with the second grade musical concert tomorrow and the chorus and chimes concert on Wednesday. Thursday ushers in our annual Read 2009, whereas members from the community join us to read with each grade level. The mayor, postman, librarian, fireman, policeman, and our superintendent come in to share their favorite picture book. This is always an exciting day for the students and staff as we enjoy hosting local community members at our school.

Tomorrow I am meeting with both of the second grade guided reading groups and wrapping up Diary of a Wimpy Kid with our fourth grade students. Although it is bittersweet that our time together has ended, I am happy to report that all kids are on board for the third book in the series to be released in January.

Today, I found myself buried in a plethora of discipline issues. If only I was able to control those unstructured times a.k.a. bussing and recess. J

Overheard today… “A positive attitude is the new black.”

Grin and share it,

Anastasia

First Grade Follies

If students do not see their teachers work successfully together,

they may never see two adults work successfully together.

~Todd Whitaker

The excitement in the building today was almost tangible. Student after student was stating – Cool, xxx is my teacher today! Can you believe my luck – I get xxxx for a teacher today! The students were surprisingly thrilled with the prospect of having a different teacher for the day. Needless to say, today was quite the day! After spending an entire day in first grade I have a renewed appreciation for all that our teachers do for our students! To say I am exhausted is an understatement. Typically, after a day of school, I am emotionally spent - well now you can add physically too! Those first graders sure keep you on your toes. Hitting the pause button is not an option.

There were so many “best” parts of my day I don’t know where to begin. Welcoming the students to class this morning was a pleasure. They were so joyful entering the room, some of them were even singing. Their sense of responsibility and maturity was impressive. They knew what they had to do and immediately got to work. They took off their snow gear, moved their lunch magnet to the right choice, and started on their morning work. This was without one word of prompting from me. Throughout the day they were polite and engaging. The morning was spent on literacy and by the mid-morning recess I found myself lagging behind in the lesson plans and had to kick it up a notch to get in the second group of guided reading before we went on to writing. After lunch we tackled math and the students were quite engaged in a SmartBoard lesson on fact families. This was followed by a special (physical education). While the students were in PE, I stopped in the office to check the mailbox and was amazed at the sense of calmness that was present. Now, since I know what has transpired in the office all day – this genuinely surprised me and enlightened my thinking on how others perceive the office. No wonder it is such a popular perching spot. J

One highpoint of the day was definitely watching the teachers in their new found roles. The new “first” grade teacher across the hallway from where I was teaching was actually a fifth grade teacher who was a bit apprehensive about teaching first grade. By morning recess she was hooked on the little guys and by the time the day ended I would swear that she floated out of the classroom glowing with compliments of her “new” students. However, truth be told, this was not the case throughout the building. I have to chuckle at another “new” teacher who, when the day began was bounding with energy, but by the end, the day proved to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated. I am quite sure it had something to do with one of our little boys eating the contents of a marker. J

At the end of the day we had our “Not a Box” staff meeting and it was absolutely wonderful. Listening to the staff share their days – the good, the bad, and the ugly proved to be heartwarming and hilarious. Most of all, one of the benefits is that it gave us a glimpse, although just for a day, of what happens in other parts of the building. I think all would agree that the day was challenging, but rewarding and proved to be an excellent learning experience. After all, that is what it is all about – being willing to reach out of your comfort zone, continuing to be lifelong learners. There is no doubt that we all added to our schema today and our sense of community is much stronger because of it.

With a sense of commitment and renewal,

Anastasia

ELATION!

Teaching is helping young people believe the impossible is possible.

~Todd Whitaker

One word – ELATION! I am so very excited to teach first grade tomorrow that I can barely contain myself! A full day teaching and learning with first graders is such a delicious treat! The first grade teacher for whom I will be “swapping” with for the Teacher Swap-O-Ramma E-mailed me a copy of the lesson plans after school and I have been refining them ever since that time. I just arrived home from a BOE Discipline Committee meeting, and although it is after 9:00 p.m., my mind is still whirling with the possibilities looming on the horizon. During the day today the students were chatting up who their teacher was going to be tomorrow – I can’t decide who is more excited – the teachers or the students. A fifth grade teacher got the lucky draw and will be the “principal” tomorrow. I need to run now so I can put the finishing touches on the lesson plans she will need for the second grade guided reading group plans.

Stay tuned…

Anastasia

It's All About Relationships!

Power in organization is the capacity generated by relationships.

~Margaret Wheatley

Relationships – pure and simple, that is what makes an organization a success. I am convinced on a daily basis that relationships are what truly matter and make an organization successful. Not just pedestrian relationships built on pleasantries, but enduring relationships built on trust.

Today was an exceptional day as the staff took our annual “Pink Photo.” The first Tuesday of the month is our official “Pink and Jeans” day for the staff of Sleepy Hollow. Staff may choose to wear jeans (accompanied with a pink top of their choice). They contribute $1.00 or more to our “pink” fund and all proceeds go to the Susan B. Komen breast cancer fund. The sense of community that this instills is extremely powerful and reminds us that we are all part of something greater and that, together, we can make a difference.

After the pink photo and morning announcements I had the pleasure of meeting with my additional group of guided reading for second grade. What a delightful group of young and talented readers! Working with students is always a highlight of my day. However, I did not have an opportunity to meet with the original group since we ran over the allotted time and I had a teacher evaluation scheduled. This caused some stress as I had to relay the unfortunate news to the second graders and the disappointed visage on one of the young readers made my heart sink. Therefore, I squeezed in some time to meet with the group for a brief five minutes prior to their lunch and then reworked my schedule to meet with them tomorrow. Since we have reconfigured all second graders into new groups, I will be taking two guided reading groups – this is posing all sorts of havoc to my schedule, but the kids are worth it!

The remainder of the day was captured by observation pre and post conferences, meetings, and other administrative duties. Fortunately, I was able to complete an informal walkthrough allowing me to touch base with the staff – a most enjoyable part of my day. I am definitely looking forward to Thursday, our official teacher Swap-o-ramma. This day will find all our teachers, including me, in different roles for the day. What a unique learning experience. I am thrilled to spend the entire day in first grade – what a treat!

Recently, I was informed that I, along with the two SAM’s at Sleepy Hollow School, will be attending the National SAM’s conference (gratis!) in New Orleans in February of 2009. This is an amazing opportunity and we are definitely looking forward to the trip.

With faith,

Anastasia