firstgradefairytales

[firstgradefairytales]

Denial

Sooo I’ve been in denial that summer is coming to an end. I’ve been thinking about school but pretending it was far far away and not something I was going to have to worry about for another month. Last night I was hit with a reminder that-in fact-I am less than a month away from starting back.

I think I’m hesitant because I had such an amazing class last year for my first year and I’m afraid that this next class will be like my second 1st grade class (hard). I didn’t bond with my second first grade class like I did with my first and I’m afraid that this will be the case with this year’s.

I’ve begun to pray to have the patience and love to guide these new sweet babies and that even if they prove to be challenging, that I have the wisdom and the knowledge to better handle them. I know for a fact I will have at least one challenging student who is a retention from last year. This sweet muffin has all kinds of behavioral and academic issues that after being tested last year basically proved to be a result of his environment. (His parents 😣😫) They also can be known to be difficult which is why he isn’t going to be in the same class as he was last year, despite the parents pleas. The principal simply stated she wouldn’t allow that teacher to go through the abuse again. When they were told at the end of the year he might be in a different classroom they were not immediately thrilled but I eventually was given the nod of approval. To be fair, I volunteered to take him on. I’d worked with him some during our intervention time and I think I’d be the best fit for him personality wise. However, I’m praying that my presence will be allowed to serve the purpose it’s supposed to in his life and that the rest of my class will be similar to last year’s so I can focus my attention on working with him.

I officially gave the family I babysit for my 2 weeks notice and will be done the first week of August which will give me a few days in my room before contract time starts to get a jump on things. However-to think that I have the rest of this week and next with these kids makes me sad. We’ve had a good summer and it seems to have just flown by.

Oh well. 2017-2018, and my 3rd year teaching, here we come, ready or not.

[firstgradefairytales]

No first year teacher is a good teacher. You can do amazing things, and you can make beautiful relationships with students. But you will also make a LOT of mistakes. You can be a “good” first year teacher.

But you won’t be great. And. That’s. Ok.

You will grow in your first year. And if you learn from your many, many, many mistakes, you will be an amazing teacher in the days and years after. Be ok with being ok for now. And then grow.

[firstgradefairytales]

I need some help, US Tumblrs!

M and I are hardcore HUNTING for Rae Dunn mugs, but alas… they are only in the States. M can’t go back to the States until his paperwork is processed (he can go to Mexico but not the US? You make no sense, immigration law!). So, we can’t even cross the border to go hunt ourselves. I’ve looked at Amazon and E-Bay, but I also can’t afford $75 for 2 mugs!

My question to you, lucky Americans… are any of you willing to hunt for some FOR me? And mail them to me? I will GLADLY send monies in exchange for your wondrous and amazing help!! I’d be so grateful!!!

Also, feel free to boost this! I need help!

[firstgradefairytales]

“The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters everyday.” -Todd Whitaker

[firstgradefairytales]

[firstgradefairytales]

I cannot handle life right now.

The closeness of the presidential race is literally killing me, and MY STATE JUST VOTED NO TO A PENNY TAX FOR TEACHER RAISES! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THIS WOULD’VE RAISED THE MINIMUM SALARY $5,000!!! IT WAS A FUCKING PENNY! ONE CENT! AND 66% ARE REPORTING AND 59% VOTED NO! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW? CLEARLY OKLAHOMA “VALUES” IT’S TEACHERS WITH IT’S RIDICULOUS CLASS SIZES AND IT’S 50TH PLACE TEACHER PAY! I AM SO EMOTIONAL AND LIVID RIGHT NOW I COULD SCREAM!

[firstgradefairytales]

Fall #Educhum Buddies!

Greetings #Educhums!!!

August is the last month for summer buddies so it’s time to start the application process for fall buddies!

You do not need to be a teacher to sign up, for example- I am a college student completing my education degree. If you feel connected to #education, #educhums ect… join!

This exchange does not need to be extravagant or costly, a note of encouragement is always appreciated. I know money can be very tight, so please don’t feel obligated to join or send expensive gifts. 

If you sign up for a buddy, it is asked that you follow through and send something to your assigned #educhum at least once a month. You can remain a secret buddy, or reveal yourself at any time. If you do not feel you can fulfill the requirements, please do not sign up for this round. Nothing is more bummer than having a buddy that doesn’t follow through! We are all responsible adults, I ask that you fulfill this commitment, if you sign up.

This series of buddies will run from September- December 2016.  

To sign-up please fill out this Google Form: 

https://goo.gl/forms/8A5Y9mCRYfcq6mdZ2

DEADLINE FOR SIGNUP is Aug 31, 2016

I hope y’all are just as excited as I am! Please reblog to spread this within our community!

Thank you,

Mishele AKA MagicalMissB

[firstgradefairytales]

New URL is here!!!!

You can now officially find my education blog over at @killinitinkinder! My personal blog is still @alwaysandforeveraprincess and I WILL be keeping this URL in case I ever make the transition back! You guys have been a great team of followers and colleagues and I look forward to seeing you guys on my new blog!!!

[firstgradefairytales]

Thank you God...

I get it. I'm where I'm supposed to be. Message received.

[firstgradefairytales]

Confession Time

Today, I was a bad teacher. I don’t even have students yet for this academic year, not officially anyway, but I was a bad teacher. I didn’t go to school today. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks (of my summer) working on my room from 8am-5pm and today, I didn’t go. My 1st contract day is the 10th. My room isn’t ready (yet) and Meet the Teacher is exactly a week from today, as is my hubby’s birthday. Now, should I have gone? Probably. But this morning when Jake woke up he had a bad sinus pressure headache. He has a job that allows him to easily take sick days so he called in sick. I saw today as an opportunity for us to have one last lazy day at home together as a family with our animals. I most definitely have to be at school all day tomorrow and he will go back to work tomorrow like nothing is wrong but today, we both laid around and watched the Olympics and napped with the animals and cuddled each other and did absolutely nothing productive. And it was glorious. 

The perfect way to end my summer and I have absolutely no regrets. 

[firstgradefairytales]

I'm so over...

Organizing my new classroom and getting settled in. I want to make this place look like a classroom already!!

[firstgradefairytales]

You know your room must be in bad shape...

If the custodian sticks his head in and asks if you're doing okay and if you need any help. 😂 Haaaaaa. Noooooo. Just drowning in everything that was already in this room and now my stuff is in here too and I have to organize everything....

[firstgradefairytales]

I have the Lakeshore one in my own personal classroom but when I was student teaching my co-teacher had a SMARTboard file that she compiled herself of all of the spiral review concepts she wanted to address. She changed it every month, sometimes bi-weekly if she needed to change the concept earlier but we ALWAYS used the calendar on Starfall because it actually incorporated a lot of different holidays that we were able to teach about/talk about, and you can put the birthdays on every day so we made that a classroom job. It actually promoted community because the kids learned each other’s birthdays and when their day came we didn’t have to make a big deal because the other kids in the class had been looking forward to it already so they did it themselves. We dedicated a few minutes after calendar to sing to the birthday kid and at the end of the day everyone made cards for them. I’m in the process of trying to decide which one I like better to use this year. 

Calendar Math

For any ELEM EDUCHUMS have you used calendar math, and if so what one do you have because the couple I have found are expensive!

[firstgradefairytales]

URL change coming soon!

I’ve been switched to teaching Kindergarten this year, and while I’m a little apprehensive about the change because first grade is all I’ve ever wanted but I’m excited about the new adventures Kindergarten will bring. I’ll be archiving firstgradefairytales whenever that time comes because a) I love it and b) I hope to return to 1st grade somewhere in the near future. I will address and link the new blog whenever that time comes. I hope you all have had a fabulous summer and I will be posting new education updates coming soon! We are allowed to get back into the building next Monday so that is when the classroom transformation will begin! 

[firstgradefairytales]

I survived year 1.

[firstgradefairytales]

Me too! MotherOfBooks ☺️

Have you been hearing the buzz about Litsy? It’s a social media app for readers (iOS only for the moment, I’m afraid, please don’t yell at me, I didn’t develop the app) that is kind of like if Instagram and Goodreads had a beautiful, perfect baby. You can read a little about it on their website. I’m kind of obsessed.

What I like about Litsy, perhaps paradoxically, are its strict limitations. You can basically do only three things to add content to your page: quote from a book you’re reading, blurb a book you’re reading, and review a book you’re reading. Litsy forces you to tag a book title for every post, so this keeps the community focused on reading in a really satisfying way. Each one of these posts can be a picture, or text, or both. When viewing content in your feed, you have only three options: add a book to one of your stacks (read, to read, or currently reading), make a comment, or like a quote/blurb/review from another reader. As you add content and engage with other readers, you accumulate a score.

http://bookriot.com/2016/05/12/litsy-if-instagram-and-goodreads-had-a-perfect-baby/

[firstgradefairytales]

Yay!!! I got an #educhum present today! Love love love the polka dot clipboards and the colorful markers! I cannot wait to get them into my classroom! They'll be perfect!