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Whether it's your first year teaching or your 29th ... there are going to be those days when you feel like a tornado has hit your classroom and by the end of the day you are wishing for a good glass of wine ... a nice long shower ... or a trip down to the dollar spot at target lol

Well ... today was one of those days for me.  It was rough from the start and I spent the whole day adjusting to the moods and chaos of my class.  Sometimes ... the kids need more than the well thought out lesson ... sometimes ... they just need to blow off some steam lol

More and more ... I see a focus on common core and getting the kids to a certain reading level versus letting the kids be kids and that worries me.  I chose "Teaching Hearts and Minds" for a reason and that is because on teaching days like these... I am reminded ... and not in a subtle way at all that for kids ... coming to school is more than just coming to learn how to read and add ... its about coming to a place where they feel safe ... where we learn how to choose kind, be kind, and live in a kind way.  It's where your teacher makes you "feel" you are valued and loved ... where you learn how to be friends with one another...respect one another ... where you learn that families come in different forms, shapes, and sizes.  And this my friends ... is not always learned through thatt amazing lesson on your smartboard, or posted on seesaw, or written down in their writing folders ... it's learned through their interactions with one another.

And on a day like today ... those interactions come in the form of a morning meeting where the kids get to tell you why they came into school not feeling so great ... or through their exploration play time where they go to the house center or in their journals where they get to write out how they feel. 

Today my classroom did not have any "Pinterest" worthy moments ... but we sure did have some good life learning lessons.  

When my "special" friend started screaming to avoid doing their work and all the "first/thens" weren't working ... my students learned how to accept each other for all of our differences and work as a team to encourage each other when we don't feel like learning.

When another friend decides to have a complete meltdown and throw things in the room ... the kids learned how to stay calm in a tough situation and not give negative attention or feedback to their peers.

And at the end of the day ... I didn't have anything awesome to post on instagram or contribute to tpt ... but I did feel good about sending all the kids off with smiles.  I felt good that both of my "friends" ended the day happy and knowing that no matter what I won't give up on them.  

And yes ... I'm probably not writing a post that will get repinned or impress anyone ...but you know what ... I know there are so many awesome teachers out there like me ... in the trenches ... doing the best we can on the most toughest teaching days ... and even if no one on social media knows what amazing things we were able to accomplish outside of the "mandated" curriculum ... we know ... and probably that empty glass of wine knows ...oh heck who am I kidding ... that empty BOTTLE of wine knows ... and the target dollar spot knows too lol 

Here's to all of us teachers ... Pinterest worthy or not ... who keep going ... even on crazy days ... because we love what we do ... we love the kids no matter what ... and we just keep going ... 

Cheers to all of you my friends!  Let's hope the week ends a lot better than it started for me!

Keep Moving Forward! 
I've been very fortunate to have had the chance to job share during the first year of both my daughter and son's lives.  Teaching is already a hard enough job as it is but adding a husband and two kids to the mix has definitely been a challenge for me.  I am grateful for every moment I had at home with my family because of job sharing.  For any new teacher mommies out there contemplating making the decision to job share, I hope this blog helps you make the right choice for your family.

Just like my two kids are completely different from one another, so were my two job share experiences!

Job Share Experience #1

When I had my daughter, my husband and I decided I would stay home for one year because we couldn't afford daycare and she had such severe allergies that we felt it best I stay home with her.  When her allergies didn't improve into her second year, we decided to make a huge sacrifice financially and have me job share instead of go back full time.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would job share during my teaching career!  Before my daughter, I could never, ever imagine relinquishing control and sharing my classroom with someone.  It just never seemed like something I could do.  I had no problem collaborating with others, but I have never liked having "roommates" and when you think about it, job sharing is really like having a roommate in your classroom.

Since I only wanted to work 1-2 days a week, I had to give up my position at my school and find a teacher willing to take me as their partner.  I went from not wanting to ever have a roommate in my classroom to trying to find someone willing to have me in their classroom!  It's amazing the changes that happen to you both physically and emotionally once you have kids!  Luckily, I found someone who was willing to teach with me and it worked out fine.  It was definitely an adjustment because I was coming into their school and classroom.

Overall, it wasn't the best experience but I did learn a lot.  I was able to ease into teaching after being out for one year and I learned a lot about the importance of collaboration and communication.  I also learned a lot about the importance of consistency with the students.  As hard as it was for me to adjust to my partner's teaching style, I knew it was the best thing to do for the kids.  Luckily, my partner also had an open mind and was willing to try on some of the teaching strategies and procedures I used in my own room.  But because she taught the majority of the week, it made sense for me to adapt to her way of running the classroom.  It wasn't easy ... but I knew I was making a sacrifice in terms of my work life to benefit my family life.

Job Share Experience #2

After job sharing for one year, I was eager to go back full time.  I felt rejuvenated and had an energy that I was lacking right before I went on maternity leave.  I had really burnt myself out my first 9 years of teaching and the time I took on leave and job sharing was the best thing I could have done for my family and my teaching.  I taught 2 years full time before I got the itch to have another baby!  

Unfortunately, all the time I took off with my first left me with very little vacation time to take off with my 2nd.  So when it came time to figure out what I'd do once my son came, I knew I did not have the same luxury of staying home for a year.  It really broke my heart not being able to provide my 2nd child with the time I was able to give to my first but like they say "it is what it is."  

Luckily, I was able to do the next best thing.  After taking my 8 weeks off to recover from my C-section, I was able to job share 50% for the year.  I taught Mondays, Tuesdays, and every other Wednesday with the most amazing partner!  

This time around, I was the teacher looking for someone to job share with me.  I had the chance to interview and choose my "roommate" and I hit the jackpot with my partner.  Most of the time, job share partners learn to work together and it takes years to really find your groove with one another.  My job share partner and I didn't go through this at all.  From the moment we met, we clicked ... I had never met someone with the same energy and teaching philosophy as me but here she was!  I had found my teaching soulmate lol  When I look back on it, I can't help but laugh at all the times we would literally finish each other's sentences OR think of the same exact things to do with our students and lessons.

This past year job sharing has been amazing.  I learned so much from my partner and was able to balance both work and family because I found a job share partner who I really enjoyed teaching with.  We both understood the importance of family, but also wanted to provide the best experiences for our students.  

All in all, I learned a lot from both job share experiences.  It wasn't easy making the decision to job share, but I'm glad I did.  If you are thinking about it, I have some tips below about how to make it work with your partner. 

1. Shop Around
I've been on both sides of the job share experience.  The first time around, I was the teacher hoping someone would want to take me in and job share with me.  The second time around, I was the one that got to pick who worked with me.  However, both times, I made the decision to go with my gut and only work with someone I felt I could truly work with.  I've seen too many job share situations not work out because both teachers were not willing to compromise or collaborate.  So the first thing I would say is DON'T SETTLE!  Job sharing is a lot of work...it sometimes felt like more work than working full time...so really think it through before you commit to job share with someone.  Just like moving in with someone is a big deal...so is job sharing.  If you wouldn't want to live with this person and share your "home" with them...then you definitely wouldn't want to share your classroom with them.  Let's face it...our classroom's are our homes away from home.  Make sure the person you job share with is someone you are willing to "live" with and make compromises with for the school year.
2.  Compromise and Collaboration is KEY!
When I first walked into my first job share partner's classroom I knew right away what kind of teacher she was.  I could tell that her style, management, and philosophy were different than mine, but I was ok with that BECAUSE she had told me she was willing to try new things.  Had she not been willing to make some compromises I don't know if it would have worked.  However, having said that, I also understood that she would be the one teaching the majority of the time and I was willing to compromise too.  With my second job share partner, we clicked so well that making compromises and collaboration just came naturally.  It was amazing to have someone to collaborate and brainstorm with.  We definitely helped each other "lighten the load" in terms of figuring out best teaching practices, prepping for lessons, planning and figuring out how to best meet our students' needs.

3. COMMUNICATION IS HUGE!
I learned a lot about the importance of communication during my first job share experience.  My partner was extremely organized and had job shared for several years before I became her partner.  As a result, she really understood how important it was for us to make time to communicate how our days went with the kids.  She was more comfortable talking on the phone and leaving written notes which worked out fine since I only taught 1-2 days a week.

For my second job share partner, we had to figure out how to communicate daily because we were teaching 50/50.  Since we have little ones, we also needed to figure out how to do this efficiently.  Thank goodness for Bloomz, texting, google docs, and google drive LOL  My partner and I were able to share our lesson plans on google docs which made planning so much easier!  We also texted each other daily and used Bloomz to communicate with our parents.  It was always awesome telling the kids that we would text each other to tell them how proud we were of them or to send a photo of students' work.  It really send a message to the kids that we were both their teachers and worked together to help them succeed.

GOOGLE DRIVE was a lifesaver too!  On my days off, I would create activities for the kids and share it with my partner so she could print it out at school and vice versa.  Technology definitely helped us successfully communicate!

4. GO WITH THE FLOW
If there is anything that becoming a parent has really taught me and has carried over into my teaching it is learning to just "GO WITH THE FLOW AND LET IT GO."  When you teach full time you are already having to make adjustments on the fly.  Well ... the same goes for job sharing... if not more so.  If you decide to job share, you will have moments where things don't go perfectly and that's okay!  You and your partner will figure it out.  Just like you learn to adjust to a new roommate ... you and your partner will also need time to figure out what works best for the two of you.

Job sharing hasn't always been the easiest for me.  I'll be honest and admit some days I felt like it was more work than working full time.  BUT I will tell you this....NEVER EVER ... NOT EVEN ONCE did I regret it.  Job sharing gave me time with my family I will always cherish.  I don't think I'll ever look back and say "Gee...I wish I worked full time that year so I could perfect my teaching."  Teaching is always evolving and we are always growing as educators.  I know that I will always have time to stretch and grow in my craft.  BUT I will never ever be able to get back the time that I've been able to have with my little ones now.  I'll always look back at the years I job shared and feel grateful I had this time with them.

Well, I don't know if this blog will help you.  I just wanted to share my experience with you.  Being a teacher is never easy ... we make tough choices everyday ... I hope that what I've shared with you will help you in making the right choice for you and your family.

Happy teaching!




  

Hey everyone...

I'm so embarrassed that my last post was in November!  BUT... I have a good reason for that ... I am 7 and 1/2 months pregnant!  Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the worst morning sickness and for this 2nd pregnancy...it was not fun for about 4 months!  I'm talking ... throwing up constantly, couldn't eat anything, couldn't even look at a computer, phone or tv without wanting to hurl!

And then when I finally got better...it was in the middle of the craziest time at school...between 2nd report cards, open house, and renovating our new house...I've been busy!

I want to apologize for anyone who has checked my website or tried to see if I added anything to my TPT store.  I just haven't had the time or energy to devote myself to any of these things.  I've barely been surviving.

After 12 years of teaching...my biggest struggle has been learning how to balance everything.  For the first 8 years of my teaching I devoted all my time to my classroom and then I burned out.  I got so burned out that I took 2 years off from teaching to stay home and focus on my daughter.

Now...after my 2nd year back full time...I am pregnant with my 2nd baby and I decided to take a step back from my teacher life and focusing on growing this precious bundle in my belly.

Once the school year is over (just 15 more school days) I am going to try my best to update this blog with all the awesome things my class did this year.  I might even try to post some new resources on my TPT store.  Hopefully, this bundle of joy doesn't come early!

I'm only 10 weeks away from getting the new addition to my family and I can't wait.  But I do want to apologize to my teaching family out there.  I'm sorry I haven't been able to contribute to all of the awesome things you all are doing out there.

I promise...I will be sharing all of the great things my class did from November to June really soon.  God blessed me with an amazing class this year...I wouldn't have survived the morning sickness if my class was anything but sweet and amazing.

Anyway...to all you teachers out there on summer break...I'm so jealous!!  And to all of you who are in the home stretch like me....hang in there...we are almost done!

Stay tuned...I promise I'll have something up before this baby comes out!



I don't know about you ... but I have an absolute love/hate relationship with my bulletin boards.  I absolutely LOOVE thinking of things for the kids to create for our boards... but I DO NOT love the fact that it can take me hours to take them down and put them up.  A huge part probably has to do with the fact that I'm vertically challenged and have to use a step ladder to put anything up!

Even though it is time consuming, I love to change my bulletin boards at least once a month because both the students and their families take great pride in seeing the children's work up.  Plus, I am a huge advocate for creating a warm, friendly, positive learning environment and this is one way to achieve that!

One of the best things I've ever done was to plan out what I will have up on at least one bulletin board for every month before school even starts.  Having a "rough draft" ready to go in August always helps me organize and plan my lessons better.  PLUS it is a huge time saver and I'm not scrambling to think of what cute things to put up.

I do my best to have a bulletin board/wall space for every subject (student writer's wall, math wall, art and writing/social studies/science connection).  I think it is one of the best ways to show what the class is learning!

This month I will be putting up one of my all time favorite bulletin boards.




I really love this one because I'm able to touch upon so many standards and it's so stinkin' cute!  The kids are able to practice fine motor skills by threading yarn through the holes of the stockings.  I take pictures of the kids wearing cute hats/headbands and glue them on so that it becomes a great keepsake.  We also do some great interactive writing in small groups (I'll have to do another post about how I do small group interactive writing...but I digress) and ask Santa questions about what we have always wondered about him (kids are so used to telling Santa what they want that I wanted to emphasize the importance of getting to know Santa vs. just asking for material things from him).  Those writings are what I put on my bulletin board.  We also do individual letters and I "mail" those out in time for the kids to all get a response from Santa.

Here is another bulletin board I love to put up.


With everything going on in the world right now, I think this is an important topic to discuss even more so.  I love to read Todd Parr's "The Peace Book" as well as "What Does Peace Feel Like?" by Vladimir Radunsky.  In "What Does Peace Feel Like?" children from all over the world use their five sense to describe what they think would look, feel, smell, taste, and sound like.  It is always amazing what the children come up with.  I let them try to phonetically write what they want to say and then type it out correctly for the bulletin board.  How adorable and profound is it for a child to say "Peace is cats and dogs laying in a bed?!"  This is why I love teaching kindergarten and first grade!

Because I also talk about various holidays, I also like to put art work that reflects the different cultures we discuss at this time.  I like to read "The Legend of the Poinsettia" by Tomie Depaola and do this fun painting craft with my kids.  I can't remember who I got this idea from...it was way before pinterest but I do remember seeing it on someone's blog over 10 years ago!  I plan to do it again this year and I promise I will have better, updated photos to come!


Well...that pretty much sums up what I have planned for bulletin boards this month.  If I get to do something new...which is quite possible I'll be sure to blog about it soon!  Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!












I absolutely love this time of year in Kindergarten.  I know it can seem crazy fitting in holiday performances, making parent gifts, doing fun crafts and of course sticking to your academic curriculum....but I just looooove it!

The kids have been in school a couple of months and the class is getting in a groove and it is just the perfect time to reinforce the concept of being "one family" that accepts and celebrates all of our diversity, cultures, and traditions.

Since Hanukkah is starting on December 6 this year, I thought I would blog about what I like to do in my class to introduce Hanukkah and how I do it in a way that still meets common core!

When we get back from Thanksgiving Break, here are the things that I will be doing in class.

1) Years ago, I stumbled upon an amazing book that reviews colors, numbers, counting and Hanukkah.  It is called "Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah."  You can find it on Amazon here.  I will be using this book as a Math Read Aloud to tie it into counting and cardinality and then doing a craftivity.  You can find the craftivity here at my tpt store.  I love doing the craft on 12 X 18 black construction paper.  The one below is on 9 X 12 for those of you who don't have access to 12 X 18 paper.  I just love how the colors pop against black!


I know this is a bad photo!  It's from over 10 years ago!  I'll definitely update with a better photo when we do this next week!

2)  I also love to teach the kids how to play the dreidel game which I'm sure many of you do as well.  This year, I decided to buy dreidels instead of making them.  The paper and pencil ones never spin very well and I found an awesome deal on amazon here.   I know 100 dreidels may seem like a lot but I thought it would be fun to have enough for the whole class to play during a lesson, as well as set it up as centers, and then have some left over to give as gifts.  When we play the game, we will be using a variety of things such as m & m's, plastic gold coins, marbles, gems, etc to play.  I know they aren't made of wood and are plastic but they spin really well, are colorful and bright, and are a great price!

3) And of course....I always love finding an excuse to eat!  We will be doing a taste test to decide which Hanukkah food we like the most.  I'll have the kids try latkes (from trader joe's) with sour cream, with apple sauce, and plain and see which one they like the best.  As soon as I finish making the survey sheet for this activity I will post it here as a freebie!

4) Some great read alouds that I always enjoy reading for Hanukkah are listed below:



Image result for hanukkah bear eric kimmel




Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of this Thanksgiving break!  Be sure to come back and check my blog to see if I can really do what I have planned which is to celebrate holiday traditions in the United States (Kwanzaa and Christmas), Mexico (Las Posadas), Sweden (Santa Lucia), and the Philippines (the country that celebrates Christmas the longest!).  I know...I'm crazy!  But like I said...I just love this time of year!!!!


Hey all!

Where does the weekend go?  It seems impossible to fit it all in!  I'm trying really hard to find a balance with everything that is important to me and somehow...it just never seems like I can get that balance right?!  I saw some people posting on instagram about how Ron Clark says something about if you try to juggle 3 plates and they fall...well then they fall...and you just gotta move on.  That pretty much sums up how I'm always feeling lol

Anyway, I haven't done a great job with keeping up with my posts but I wanted to give a little thank you to all of you who do come and check out what I'm up to.   It isn't much but in case you'd like it...here are some freebies for a couple things I made up this week for my class.  I just haven't had enough time to create for tpt lately...or to even blog about all the crazy things I'm doing in class but here are a few things I've managed to make.  Hope you all like it!


Have a great week everyone!  Here's to hoping Monday isn't so "Manic" and that we are all able to balance things a bit better in our lives this week!