Teacher Tuesday: Mrs. O'Kelley Edition

When I was a senior at Texas Tech, my mom wanted me to come back to Plano to do my student teaching with this girl named Paige O'Kelley who was just phenomenal. She taught Kindergarten. At the time, I thought I would never teach anything but Kinder. Well, over the summer, Paige moved to teaching 2nd grade and my mom said, "I don't care. You need to do your student teaching with her. It doesn't matter what grade level she is teaching, she is awesome." Ok mom, sure. I really wanted to be with Kindergarteners, but I also didn't want to argue with the lady who was footing the bill. Side note- I got a job teaching 1st grade and decided that was the best place for me. God bless Kinder teachers!!! Can I get an amen?

To say the experience in her 2nd grade classroom was magical is an understatement. She taught me more in 2 months than I learned the entire four years I was in college. She trusted me, she let me work through problems on my own, she let me be creative. She was amazing. Ok mom, you were right.

Just as my mom trusted Paige to teach me, a few short years later Paige trusted me to teach her sweet boy, Brendan. I just love that kid! Here is quite possibly my favorite photo ever taken of Paige and her family. They are at the UT/OU game at the Cotton Bowl and he's putting his Guns Up for Texas Tech! Love. It.

And this is probably my 2nd favorite pic. He asked for that shirt for Christmas! #Sorrynotsorry

Now that you know the background story, I am pleased to introduce to you to the amazing, Paige O'Kelley.

Teacher Interview

How long have you been teaching? 

24 years! I taught at Barron (Plano) for 5 years and I have been at Beverly ever since! :)

What is your classroom decor? 

Western! 

I snuck in and took some pics of her cute room!

What is your favorite story about a student? 

Gosh, there are so many to choose from! When I was teaching kindergarten, you always had to be on your toes at a moment's notice. Anyone who has ever taught kindergarten knows you cannot go anywhere without at least 5 children following you, including into the bathroom. One time, I quickly ran into the kindergarten bathroom (because you also cannot leave kindergartners for a millisecond to go to the teacher's bathroom) and one little boy followed me in there, threw his book bag under the stall, and said, "Mrs. O'Kelley, you forgot to give me a new book to take home." Wow, I am so glad I didn't have to remind him about doing his homework!  

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

I absolutely LOVE teaching kids to read. Story time is my favorite time of the day. I really try to sound like the characters and use lots of inflection in my voice. This helps children create the movie in their mind. I also teach kids to "read" the pictures. The pictures often tell you so much that the text does not. I love helping children fall in love with books. I love showing kids the journey that books can take you on, and that some of the best books in the world make you cry. My favorite readers to teach are the reluctant ones who think they hate reading. It is so exciting to see the light bulb come on when they find "that" book that changes the way they feel about reading. By the end of our year together, they love reading as much as I do.

What inspires you? What is your strong?

I have known since second grade that I wanted to be a teacher. I know without a doubt that my purpose on Earth is to inspire kids to love learning. It is my calling and one I take very seriously.

What is your favorite Techy Tool?

I just recently started using Plickers and I love it! It's so easy to assess if a child understands a concept. The kid's answers are graphed instantaneously, however, I am the only one who can see which child did not answer correctly.



Learn more about Plickers here! 

What is your favorite caffeinated beverage?

I begin each and every day with coffee! I also love iced tea in a Sonic or Chick Fil A cup. There is something about having a drink with a straw that makes it taste better!

What is your favorite school celebration?

When my students reach their individual AR goals. It starts them on the "Hey, I really do LOVE reading path" which makes my heart explode with happiness! AR has the ability to challenge every level of reader from beginner to very advanced. I am a HUGE proponent of AR and have the nickname of being the "AR Queen."

This is my favorite celebration in 2nd grade. Look how cute they are!!! 

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

My favorite thing to do when I am not at one of my daughter's shows or my son's ball games is to plan our next trip to Disney and scrapbook! :) Some people may say I am obsessed with Disney. I like to think of it as a constant state of magic!

Tell us your best classroom management trick.

It is amazing how quickly kids will respond when you whisper or sing! You can make any activity fun, it is all based on presentation. To quote Mary Poppins "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun! You find the fun and SNAP! The job is a game."  

This family L-O-V-E-S Mary Poppins. This is her daughter, Kennedy, who got to play Mary Poppins a few years ago. I saw the show, it was AMAZING!

Favorite teacher you've ever had?

My second grade teacher, Sandra Wysong, inspired me to be a teacher. She would gather us around her feet and tell us stories. I knew she loved us so much and I knew I wanted to be just like her! My other favorite teacher was my fourth grade teacher, Gail Alldredge. She taught us how fun reading can be when you create that movie picture in your mind. She was also the teacher that introduced me to "Where The Red Fern Grows." LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Student Interview

I asked two of Mrs. O'Kelley's students to answer some questions about their teacher. Brandt and Emma are so sweet and neither one is lacking the personality department.

Those two cutie's answers are in blue below. B-Brandt & E-Emma

1. How old is your teacher?

B-30 something. Like 34? I am sure Mrs. O'Kelley will pick Brandt as the winner on this question ;)

E-48?

Or maybe she's 100 years old ;).

2. What does your teacher do for fun?

B-Make activities for us to do.

E- Go Swimming.

3. What would your teacher do with $1,000,000?

B- Buy clones of me! 

E- Buy a bunch of clothes and shoes.

4. If your teacher wasn't a teacher, what would she be?

B-The President

E-The Principal

I think Mrs. O'Kelley really could be the president! Look at her patriotic kiddos! 

5. If your teacher was a fruit, which one would she be?

B-Apple! Teachers love apples. 

E- Grapes! She eats them all the time while we are reading to her at teacher table

6.What scares your teacher?

B- Spiders!

E- Brendan keeps bringing snakes and gross stuff into the house.

7. What is something your teacher doesn't like?

B&E- When kids don't put their name and date on their paper. Oh, and when they forget capitals and periods too.

8. If your teacher could teleport, where would she go?

B- To Mars!

E- To my house! To all of our houses! 

Hmmm...look at those tin foil hats. Maybe B&E are right about Mars?!?!

9. What makes your teacher so special?

B- She is funny and she lets us read a lot.

E- She is really, really nice.

Other fun facts I learned about Mrs. O'Kelley during this student interview:

-Kennedy doesn't like bacon?!?!?!

-Mr. O'Kelley says no one can talk during the Cowboys game. Mrs. O'Kelley says it's best to get out of the house.
-She used to teach other grades, but now she teaches 2nd because I am in it! 

What's Up Wednesday

Welcome back to What's Up Wednesday! 

What I'm Working On

One of my goals this year is to grow professionally in my knowledge of social and emotional learning. One of my colleagues recommended this book by Brene Brown...

It is all about taking risks, vulnerability, and realizing that failure and error are normal parts of the human existence. Before I started reading, I thought to myself, "Well, that's something I teach kids all the time. I talk about having a growth mindset and that making mistakes is normal. We learn from our mistakes." 

Well let me tell you, I haven't even gotten past the introduction and I am realizing that this book is going to make me take a long hard look at myself. I am following along with a book study and it is challenging me on a whole other level. It wants me to write down my FAILURES?? Wait, can't I just keep them a secret? It wants me to describe my vulnerabilities. ON PAPER? I mean, I was working on it at home and was covering it up as if someone were going to bust into my living room and see what I had written. So clearly, I have not been following my own advice. I am excited to see what kind of personal journey this book takes me on. Maybe I will even get to the point where I can write some of my vulnerabilities here. On this blog. On the internet, where EVERYONE can see?!?! 

Heard Around the Halls

Today I ate lunch with a bunch of 4th grade boys as part of our "New Crew" activities. This week, we added in student ambassadors who are students chosen from each class to help make our newbies feel welcome. I was so impressed with these kiddos who were open, honest, and collaborative. One of the activities we did required them to choose one of the following Dr. Seuss quotes and relate it to welcoming new people or how they might feel about being new.

One boy chose, "You miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut." He then spoke directly to our new students and said, "Don't shut your eyes. Keep them wide open. School here is a wild ride and there are friends waiting around every corner. Remember, Beverly Bobcats are always kind. We are so glad you are at our school." It just so happens that I taught this sweet boy in 1st grade and I got a little teary eyed hearing this grown up wisdom and kindness coming out of his mouth.

A Counselor's Life

I am in charge of helping to plan Red Ribbon Week, our yearly anti-drug campaign. I have an awesome helper from our PTA that helps me and we work really well together.  Last year, we had a lot of fun with team sports day, wear red day, and crazy socks. This year, we are looking to add some different/new theme days into the mix. I found this on Pinterest which gives some great ideas. If you have any other suggestions, comment below on this post. I would love to hear them.

Right now I am really digging "Superheroes Don't Do Drugs". It's a really easy theme and if kids don't have a superhero costume, they can make a cape out of an old t-shirt by following a tutorial like this... Cape Tutorial

Technology Tip

I learned about this one from one of our awesome curriculum coordinators, Lisa. She showed this to us during a meeting when we were trying to look at student data that correlated to our state standards, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). It makes looking at state standards so easy. Of course, I know teachers will love it, but I think parents could find it really useful as well. This app is the yellow background with the state of Texas inside. You can find it by searching for TEKS in the app store.

Here's a quick look at how it works...

1. Choose the content area you are focusing on.

2. Choose the grade level.

3. Choose the standard you are focusing on and it will open up that strand so you can see the strand broken down into skills.

4. This is what it looks like once you choose one of the TEKS to view.

 5. In the top left corner you will see a speech box with lines where you can take notes. AMAZING. I wrote a note on the bottom as an example. I think this could be a great planning tool when looking at data from the year before or when looking at incoming students' strengths and areas for growth.

Something I am Listening To

On repeat. All day, every day. I get you, JT. I can't stop the feeling either. I can't stop it while I'm walking down the halls at school, making dinner, or even when I'm just driving in my car.  I have gotten a few weird looks from other drivers, but I'm sure they will figure out what I'm listening to and get their groove on with me. Side Note: who else could look that good in white on white denim?!?!

Uplifting Inspiration

Speaking of dancing, Amy Poehler #nailedit on this one...

This goes perfectly with my exploration into my own vulnerability. Don't just talk about it, be about it.