What's Up Wednesday

What I'm Working On

I guess I am technically done working on it, but you might have noticed a fun little change to my blog. I have been wanting a custom blog design but didn't want to pay a ton of money. I found this little website www.designerblogs.com  and just loved all of their designs. After much debate, I settled on "The Burke" design. I'm a big fan of gold, script, and polka dots so this was a win-win-win for me. I hope you like it too.

Heard Around the Halls

There is a sweet first grader who likes to make up songs for every lesson I teach. Last week he made up a great song about having a growth mindset. This week the lesson was all about standing in someone else's shoes and defining the word empathy. When the lesson was finished, he politely raised his hand and asked if he could sing a song about my lesson. And pretty much out of nowhere came up with this...

Empathy, do you know what I mean?
Stand in their shoes and don't scream.
Think about being them and
Be niiiiiiceeeee.

Whether it's somebody you don't know,
Or somebody you've never met
Still be kind and polite because it's respectFUL.

I mean. Freestyling at the age of 6. Let's cut this kid a record deal. I can't wait to hear what he comes up with for the rest of the year.

The best part is, his class was so encouraging. They congratulated him when he was done. They smiled at him while he was singing. Now you know why I love first grade so much. Sweet, innocent, respectful little souls.

A Counselor's Life

I have been looking for a way to help families connect at night. Between busy schedules, homework, and extra-curricular activities many families are lucky to get one or two nights per week together at the dinner table. I came up with these family chit chat cards to give families a chance to have important conversations, explore outside, get fit together, and celebrate some fun October holidays. Click the link below to check out the cards, print them off, and have some fun with your own family. I have already finished the November cards and am currently working on October. Let me know what you think of them.
Click here for October Chit Chat cards

Here is a little preview pic :)

Technology Tip

Google Keep
You know how I love a good to-do list. Even better if it can be color coded. I love this Google app to keep me organized when I am on the go. You can make checklists, insert pictures, and even leave yourself a voice memo. I also love that you can archive old lists.

It's an app, but it also works great on a desktop. I have the most random thoughts during the day about groceries, things I want to buy, and stuff I need to do around the house. This really helps me remember my little pop-up thoughts.

Something I Am Listening To

Wow, just wow. I've had a lot of 90's country on my playlist since this came out last week.

UPlifting Inspiration

Friday Favorites

Welcome back to Friday Favorites! I hope you have all had a great week! 

Students as Inspiration

This week,  I was lucky to be included in choosing our 5th grade student council officers. Sitting in on these interviews really brightened up my whole week. Sometimes I watch the news and get really nervous thinking about what our world will look like in 10 years, 20 years, even 50? Listening to these students and their thoughtful answers made me very hopeful. The things these 10 and 11 year olds were saying were nothing short of inspirational. They were genuine, caring, and showed depth of character. I used an amazing app that I will introduce you to on number 2 of Friday Faves to create some "Pin" worthy material. Enjoy! 

Canva

Canva is a fantastic little app that I was introduced to at a technology seminar last summer. You can create cute logos, picture overlays, postcards, presentations, flyers, and more. The best part...they look totally professional. You can click the "Canva" heading above this paragraph to go to their website. This is the app I used to make the student quotes in number one! 

They have some premade templates that you can edit, or you can design your own. 

I started with a template and designed these...

I used the Facebook Cover Picture tab, searched for coffee, and then made this fun creation...  

The possibilities are endless. I apologize in advance for the time you will waste spend playing with the designs. I haven't explored the website too much, but just from the homepage, it looks like you can create really cute invitations and Save the Date cards as well! 

Organization

I love finding new ways to organize my materials. For 10 years while I was teaching first grade, I kept my files in file folders organized by the weekly story like this...  

#hotmess!
These files still live down in the first grade hallway as "just in case" files. Just in case the internet is down, just in case the H drive disappears, etc. This was a great system for papers, but I also put  shoved teacher examples, games, laminated cards, posters, and all kinds of other things in there. You can imagine the mess that created from time to time. In fact, just looking at this is kind of stressing me out right now.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have a great new way to organize my counseling files. Binders! 

Each counseling theme has its own binder. It is so much easier to find what I need and the papers and examples aren't all crumpled up when I pull them out. I put everything in protective sleeves and organized it by grade level.

I even put books that I use with the lessons inside the sleeves. 

If you have another great way to organize files, please let me know. For now, I am loving this system! 

Beautiful Oops!

We have been discussing our mindsets the last two weeks in guidance lessons. For my non-educator friends, having a growth mindset can basically be summed up with the words perseverance, grit, resiliency, and determination. It's ok to be wrong, it's ok to make a mistake, it's ok if you don't get what you want, it's ok if things don't go your way. You are learning from all of these experiences. 

In first grade, I read the story Beautiful Oops and the kids LOVED it. It has pop up pictures and very cool illustrations. It is perfect for K-2 kids.

 I painted "oopsies" all over these sheets of paper. 

Then I asked the first graders to help me make the mistakes into something beautiful. They were so creative...

Goggles

Zebra

Roller Coaster

 

Triceratops

T-Rex

This is just the beginning of the understanding that life is messy, but it is also beautiful. 

The weather forecast for next week! Finally, cooler weather!

 It's time for pumpkins, scarves, vests, and boots. Oh, the boots. I bought this pair of UGGS at the Nordstrom anniversary sale this summer and they have been staring at me, begging me to wear them ever since.

Have a great weekend, yall! 

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!