Telling "My Kids"

Every year I get a group of over 100 students who by the end of the school year have turned into "my kids."  Being a teacher, we can't help it, you spend so much time with them that you learn all about each one and love them as if they were your own.  Of course that would mean I would have four years of 120 students, so 480 "kids" at this point (I look good for 480 kids, right??).  Some confide in you and you form a bond that goes past the one year you have them in the classroom.  Our jobs are very, very rewarding.

 

I knew that I wanted to include my kids and tell them about Baby Kelly (BK as Jason likes to call my belly) in a special way just like we did with family.  Knowing that I couldn't buy 120 onesies to give each one, and knowing that as soon as I told some of them it would spread like wildfire, I conspired a plan with my team teachers.

 

We decided that first period, the Friday before Christmas break (we had school the Monday after but many students were taking off) I would put my Christmas card up on the projector for the students to figure out what it meant.  I brought along another student to record their reactions, and I must say that they still crack me up.  Some classes got it right away, some it took a little longer.

 

This was the card that we put up on the projector so you know what they're looking at:

I went from classroom to classroom, all in first period so that I was the one who got to tell them, and not other students.  I had to give the same speech 5 times, so sorry, you have to listen to the same speech 5 times too, but I am so glad we recorded their reactions since they are priceless!!

Math Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rthyC1dh4pU

English Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HQ6QyExLI

Social Studies Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CUsbXYa3ts

Academic Literacy Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZyZjRWG9DE

Science Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwa3awcv5AM

Does this bring anyone back to their 8th grade year?  Many of my friends say this made them remember how awkward junior high was after watching the videos.

 

Which class reaction did you like the best?

Crafty- Teacher Toolbox

Over the summer, my friend Ashlee made an awesome organizer for school supplies that is a teacher's dream.  I'm not the most crafty, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but every.single.day I get happy when I look at my organizer on my desk and I'm proud of myself :-)

 

Ashlee gave me a link to a site that had awesome templates to print and cut out.  You can find that here.... just kidding about that one.  I seriously have looked for 45 minutes and can't find the site I used.  If I ever come across it again, I promise I'll post it

 

So I sent Jason to Lowes in search of a 22 opening toolbox, and he found the perfect one.  It's blue and has just a little shimmer to it, so that was the icing on the cake.  I spend a July evening perfecting it while Jason was at poker.  This is what I started with:

 

The steps are pretty self explanatory.  Cut, decide where you want to put each of the items and then tape.  Double-sided tape would have been golden, but I only had regular tape so I taped them from the inside.  Optional Kitty Helper is recommended!

 

Here is the final product after many, many re-straightening and taping labels:

 

Chase is so proud of his work that he protected it all night!



If you're a teacher, I would highly recommend making one of these!  It keeps all the supplies that I would ever need in one place and I don't have to go rooting through drawers to find what I want.  Plus, my students think I'm crazy for putting that much time into something, when it really didn't take long at all (other than my OCD straightening of course).

 

2-6

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the students who seem to ruin your day.  The ungrateful ones, the selfish ones, but what I really need to do is focus on the ones who brighten my day, and not the ones who take pride in ruining it.

Take today for example, I had some of the SWEETEST students who helped make today special.

From the sweet girl who brought in a chocolate cake with white icing

To the other sweet girl who brought in a cookie cake 
(she pays attention to what I say ;-))

To the girl and boy who brought all the snacky items and the boy who brought the plates and cups for my homeroom party

And finally the boy who calls me his Best Friend and gives me a sweet card

This year, I am going to try to focus on the positives instead of letting one or two small things affect me.  It's obviously so much more easy to let them ruin your day, but I will focus on the Kynslee, Gillian, Juliann, Hank, Sam and Pat's of the world <3