Kids Say the Darndest Things Linky Party

Jeannie at

is having a linky party! Join the fun...and please don't be offended by my student's comment. He was only a Kindergartener...

How I Met My Hunny...Linky Party!

So, I'm breaking the rule...blogging twice in one day. Well, it seems like another day...I stayed up late, got up early, went to church, stayed for the new member luncheon (even though I'm not officially a new member-yet), finally got home to check e-mail, and gotta run again...an hour away to deliver Valentine/penpal letters that I didn't get in the mail soon enough...you know the life of a second grade teacher. The sweet children just had so much to do this week. I kept them hopping! Why do they sometimes HATE to write, and other times just write and write and write? It seems that when it's an assignment, they hate it. When it's writing notes back and forth, they love it. I think next time we'll write notes back and forth to explain the new information we're learning. Have any of you done that? Oh, I digress...
Ms. Chrissy B. @ Buzzing with Ms. B is having her first linky party!

How I Met My Hunny...er, Teddy Bear! The picture was taken about a year after we married, when he talked me into getting our first Chihuahua puppy, Cocoa! We'd been at the lake...see the windblown hair?

    A skating rink was built at the end of the highway upon which I live...five miles/minutes away. I loved skating and went every Friday and/or Saturday night (both if I could talk my parents into it). I met my hunny Teddy Bear there at age 15. I told my bff that I was going to marry him the first night I met him. Yep, followed through!
    Anyway, we dated on and off for 6 years. He dumped me once (right before Valentine's Day...after I'd made heart-shaped cakes and everything) so he could take out his secret love. She only wanted him to go and buy liquor for her (he was 18 at the time) and he quickly realized this. He called me back within five days, but OH NO! I would have none of that. I told him, of course I was planning to go out with other guys...that's what breaking up meant, right? He was free to do as he wanted, as was I! Oh wow! I cried for two weeks! :D It's funny now.
   During the time we were apart, he went and signed up to join the USNavy when he graduated from high school. He was gone three years. We dated on again, off again during that time as well. He always broke it off, never me. :*( I love, love, love him, you see.
   When he got out of the Navy, I decided I didn't need to see him...he'd broken my heart too many times. It took him about ten days to call me, just to wriggle back into my good graces. When the phone rang, M was there with me and wanted to answer the phone. She said, "Oh, it's a MAN!" I knew immediately it was my hunny Teddy Bear. He always had a deep voice. . .  still does. I had plans and told him he was welcome to go scooter pootin' around with my bff (different one from when I was 15) and me. She tried to leave and I threatened her if she did! ;)

     After many more stories, we finally married 2 months after my 21st birthday and 2 months before his 23rd birthday. We've been through lots and lots, but God has blessed us with good times that outweigh the bad. I am thankful for grace and love abounding in our marriage. One of the best blessings we received is our son. He was born on my Gramma's 84th birthday and we brought him home three days later, on our fifth wedding anniversary. I think of my hunny Teddy Bear as the "wind beneath my wings." I'm the extrovert, he's the introvert. He may not agree with all my crazy schemes, but most of the time he'll go along for the ride. He tells me I overextend myself (as does my mom), but he helps me out of the quandries in which I find myself. He builds cubbies and other fine wooden furniture for my classroom, he paints, he draws, he colors, he cuts laminating, ah, he's a jack of all trades!

    I could go on about him for days, but you get the picture. He welded for 30 years, but all the local welding jobs have gone to Mexico. Now he works part-time at Publix. Our son is an assistant manager and got his dad a job. My TB worries about making 1/3 his former salary and only working 12-20 hours weekly, but I remind him that he was understanding and supportive while I finished my M. Ed. and Ed. S. for just this purpose...to support us if his job went south. He cleans the house, does laundry, and even loads and unloads the dishwasher. Just lately, he's started cooking! He told me before he left for work just now that he has soooo much to do tomorrow. Being a house-hubby is hard work and he doesn't know how I worked, took care of our son, and did all these chores all those years! What a smooze! :D I love him even more today than I did when I was 15. <3

Ron Clark Linky Party Part 2

The Parent To-Do List on page 119...especially "Limit chaos in the mornings." Second graders need the routine just as much as first graders! Breakfast and a relaxed morning atmosphere at home are my recommendations. When students have a rough time in the morning, it sets the tone for their day. Sometimes I have asked my students to go back into the hall and compose themselves to "restart" their day. I have even met them in the hall and given hugs to get them in a better frame of mind. I had one little sweetie who would tell me she didn't get her hug from Mom that morning. We made a deal that she would come to me immediately upon arrival for her hug if she needed it. That settled her each morning and she had better days. It's amazing how something we think is so small does so much!
"Leave encouraging notes" is also a BIGTIME favorite. I sent notes in my son's lunchbox from PreK through high school. :) Even now (he's 22 and assistant manager in the local Publix bakery), he carries his lunch cooler from high school. In the lid, I wrote "Stephen, I love you! Mom." It's still there and I rewrote it recently because it was beginning to wear. I write notes to my husband and parents, too. I love, love, love getting notes! ;) My hubby writes notes to me, too.

  Last year, my uncle Curtis died. He lived in Texas and hadn't really been sick. We all knew he was getting older (81 years), but he had not been sick. On Friday & Saturday, he helped decorate a booth for the local Christmas extravaganza. He went to church on Sunday, out to lunch with friends, and had a marvelous weekend. He died on Monday morning. He was a very special uncle, so I went to Texas to his funeral. I was out of school six days. I sat down at my aunt's computer and wrote typed a note to every single one of my students after the funeral. My friend printed them out from the e-mail I sent her and gave each student his/her personal note from me. She said they were thrilled to get them and my sub said they were on their very best behavior because they were concerned. The power of an encouraging, personal note is amazing!

Sign Language Linky Party? Please respond and share...

Linky Party? I'd like to have one, too...so does anyone use Sign Language in your class? Please respond and tell how! Thanks!

Arthur Teaches Sign Language is an interesting site. I use sign language in my classroom in the following ways: students sign RR for restroom (ASL, I think), I sign "Quiet!" and "Sit!" to students who are disturbing individual or small group instruction, students sign "L" to me if they are going to the library during small group instruction (there are other requirements, they know these, and there are consequences for disobedience), and they sign "Water" if they want water from the hallway. We have a water fountain, but sometimes students just need to step out into the hallway for a sip. Learning sign language is on my bucket list. I hope to do it soon! Maybe this will be the springboard for me. How do you use sign language?

School Bag Linky Party...

Babbling Abby at the Inspired Apple is having a school bag linky party! Check it out.

Here are pictures of my Swirls market bag filled with the goodies it contained when I received it. Yum!

I carry my Swirls market basket on occasion (gift from a student with prepaid monogramming so I could choose what to put on it), but I'm keeping it pretty so it's for special treats and occasions. I  took my Welcome to Second Grade bags to school in it at the beginning of school.

I also carry a small 31 organizer bag a friend gave me for my birthday. It was sort of funny how I got it. We had a "teacher appreciation" give-away. Every certified staff member's name was called to receive a treat except mine! My friend got the 31 organizer bag I had my eye on and caught me as we left the meeting. She mentioned that my name was not called (I didn't think anyone noticed) and I shushed her. She was curious about why and I told her that the only thing they gave away that I was interested in was the 31 bag she won, so it was not a problem. I was afraid that our secretary had dropped the tiny sliver of paper with my name and because I've known her since I was about 8, I'd never, ever hurt her feelings by complaining. Well...my friend handed me the bag and said Happy Birthday late! She assured me she didn't like it and didn't want it. It has the apple print on it. A lady at our school can monogram it for me, I just haven't taken the time to get that done. I'll take a photo later...

It contains 3 books I'm reading plus my Bible, a hairbrush, lipstick, mascara, phone charger, a pack of gum, my sunglasses, my favorite fine line Sharpies, a pair of scissors and some neon index cards for printing which I haven't gotten done yet. I'll share that here when I finish it. On occasion I stuff it with other items to be worked on at home or taken to school. :)

Happy linking...

Meet the Teacher Monday!

I'm joining everyone and Blog Hoppin' for Meet the Teacher Monday!

                          Tell us something about you...

I am excited to be back in school, but as most of you I'm super busy! I just got home at 9:00 tonight and decided to check the blogs before heading off to lullaby land so I can get up at 5:30 and do it again! I love, love, love school. I think I have one of the best groups of second graders I have ever had this year! Oh, and my darling husband just turned 50! :D

                   How long have you been teaching?

I have been teaching 23 years...I've taught PreK, Kindergarten, first through fourth grades, Art, and adults completing their GED...not in that order. The longest amount of time I have spent in one grade~six years in second and five years in third. Third and second are my two favorite ages!

                   You might not know...

I have three college degrees, changed my name to Sue Ellen when I was five, and won a beauty contest at age 12. I play piano and read voraciously! I'm also a children's book author in the making. I might possibly even illustrate my own books using photography and my own or my hubby's drawings/paintings!

    What are you looking forward to most this year?

This year I am most looking forward to seeing the progress my students make because of my shift in paradigm due to reading The Book Whisperer and The Daily Five. I am also looking forward to facilitating more and talking less as my students benefit from the changes I am making in my classroom thanks to blogging!!!!! 

           What do you need to improve?

I want to work smarter, not harder! I hope to utilize every minute of the day for my students while they are there and totally focus in on completing my list of to-dos as soon as they are gone so I can get home to my hubby, son, and our pups.

I want to support my students so wholeheartedly that they believe in themselves as readers, writers, and mathematicians without hesitation!

I want to utilize all the manipulatives, books, games, and activities that I have gathered over the years better so that my students can play to learn. Humor makes the learning stick better and longer...I want to make the most of it!

    What teaching supplies could you not live without?

My promethean board, post-it notes, sharpies, books, books, and more books, my teamie, and Chick-fil-A's sweet tea and chicken nuggets for breakfast! Oh, I must not forget my rolling stool and Earth shoes (negative heel bed for my back). A former assistant was working nights, laid back in my chair and fell asleep, and broke the back. So, it is my rolling stool. If you suffer from lower back pain, you must try Earth shoes. Check them out at Zappos.com. I love my Earth shoes!

Third Grade Meanderings Giveaway!

Third Grade Meanderings is having a giveaway! I hope I win because I really want the Miss Malarkey book. I have one and my students and I love, love, love it!! Pick me, pick me!!

Top Ten Reasons I Know It's BACK to SCHOOL time!

Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits is having a BACK to SCHOOL linky party! How do you know it's time for school?

10. I receive phone calls about school supply lists.

9. I receive more phone calls...parents ask if I can find out who their child's teacher will be for the coming year.

8. I spend too much money at Staple's and SchoolBox.

7. I check Staple's online for the one cent deals!

6. My family (hubby, son, parents) all ask when I'll be home or if I'm going to school.

5. I yearn for one more trip to the beach...

4. One entire week is spent setting up my classroom.

3. We get the "letter" from school with our pre-planning agenda.

2. I'm napping in the late afternoons because I got up early...trying to retrain my system for those early mornings!

1. My darling hubby helps get everything ready...painting, drilling, hanging, painting more, moving furniture, relaxing in my yellow rocker in front of the classroom T.V. while he waits for me to do "one last thing..." before we leave school after 6 hours there! There's always one more thing I need to do before coming home with more to do at the kitchen table! He even reminded me to get chocolate kisses when we were out and about the other day.

I have a note I send home on the first day of school:

"Thank you for a wonderful first day of school.
  You deserve a kiss!"

We attach a chocolate kiss to it and give it out at the very end of the day. I always tell my students to be sure to take the note home so their parents can see that they had a good day! Of course, most of the children eat the kiss immediately! ;)  

New Teacher Advice Linky Party!

Fun in Fourth is having a linky party! Join the party and share...

 I'd have to say pray, pray, pray first and foremost! The best advice I ever received was from an assistant principal (thanks, Johnny!). He said to make a deposit in the "bank" with your parents before you'd been in school two weeks. Call the parent/s of each and every student with some sort of praise for their child. Let them know how excited you are to be working with their child and that you are always there for the child and to help. He said that when we do this, we have a "deposit" for those calls we all hate to make when behavior has been less than spectacular! :) It really works. I have been teaching 23 years and learned this 16 years ago. It is amazing how much smoother the parent contact aspect of teaching goes when you make the extra effort during the first two weeks of hurry~burry to contact parents. Blessings, peace, and Godspeed as you set out on the adventure of a lifetime!

Melly <><

I'm a TBA Addict!

I'm a Teaching Blog Addict addict, that is! I love all the wonderful ideas and activities I've found this summer since I started blogging. I just know that I'll be a better teacher this fall. Finding TBA and having the opportunity to connect with other teachers who teach the same age level I do is a blessing from God! Thanks, TBA! You rock!

If you haven't checked out TBA and you're following my blog, please zip on over there right now! I don't want you to miss another minute! Blessings and peace,
Melly

Dice Games!

 I found a deal and thought about Little Miss Kindergarten's Dicey Linky Party... even though it's closed. So,here's the scoop! I went to Staples today to get the Composition notebooks (the ones that are sewn together) for $0.10 each. Yep, I scored 25 of them. Twenty five compostion books for only $2.50! Woot! Woot! I am soo excited about that. Then, I ran into a friend with whom I taught at a previous school. She is still at the old school, teaching third grade Math. As we walked to the back of the store to get the $5.00 Cadoozles pencils (which just happen to have a $5.00 rebate) for our $5.00 required purchase, we see these little plastic boxes. I had no ideas, even though they only cost $0.25 each.

Well, Tammy certainly did!

She said, "Oh, I'll use those for dice! That way, the dice will not roll all over the floor, and the children can see through the top. We can use dice games without all the problems."

 I loved her idea! Consequently, I bought ten little boxes and spent another $2.50! With my $5.00 pencil purchase (for which I will fill out the rebate online when I finish this blog), my $2.50 boxes, my $2.50 composition notebooks, and $10.00 on 2 four-packs of Crayola dry erase markers, I spent $20.71 and brought home 38 items. Not bad, huh? I am getting $5.00 rebate through mail, too, so my total cost was $15.71.  I haven't seen the Crayola dry erase markers anywhere else and they are really good ones! Crayola sent me one last year to try out and, BABY, did I love it! So of course I had to stock up! On the way to school to get my classroom ready for Friday (when we start back), I thought about the place value dice I'd seen in my drawer earlier in the week. Wow! Those will be wonderful in the little boxes!! Check out the pictures below. I took several to be sure they show well.

Here's my place value game: Students (2 to 4 per set of dice)will shake the box to roll the dice ten times each. Using a dry erase board, each student will write the value of his/her role. Playing partners will check to be sure they agree with the student's answer. The person with the highest roll each round will receive a point. Whichever student has the most points at the end of ten rolls wins the game. Variations can include writing out the expanded notation, writing the number using words, and adding or subtracting two rolls for 3 and 4-digit addition or subtraction. Regular dice could be used for addition, subtraction, and multiplication practice as well! Whadda ya think?!? 

4,329

4,329 + 1,940 = ________

Anyone else have any ideas to add to these wonderful boxes? I think they are on sale through Wednesday. Check Staples online for the price and sales dates in your area. :) Peace & blessings!

Who's Your Teamie Linky Party?

Monica at The Schroder Page is having a linky party!

Just copy and past into your post and answer in color. 

So stinking easy!

10 Teamie Questions about Leah

#1 How long have you and your Teamie been teaching together? Leah and I have been teaching together four years...plus! We taught first grade one year, I went to third for two years, and for 2011-2012 will be our fifth year together on the same team, but seventh year together in the same school! We even rolled a cart to one another's hall when I went to third and had paper grading parties! :)

#2 What is your Teamie's best quality? Leah's best quality is her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Her willingness to share and her positive attitude are also wonderful! She has so many, many good qualities that I can't really say which is best...

#3 Who will retire first? Leah and I talk about retiring together! She can retire first because she has more years...I took time off when my son was born.

#4 What makes you two an awesome pair? Leah and I bounce ideas off each other, we share our enthusiasm, and most importantly, we pray about everything together!

#5 Do you both have any rituals that get you through the day or a hard time? Yes, we both know that prayer changes things and we do not hesitate to drop everything and pray about any and all situations!

#6 What is a word that describes your Teamie?

Leah is MARVELOUS!

#7 Is your Teamie in the blog world?  Leah is not yet in the blog world...I'm working on that one! ;) If so...what is their blog? (Don't forget to link it:) If not...will this post push them in? Maybe...I am working on it! :)

#8 What is the funniest thing that you and your Teamie had to face at school? Oh my...I think it was one day she walked into my classroom after someone had been observing her (five by fives) and said, "I hate someone watching me!" while the same person was sitting at my computer wall in a tiny chair, observing me for five by five...my eyes bugged out of my head and I tried to indicate that she was in my class... When Leah realized that the observer was in my class, she just gulped, turned, and walked out. Later, she said, "Why didn't you SAY something?!?" My response was that I didn't have time before she'd already blurted out hating being watched. We still laugh about that.

#9 Complete this sentence...I would not trade my Teamie for a $1,000 gift card at the Dollar store  because...she is worth a million and more! Money is nothing compared to our friendship!

#10 Add a special tribute to your Teamie:) I consider Leah to be the sister I don't have. She and I have much in common, we enjoy many similar things, and we think alike in sooo many ways about children and our students. I honestly cannot imagine teaching anywhere other than across the hall from her! I have told her that I believe (I know) that God sent her to me as a buddy, partner in teaching, sister, and prayer warrior partner. It was a marvelous, fabulous, very good day when I met her! I am sooo thankful for her!

Handwriting Linky Party!

Seriously Primary is having a handwriting linky party! I had a student who needed extra help with keeping her writing on the lines last year. Our OT recommended highlighting the margin lines as well as the lines upon which I wanted her to write. I highlighted every other line yellow so she'd skip lines due to the size of her handwriting. I admit her handwriting still needed lots of work at the end of the year, but it was much better than when she started.

Ms. Male is giving away "Cooties"...Cootie Catchers, that is!

A Day in the Life of a 2nd Grade Teacher is giving away Cootie Catchers! I LOVE these! My students loved them LOTS last year!! You really want to win these. :)

Check her out!

My new (school) year resolutions...

Clutter Free Classroom is having a linky party! 

See quote below:


"I don't make the typical resolutions in January. Instead, my New Year resolutions come with the start of a new school year. What are your resolutions for the upcoming school year?

Will you be more organized? Do you want to leave school earlier? Are you hoping to improve your teaching in a certain area? Link up and share."

I resolve to be more consistent with discipline, watch and listen to my children even more in order to be more consistent, use Volume Control and the Station Patrol (my version of Center Patrol), and leave school by 4:00 in order to walk with my buddy for 30 mintues and still get home in time to get dinner ready and spend more time with my family. In order to make this happen, I am planning each week ahead, making adjustments as needed daily. Our school has a new lesson plan format which I am actually excited about using because I know this will support me in my endeavors. I am soooo excited about 2011-2012! God bless you each and every one this year!

*Positive Post-Its*

Mrs. Rojas at Create Teach Share still has her linky party about Post-Its going. I always write Post-Its notes to my students to remind them of their Accelerated Reader goals at the beginning of the quarter. Sometimes I use them to remind them of their reading goal when they're really close. I also write "Congratulations!" notes on Post-Its. I like to do this after school and leave them stuck to the desks for the students to find when they arrive the next morning. If there is a student behavior I'm working on reinforcing, I'll brag on that behavior to a student or two with a Post-It note (to be found on arrival in the morning as before), and it's amazing how word travels! More students exhibit that behavior in hopes of getting a Post-It on their desks! Positive reinforcement for the price of a sticky note! How's that? ;)

Melly <><

Snazzy Class Prep Linky

Mrs. Chappell's 2nd Grade is having a linky party!

She asks that we share one idea that will inspire everyone as we set up our classrooms for the new school year. :)

I am sooo excited about this new year with all the wonderful new ideas I have garnered just reading everyone's blog. I'm excited about "The FACE of a Reader." I can't wait to use "Station Patrol" to keep my students focused. I also love the "Volume Control" poster and will use it. As always, we will play "SCOOT!" to review before unit tests.

In February last year, a Promethean Board was installed in my classroom. I will use http://www.brainpopjr.com/ for introductions to many lessons. A movie (maybe 5 -7 minutes long) introduces topics. We use these as a springboard for discussions and mini-lessons. My second graders loved Annie & Moby. They also loved Tim & Moby from http://www.brainpop.com/ . Some of the movies from there are also appropriate to our curriculum.

I am moving my classroom library, my math station area, and dividing my room up more than last year. I moved my reading table front and center last year and loved it!

I am considering doing away with some of the desks. I had 23 students last year and everyone had their own desk. Has anyone had 20+ students without a desk for each child? How did that work? I have lap desks as well as clipboards and it never fails that I have at least 2 students who never want to sit at a desk. Please leave comments about how this has worked for you. I've done this with fourth graders, but never second. Ideas, please! :)

Out of the Mouths of Babes Linky Party

Oh the Places We'll Go... is having a linky party! What do your students say? Do you have enough quotes to write a book? I do!

Here's one:
One of my third grade students came in from lunch one day to tell me that Micah had dropped his meat on the floor, picked it up, and continued eating. I asked Micah why he didn't let me know because I would have gotten him another piece of meat.

He replied, "Awww, Mrs. S., I prayed over it!" :)

GIVEAWAY @ Adventures of Room 129

Adventures of Room 129 is having a giveaway for reaching 300 followers! Check her out!

My Teacher Always Says... Linky Party

    Mrs. Bainbridge is having a Linky Party!
We've all got those "things" that we say.  What is something you always say to your students?  Maybe it's something cute that you love... or maybe it's something that you heard them start to say to each other that made you go "uh oh!"

• Bubble! (My way of telling students to put a bubble in their mouths in the hall.)
• If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!
• Now where did I put my marker? (I carry them away from the board and leave them at my desk.)
• I like the way _________ is ______________. (especially when someone else isn't!)
• Check your vocal chords! (vocal chords don't vibrate when you are whispering)
• Listen up! 
• Mind your business.
• Did you work it out with Kelso? (Our schoolwide behavior frog)
• If it's not blood, barf, bones, or breathing~sit down!
• I'm changing my name to Ms. Lambert!
• Capish?

Something else I do regularly is use my marker as a microphone and sing along with the television. Before morning announcements, our principal plays a song to let students know they should be settling down and getting ready to pay attention. It's a way to release adrenalin (which really rises on the school bus for some reason) in a fun, relaxing way. I turn the T.V. really loud and sing along to You've Got a Friend in Me, Lean on Me, and any other favorites they play. I go around the room trying to get students to sing with me. Some of them are shy and some really get into it with me. Such fun!