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!

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!