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August 28, 2011

Where the Magic Happens

I've been a bit MIA the past few days...it must be back to school time!  Yikes.  Things have been a bit...hectic.  My class is a group of GOOD KIDS, but they are chatty to say the least.  I miss my old group who already knew my routines and expectations. :)  Gotta get this groups trained and in shape!  We'll get there.  It's past my bedtime, but I want to share a few snapshots from the first days back...
Where the magic happens... (I hate this carpeting, btw...)

Hanging at eye level in front of my desk...because some days I need a little reminder! :)
Inspired by Quantum Learning
^I definitely need this reminder daily...
Back to School yummies from my Instructional Coach!  MMMMM!
Student Drawing...
Another student's response: "Oh my gosh, it looks JUST LIKE YOU, Miss Teacher!"
Miss Teacher: "It sure does!" ;)

Anyways, like I said the first week has been hectic hectic hectic.  This class is noisy and squirrely, which reminds me of my first class...and those are NOT good memories!  After our chatty first day, I was kind of freaking out that my experiences with them are going to be like my first year, but Mrs. Mentor Teacher reminded me that I am NOT a first year teacher anymore.  Just because my kids are chatty doesn't mean the year will be like that first year!  I CAN teach them expectations and get them under control.  And it will be great. :)

My sports theme is going great so far and the kids love it!  We have been ending each day with a "closing huddle" where we put a hand in and yell, "Team (My Last Name!)" on 3.  It's really pretty cute.  We have also been talking about the Home Court which is another Quantum Learning tool to help build classroom community.  I talked with the kiddos about the reasons players perform better on their home court and about how our classroom is our home court.  We came up with ways we can make each other feel safe, supported, and like we all belong here in our class.  I'm hoping to reference it all year!  This was probably the highlight of my week. :)
And tonight I will leave you with these epic pictures of the women's faculty bathroom "lounge" at College Friend's new high school...I joined her there Friday night to watch some of her students get slaughtered play in their first football game of the year.  Note the couch from 1950 and the 3-legged footstool...

If you look closely, you'll see that there's a tiny pumpkin on the bottom shelf...
anyone wanna guess how long that's been there???

What was the highlight of your first week back in school?
What are you up to this weekend?
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5 comments:

  1. JuliaAugust 28, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    awwww. i seriously love reading about your students and the experiences you have with them. crazy that school is already starting! that pumpkin...wow.

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  2. StephanieAugust 28, 2011 at 6:55 AM

    Yay happy first week of school! sounds like it went really well. i love your classroom and the miracles happen quote

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  3. Lauren @ Forward is a PaceAugust 28, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    Okay, I am not a sports person, but I LOVE the way your sports analogies are playing out in your classroom. The idea of a team huddle puts a gigantic smile on my face, and the "home court advantage" analogy is amazing.

    This almost makes me miss teaching. Almost. ;)

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  4. MichelleAugust 28, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    My group is a little chatty this year too, but by the end of the week they were realizing that it wasn't beneficial to do so! I handed out team points to groups that were quiet like candy!
    I always forget how busy these first few weeks of school are. Today, I will try to squeeze in my run, go to the grocery and head to school to get ahead for the first few weeks!
    Your classroom looks great! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. EmilyAugust 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    Chatty kids aren't the end of the world. I had that with my musical theatre camps (and at day camp, the two weeks that you've got with the kids is never enough time to teach all those behaviour routines!). These were kids who would see us trying to get their attention, but keep talking anyways. We just found ways to channel all that energy into productive stuff, such as the musical that we did with them.

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