Living, laughing and learning I believe is something that summarizes the last week that I haven't been able to blog for. It has been pretty chaotic, but well worth it and hoping I can catch up now. I don't want to give up on Michelle's Big Time Blogging Challenge from Big Time Literacy! So, start blogging and link up with us!
7/16 - Favorite TV Shows or Movies
-Recently, one of my favorite TV shows has been "Halt and Catch Fire." If you haven't seen it, and you like computers and technology, I highly suggest watching it. It is a TV series based in the 80's around the design of the first portable computer. This show brings flashbacks to when my dad tried to surprise me with a laptop computer in the 90s. He got it on a deal, but I wanted nothing to do with it because it was so bulky, it even had a charging station as opposed to a power cable. Now, being the technology lover that I am, I regret not holding onto it just as an antique.
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| AMC TV |
-One of my favorite classroom management tools is Class Dojo. For those that aren't familiar with the website, each student has an avatar that can be customized. Students can earn points for making positive decisions in the classroom or even have them taken away. It is even setup now where you can weight different rewards so the value of the point increases. I love this website because it is incredibly useful in a 1:1 room. My students can check their points from their own device when I don't have the whole class displayed on the screen. One of the best parts, I don't have to be stationed at my computer to award points, it can even be done from my iPad or iPhone. I also love the parent messaging feature that has been recently added since parents can join and view their student's stats.
- Most teachers are out hitting the penny sales, which I admit I also do at the start of the year, but I think that is more to stock up for the items I know my students won't bring in. However, I think my must haves tend to be more along the DIY route. Every year, I try to make my classroom feel more like a relaxed home environment. So, sometimes my must haves are projects I have made at home for decorations....like curtains, cushions or stools. Other times, my must haves are stocking up on items that fit my classroom color scheme like contact paper to makeover file cabinets and shelves or plastic table clothes to brighten up my bulletin boards. I spend so much time decorating my classroom because even I want to feel comfortable in there for as much time as I spend in it during the day.
7/19 - What holiday do you enjoy spending most with your students?
- I think over the years, I have become less focused on holiday celebrations. Some of the reason is because I have had students that just didn't celebrate, but the other part of the reason is because I've had students that just were interested in the typical classroom party. Rather, what I have found myself getting more excited about is the reenacting historical events to bring them to life. After having seen Dave Burgess, "Teach Like A Pirate," speak at our local ICE conference, this really started the fire under me. I've never laughed so hard in class compared to the times this previous year when we acted out the taxation from the Brits on the Colonies and when we learned about Henry Box Brown. We really had a lot of fun and I know the days were memorable for the kids.
7/20 - If money were no object, what experience would you give your students?
-If I had the chance, I think my experience would just be to continue to give my students local experiences they wouldn't otherwise have the chance to do. Since most of them only travel between our city and their home country, for the most part they haven't even been to downtown Chicago, until recently. Having moved up with my students from 4th to 5th, I was able to have two great experiences with them. Their first time on a trolley through downtown and a boat tour from the Chicago River onto Lake Michigan. The way their eyes beamed from being on the boat tour was priceless and a day I will never forget. There is so much out there for them to experience locally, so that is what I would continue to do.
7/21 - How do you prefer to read books?
-While I do love my technology, my preference when reading is the good traditional paper book. I know the iPad and/or kindle can do great things for annotating, highlighting, brightness and size adjustments, but there is something about turning the paper pages that I still enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I still do my share of reading electronically, but I do prefer visiting the library or the excitement of waiting for a new book to come in the mail.
In the classroom though, I do really enjoy the availability of electronic books for my students. With our school library being smaller and students having read most of the books over the past few years, I like that they can still connect to the public library when sometimes their family can't take them there. The important thing is just to continue to read, no matter if it is paper to electronic viewing.
7/22 - Living, laughing and learning!
- I figured I would end my catch up on posts with the title of my blog...living, laughing and learning.
Living - This past week, as mentioned, has been extremely chaotic. One important thing I have learned this past year is to take care of myself. I have a very hard work ethic, I probably work too much. I've really tried this summer to relax, get the rest I need, take care of my health, and make good choices that will help my well-being.
Laughing - They always say that the best medicine is to laugh, and I did just that this past weekend. For the first time, we had a family reunion to travel to. Most of the time we only ever really saw one another was when we had weddings or funerals. As the generations get older, it is important to them to make sure we still keep the connections. So, every 2 years we will be traveling for family reunions. The last time I saw some of my cousins, I was around 18 years old. It was great to introduce them to my husband and my daughter, but also to see my daughter interact with her cousins that she had never met previously. There are also many educators in my family, so the stories there are endless. Overall, it was a great time traveling to Michigan. Just wish I had the time to stop at more sites along the way.
Learning - This is something that we all do on a daily basis. Each day is a learning experience, no matter how your life is structured. Maybe it is a mistake you have made that needs to be corrected, a toddler you are trying to teach something to, or just even trying to educate yourself for preparation. As stress begins to add on before the next school year, I always like to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day. This is what keeps me strong and gets me through the tough times.
