#Truth

A few truths I've discovered this year:

• Positive phone calls home are soooo worth it. 
• You will never win them all; focus on the 98 doing the right thing and don't lose (too much) sleep over the other 2 who are intent on fighting tooth & nail.
• There is no such thing as too much coffee.
• Love and Logic is magic. Read it. Learn it. Use it.
• Kids that wear you out make great errand runners. 
• 50% of the parental population need to empty their voicemail boxes. Too many messages from last year's teachers, perhaps?

-Mrs. C

Google Win

Today was such a great first day of school! I am exhausted, but I am excited to go back to these kids tomorrow. Since this is my second year with eighth, I actually knew what to expect walking into the room today. Last year I was a little caught off guard by the difference two years makes. An eight grader on day one is NOT like a sixth grader on day one. Having experience with this level definitely helped. After some of the kiddos and attitudes I dealt with last year, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything.

The great thing is that the personalities we have this year seem to be a little more drama free than what we experienced last year. That probably has to do with the boy to girl ratio. I feel like my biggest challenge will be ornery boys, and that doesn't bother me one bit! Boys are easier to handle at this age, I think.

Part of what made today so great was how successful my first day activity was. We have been fortunate enough to get a set of iPads to share between our two English classes. I snagged them today and had my kiddos fill out a survey using Google Forms. IT. IS. AWESOME.

I wanted to know specific things about them:

• What tech they have
• If they enjoy reading
• What are they like outside of English class
• If/why they need preferential seating
• What worries them about the year
• If they will have a need for supplies

The survey took them all of 10 minutes, and it allowed me to show them that if they use technology right, we will use it as much as possible. I was dying to see their answers, but had to wait until the end of the day. The great thing about Google Forms is that it compiles their answers into a summary. So I could see immediately how many kids had smartphones and gauge the level of reading enjoyment for the whole class at once. I have access to each students' complete survey as well. Here are what a few of my questions produced!

 

I was surprised at how honest some of them were in their answers. I wonder if answering the survey on the iPads made it feel a little more safe? Either way, it was a win. I learned a lot about each of them, I don't have stacks of papers lying around, and I have this information at my fingertips all year long. 

Now I'm off to bed. 

-Mrs. C

She's (maybe) back!

I'm back!

Maybe.

It's been a few years, and quite a bit has changed. By "quite a bit," I mean that I've changed schools, changed grade level, and birthed a toddler. He's pretty awesome, but he does take up 22ish hours of my day. Also, I'm learning Spanish, folding a load of laundry every once in a while, and updating my Facebook. I'm a busy gal.

Needless to say, this return to blogging may not stick. It looks like I wrote a total of ONE last year. Now THAT is commitment.

I'm not sure what direction it will take. Eighth graders - my new adventure- are a whole new animal compared to sixth. They aren't nearly as cute and funny, though they do have redeeming qualities that I'll (maybe) blog about later.

I guess the most notable thing going on right now is my syllabus. I'm geeking out over its design and the fact I have included QR codes that link to the gradebook, handbook, and other important info. Rough draft of page 1 below!

'Night! Gotta grab some ZZZs before Brantley steals them from me.

-Mrs. Combs

Silver Linings

The fact that today marks the completion of the thirteenth day of school, yet the completion of only my first blog, might be a sign of how the year is going.

The transition from Madison to FTG MS has been much tougher than I thought it would be. I imagined my third year of teaching being a breeze. You know, because I've "been there, done that, and literally bought the t-shirt." Apparently experience doesn't mean a whole lot when switching schools. I did not know that two schools could be more different. I don't necessarily mean that negatively either. It has just been a whirlwind trying to adjust to the different procedures. Little things, such as kids bringing their backpacks to class, which I thought was OBVIOUSLY a no-go, turned out to be actually encouraged. Even tardies are counted differently. Of course I knew things would be different, but having EVERYTHING be different was (and sometimes still is) very stressful.

I realize that part of what is making the transition so difficult is how much I love Madison. In the beginning I filtered everything through my Madison lense, and complained about how it was different and made no sense. I have surprised myself, however, with all of the times that I've eaten my words. For instance, I originally thought it was a bit stifling that we are supposed to submit our copies to be made by an employee in the copy room. Shouldn't I be able to make copies whenever I want?? This is America! :) As it turns out, I LOVE having my copies delivered to my room, and I LOVE not fighting with the copier in the 6th grade hall at 8:30 on Sunday evenings. We had some intense moments, that copier.

I still feel very much out of my element with many of the procedures and rules at our school, and many more things are required out of me that take extra time and effort outside of the school day, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. My first few weeks were pretty dark- especially considering the raging hormone issues I'm dealing with (Thanks, Kyle Jr.). Sometimes even little issues seem like THE END OF THE WORLD! Ha. 

Hormones aside, I'm officially determined to find the silver lining in every situation this year. For example:

Situation	Silver Lining
My commute is now 30 minutes versus 1 1/2 minutes.	I get to spend even MORE quality time rocking out to Tay Swift and improving my car karaoke skills.
Lesson plans should be turned in by Friday afternoon, versus not turning them in at all.	My weekends are now free to spend at Hobby Lobby obsessing over nursery decor.
Boys and girls are basically segregated in the halls and at lunch versus being allowed to mingle at will	My room is by the girls' lockers. No sweaty boy smell in my hall!
While teaching, I often receive several swift kicks from an ornery boy.	He resides in my belly and will be here soon! :)
There are so many things we  need to track for each student, that it became necessary to use an old school grade book.	I learned a new skill! Next, I'll learn how to play Snake on an old Nokia.
Wednesdays are shortened to 45-minute classes, which is a very challenging time-frame for me.	Because classes are shortened, staff meetings take place during school hours. No early meetings!
Lunch is at 10:40 versus 12:20.	I can literally eat anything, anywhere. Baby Combs is flexible. And hungry.

Here's to staying positive!

-Mrs. Combs

PS. I miss everyone at Madison! I may wear my yearbook out soaking up the memories. It was a great two years. :) 

Advice Round 2

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is to have the kids write advice for the next class. It's so funny to see what they write! They are very honest about which teachers they like and dislike. "Be sure to get Mr. Massey" was a common theme. And of course there were a few "Don't talk in THAT teacher's class!" One girlie apparently didn't get the advice she wanted from the counselor's office and advised the new kiddos to come talk to HER instead! Ha. Worst advice ever!

Here are a few that made me smile:

I am VERY good at phone detection!

Smoking Smarties was a real thing this year...

Not exactly advice, but I'll take it!

ISO: Magic Transporter

In keeping with the name of my blog, it's time for another ROOKIE MISTAKE.

Although I thought I was quite nearly finished making mistakes (on my road to teaching perfection), I definitely goofed when it came to scheduling our 6th grade research. Rather than scheduling it earlier in the year when the computer labs were sitting open and empty, I decided to wait until after our OCCT. I forgot that once testing starts, the computer labs are booked nearly solid for a month or two. Fortunately, I was able to scrounge up one lab for a full week. Although that sounds like a lot, it is really not sufficient for a full research paper. Add in a couple of sick days (strep is awful!) and we were even more behind. What started out as a 5 paragraph essay quickly turned into a 6 slide PowerPoint (Works cited included, 7th grade. Don't freak out. Still meeting objectives over here!). I started the week with the feeling that we might not even have enough time to complete the PPT, but thankfully it has been less stressful than I anticipated. We are doing career research, and apparently I'm training the next generation of surgeons, dentists, pastors......and Sonic carhops.

Speaking of careers (segway much?), things are going to look a "little" different for me next year. It's as if the universe knows I want to perfect one level of skill and promptly screws everything up.

Last week I accepted a job at Fort Gibson Middle School! Kyle and I have wanted to move back closer to home for a while now, and we both started actively searching for jobs near Tahlequah around Spring Break. Honestly, I thought there was no way that anything would open at the right time, considering that our lease isn't up until July, and if HE found a job first, he would have had to start long before I could leave due to the school year. It seemed like an impossible puzzle until all of a sudden it wasn't.

I've always had my eye on Fort Gibson, and when I heard there was a middle school opening, I jumped on the opportunity. I'll be teaching 6th grade still (HALLELUJAH!), though rather than either of the two schedules I've had thus far, I'll be teaching reading and writing all in 1 class period. It will be challenging, but absolutely doable. I know I've vented about how this year pushed me in different ways, but once I heard the job requirements for my new position, it all made sense. Literally every change that we made helped prepare me for the upcoming year, from the combined classes to the co-taught hour. I'm grateful that I got to "practice" teaching it all in such a supportive environment. There really is a reason for everything.

Although I'm excited for the new experience, leaving Madison is one of the hardest decisions I've made. I've already had my share of teary-eye moments, and there are more to come, I'm sure. I have always felt 100% supported by my administrators and I have the best/funniest coworkers. We ARE one big, happy family...and every person in the building has the biggest heart for kids. I don't know how any other school could top the experience I've had here. I DO know, though, that anyone who works with kids must be amazing, and although I'll miss everyeone here, I'm sure I'll be surrounded by people equally as amazing. (Side note: if anyone knows how to magically transport a school from town to town, I'm listening...)

Well, there's that. Off to grade adorable biographies and learn WAY too much about the weirdos I teach.

-Mrs. Combs #FutureTiger

Life Lessons

This weekend, Madison experienced something that no one should have to experience- the unexpected death of a loved one.

While I was not personally close with the student who passed, many of my current kiddos, past kiddos, and coworkers were very closely connected to him. When they hurt, we all hurt.

I realize that in no way was this experience about me or my feelings, but I can say that going through this time of tragedy with our school family has taught me so much.

1. It reminded me why I teach. I teach because I love these kids. English is the subject that I "get," but I'm not here for the English- I'm here for the kids. In the grand scheme of things, English doesn't matter at all. My kids' lives do.

2. It reminded me that there is so much more to life than school- and certainly so much more than TESTING. I love that I work in a building that recognizes this fact. I guarantee you that NO ONE is analyzing our friend's test score. Rather, we remenisce about his character and friendship.

3. It reminded me that kids deserve our patience- This week we were reminded (and likely internally prodded) to extend more patience than normal to our kiddos. I found that when I consciously did this, our classroom time was more productive, and our relationships grew. I will strive to start every day with this mindset. We NEVER know what a student has experienced before entering our room. While we do need to be consistent with our management and consequences, every student deserves our best every day. So I'll be taking a breathe, counting to 10 (or 100) and addressing all of my kiddos as patiently and respectfully as possible.

Please extend thoughts and prayers to Madison teachers and students who will be attending the funeral tomorrow evening.

-Mrs. C

#adjectives #taketwo

No, I haven't quit the profession. My kids just haven't been super funny or super aggravating lately, hence the lack of posts.

Over Christmas Break, the weirdest thing happened: my brain shut off. Completely. I spent day after day, reading, crocheting, and watching ridiculous amounts of reality TV. (Ask me ANYTHING about the Real Housewives. Anything! For starters, Theresa is finally in prison, Lisa opened Pump, Kandi bought her mom a house, NeNe is considering Broadway, and Cynthia totally rocked the runway again!) I didn't plan, and I certainly didn't grade. It was awesome. Now that my brain has switched back on, I'd love to find that happy medium between a Housewives marathon and obsessing over adjectives...which is what I'm currently doing.

Honestly, if you'd asked me what topics would be simple for kids to grasp, I would probably have mentioned adjectives. They are easy. They are fun. They are super. They are fantastic. (See what I did there?)

Unfortunately, something went wonky (my new favorite word) today. I saw actual looks of terror on my Pre-AP kiddos' faces when they were given some sentences to analyze. I realize that part of the issue is that sometimes I forget how young they are, and fail to explain things sufficiently. The biggest issue today, though, was that the textbooks we have just don't cut it. They are nice to look at, but not nice for the kids. It's hard to explain, but I almost feel like the authors included 2-3 "exceptions to the rule" in every exercise they wrote. When kids are first learning a concept, there's no need to trip them (or the teacher!) up. I knew better than to use the books, but it's just so tempting! I mean, shouldn't I use the English books to teach English? Le sigh. It's back to the drawing board for today's lesson.

All in all (for lack of a better concluding transition), this year is definitely stretching me. The new 2 hour schedule, added planning, and having a very low class is fairly draining at times. There's a part of me that wishes  I had the same job title as last year so that I could simply refine and reuse my lessons. Then there's the part of me that knows that all that extra free time would result in a 37 scarves and Bachelor re-runs. Busy is better!

-Mrs. Combs

Before you go...
#wisewords

2 Truths and a Lie

1. Mrs. Combs overdid her coffee intake today.
2. Mrs. Combs lied to her students today.
3. Mrs. Combs showed up early to work today.

So which one is the lie?

None of them.  Gotcha!   I was definitely early to work, definitely had too much caffeine,  and most definitely lied to my kids.  FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES! ;)

Guess I should explain.  Today my traditional class started the book "Among the Hidden." It is a dystopian novel that centers around the idea that laws are in place preventing a 3rd or 4th child in a family.  Two is the limit.   Our main character, Luke, is a 3rd child who is forced into hiding.

In order to help them understand what that might feel like, I substituted my normal handshake for a sticker when they entered the room.  They either recieved yellow, green, or blue stickers.  I waited until after our library trip to explain why they had them.  I told the kids (very sternly, I might add) that in order to create a better classroom environment, we were trying something new.  I told the yellow and green stickers to sit at the front of the room and told blue stickers that they were not allowed to participate.  They were to go to the back of the room and be quiet.  No moving or talking allowed.  While the blues dutifully hid in the back, the rest of us played words games on the board and even tossed the ball outside! (As an end of the hall room, I can monitor both. No worries.)  It was crazy to see how quiet the blues were.  They didn't argue at all!  Throughout the short experiment, if a blue moved or raised their hand, I slapped 'em with a sticky note.  They were definitely freaked out.  Because, you know, sticky notes are terrifying!

Finally, I told them to return to their seats and write down what they thought about the new classroom structure.   I said that (cough.lie.cough) "Mr. Eidson wants some honest feedback about whether this is a good system or not. "

The answers I got were very interesting. Some almost made me cry!  Here is a sample:

*It really sucked and it felt like it was not fair and we felt left out. (Goal accomplished!)

*I liked it. I would like to try the blue stickers. (Haha..got us a lazy one!)

*I felt bored and left out. And like no one like me. (Tear!)

*It felt good and bad.  I felt good because I just got to hang out and relax.  I didn't like it because I didn't get to participate. (Nailed it.)

Of course the rest of my kids are all regular middle school souls who quite enjoyed knowing that THEY were the chosen ones.  They are all for kicking the blues out forever.  When I finally disclosed the real meaning of the activity, the blues were relieved and the others looked disappointed!

Needless to say, this book has already sparked some deep discussions.  Hopefully they aren't too emotionally scared!  Sorry, parents. Gotta be emotionally tough to make it through my class!

-Mrs. Combs

(I definitely can't take all the credit for this! My cohort and many teacher blogs gave me the general idea.)

Twerking 101

Good golly, I have some of the funniest kids on the planet.  Sometimes they intend to be funny, but other times they are completely oblivious.  Today I got to see a lot of both!

My Pre-AP class has finished Holes, and we are working on our end of novel projects.  I decided to let them have a little fun, and am having them use ToonDoo.com to make comic strips of certain scenes from the book.  It forces them to summarize rather than tell the story word for word.

I was honestly a little worried about starting the project today because with all of our computer issues, I just knew I'd be juggling incorrect logins and missing passwords in addition to the "I'm-raising-my-hand-because-I-like-to-hear-myself-talk" questions.  Fortunately, everything went smoothly!  

ToonDoo is an intense program with lots of options for editing characters. During the first hour of the block, I let them play around on the program to get use to it.  They were free to make whatever they wanted.  (Appropriately, of course.)  Watching them play with characters and change their bodies, faces, expressions, etc. was hilarious!  I saw some WEIRD creations.  Honestly, I think some of the kids are disturbed.  Every 30 seconds another kiddo was calling me over to look at their half baby/half demon or their incredibly fat dancing man. (Told you they were weird!)  We basically played and laughed for an hour.  I didn't think one girl was going to survive her laugh attack (inspired by a fat, pirate, demon baby)!  My favorite part of the day, however, was when I caught some girlies making some not-so-school appropriate cartoons.  I wish I could say I didn't laugh and take a picture...buuuut....I did.  Later on, I searched for them and found clear images for your viewing pleasure!

Hitler is apparently NOT a fan of twerking...

Even the Pope twerks!

Best. Day. Ever! I can't wait to show you the ACTUAL projects that they complete.  You know, the ones sans twerking.

Oh, and in case you were wondering why we have to learn to spell, I've finally nailed down the answer.

This.  This is why!

-Mrs. Combs

The M word

Sometimes the way we middle school teachers talk to kids makes me laugh.  We are trying to create responsible young adults, though we realize that we are still technically working with babies.  I have learned that the easiest way to achieve this is to phrase "hardcore" topics in baby terminology (much of this learned from other teachers!).

For example, we expect sixth graders to have some level of maturity.  If our novel has a curse word, we expect them to roll with it.  If the topics are deep, we need them handle them properly- not dramatically.  Somewhere along the line, I started referring to maturity as an object that the kids have.  "Okay kids, today you need your maturity.  Who brought theirs?" or "Alright, get your maturity out of your pocket.  We are going to use it!"  (Of course the kiddos WANT to be mature, so they don't call me out on how ridiculous I sound.)  

It is interesting to see how my classes use their maturity.  Pre-AP kids have theirs on them all the time.  They never leave it in their lockers.  My traditional English kiddos almost ALWAYS forget to bring theirs to class.  They need consistent reminders.  My 5th hour English?  Er, I don't think it was on the supply list.  I will have to add that next year.

What I love about it, is that they accept the fact that maturity is expected.  They know what it implies, even if they need reminders.  While reading our novel yesterday, a curse word did, in fact, appear.  Five wide-eyed kiddos looked at me to see what I would do.  All I needed to say was, "Oh, no worries. We brought our maturity, so we can handle this!"  They gave me big nods...almost as if to say, "Yes!  We ARE mature!"  

Another instance occurred today when I was attempting to explain the rules for Grudgeball- the world's most awesome classroom game.  When I looked around the room, I noticed that two kids had switched seats just to see what I would do. (Aren't they so clever!?)  I stopped mid-instruction and said "Ah man...I really hoped we could play today.  Unfortunately, this game requires maturity.  I see that some of us did not bring it today.  Bummer!  Looks like we will have to try again another day." Immediately, the room was silent.  The two kids swapped back, and NO ONE argued.  It was amazing.  They all just looked intensely disappointed in themselves.  (WIN! :)  

Maybe someday I'll get to play Grudgeball with that group.  I was actually really disappointed that we couldn't play!  They get so intensely competitive that they don't even realize they are learning.  Until then, I'll enjoy my FALL BREAK!

-Mrs. Combs

You're mine too, Tod

Since my last blog, our classroom's airconditioning has gone out two more times.  Seriously.  Thankfully, it hasn't taken weeks to fix as it did the first time around.  It IS frustrating not knowing whether I can wear boots and a scarf, or if I should stick to a dress and sandals though. :) #girlieteacherprobs

We have been having so much fun at Madison lately!  

On September 26, we had our yearly fundraiser, also known as the Painted Mustang Run.  It is a 5k color run for the kiddos that takes place during school hours.  On the day of the run, we basically shut down school and have a big ol' party!  I was able to go out and participate this year, and I am so glad I did!  I didn't run the 5k, but I DID get to throw color on kiddos as they ran by, which was extremely rewarding and therapeutic!  After the 5k, the party continued with inflatable games, dunk tanks, pizza, snowcones, carnival rides, the works!  My favorite part of the day was being able to just hang out.  Many of my original babies (this year's seventh graders) hung out with me and challenged me to several of the games.  It was such a messy, fun, day!  For pictures, check out this album from  Madison's Facebook page: Painted Mustang Run

Can you guess what color I threw? 

We also had a lot of fun dressing up for Homecoming this week!  Although I was gone for two of the days, I was able to participate in "Crazy Hat Day," "Professional Day," and "Decade Day" with the kids.  Decade Day was probably the most fun, even though this young lady and I accidently had matching hairdos.  Kids like her make my world go 'round! <3

You can find more goofy photos here!  (I am always very cautious about posting pictures of kids on my personal pages, but if the school has them posted, I'll gladly point you to them!)

I know I've said this before, but even though I really really really love my kids from last year, our group this year is just an easier, sweeter, group to work with.  This gives us more opportunity to have fun and try new things in class.  One thing I've started doing is allowing my Pre-AP kiddos to read outside during our MIRP time every so often.  They find a spot, get comfy, and read steadily for the entire 15-20 minutes.  (Last year, 3/4 might have read, while the other 1/4 would have dug holes or thrown dirt and bugs at eachother!)  The last time we had outdoor reading time, the cutest thing happened.  Those who follow my Facebook have already seen this picture, but it's too cute not to share again.  While all of the other students sat up against the building in rows, these buddies wanted to hang out on the grass.  It was a little chilly, so they used eachother to help stay warm.  My heart melted when I saw them!  They stayed together the entire time!

All I could think about was...

These kids make going to work easy!  Can ya tell I like 'em?  I can't wait to see them again on Monday.  Due to a Pre-AP conference, I was gone Thursday and Friday.  Being gone terrifies me because I assume they are going to push every boundary and destroy the room.  I mean, that's what WE did in school!  Not only was I gone, but I was gone for two days in a row.  In my head, that meant that the substitute would end up pulling her hair out, and books would be thrown around the room.  (Ok, so that's extreme.  I DID expect to find negative notes about several students and/or work not completed.)  When I checked out my room yesterday after the conference, I found that all of the assignments were neatly stacked on my desk with labels, the classroom was in order, and no negative notes were written at all!  I'm still in shock.  Let it be known, that on October 3, 2014, Mrs. Combs fell in love with 56 students, and found a substitute for life.  

-Mrs. Combs

TechNO

As far as weeks go, this past week was one of the more difficult school weeks I've had thus far.  First, our air conditioner went out, then my personal AND school computers crashed.  We were a HOT, technology starved mess.  It made me realize just how much I depended on my computer and Smart board!  I ended up getting to the point where I needed to tape signs to my "interactive" board.  Thankfully the librarian let us take over the library one day, and some coworkers lent me fans, so not all was lost.  I'm very grateful to have my personal computer fixed and a loaner school computer ready for use next week!  As for the air conditioner...I don't expect any changes soon. 

As far as teaching goes, I actually did have some fun with kids this week.  We are reading the book Holes, and I've been trying to find ways to make it come alive in our classroom.  Last year I mainly posted signs relating to the book; this year I stepped it up a bit.  I made a tent out of our doorway to give them the feeling of entering Camp Green Lake, and I brought in some water for the kids to roll play with.  In the book, kids dig holes all day in the desert.  Every so often, a camp leader brings the water truck around and fills their canteens.  I purchased cheap cups and a water dispenser from the camping section at Walmart, filled it with water, and assigned one student to be the person in charge.  It was really funny to see how the kids got excited about getting a tiny bit of tap water in their cups.  You would have thought it was soda.  Hey,  whatever works!  The real kicker is that I asked the student in charge to assume the personality of the leader currently giving out water in the book.  Our first character was "Mr. Sir," a temperamental guy who doesn't have much compassion... "You aren't in Girl Scouts anymore!"  I allowed to student in charge to be as stubborn and rude as they wanted.....though none of them did.  I had to step in and be bossy for them. :)

On a side note, the longer I teach, the more tricks I steal from other teachers.  My favorite new trick is used to combat exhausting kids who ask a question every 2 minutes.  After the first few questions,  let them know that all of your "Question answering energy" has been used up.  It will take a little while to build that back up.  Son of a gun...it works!  They will glare...but glares are better than exhausting, rapid fire questions.  I've even made it more specific...."Ah, man! My Jason question answering energy is ALL used up.  Darn!"

Teaching is weird.

-Mrs. Combs

Holes & Clubs

It's crazy to think that we have already been in school for an entire month!  Time has definitely flown by.  We are finally past the procedure learning part of the year and will be diving into our first novel this week!  I'm excited to try to teach Holes with our new schedule.  Having most of my classes for 2 hours in a row is amazing- and I'm sure we will be able to have 2x the fun that we did last year.

I don't have a whole lot to update as of right now- I think having fewer kiddos means I have fewer stories. :(  I WILL be starting up an after school club soon, though, so hopefully some fun posts will come from that experience.  Anyone have ideas for games I can play with them?  I've got Apples to Apples and classroom basketball on mind so far.  Fingers crossed that some of my 2013-14 kids join and come hang out with me. :)

-Mrs. C

Bean dip & Yoohoos

The fact that I've been back at school for 8 days and just now sat down to write a blog might be a little insight into how insane these first weeks have been.

Before I vent about the craziness, I will tell you about how amazing my kids are.  Seriously.  They are everything my last years' kiddos were and more!  Of course, there are always the Johnnys of the class (sorry, bubba, your name is just pretty common :), but even those kiddos are endearing in their own ways...and very, very, small groups.  Ha!

But honestly, they are such a sweet group of kids.  Some of the bad attitudes that I had last year aren't represented in this group.  The whole 6th grade demeanor is just very sweet and kind.  I have found myself as hopelessly attached to this group as my  last.  It IS a fantastic feeling seeing my old kiddos, though.  Sometimes I intentionally walk through the 7th grade hall when classes let out :).  I get a few hugs, high fives, and even 20 second book talks.  Maybe I did something right last year!

Now on to the insane part of my year.  It feels as if I am starting all over.  Last year I taught reading to traditional and Pre-AP classes.  My lessons plans were often the same for each class, making planning a 2 prep event at most.

Although I am slowly but surely getting the hang of it, my plan book is a hot mess.  Not only am I teaching 2 different classes/subjects, I am teaching those objectives to 3 distinctively different levels of students.  Somehow it was decided that we would try to a create lower, more intensive class of students for each English teacher.  What has essentially resulted from this separation is a special education class....in MY care!  While not all of the students are considered to be so, a large majority fall into that category.  It is obvious that the class has to be taught much differently from my Pre-AP classes and traditional classes.  I do have a co-teacher in that class with me, but I am the captain of the ship!  It is by far the most challenging thing I have ever done.  Every single  day I realize something that I need to change about the way I work with them.  Last year, my most difficult class was a challenge mainly because of behavior alone- the struggling kiddos were interspersed with the more traditional students, which leveled out the playing field and helped pull the struggling kids up by example.  Now I'm dealing with zero focus, plenty of behavior issues, and a different learning style.  I will survive, though!  NEXT year I'll be perfect at my job. :)

One of the first things we did in a few of my classes was to create a page designed to help me get to know the students.  There are a lot of activities out there that serve this purpose, but I saw this on a teacher's blog and knew I had to do it!  I gave each kiddo a sheet that said "I am a...." and they had to fill the large 'I' with as many positive things as possible.  The results were pretty neat!  We ended up using them as a brainstorming activity for a writing assignment, so it actually served a double purpose.  Check out these cute papers.  I feel like this assignment made them dig pretty deep.  I really know what is important to them...plus I know who is really silly!

Back to lesson plans :)

-Mrs. Combs

The Phantom Tollbooth: Dodecahedron Activity

This year I will be teaching The Phantom Tollbooth to my Pre-AP classes, and I could not be more excited! I didn't teach it last year because, well, last year was crazy.  I happened to read the book during our MIRP time and LOVED it!  I don't know in which quarter this will happen, but I'm gathering/creating resources already because I'm THAT excited.

One of the characters is not just two faced, he is twelve faced!  Therefore, he is known as the Dodecahedron.

I stumbled onto the following concept on Pinterest and made my own activity for Mr. Dodecahedron.  Can you say cross curricular?  I can see a discussion of the other geometrical affixes happening at some point.  Anyway, here is what I came up with!

(Link to template here)

My example.  The kids will spend more time on theirs than I did on mine :)

Work is so much fun when you can do it at home with coffee and Facebook! Eleven more days until school starts.  Woohoo!

Library Madness

Warning: This could be a very boring blog for non teachers!

After several days looking up information, sorting books, and using a million stickers I am DONE with my classroom library!

Ta dahhh!

First, I entered all of my books into Booksource: Classroom Organizer.  After setting up an account, you can enter your books to create your library catalog.  Some books can be scanned if you have a smartphone, which saves time!  If your classroom has student computers, this website will allow your students to check books in and out just like a legitimate library.  My classroom, unfortunately, will probably never have a spare computer.  I'm mainly using the program to be able to track my book titles, genres, and lexiles. (I plan on eventually writing the lexile score on the inside cover of each book.)

Speaking of lexiles, Lexile.com is an invaluable source for leveling your books.  I would say that 90% of my books were listed on this site.  

Once I entered the books into Booksource, I was able to sort the books into 9 basic genres (General Fiction has 2 bins).  I've heard that it's good to use clear bins so that kiddos can see the covers more easily, but I found these bad boys at Dollar Tree and couldn't resist!  I sorted my books into these 9 genres.  Of course, your library may have a different variety of books and therefore different genres.

General Fiction
Adventure Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Mystery
Classics (I doubt this bin gets much action. Ha!)
Biography/Autobiography

Next, I created labels for the bins.  I've seen where people have posted their versions on TPT, but I doubted that they would have my exact selection.  I created them on Microsoft Word, and printed them on 3 1/2  x 5 Avery labels.  Here's a sample!

After the bins were labeled, I still wanted to keep track of which books belonged to me personally, and which books belonged to the school. I used these same labels, but printed several little strips on each sticker, then cut them apart.

Finally, based on extensive personal experience with sixth graders, I know that they need very clear, easy procedures.  It would be fantastic if they could recognize the genre and simply place it in the correct bin, but something told me they might need a little help.  So I color coded the books and bins.  At first I thought I needed 10 different colors of labels, and spent hours trying to find them online.  Then I realized I was making too difficult.  I ran to Staples and got a pack of basic colored circle stickers.  Even though there are only four colors, I was able to make 10 colors OR color combinations. Check it out:

  

Red = General Fiction A-M

Blue & Red = Historical Fiction

Think they'll figure it out? The hope is that this library will run itself.  Surely they can match the color on the book to the color on the bin. If not, reorganizing the library could be an easy classroom job for some brownie point seeking kiddo.  

Final picture :)

Now I have to actually plan actual lessons.  School starts in 12 days!

-Mrs. Combs

ReadysetGO!

As far as I'm concerned, school is back in session.  Truth be told, the kids won't show up until August 12.  However, now that Kyle and I are back from the beach, I have officially gotten the back to school butterflies!  I spent time in my classroom today, working 1/2 of a million little projects (as usual), and finally settled on just one: my classroom library.

Last year, my library consisted of the Hunger Games and about 50 ridiculously old books just thrown on a shelf with some bookends slapped on the end (where else?).  Until the middle of the year that I realized I hadn't even alphabetized them...and I never did.  Hopefully adding some organization will clear up a few hundred of the "Mrs. Combs, where's that book I read yesterday?" issues.  It drives me crazy thinking about how much time I spent scouring for students' MIRP books.  It's time for change.

Obviously, the school library is always available, so my library doesn't need to be huge.  What it does need is organization and shine (worn out books don't attract readers).  Thanks to my adventure in elementary land, I realized that these kiddos are used to having their books organized in bins.  I was unsure of using bins originally, because I thought they should use a legitimate library system.  I've now decided to let the ACTUAL library give them that exposure, and keep mine simple.

I've got a long way to go before it's all in order, but here's what I have so far!

 Thanks, Dollar Tree!

I can't wait to share the final result!

-Mrs. C

You hear that? It's the winds of change.

I remember recently asserting that last year was my rookie year, and this next year I will be perfect.  I've made all my mistakes, and I know exactly what I'm doing now.  I regret to inform you that this is no longer true. Things are changing.

The way our department is set up, sixth grade has had 2 Language Arts (reading) teachers and 2 English (writing) teachers.  We were separated into teams- 1 LA teacher and 1 English teacher both had the same set of kids for an hour each.  This system worked, but not as great as it could have.  Reading and writing are difficult to separate because one leads to the other.  Reading teachers needed to be on track with their English partners, and also be on track with the other reading teacher.  If we had been completely in sync with our partners, it would have been fantastic...but that that didn't always happen.  Part of that is due to the fact that our 6th grade English staff was completely new (with me being EXTRA new :).  

This upcoming year, things will be different.  Instead of teaching just one subject, we are all going to teach both subjects.  For example, I will have one set of kids for an hour, they will take a break, then come right back to me for the second session. Repeat.  This is what my schedule could look like:

1st- Reading (group 1)  

2nd- Writing (group 1)

3rd- Reading (group 2)

4th- Writing (group 2)

5th- Writing (group 3)     

6th- Plan

7th- Guided Study

The only thing that won't be completely smooth about this transition is that because of our 7 hour schedule, and electives being at the end of the day, we will have to separate one group.  The highlighted 5th hour will have to have reading with my team partner at some point during the day.  It is not ideal, but it is doable!  Fortunately my team partner and I work very well together.  We are the most in-sync-est team in the building, so I know it will work! :)

Of course, there is one aspect of this new situation that scares the livin' liver out of me.  What is that situation?  Oh, it's "Johnny."  You know Johnny- he's the one who is ALWAYS in trouble, and is most often discussed in the teacher's lounge.  He blurts out, tattles, and calls people names.  Every class has a Johnny.  With this new setup, I will get Johnny for two hours in a row.  Usually by the time class is over, I'm ready to pull my hair out (assuming he hasn't made it to the office).  Basically, I'm worried about potential hair loss this year. 

On the upside, I will have fewer students , and those students I will get to know REALLY well.  If class sizes remain the same, I could deal with as few as 60 kids, versus 90-100. Of course, that could all change too.  

Here's to using my degree like it was supposed be used- ENGLISH! :)

-Mrs. C

Summer for Realz

School is out...again!

Today was the final day of my 4th grade summer school adventure.  I would love to say that it opened my eyes to the wonders that are elementary school, but that's not exactly the way it happened.  If anything, it made me realize that secondary is the place for me.  I really enjoyed many of the kids, but at times, the tattling, stubbornness, and rowdiness was just too much.  I'm ready to get back to kids who get my jokes and enjoy dystopian novels.

Tonight I will be meeting with teachers from the English department to discuss possible changes in our schedules and classes next year- I may end up doing more than just the reading element.  This will be interesting..!

-Mrs. C