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Things Teachers Do in the Summer: TRAVEL

In addition to finding tons of great, new books to share with my new class, I also had some fabulous opportunities to travel with my family!

Ok, I’ll give you one guess as to where we went.  Alright, you can have two or three guesses if you need them, but if you know me at all, or if you’ve spent any length of time here on this blog you already know the answer.:

This IS indeed, the Happiest Place on Earth!

This IS indeed, the Happiest Place on Earth!

We spent the first 10 days after school was out in our favorite place, which is the week we typically go because it’s not too hot yet, and the crowds aren’t as crazy as later on in the summer.  This year’s weather was a little weird, though, because Tropical Storm Andrea decided to come for a visit at the same time as we did.  It was rainier than normal (not the usual 3 o’clock shower that is over in 5 minutes) and cloudy most of the time we were there.  But hey–we didn’t let that get us down!  We’ve been to WDW many times, but we always find a way to make new memories.  Two highlights from this trip were the Princess dinner we had at Akershus Royal Banquet hall–in Epcot’s Norway pavilion–for Allie (which we actually went to on Daddy’s birthday–HA!) as well as a Pirate cruise that Riley took with a small group around Crescent Lake near Epcot.

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I was so surprised as how shy she was around the princesses.  Those are pretty much the only two that she would talk to–when the others came around she was buried in my shoulder hiding her face!  She did the same thing for Mickey and the others, too, which just surprised me because of how naturally outgoing she normally is!  Our prince was not at all bothered by all the pretty ladies who came to our table, though, and he took pictures with them instead!

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I don’t really have many good pics of Riley’s cruise, but that’s mostly because I wasn’t there!  He took off in his pirate skipper with the tour guides and 5 or 6 other kiddos in search of Captain Stinkyfeet who had stolen the pirate treasure!  I was so proud at his willingness to do that without us (he’s learning to let go 🙂 ) and he had a SUPER time. It was all he could talk about for days afterward!

The one other highlight of the trip was meeting up with some an old 5th grade friend and his family who happened to be there at the same time as we were:

What fun to run into Keelan, his sisters Macie and Amelia and his parents! Fun in the Florida sun!

What fun to run into Keelan, his sisters Macie and Amelia and his parents! Fun in the Florida sun! (Doesn’t Riley look like he could be related to all of them?)

Disney is usually our big excursion for the summer, but this summer we finally got around to going somewhere else in the world (which is honestly a BIG DEAL for our family!).  So in July we packed up and headed east to Charlotte, NC to visit some friends who had moved there a few years ago.  We spent a lovely weekend with their family (of which I have NO pictures–I realized this after we were home…) and then headed to Asheville for the next few days.  We were excited to see the mountains, as well as enjoy Asheville’s food scene, which is focused on sustainable, local, fresh ingredients and is right up our alley!

Several days we went driving on the Blue Ridge parkway, which is the scenic route through the Blue Ridge mountains and afforded us some AMAZING views, along with tunnels and roadside overlook points to stop and check out.  We went shopping, ate some fabulous food, and also visited the Western North Carolina Nature Center.  While we’re definitely still lovers of all things Disney, this was a great time for our family and it’s the trip that Riley keeps going back to when he reminisces on his summer fun!

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This one cracks me up! Just an example of the cool rocks we drove next to on the road–here we stopped to look at the water running down the walls. Obviously it was more interesting than smiling at me for the picture!

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We also learned that Asheville is home to the highest point east of the Mississippi river–Mount Mitchell.  So fun to trek to the top of it!  Such beautiful views from way up there!

IMAG0854IMAG0882IMAG0872Doesn’t that picture just say it all?  WE HAD FUN!!

What did you do this summer?  What adventures did you go on?  Where did you visit?  Leave a comment and tell me all about it!  Send me a picture, 5th grade friends, and I’ll add it to the blog! 🙂

Starting to Get Settled…

I love to share what things look like when I first walk into the classroom in the summer.  Remember these from a couple of years ago?

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It’s the classroom I was in 2 years ago, but gives you a good idea of my first sights when I return to school at the beginning of the year to get stuff put together again.  This year’s view was very similar, only in the room next door.

Putting a classroom back together is a tedious process, with lots of bits and pieces to put in their places and a big puzzle to work out.  And that’s if you put everything back where it was last year!  If you decide to make any changes (because something didn’t work last year or just because you want to try something new for a new group of kiddos), then it’s pretty much like starting all over.  Your plan has to be completely different.

So I started by putting all of my furniture back right where it was at the end of last year.  And then I started thinking….

We really loved our room arrangement last year, and it worked for us based on our traffic flows and how we used each part of the room for different activities.  Except…that I knew I wanted to trade my desk with the table right next to it so that I could use the only whiteboard in our room for small group teaching times (instead of just having it behind my desk and covered with random things I tacked up there and didn’t really use).  Smart, right?  Yeah, it took me all year long to figure that one out…:)

So once I got the table and desk switched, I really liked it.  But then I couldn’t leave well enough alone, and it so it got me wondering what else I could move around that might work even better than what we had last year.  My carpet was the next thing on my list.  Maybe moving it into the corner (where my desk had been and where that new table was now sitting) would be a good idea–again because of that whiteboard.  Having it in our meeting space might be even better than for small groups.  So I picked up the fabulous carpet (remember when we got it last year?) and moved it into the corner, along with my easel and my chair.  That left me two tables, two filing cabinets and a supply shelf to figure out.  I think I like the new changes even better than last year.  I figured out that putting the rug in the corner also meant that the doors of my closets can now be used for charts and other things we’ll refer to during lessons (more on my ideas for that soon!).

And then….I looked at the spot where my next was and agreed that I liked it there…but then had another (even better!) idea: maybe I don’t even need a desk anymore.  I’ve gone back and forth over the last few years about whether or not I really need one; I don’t sit at it except before and after school, and it’s space that kids could probably use in a better way.  It really just serves as a place for me to house all my stuff.  What I really have wanted for a while is to have a dining room or kitchen table in my room.  I love the idea of kids (who are really a part of our learning family) sitting all around it having lively conversations and growing together.  The problem?  I still had a desk, and no table.  I knew I could probably find one on Craig’s List, after having no luck at Goodwill and garage sales over the last few weeks, but I thought instead to appeal to my friends on Facebook.  It worked.  I really quickly found a friend (who also happens to be a parent from our school!) who had a table that she’d been hoping to do something with–perfect, right?

I don’t have it yet, but I am SO EXCITED for what the room will look like when it’s in place.  My new plan is that it will go where my next was, and all of my stuff will find a new home.  Then, if I need a place to perch, that will be my primary home, but kids can also sit there with me when they like, as well as using it for conferences and small groups.  What do you think about that?  (Really, you can tell me. I promise. 🙂 )

So the title of this post is starting to get settled, then, because I feel like with the furniture in the right place, then I could start to get some things on the walls.  This makes me feel like things are closer to coming together, and it definitely makes it feel a little more like home.  So here’s where I am so far:

I got our We're Connecting with the World map up! It's just waiting for some time zone clocks (a new addition this year!) as well as all the pins to represent the new friends we'll make around the world this year! This is definitely an important part of our room.

I got our We’re Connecting with the World map up! It’s just waiting for some time zone clocks (a new addition this year!) as well as all the pins to represent the new friends we’ll make around the world this year! This is definitely an important part of our room.

I moved the calendar this year around the corner. We only really use it for reference, but on this wall we can see it more easily from most parts of the room (as well as if I'm sitting at my new table or if I'm on the phone). We'll see how we like it.

I moved the calendar this year around the corner. We only really use it for reference, but on this wall we can see it more easily from most parts of the room (as well as if I’m sitting at my new table or if I’m on the phone). We’ll see how we like it.  Oh, and I found that little bucket in my closet–it has the calendar numbers in it.  Cute, right? 🙂

This will give you a better idea of all that craziness I was trying to explain before: rug in the new corner, my desk which will become our new table. You can also see (as well as in the previous pics, too) that I got our Read Aloud Timeline hung up and we're ready to get started adding to it for this year's new titles!

This will give you a better idea of all that craziness I was trying to explain before: rug in the new corner, my desk which will become our new table. You can also see (as well as in the previous pics, too) that I got our Read Aloud Timeline hung up and we’re ready to get started adding to it for this year’s new titles! Oh, and that big mess of books on the table is the middle of a reorganization project in our classroom library.  Anna and I are going to start tackling it on Tuesday, and believe me, I’ll share when I’m done. 🙂

The new birthday wall will be next to our meeting space here, as well as those closets I mentioned before. I plan on changing the titles there to other topics...

The new birthday wall will be next to our meeting space here, as well as those closets I mentioned before. I plan on changing the titles there to other topics…

Ok, one last picture:

Just a little treat from the littlest Bearden's in our family! Had to keep them busy while Mommy was working in the room the other day. :)

Just a small treat from the littlest Beardens in our family! Had to keep them busy while Mommy was working in the room the other day.

What does your classroom look like right now?  What about at the beginning of your work?  How do you tackle that big pile of “stuff?”  I’d love to hear how it works for you!

Yes–I’m Still Alive…

In case you were wondering, no, I have not dropped off the face of the earth.  Summer happened.  And while I was well-intentioned to finish up last year’s blogging strong, summer vacation got the best of me and instead I haven’t typed a thing in weeks. Months maybe.

But for those of you who are loyal blog readers, I thought I’d at least let you know I’m alive and kickin’, doing what teachers do in the summer.  Hey–now there’s an idea for a new blog post….:)

5th Grade On Stage

On May 21, 2013, 5th Grade did something they’d been working up to all year–they performed a musical that they had planned, written, choreographed, staged, costumed, and acted in!  It began as a seed of an idea early in the school year, and blossomed into something bigger better than we could have even imagined.  They really did a stellar job.  But not on their own: our amazingly fabulous music teacher, Mrs. Kesler, was there every step of the way helping them make their dream a reality.

The general premise was of a 5th grade class who was learning to write autobiographies in Writer’s Workshop and the scenes were the memories they came up with to write in their pieces.  A couple of them were “real-life”, like reminiscing about Missouri Day and Box Town, but the other two vignettes twisted truth a little further: one was about a visit one day in kindergarten from a leprechaun and his minions that involved an arm wrestle over some chocolate “gold”, and the other was a crazy escapade to Cahokia Mounds that involved lots of dancing.  It was a great example of what can happen when you let kids run with their ideas, focus on their passions and do what is often “off limits.”  Trusting them with the plan and the execution could have been hard for some, but I love that Mrs. Kesler knew that that was the right thing to do in order to really make it “theirs.”  And theirs it was.

(Wish I had more pictures of it–we really did work for almost 9 months on it.  But I only have pictures from the performance.  Boo. 😦 )

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Backstage on performance night with Jernandra, Sophia and Anna C. They were portraying kindergarteners in the scene with the leprechaun. I was Mrs. Bearden (quite a stretch, huh?)

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The art room worked as the “green room” for kids to wait in when they weren’t on stage. We had a Skype connection worked up between the gym and this room so we could see what was going on on stage. Teachers and students were in charge of following the script to help actors know when they needed to go over for their next scene. This was really a genius idea that worked out SUPER well!

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Aiden and Don were stage managers and did an amazing job of making sure it all went down as it should. They were in charge of lights, music and all other stage cues to keep us on track. Definitely the two best guys for the job!

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We call these next two pictures “The Many Hats of Mrs. Hong” because aside from being a fabulous teacher, she showed her skills in make-up…

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…and hair, as well. Is there anything she can’t do? I don’t think so. 🙂

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Group pic after the performance

  Have you ever taken on a huge project like this one?  How did it go?  What did you learn?

It’s Been Too Long

Um…how did over a month pass without me putting ANYTHING on my blog?  I guess the honest answer is that the month of May was so crazy busy that we had time to DO amazing things and I didn’t have any time to WRITE about those amazing things.

And so now I find myself on summer break with all of this time on my hands, and I’m in a quandary:  should I go back and blog about those amazing things we did at the end of the year, or move on to the new things I’m thinking about and doing?  Seems disingenuous to just leave my kiddos behind and move on without wrapping up the year, so I guess I’ve just answered my own question.  I need to go back and tell you about the book trailer project we did, Field Day and the last day of school, my final reflections on going 1:1 with iPads.  You need to hear about how fabulous I thought this last class was, and how I just met up with Keelan’s family in Disney World when we were both on vacation.

Ok, decision made.  Now, beware–you’ll have lots of blog posts to read over the next few days.  Hope you’re ready!!

An Authentic Australian Audience

First of all, to my friends in 5SK, I’m SO sorry you’ve been waiting so long for this post!  We ended up needing another day to get our presentations “just so” before we shared them.

And so for those of you who are not from 5Sk (a Year 5 class in Queensland, Australia), let me fill you in on what’s going on.

I have been talking to Ms. Scharf for a little while, and received an email from her the other day with a request.  She also posted it on her blog:

The challenge from Mrs. Scharf for her 5SK friends.

The challenge from Ms. Scharf for her 5SK friends.

I was beyond excited about this question because 1) I knew my friends could answer it and help their Aussie friends, and 2) this was a REAL, AUTHENTIC audience with a REAL problem that we needed to solve–talk about motivating!

So after talking through what we needed to do first (which was research the Australian money system so we knew what connections to make and so we’d have some background knowledge), as well as all the things we needed to include in our responses.

And so, after two days of working, here’s what we came up with for our friends:

And last, but not least, one group made a poster to explain their answer:

Fiona, Anna K., Sammy and

Fiona, Anna K., Sammy and Rebekah chose to explain their thinking in a poster.

So what do you think?  5SK friends–did we help you?  Please write and tell us what you think.  We’d also love to hear how your Pocket Money Challenge went today! 🙂

Ok, So I’m Unplugging…

I was on Twitter this afternoon and saw this.  Kind of ironic that it was on Twitter, right, considering the topic?

Well, after thinking about it all day, I’ve decided to take the challenge of Screen-Free Week.Screen Shot 2013-04-28 at 9.47.39 PM

I have to be really honest–I’m not sure I’m going to make it!  But it’s because of the amount of time I know I am “plugged in,” connected, in front of a screen (sometimes more than one at a time!), that I think it’s important.  I shared the goal with my son tonight and he was less than impressed (because as a 5YO that meant he couldn’t play Lego Batman this week–oh no!).  For me, it means no Facebook, no Twitter, no blogging (what??), no games, less texting, and no TV.  I’m excited about all of the conversations I’ll have, books I will read, entries I will put in my Writer’s Notebook, muffins I’ll bake, miles I’ll run and all the other things I may not even be aware of that I could do with my time. Ooo, I have a couple of sewing projects calling my name, too…. 🙂

My students will read this tomorrow morning as they are welcomed back to school on a (hopefully) bring Monday morning.  And they will be asked to take the challenge with me.  Because if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it!

So, 5th grade friends…

Please leave me a comment with your thoughts about Screen-Free Week.  Are you willing to commit to unplugging this week?  Think of all of the other things you could do with your time instead!  What will you do with your time this week? 

And so I say goodbye to cyberspace for a little while.  I’m hoping I come out on the other side more enlightened, better read, happier and more productive.  I hope that it helps me appreciate all that is around me (instead of just what is in front of me).  I know I be writing about it when we’re finished (along with my 5th grade friends who also accepted the challenge with me), and hopefully will have great things to share!  See you next week, friends!

Anybody else want to take this challenge with me to be SCREEN-FREE?

iPADS!!

I cannot believe I haven’t written about this yet, because I feel like my life has been pretty much Applecentric lately.

Really long story (and if you’re interested in the story you can read my principal’s blog about it here) short, my class (along with Mrs. Hong’s 5th grade class) went 1:1 with iPad minis today!

Before I say anything else, let me show you how they felt about it! IMG_0775 IMG_0776 IMG_0777 IMG_0778 IMG_0780

We began the day with this morning welcome screen and my kids knew they were in for a TON of fun, and also a ton of work:

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After specials, we headed to the library, where we met Mr. Strecker, our district’s tech guru, who had two big ‘ole boxes of Apple goodies for us.  Then we got busy.

Mr. Strecker, helping solve problems, as usual. He's kind of magic, actually. :)

Mr. Strecker, helping solve problems, as usual. He’s kind of magic, actually. 🙂

We spent most of the next hour working on setting up the iPad so we could start using it–you know, Apple IDs, mail settings, etc.  While I knew we could handle it, and we had Mrs. Hong leading the way, it’s really hard to do anything this technical with 40 5th graders!  After that hour was over, we headed up individually to our classrooms, to finish our setup.

Mrs. Hong, another tech guru, leading us through iPad setup. We luckily had a Keynote created for us to work through--made the whole thing a little clearer because it added a visual for those who needed it.

Mrs. Hong, another tech guru, leading us through iPad setup. We luckily had a Keynote created for us to work through–made the whole thing a little clearer because it added a visual for those who needed it.

Setting up email, Apple IDs, etc..

Setting up email, Apple IDs, etc..

Upstairs we finished up with a trip to the App Store, where we signed in and did just enough to get them really jazzed about getting started.  Then we went to lunch.  Ha!  (Nice, right?)

After lunch we put the iPads away for a while to work on a math assessment we needed to finish today, but did get our new friends out to scan a QR code that led us to the website where they input the answers to be graded.  Couldn’t get away for very long. 🙂

Finally, as the main goals for the day, we downloaded some necessary apps (Kid Blog, Edmodo and Pic Collage) and then used them.  Kiddos used Pic Collage to make a display that we put set as our lock screens–now we can tell whose iPad is whose!  I wish I’d have saved some of their creations–5th graders are HILARIOUS when you put a camera in their hands and tell them to go for it.  Maybe I’ll have them share them with you!

So…nothing “big” officially happened today, but here are my thoughts so far on Day 1 of our 1:1 iPad Scout:

1. I am excited.  Really excited!  I’ve heard many people talk about how there’s worry about kids being “plugged in” and zoning out, but I’m already thinking the opposite will be true.  I know it’s only the beginning, but I LOVED what happened when we started using our Minis for real:

IMG337We’re already finding “experts”–they are teaching and learning together about what to do and how to do it!

2. I needed a plan for a safe place to keep them when they’re not in use (because no, they won’t be permanently connected to our hands), so I made tubs.  I think they’ll work, and they’re cute. 🙂

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3. Eventually there is a plan for kids to take their Minis home (after they participate in a Digital Citizenship workshop with their parents), but for now they’re at school.  And I’m already having charging issues.  Don’t really want to spend my time plugging and unplugging iPads.  This is what we’ve worked out so far.  I made another station just like it on the other side of the room on the windowsill:

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4.  My kids are ready to go 1:1 and I hope I am.  I am generally tech-fearless, and am ok when I don’t know it all, and I hope I stay that way.  We have a great opportunity in front of us and I want to make the most of it.  We’re really lucky around here!

Seamus is seriously working on his iPad post on his newly-downloaded Kid Blog app.

Seamus is seriously working on his iPad post on his newly-downloaded Kid Blog app.

Pic Collages being made for lock screens. Hope to use that app later on for other projects!

Pic Collages being made for lock screens. Hope to use that app later on for other projects!

Cheese!

Cheese!

This is the new table in Rm 202--iPads everywhere!

This is the new view of a table in Rm 202–iPads everywhere!

One more thing: be sure to read about what my kiddos thought about today!  They used their Kid Blog app to tell the world about it!

So…now I need your help!  What advice can you give me as I start this 1:1 journey?  How do you best utilize devices with your students for the best learning?  Leave a comment and help us out!

 

Spring Break?

Missouri is one of those places where the weather NEVER makes sense.  It’s so true how the saying goes: If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.

And so, I am completely surprised to be showing you these pictures from outside my windows today.  Reminder:  today is March 24.  Yes, it’s SPRING.

View from the front porch

View from the front porch

Backyard Can you see the poor little CONFUSED birdies hopping around out there? :(

Backyard Can you see the poor little CONFUSED birdies hopping around out there? 😦

Big, fat, heavy snow hanging on the trees

Big, fat, heavy snow hanging on the trees

And so the questions have begun in earnest: will we have a snow day?  I’m not entirely sure what I want the answer to be.  Personally, I want a SPRING day!

 

 

Life Lessons I Learned on my Treadmill

I am a thinker.  If you know me, you probably know that I ask a LOT of questions, and that I am always chewing on something.  It’s great to know that if you’re ever in a meeting with me, too, because I will often not have any answers for you on what I think about the topic right then–but if you get back with me the next day, I’ll have a big, long list of things I want to talk to you about!

I’ve shared some of that thinking here before, related to me as a reader and a writer.  I’ve even wrote about things you should know about me as a runner.

And so that brings me to this post here today: Life Lessons I Learned on My Treadmill.  Surprisingly, even when I’m running and sweating on my treadmill at night, my brain is working.  I’m thinking.  And usually I’m thinking about what I’m going to write about next, or what I will write at my next Facebook status (weird, I know. 🙂 ).

Hope you’ll enjoy what I was thinking about during my run tonight:

1. Just do it.  Even if you don’t want to.  There are times in each of our lives when we don’t want to do something, but know it’s good for us, or maybe that we have to do it because someone’s told us to, or is expecting us to.  Tonight was one of those nights when I just wanted to sit on my couch and veg out–to check my email and Facebook, hang out on Twitter and blog.  But what I needed to do was run.  It was a running day (every other day is), and it shouldn’t matter if I’m tired.  And so I had to ignore those voices screaming in my head for me to be lazy and just. Do. It.  And you know what?  Once I got started, I was SO glad I had made that decision.  And just like with running, sometimes you just have to stop thinking about how much you DON’T want to do it (a project, homework, the laundry, whatever) and DO it.  Usually that takes less time than the whining part anyway.

2. Take someone with you.  In this case my “someone” is not a real “someone,” but is instead a music playlist.  Many times when I run, I watch TV–shows that no one else in my house cares about, that I can watch while I’m alone and exercising.  Tonight, though, I took my friends from Pandora with me instead, and it made the time pass much more quickly.  Instead of paying attention to the clock or the time I had left in my workout, I was singing along (yes, at the top of my lungs!) and not even noticing the time.  Many things are like that–having a friend (real or on the radio) there to chat with, laugh with, learn with makes the whole thing much more enjoyable.  You might even learn something new without knowing it.

3. You just feel better when you’re moving. This one might be a personal opinion rather than something I’ve learned, but I can definitely say I feel loads better when I’m moving than when I’m not.  There were some weeks months when I wasn’t doing anything in terms of exercise.  I had started running a year or so ago, and was loving it and what it had done to me and for me physically.  And then school started again.  And I started my Masters program.  And I had a little one start kindergarten.  You get the idea.  Suddenly I looked up and it was JANUARY and I hadn’t run a single step since August.  And I didn’t feel very well.  I was sluggish, run down and just felt plain icky.  And yes, I had gotten a little larger than where I was at the end of the summer.  And so just after the first of the year I started over and relaced my running shoes.  And am feeling so amazing again.  Now it’s hard NOT to run because of the fabulous way it makes me feel when I do it. (I’m not really sure how this one relates to learning specifically, except for I guess that your brain works better when you’re active than when you’re a couch potato.  It’s a muscle, right?)

4. You will make time for what’s important to you. This one is true about whatever it is in your life that you want to do, but for me it’s running and writing.  People often ask me how I find time to keep up with this blog, do what I need to do as a wife, mother and teacher, running, etc. and the short answer is that I make it.  Ok, really I tell them that I don’t sleep.  But that’s not at all true because I love me a good nap!  We all have the same number of hours in the day; it’s about how you use them.  Instead of watching TV or playing a game, I choose to write on my blog or read a book I want to share with my 5th graders.  Instead of watching TV (or WHILE I’m watching TV) I run.  And so I guess another part of the answer is that I am a master at multi-tasking.  I don’t do much sitting.  I do many things all at the same time, because I want to make sure I have time to do them all.  Doing the things that are important to you first is another strategy I choose to employ, too, and then I make sure there’s time for them.  If you want to, you will.

5. Think before.  I was going to make that title say “Think before you speak,” but then I thought about it (ha!), and really I’d say it’s a great thing to do before you do LOTS of things: think before you speak, think before you write, think before you act, think before you eat, think before (and while!) you read, etc…thinking is just a good thing in general, and there are many people who just don’t do it!  They move and do and go, without really knowing where they’re going or why, what they’ll do when they get there, or the process they’re going to use while they’re there.  I mentioned already that I am always thinking.  The whole time I was running, I was drafting what this blog post would sound like!  See? Multi-tasking.

6. Smile. Smiling just makes everything better, and can even fool you into liking something you didn’t think you would.  Plus it makes your face look nicer. 🙂

7. Don’t listen to Adele Radio.  That Pandora station doesn’t play enough Adele.  Pick the Sara Bareilles station instead.  Much better stuff.

Your turn: what life lessons have you learned lately?  Where or when did you learn them?  Share your ideas with me and my students!  We’d love to learn from you!