Classroom Tour and Beginning the School Year

The end of summer seems like a race to the finish. School begins on the 19th for us. Teachers report back on the 17th. Likely, I will only have the afternoon of the 17th in my classroom to get ready. The rest of the time is taken up by meetings. Having the room ready by the 18th in the afternoon is tough. Students are allowed to come in with their families then to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. So this week? It is the marathon and I am exhausted. No matter how much you work, it never feels like enough and there is always, always, something more you could do. 

Last week I mailed off the "Football Field" letters. (More on what those are HERE.) This week I mailed letters to my new students. It really reminded me of the cyclical nature of teaching - saying goodbye, and then saying hello. It made me mourn for my students who have left, but feel excitement over the class that is to come. Some folks on Twitter and Facebook asked if they could see my letter to my students. I don't think it is anything fabulous, but I send a variation of this home each year. 

Last year I shared a video tour of my classroom on this blog. Many people commented that it was helpful and last week I began to get messages to see if I could do it again. There isn't a whole lot of change from last year, but I did do an updated video if that helps. I love checking out other classrooms, so I'm glad to let you all into mine. One quick tip that I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned - my bulletin board are painted. (Regular paint and a roller) I abhor cutting the bulletin board paper, getting it up, etc. I went with a calm color, the same on all boards, and it has held up for five years so far. 



Wishing you all the best school year yet! Thanks for visiting. 

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin

This book packs an emotional punch. A quiet book, but one that speaks right to your heart. In other words, my kind of book.

Ruby is eleven and just getting ready to start middle school. Like many middle school students, Ruby thinks about friendships quite a bit. But in Ruby's world, it is different. She has always kept a distance from other kids. Been friendly, but not too friendly. She doesn't have anyone over, doesn't confide, because Ruby has a secret, her mother is in prison. Ruby's aunt knows, of course. Ruby lives with her. But no one else. And then, a new girl named Margalit moves to their apartment complex and Ruby begins to wonder if it is time to share her secret. She wonders if Margalit can be the true friend she has been looking for.

I loved this book so. Ruby is introspective. She is kind, caring, and wants so badly to have a friend. She misses her mom in a way that is hard, but true. I think so many of my students will find someone to root for in Ruby. I cannot wait for school to begin so I can introduce my new class to Ruby, to share that I love it so much, I've included it in our Mock Newbery books. It's that good. 

What a simply beautiful book. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information.

Not a huge reading week, but I had the chance to read several wonderful books. There are three I wanted to share specifically:

• Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks was amazing. Incredibly detailed and informative, I learned so much from this book. Each chapter is a different system in the body and the narrator, a skeleton, teaches you about it. If you plan on having it in your classroom library, just a heads up that the reproductive system is included. Would not prevent me from having it, but you should read it to be aware. 
• Danger in Ancient Rome (Ranger in Time #2) this is such a fun series from author Kate Messner. In Ranger #1 we followed Ranger as he helped rescue people on the Oregon Trail. In Ranger #2 we get to travel to Ancient Rome and a gladiator training school. What a fabulous series. 
• Weekends With Max and His Dad is an amazing new series by Linda Urban. I will try and review it closer to the release date this spring because I loved it a lot. To summarize quickly, Max is a third grader who is going to visit his dad's apartment for the first time. His mom and dad have separated or divorced and his dad has found a new place. The book follows the adventures and relationship Max and his dad have on their weekend visits together. I absolutely loved Max, his imagination, and watching his relationship with his dad strengthen as they found their new roles. This is a book, and a character, many students will identify with. 

With Weekends with Max and his Dad I have read ninety-nine books for the summer, ahead of my book a day goal of seventy-five for seventy-five days of summer. I still have seven more days, but I'm not going to push myself to read too much this week. I head back to school next Monday, the kids next Wednesday, so I know my attention will be divided. Two things I know I am reading this week are:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - I'm working very hard to rid my house of clutter. It feels good to start the school year relatively organized. 

And

The Game of Love and Death - which I am reading with some friends to discuss this week. 

Happy Reading! 

Book review - Your Alien

Your Alien

Written by Tammi Sauer, Illustrated by Goro Fujita

You will be looking out your window

when something wonderful comes your way.

You will want to keep him. 

Your Alien is written in the second person. It reminds me a lot of the style of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie... and for that reason alone, kids will love it. What they will be draw to even more, however, is the friendship story. 

The boy at the start sees a spaceship crash. Upon checking out the site of the crash, he meets an alien. They become fast friends and spend a day together playing, until the alien becomes homesick at the end and needs to find a way to return to his parents.

I enjoyed the lyrical nature of the text, the friendship between the boy and the alien, and the way the boy solved the problem at the end. I love how the text was circular and came back to the lines, "you will be looking out your window when something wonderful comes your way..." at the end. A beautiful story or, as the back of the book says, "A friendship that is out of this world." 

Super fun book that I can't wait to share with students this fall. 

Little Elliot Wall Decal Giveaway

It’s no secret; I’m a big fan of the book Little Elliot, Big City. I reviewed it HERE and also revealed some cover art from the upcoming book, Little Elliot, Big Family HERE. I love this little elephant and his kind nature. I was beyond excited to find that Merry Maker’s released Little Elliot stuffed animals. (HERE) I will absolutely be purchasing one for my classroom and one for my niece. They are adorable.

All of this is to say, I got really excited when the folks at Live In A Story (website HERE) contacted me. They have wall decals that are taken right off the pages of our favorite picture books. What??? They wondered if I’d like to preview what they have for Little Elliot. Sign me up.

Just a few days later, Elliot arrived. I opened the package with anticipation, unrolled it, and there he was. I immediately knew where I wanted to put him in my classroom.

We start school in just over a week, so I’ve been in the classroom quite a bit. There is a spot in our classroom meeting area that I used to use for lunch count, but now was bare. It is on a white board, just to the right of our Interactive whiteboard. I put Elliot there thinking we could put speech bubbles or thought bubbles near him throughout the year.

There were also fun decals with cupcakes on them that I haven’t gotten the chance to put up yet, I think I’ll place them randomly on the board around Elliot.

The folks at Live in A Story wanted me to offer up one free Little Elliot wall decal along with a copy of Little Elliot, Big City to a reader of the blog. Would you like Elliot in your classroom or even your home? Fill in the Google Form below. The giveaway will be open from 8/7 through midnight on 8/10.

Fifteen Days

Benefit to early morning walks? Beautiful sunrises. 

I had a moment of panic this morning. Returning from a morning walk with Rosie, I was talking to Chris before he left for work. We were talking about when school would begin and I replied teachers go back the 17^th, students the 19^th. He made the comment about how early that seemed and left for work.

I glanced at my calendar and my stomach felt queasy. The 17^th was two weeks from yesterday, the 19^th two weeks from tomorrow.

How does this happen? Every year the start of the school year sneaks up on my, and yet every year I feel surprised. One would think I would begin to expect this phenomenon, but no. Here I am, beginning my sixteenth year in my district, twentieth in teaching, and I’m in the same place.

Summer always comes exactly when I need it. I am, of course, sad to see my students go, but I know it is time. They are ready to spread their wings. I am in desperate need of some sleep and time with my own family. My mind can focus on putting my own family first. I have visions of relaxing mornings, cleaning sprees at my house, days spent reading and writing.

Some of that happens, much of it remains a fantasy.

In truth, my schedule is crazier in the summer than during the school year. Two boys in sports makes my head spin. Family trips, professional conferences, games, practices, tournaments – my mind whirls. And yet, it is easier. I am fully present, not having to juggle the demands of school and home. It is awesome.

At the end of July, I felt the urge. I began to write lesson plans. I headed in for a few hours to get my classroom set up. I organized all of the books I had read over the summer, added them to my data base, and bagged them up to bring in. It was getting closer, I could feel it.

It was how close it truly was that threw me today. This week hasn’t gone as planned. My van broke, again, this weekend. I love my Silver Streak, but am not fond of three – now four – different repairs in one summer. Either is my checkbook. So, no trip to Target on Sunday. No errands ran, no classroom library organized. I feel behind, and that is not a feeling I enjoy.

So, I do what I know needs to be done. Lists created. Trips by bicycle to the Post Office to mail the letters to last year’s group, wishing them well as they head on to middle school. Visits to school to dip my toe back into the water, feel the excitement flood through me, know that it is almost time.

Next week I will see my class lists. Know what group of kids I am spending the next ten months with. Know who is part of my new school family. It is then that it will seem real.

Fifteen days. Fifteen days until I stand in front of a room full of students and feel that rush that comes from the start of a school year. The rush that is full of possibility, the rush that reminds me that anything is possible. Fifteen days. I am ready, and yet, I am not. I have fifteen days to spend with Luke and Liam. To say yes to days spent at the pool, time with friends, and yes, time spent organizing. Fifteen days. It is almost here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information.

This was a strange reading week. I really only "read" three of the seven days. But when I read, I read a lot. Wednesday I spent the entire day reading and finished five novels and a picture book. I notice my reading does this - I typically read in spurts. Normally, I read at least 15 minutes a day, but on some days I read a ton. It varies based on our schedule. For this reason I am taking off the time requirement on reading this year and simply asking my students to read. I plan on sharing what my reading life looks like with my students at the start of the year and seeing what they can accomplish when the time requirement is no longer there. 

 This week I read so many fabulous books. Please look for The Secrets of Solace (companion to Mark of the Dragonfly) this spring and The Thing About Jellyfish this fall. The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky was a book I missed last year, and it was fabulous! Make sure you find it.