Back to School Celebrations

As all the teachers prepare feverishly for back to school, I've had a lot on my plate. I'm just finished reading, "Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Students" and can't wait to use some of my new ideas in the classroom. At the pool today I started to read, "Reading in the Wild" by Donalyn Miller. I'm excited to see what I can use with my new students. I also finished two products for my friends who teach 2nd and 3rd grades! I'm throwing my first giveaway using Rafflecopter, so tell all of your friends and pick which item you'd rather have. If it's not your grade level, maybe it would work as a nice gift for a new teacher at your school. :-) Share the love and leave me some feedback!

         

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Third-Day-of-Third-Grade-1384803

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Second-Day-of-Second-Grade-1384821




Okay, guys, I was having trouble with the rafflecopter, so stay tuned!

Packing up to a new school

Boy has it been busy around here! Just in the past week, I have done so much. I have packed up my third grade classroom that I spent 5 years in (I thought 3 tubs from home would suffice, that was indeed not the case!) I packed up my minivan to the brim, but it all fit! Minus my classroom library which I will show in a different post. I've been working hard on re-organizing now that I'm moving up in grade level.

I'm becoming an expert packer

Then it was on to my new school, which is old, REALLY old. Like Over 100 years old! There is no elevator and lots of steps. I was hired to teach a 4th and 5th grade class of kids labeled as ED, emotionally disturbed. Our year will begin in the basement with the music room, art room, the library and other miscellaneous classrooms. Our goal is to utilize our beautiful third floor classroom that the principal has granted us. I know they can do it! So, in theory, I have two classrooms to fill. That's slightly daunting but I'm focusing on just the one for now and then we will see how it goes.  My room is nice though and coming along. I have tons of windows compared to my last room which has 0 windows. Sometimes we would line up for recess until someone would walk by and tell us it was raining and we'd have to have indoor recess after being let down. Here's my basement room. Oh and it has no whiteboards, only chalkboards! I am getting a Smart Board though, thank goodness!.

In my spare time, I've been working on a product for TpT and am steps away from posting my first product, hooray! Stay tuned for many more adventures!

~Jennifer

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Naming a blog

Victoria Amelia at 9 weeks

There are so many great blogs out there with very wonderful names. Some are catchy, some meaningful, and some playful. I thought long and hard about what to name a blog that you think will stand the test of time. I'm not sure I'll always be teaching in the third grade, so I wanted to keep that out of the name. Then, I was sitting in my two daughters' room, rocking the new baby to sleep when I looked up at the wall and saw Amelia Earhart staring at me. My oldest daughter's middle name is Amelia as an ode to her 11th cousin, Amelia Earhart. She has always fascinated me and I want all three of my children to always follow their dreams, aim high, and live each day to its fullest potential. Ohio makes a claim of being the birthplace of aviation, so there you go, we are flying high in Ohio, as teachers we are aiming for the sky and trying to teach our students to do the same. 

Introduction

Hello and Welcome,

First, a little bit about myself. I have been teaching third grade for the past five years at a small charter school in Columbus, Ohio. I love third graders, they have it all, a little sass, a little spunk, but most of all they still love to learn. We have a lot to accomplish in third grade especially now with the Third Grade Reading Guarantee in full effect but I try to make learning fun while covering all of our standards. My goal is to create a community with my two teacher friends where we can come, share, and learn from each other. Teachers should never stop learning and I love collaborating with others.