Vacation...

Tonight we're heading off to the beach for a week.  For most this would elicit joy and excitement.  For me, I'm somewhat indifferent, as I prefer the mountains and the woods.  I actually took up golf so I'd have something to do with my husband instead of baking on the beach waiting for him to return.  But, I'm armed with a grown-up book, The Help, and three knitting projects to complete.   I know I'll have plenty of things to occupy my mind. There are no professional books packed in my bag and the computer is staying at home.  The goal is to unplug for a week and to come back refreshed and ready to take on August with a vengeance.


Starting this blog was a huge step LEAP out of my comfort zone.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about, what I wanted to document or what I wanted to accomplish for that matter.  The biggest question I had was who would really want to read what I have to say?  I'm thrilled to pieces to have three followers!  This gives me encouragement.  While unplugging in the Carolinas, I plan to reflect on what I want this little piece of cyberspace to become.  So, look for more posts after August 7th.  I think I'm going to have a give away when I get back.

Lazy

It is 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

I have been up since 8 this morning.

I have done nothing productive today. 

Well, I unloaded the dishwasher and ran a load of laundry. 

I showered.

And I did some work getting a knitting project up and going for something to do on the car ride to the Carolinas next week.

However, the most enjoyable part of the day was just laying on the couch watching a marathon of Parking Wars.  I didn't watch this because I wanted to, I really found it to be too much energy to actually go find the remote.  So I watched, for two whole hours, the daily grind of several parking ticket giver-outers (I forget the real title) and the antics of irate people who were ticked off because they just couldn't follow directions.  In the back of my mind I was thinking there are X amount of things you could be working on for school, several books you could be finishing up, and after gazing around the family room I noticed I have a cobweb hanging from the ceiling which should be taken down. 

But, alas, I couldn't move myself from the comfort of the couch.  I think this is the first weekend since before Memorial Day we've not had some obligation, place to be, person to see and the peace and quiet was just too enjoyable.  Perhaps it's because I know these lazy days are now numbered.  A month from yesterday we'll be back at work and as teachers we all know how fast this last month of vacation goes.  I think, too, teachers struggle with the guilt of not being busy 24/7 and I'm finally at the point of vacation where that mind set is starting to wear-off, just in time for it to all start ramping up again.

Anyone else feel the same?

Recipes! - Linky Party Day 4

I love to cook - when I have time, that is.  During the school year I have a schedule for doing my cooking.  I plan out a rough schedule for the month and plan my meals accordingly, taking meeting nights, sports of the n/n's (nieces/nephews), family obligations, etc. into consideration.  When I have those penciled in I have a better idea of what my time looks like and what I can accomplish, realistically.  I can also do one big shopping trip on a Sunday and then just make quick stops the rest of the month for perishables, produce and lunch items.  I purchase meat in larger packages, repackage into smaller amounts and store everything in the freezer.  I purchase fresh vegetables that are on sale, blanch them and freeze them in 2 person serving sizes.  Right now I'm going crazy at the farmer's market with the corn and green beans.  I would love to learn to can, but that is a project for next summer. 

I try to limit the amount of packaged and processed foods in our diets.  I do use cooking soups and bottled sauce, but try to pick the lower sodium or organic varieties when I can.  My husband still enjoys eating like a teenager and hasn't grown out of the conveinence food phase.  The one item I will agree to having is tacos.  I've "healthified" the dish a bit by using lean ground turkey and lighter dairy products.  Truth be told, I enjoy taco night because I know it is quick and easy + depending on the night before, I can usually cook up the meat part while something else is in the oven and get the toppings prepped. 

I don't start my meal planning until September, since school starts in late August.  However when getting ready to go back to work, one of my teacher friends and I always put aside a day to cook together.  We make casseroles and divide them into two 9X9 containers and freeze them.  That way most of our meal prep is already done and is one less thing to have to think about during this busy time of the year.  If you enjoy cooking and can link up with a buddy, I highly reccomend this idea.  We've even toyed with the idea of co-oping with some other teachers at school and doing a big share.  Depending on how many people are in the group, that is how many amounts of your recipe to make.  For instance if you have 4 people, make your recipe X's 4 and keep one for yourself.  Give the other three to the other participants and receive a dish from the other memebers.  Now you have 4 items in your freezer, but you've only cooked one day.  

Linky Party Day 4  over at cfclassrom.com asks for our favorite recipe for back to school.  Here is something my husband has coined "The Best Pasta Ever."  I have made this so many times, the recipe is ingrained in my head and I can make it from memory.  I think it was something I got through a Pampered Chef party.  Needless to say it is quick, low on ingerdients and freezes well.  

 The Best Pasta Ever

1 28 oz. jar of  your favorite pasta red sauce

3/4 box of your favorite dry pasta shape - penne works well

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey

2 T cream cheese

1 c shredded mozzorella cheese

add ins during the meat browning process: green peppers, fresh mushrooms, onions - any or all, depending on your tate.

In a large, deep skillet or dutch oven:
Brown meat with veggies
Drain meat.
Dump in sauce + one sauce jar of water
Add dry pasta 
Bring to a simmer and cover until pasta is done - at my house that is aldente.
Stir in 2T cream cheese.
Sprinkle with mozzorella cheese.

Enjoy!

Kevin Henkes

Here is a link to Kevin Henkes' website.  All his novels are listed and there are excerpts to read.  Upon further thought I am going to give all of them a good read before proceeding with my mini unit.  The blurbs make them all sound like they have some pretty heavy content in them - which might not be developmentally appropriate for some kiddos.

Kevin Henkes web site

To Bee or Not To Bee - my love affair with Vista Print

I've never used a classroom theme before, but my logo/trademark has always been a bee.  I don't know why, but for some reason I've always loved collecting bee related papers, stickers, stamps, etc.  From this little obsession I started calling my room Mrs. Nye's Hive and joked with the kids that I was the queen and they were the workers.  But I wasn't sure bees were "cool" for third graders and wrestled with letting go of my fondness for all things bee for this transition up the grade level ladder. 

But, I remembered my portfolio of custom made cards, stickers, stamps, magnets, etc. - all with some sort of bee on them, mind you -  living  over at Vista Print.  Then my friend, Jodi, over at Clutter-Free Classroom blogged about scoring the jackpot of all jackpots at Vista Print earlier this week.  Today I had enough uninterrupted time to sit down and work on getting an order ready.  Unfortunately I missed the free shipping deal, but this offer from VP was in my mailbox last night VP Clearance Sale.  The deals were too good to be true and I just can't let go of my bees.  Right now I'm up to $12.00 for shipping.  Here's what I've put in my cart so far:







The offer for these free things doesn't expire until the 31st, so I'm going to take my time finishing up this week.  



Linky Party - Day Three

Today's assignment is to pick my favorite author.  Like yesterday's task, this isn't easy either.  It feels wrong not picking Eric Carle, but for today's post I believe Kevin Henkes gets the honor.  I always started my first grade year with him as our author study and his series of mouse books are the best read alouds for the beginning of the year.  His storytelling is kid friendly and the students love to add his books to their independent reading boxes.  Henkes has also authored a few chapter books.  I may do a mini-unit using him, along with Cynthia Rylant, as examples of  authors who write picture books and chapter books.

Linky Party - Day 2

Today's assignment is to pick my favorite picture book based on illustrations.  Like most teachers, I'm a bibliophile and should probably find a 12 step program to help me with my addiction to purchasing picture books.  Being asked to pick my favorite is like asking me to pick my favorite niece/nephew impossible!  However, I'm going to share one of my favorite read alouds because I love how many teaching points I can pull out of it and the illustrations are darling, to boot.  The book I'm choosing for today's assignment is:

http://books.google.com/books?id=G1b5FKJY6ZcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0

When I taught first grade I used this book for predicting, inferring, character traits, character development, story elements and I linked it up with science for our life science unit.  The illustrations are darling.  It wasn't uncommon to find two or three kiddos sprawled out on the floor of the classroom analyzing the illustrations for details they missed.  Having multiple copies for the bookshelf was a must.

This summer my book shopping/reading time has been spent on transitional chapter books.  However, I've also been sorting through my picture book library looking for mentor texts for reading workshop and writing workshop.  Thanks, Jodi, for giving this assignment.  I'm sure there are still some teaching points yet to be found in this book.  I just made note on my "to do" list to pull Too Many Pumpkins and put it in my October crate.

Late to the Party

My friend, Jodi, at Clutter-Free Classroom is having a week-long linky party.  I'm attending, fashionably late, but excited to participate.  If you've not done so already, click over to her blog to join in on all the fun!

How I Am Spending My Summer Vacation

Other than the summer I got married, this is the first time in my eighteen years of teaching I haven't done anything related to work for the summer.  Usually I tutor or teach summer school, or in my younger years would babysit.  I walked away from my classroom in June and have loved every minute of freedom.  I have no set schedule and have found myself being more productive than ever.  My goal for the summer months has been to work hard at taking back control of my house - cleaning out clutter and all the things that have accumulated over time - and I've been pretty successful.   

My other activity for the summer has been learning how to play golf.  I've never played a sport, but my husband is an all-around athlete.  He lives for golf on the weekends and after our last trip to Hilton Head, I decided to make good on a ten year old promise to just try.  So, in April, he bought me a starter set of clubs and I've been taking lessons since June.  I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I'm enjoying the process of learning the basics and I've held my own on the course the three times we've played.  Don't ever say you're too old to learn something new!

I think giving myself permission to relax, take it easy and enjoy these precious days has been the best decision I've made in a long time.  The thought of going back to work in August doesn't give me a headache or drain me of energy thinking of what I need to get done.  I have truly spent my summer being on vacation. 

Old Dog, New Tricks

Third grade will be a new adventure for me this fall.  I had the choice to go back to 5th, take on 4th or try my hand at third grade.  Fourth grade didn't really interest me.  I thought about going back to fifth since I was somewhat familiar with the curriculum and expectations.  But, I kept hearing all the teacher voices echoing in my head about how much fun third grade and third graders are to teach.  The one statement which kept "talking" the loudest was, "Third grade is the promise land."  So, after a few more T-charts and sleepless nights weighing the pros and cons, my decision was to take on third grade and all the potential enjoyment it has to offer.  


One of my biggest reasons for going to 3rd is the fact most of my professional books and resources span K-3.  One of my biggest questions is where does 3rd grade fit on a spectrum of elementary years?  I come from the era where Ohio teachers were certified to teach elementary grades 1-8 and Kindergarten with an endorsement.  Currently the certification is broken down into K-3 and 4-9.  I don't know the specifics for each and have heard the grade bands are changing again.  But, I do understand K-3 is considered early childhood.


I always believed third grade to be a primary grade.  However, the more research I do, it seems to be a gray area grade level with some feeling it is still part of a primary experience and others feeling it is the entrance to intermediate.  My newest outlook on third grade sees it as being a transitional year.  A year where a bridge is being built to get these kiddos transitioned from primary to intermediate.  I'm feeling like third grade might be "the promise land," but also quite magical, too. 


So, this week I intend to work on creating my vision for my third grade students and their families.  I'll be going back into my resources from The Responsive Classroom, digging through the RC website and Chip Wood's blog.  Here's a link back to a RC resource, http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/ET3intro.pdf - cross fingers it gets to me before leaving on vaca! 


I'm looking for feedback from any third grade teachers - especially ones who have taught third in addition to other grades.  What have you enjoyed the most, what has puzzled you, what are the sticky spots encountered along the way?

Introduction

I've toyed with the idea of blogging for about a year or so.  Putting my words, thoughts, ideas out in public space is way outside my comfort zone, but I've decided to take the plunge and dive in.  Third grade will be a new adventure this fall, after living in first grade for ten years.  I thought blogging would be a great venue for reflecting on theory and practice related to third grade students, third grade curriculum and teaching in general. 

It seems to be common place for bloggers to share a bit about themselves, so here's a little about me.  I'm a lifetime resident of the Buckeye State, having grown up in a small town outside Cleveland and eventually putting down roots in Columbus after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1994. 

This fall will begin my 18th year in education.  Most of my classroom time has been spent working with first graders, but I have also taught pre-K, 5th grade and worked as a reading specialist.  I have enjoyed every stop along my teaching journey and I am thrilled to be taking on a new challenge at this stage of my career.

My husband and I live in a bustling suburb of Columbus with our two dogs, Max and Erma.  Together we enjoy playing golf, being an aunt and uncle to 4 great kids and traveling throughout the United States - I have an obsession with visiting National Parks.  Some of the activities I enjoy in my spare time are cooking, reading, knitting - all with a great glass of wine.

I guess that about does it for this post. 

Until next time,

Mollie