I'm Here to TEACH!

One year ago I was anxious to begin student teaching.
Six months ago I was so thankful it was over. (I was also a college graduate!)
One month ago I accepted my first teaching job.
Three weeks ago I found a place to live.
And five days ago I moved.

Over the course of the year, my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined. This was the year that I decided I really wanted to be a teacher. This was the year that stretched me, pulled me, and twisted me in ways I never thought I'd go. And this is the year that I begin my career. After jumping through many hoops, I find myself here, in Ellinwood, KS, USA. And guess what? First graders get to call me Miss Everhart once again!

There is just something about moving to a small town and having your own place and classroom. Now I know it's not for everyone, especially the small town part, but as my friends would say, it's perfect for me. And thank goodness this town is so friendly. I have already made friends with the grocery store owner (because I went to the store the first three days I was in town). I've also met a few friendly faces at a 4th of July get together. I feel like I'm making friends, but heck, it's a slow process, because I'm still sitting here eating ice cream and blogging all by myself on a Friday night. No worries, I'm still so happy to be here.

I'm constantly reminding myself that I am here to be a teacher. However, a few weeks ago, that message wasn't so prominent in my mind. When we came to the "big city" to look for a place to live, there was one, yes, one place to live. Apartment B in the four-plex caty-corner from the Lutheran church. Now, this is no Pebblebrook (my very nice apartment in Manhattan), in fact this place was complete with fluffy brown carpet (that I described as "afro hair") and a very ugly green bathroom (Mom says it's official name is "avocado green"). In the hopes of making me a "good Lutheran," my principal suggested I take Apartment B because that was the only thing in town. So, I of course took it. I was pretty disappointed in what I would be moving into, but I just had to remind myself that "I'm moving there to teach!"

When I moved in on Monday, the "ugly bathroom" and "afro carpet" were the least of my worries, because when we walked in we had a few more problems. Let me list them; air conditioning broken, moldy fridge, dirty bathroom and kitchen, and a hand full of other tiny issues. But the biggest problem of all? EVERYONE HERE IS A KU FAN (or so it seems). Don't worry K-State friends, I will not grow weary and sway back to the crimson and blue; I bleed purple through and through (and I'm going to let everyone know)! But here I am again reminding myself that "I am here to teach!"

A part of moving to a small community is becoming a part of it. Now, on the 4th of July, I felt like I came pretty close to "becoming a part of the community" by being on the front page of the Ellinwood paper. After barely missing an old woman's head with a firework and almost catching her tree on fire, all I could say to myself was, "seriously, Andrea, this is how you make your entrance to the town?!" Thankfully, I wasn't the one to start a fire -- someone else in town got that privilege (Ellinwood knows how to do fireworks). Anyways, if you do it the right way, it's important to become a part of the community, especially as a teacher. So I will give it my best to do so.

There is a nice little Baptist church outside of town (no luck in making me a "good Lutheran," Mr. Sjogren) and in fact, I already have church buddies. Conveniently, a family friend from 4-H is from here and her parents go to church there. My friend gave me his grandparents address and so when I went for my walk tonight, I found myself at their house where they were outside. I left their house after a half-hour conversation, with one big smile on my face and a ride to church for Sunday morning. Slowly, I will become a part of this community.

I couldn't be happier to be where I'm at. I know I will have struggles that will stretched me, pulled me, and twisted me in ways I don't think I will ever go, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I will try my hardest, never give up, keep smiling, and I will teach.

As for the green bathroom, fluffy carpet, once-modly fridge, filthy apartment, and KU fans.... that will all be okay, because that's not why I'm here.

Thanks everyone for all of your support. I can't wait to begin this journey. It is my hope to keep up this blog going as the school year begins.

Below are some pictures of everything Ellinwood:

Ellinwood Grade School 

Classroom with windows! Lots of windows! That does a kid good.

My classroom full of stuff. Needs some work!

My lovely "home" for at least the next year, if not a few more.

Living room. Not to bad, eh? You hardly notice the carpet once I added in Grandma Everhart's "ugly chair."

Here's a good thing about the apartment; the kitchen (even if the counter tops, cabinets, oven, and microwave were all filthy). 

You can't even tell the shower, toilet and sink are all "avocado green." It's really growing on me, especially since I covered it up!

And here's to being an Ellinwood resident. (Happy 4th,  just a few days late). 

Until next time,

Andrea

What Now?

Well, I've been done student teaching for 19 days now and I consider today my second official day of unemployment since the holidays have now passed. In the days before official unemployment, I treated them as any other college holiday break. But now that I'm faced with official unemployment, I'm getting a little nervous of the future. Though I've completed student teaching (and since that's what this blog is for), I've decided to update anyone who chooses to read this, on my life in the past 19 days and what might be coming up in the future. Here we go...


In my days of "break" I went back to good ole Gypsum. Unfortunately I wasn't there much because we always had something to do. If we weren't in Salina shopping, we were somewhere else shopping. We made a trip to Wichita and KC as well as about 1598 trips to Salina. We did our usual holiday traditions: Christmas Eve Church at First Baptist in Salina, Christmas light looking, Georgetown Santa's, etc., etc. I made a big purchase as well: a new Canon Rebel T2i. I love it. If I'm ambitious enough I will do what I've always wanted to do: start a business. I also made time for some baking. It's not the holidays without some baking. I made the annual Cromwell Family Poppy Seed Loaf. My grandma and mom would make about 50 loaves a year and deliver them to friends and family, so I like to keep up the traditions, however I only got 17 loaves made. Even the batter is good. :)

Here's the recipe:


3 c flour   

1 1/2 tsp salt     

1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seed

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 c milk

1 c oil (i usually just use 3/4 c)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond flavor

1 1/2 tsp butter flavor

Blend dry ingredients with fork.  Mix eggs, milk, oil and flavorings;  add to dry ingredients.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Pour into greased and floured pans.  Bake 1 hr at 350.

Glaze topping:

1/2 tsp butter flavor

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond flavor

3/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c orange juice

1 stick butter

While loaves are hot, poke with fork.  Pour glaze over loaves.  Cool.  Remove from pans.

I also got very domestic and decided to teach myself how to do the lattice top to a pie. It's a smidge tricky, but not too bad. Kind of fun actually. Here you go...

1. Start with a pie crust. I like to use the Jiffy crust where you just add about 4 tsp. of water. That's the best I think. Unless you're super domestic and make your own. Lay it out and cut about 1 inch strips. I used a ruler to measure out - but you don't have to. (See the upper left of this picture for the example)


2. (Refer to the same picture for this step) Start by doing about two or three strips going the same way. Use every other strip to lay across the pie going the same way. I started with three (they are the ones going horizontal in the picture). Then using the strips that you skipped, lace them with the others, only going the other direction (they're the ones  going vertical in the picture).


3. Keep doing this for all of the pie. HINT: keep your scrap dough if you have any. You might need to make additional strips.


4. Once the lattice top is finished, go ahead and edge the pie like normal. This is a bit tricky. I just kind of folded the edge under.

5. It takes a bit of practice - but not to bad! Once you've done all that, top it with some sugar and put foil around the edges (remove for the last fifteen minutes) and stick it in the oven! Easy!


If you have scrap dough, just make some dodgers! It's what my grandma always did. Lay out the extra dough, coat on some melted butter and pour on the cinnamon and sugar. Bake for about 8 minutes. Oh yum!

And those are the things I like to do the most. :) If you need help with the lattice top see this YouTube video!

The Endings

As you can imagine, so much has happened since I last posted. I tackled my last observations, two portfolios, graduated, and wrapped up the last crazy week of student teaching. It is such a wonderful feeling to be finished with it all. I can remember the first weeks and thinking about how 1) student teaching would probably never end, 2) student teaching would probably kill me. To my surprise, I did make it to the end, and I did not die.

I happily walked across the stage on December 10th to accept my very fake diploma. Nonetheless, it was somewhat a feeling of accomplishment. Honestly, once I received that folder with the fake diploma, I was ready to get the heck out of there. Thank goodness I was sitting by my good friend, Catherine for graduation - otherwise I wouldn't have made it. I admit, it was a long and boring ceremony and we mostly giggled the entire time - like good teachers would do. After graduation, my family and friends gathered at the Alumni Center for some grub. It made me realize just how fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends and family - thanks to you all!

Unfortunately, or fortunately (however you look at it) I was scheduled to go back to student teaching an extra week since I received my special education endorsement (they want you to get as much time in the classroom as possible). In that week (remember, it was AFTER graduation), I had two formal observations, needed to complete and submit my special education portfolio, and bake/get gifts together. Talk about stress! Let's just say that a week ago today, I was a hot mess. Now that I've made it to the end, you can only imagine what I've done.... NOTHING. Well, I've done a few things here and there. Some Christmas shopping, cooking, and serious cleaning, but that's it. And it feels so good. Sleeping until after 10 am, staying up until after 12 am, watching movies all the time, baking like a little homemaker, and shopping like I've made money the last four months. Life is good. And better yet? Christmas is in a few days.

Below are a few pictures of all the random things that have happened in my last weeks of student teaching.

 The dreadful portfolio that was FINALLY completed after some serious procrastination. This was only the first portfolio. I had another one for special ed. No worries, I procrastinated on that one even more. 

 The people who pushed me along the way this semester! Couldn't have done it without them. Shout out to Liz, Sha-ree', Lynn (Clinical Instructor), and Olivia.

 Christmas at Ware Elementary is kind of a big deal. We all stayed after school one night to decorate the hallways with butcher paper. This is just one tiny section of the hallway that a group of ladies did. Isn't it amazing? Butcher paper, that's it. 

 A highlight of my semester: Mrs. Claus (my mom, shhh) came to see my first graders!! 

AND... graduation! What a wonderful day. :)

I am so grateful to have completed student teaching. I have gone through so many challenges but have had so many good times. I love the teachers, staff, and students I've met along the way. I love the experience and the learning that I have taken on. And mostly, I love Ware Elementary.

Thanks to everyone who has pushed me on my way. And to think, someday I will be a teacher! (I can't wait)

To close with a quote: "Promise me you'll always remember... you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."


So long,

Miss Everhart

I Miss You Too

Many times this week I have been reminded about how quickly this semester has flown by. I think about that first intern meeting we had at Ware, the first time I awkwardly met the students, and how I thought it was such a big deal the first time I taught three lessons in one day. Nearly four months have past and I am now approaching my graduation. I seriously can't believe how quickly this as come and gone. I have accomplished a lot, learned a heck of a lot more, and mostly, I have enjoyed every bit of my experience. 

I wanted to write this quick update since I am down to the final days. We graduate Saturday (3 days, 12 hours, and about 10 minutes from now), but I still have to return the following week. All of the other interns are done this Friday, but I, along with the other two special ed "endorsies" stay an extra week. It's killing me really; knowing that everyone else is practically done and I still have loads to do. I can't really complain though, I'm the one who procrastinated. (In fact, I don't even have time to by blogging). I've decided that out of the fifty-ish elementary ed graduates, I am the last one to complete everything. In the next week-ish I have three more formal observations, lessons to write, and one portfolio to complete. People keep telling me to get to work, but I'm not worried, it will all get done eventually! My carefree attitude obviously has no worries. 

As I'm closing in on my final days I'm getting more and more excited each day. I absolutely love Ware, the teachers, and especially the students, but I'm ready for this chapter of my life to come to an end. Today as I was walking in the hall, one of my first graders came up to me lost. I knew exactly where he needed to be so I walked him to that spot. As we walked, he held my hand and turned to me in his quiet, soft voice, "you know Miss Everhart, I miss you." It's those kind of things that make you know that all of the hard work, late nights, lack of sleep, and tears were all worth it in the end. Even in the most frustrating of days (like today), you know that it's all worth it.

I've wished these days away for so long, but now that they are limited, things change a bit. I do want the end to come, but don't ever want to forget every memory that I've made along the way. 

Ya'll (yea, I say that now; even when I teach) probably won't hear back from me until after I'm done on December 16th. Take care. 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart

So Close

I just realized not long ago that I hadn't blogged in quite some time. Going on almost four weeks without blogging seems crazy to me. I figured you all needed an update in the wonderful world of student teaching. A lot has happened - but the best of all is that I graduate in... 22 days, 15 hours, and 59 minutes. Not that I'm counting down or anything. I'll tell you what, I sure have loved student teaching, but I sure has heck need to graduate soon! Thank goodness it's coming sooner rather than later. I just can't believe how quickly time flies!

Tomorrow I will complete my fifth (yes, FIFTH) week in my special education placement. It is different but it is great. I am learning quite a bit every day. It's very interesting to me how first and third grades can be so different. And it's been great to see the many different ways that teachers teach too.

In the mornings just like usual we teach a reading class. This class is a mix of second and third graders. They can be rather frustrating just because they don't open their ears and listen. They are funny and very special kiddos. In the mornings now I do a pull out of three kids from a third grade class to work on vocabulary. That has been a fun challenge because of their characteristics and I have loved spending that time with them. In the afternoon we do the routine math and writing team teaching blocks. This past week I prepared a lesson on fractured fairy tales (what I would call fairy tale spin-offs). They came up with some pretty silly and hilarious stories!

The thing that is so different from general ed is that in special ed your time is far less structured. You have to be flexible and ready to jump around where ever you're needed. Instead of routine tasks, you do little things that no one thinks of. And you always have to be prepared for whatever.

Outside of school some fun things have been happening too. I went to the KSU career fair last week and got my networking on. I had so much fun chatting with districts and getting pumped up for finding a job. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to go on a weekend vacation getaway to Gulf Shores, AL. We left Friday and came back Sunday. We walked on the beach, went to a baptism in the gulf, and ate all the best seafood. It was such a blessing that I could escape the world of student teaching for just a few days. And the weather was AMAZING! Far better than Kansas that's for sure.

Life is good over all but I just can't wait to graduate. Three weeks from Saturday. Here we go!!

Before I sign off here are some things I've been learning...

• Kids are GREAT no matter what!
• Don't be afraid of any situation or any kid or any behavior. Just tackle it with the best strategy or idea you've got. It might not work, but at least you tried. 
• Third grade special ed is the place to be! We order chinese every week. Oh, and Mrs. K (one of the PARAs) brings us surprise Starbucks!

So long for now!

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart (or now I'm being called Miss Loveheart)

Feels Like Christmas

Typically, I spend my Thursday nights writing all of the lessons that I procrastinated on for that week. Since their due Friday, I always put them off until the last minute. However, this Thursday night, I'm doing nothing... and loving it.

We had parent teacher conferences 4-8 pm Monday-Wednesday after a full day of school  - so after working those long days, we got today and tomorrow off! Today honestly felt like Christmas once it had arrived. I have been looking forward to these two days for ever. I even got to sleep twelve hours last night. When does that ever happen?!

The last couple of weeks have been a little different. Since I made the switch to special ed, I haven't had much to do since I was just observing and getting used to the change. This break has been amazing. I go to school late (7:45 am; late to me), leave at 4:00, and spend the rest of my night doing... nothing! I even got in the habit of going to bed at 9:00 pm. How about that?! However, those lazy days are limited. I have been in my new placement for two weeks, which means I have to start teaching again soon - I've use up my "observation" days. So very soon I will be back to the grind.

For an update on my new placement in 3rd grade special ed: it's new; it's different. That's all I can really say. I like the change, but it's just so different from 1st grade. Amazing how everything can be so different in just two school years. The kids are more grown up and don't really care about you like the first graders do. The curriculum is so different too. And of course, the teachers and paras are new to me also. It's been an interesting two weeks of transitioning, but it's been good so far.

Being away from my first graders has made me realize that I need to be a teacher! If you know me well enough, you know that I have never been sold on being a teacher, but finally I have convinced myself that that's what I want (for at least a year)! In fact, I've slowly started the job search process. Instead of joking my Uncle Jay that I would come home to farm for him, I decided to start the slow process of finding a job. I frequently get freaked out about finding a job, which is why I am taking it slowly. Today I bought resume paper. That was a big step for me! There is a job fair at K-State in a couple of weeks, so I will roam around that for a bit. Then I imagine I will postpone the search until February-ish or until districts start posting jobs for the fall. For those of you that are curious, I plan to sub in the spring semester. I might even do some subbing at my old stomping grounds - Southeast.

Like I said, I was able to sit in on many conferences this week. Since I know my first graders so well, I got to go back to those conferences. I was reminded how much I love those kids. They still say and do the silliest things, and they still tick you off too. Either way, they are great kids who always put a smile on your face. In fact, I see them about once a day, but whenever I see them, they bombard me with hugs. One day, I was literally hugged by 26 children at once. I felt so bad because they were in the middle of PE - I was such a distraction as I simply walked through the hall - but I loved it anyway.

Each day I get closer to graduating. We're coming close to a month. Thank goodness! I never thought I would wish to graduate, but I seriously could not go any longer. I have to get a diploma - and soon! December 10th could not get here soon enough.

Here is my list of things that I have learned lately:

• When you leave 1st grade with Mrs. K and Mrs. S you eat just a bit healthier. No coke and no chocolate for me anymore. :) Good thing too. I used to eat like 300 Reese's cups a day.
• But when you leave 1st grade, you miss everyone. It's been one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until it's gone. 
• Everyone has their own teaching style. You may have to work with some styles that you don't necessarily like, but that's okay. There are many ways to teach; but no matter what, just do your thing. 

That's all for now. I sure hope that third graders get funnier, because I need some laughs to share on here. 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart (third graders call me Miss Hart too and I'm okay with it)

PS: Go K-State!! :)

Hey Third Grade!

This won't be an exciting blog - but I just wanted to let you all know that I have officially made the switch from first grade to special ed third grade. Life is much different on the other side of the school. I've gone from teaching the same kids, in the same room, with the same routine every day to now never teaching in the same room, running all over, and working with different students.

The first day was alright. I felt like I belonged down the hall in first grade - but that's only because everything in third grade is new. New teachers, new paras, new kids, new materials. I was also reminded that I need to practice some serious subtraction so I can quickly check the students' work.

As I get the hang of things I will tell more on here, but for now, everything is so new. I hope I get the hang of it. And I hope that the next eight weeks flies by.

As always, the kids are a hoot. One kid looked at me and said, "you're pretty.... can you help me?" Haha what a great way to ask for help.

Until next time,

Miss Everhart

Down to a Week

I must be the worst blogger around, because I never make time to do this. However, right now, as blogging sat at the bottom of my incredibly full weekend to-do list, I quickly moved it to the top because it's the only semi-fun thing to do. A lot has happened since I last blogged, so let me update you. I'm going to be honest, anything that happened last week has already left my mind, so I'm just going to update you on this week.

Monday I was gone, so when I returned on Tuesday I was a stressed, hot mess. Tuesday I had a formal observation from my K-State supervisor. Pretty much, this last observation from her was a huge deciding factor in my grade (I think; at least that's what I told myself).  You would think that after eight weeks of teaching it would have been fine, but with my usual luck, it was a train wreck lesson. Kids were so wired and it was just a mess. Surprisingly, I came out on top. My supervisor noticed my flexibility and that I was thinking on my toes and that the lessons idea wasn't too shabby. Thank goodness!

Wednesday was a straight up mess in our class. You always have to expect at least one day a week to be crazy. Here's a fine example. In the middle of my math lesson, I look over and see a girl dancing two feet from her desk. You probably are thinking right now that I'm going to make an awful teacher - and that I just might - but if you knew these children, you would know that their behaviors are not all my fault!

Thursday was Thursday - always a good day simply because it's almost Friday. Probably the best memory from first grade comes from Thursday. I go to pick up the kids from lunch recess. My good, silly friend "Bob" (obviously not his real name) is the only kid sitting criss cross on the cement (the other kids are standing in a line). "Bob" sits there with his head tilted - one eat to the ground, one ear to the sky. I don't see a problem with this... until I realize that "Bob" has filled his ear with sand and rocks. It doesn't sound funny at all, but given this student, it is the funniest thing ever. Turns up that when you get rocks in your ear, you have to go to the doctor to get them properly removed. The doctor was able to remove three more rocks. If you don't learn anything else from this blog, know that you shouldn't put rocks in your ears.

Friday is always filled with me singing the Rebecca Black song "Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!" Once Friday arrives, all I can do is laugh. Today was a top notch day - in fact I would repeat this day for the rest of my teaching career if I could. We had an assembly where the kids listened to a guitarist. While telling "Bob" (wouldn't ya know, "Bob" again - haha) to wear his shirt like a first grader (shirt was on head), he responded with, "ugh, first grade is hard!" Haha, it sure is. We went to lunch - which was filled with mac and cheese, a donut, and chips  - because it was birthday treat day. Glad to know that I ate so healthy today. Then we watched a movie and had popcorn for the class reward. We finished the day with a shaving cream party -- shaving cream on their desks. It was top notch and a total mess. Friday was a great day as you can tell!

I'm going to have to end this blog for now. I have one more week in first grade - can't believe how quickly time flies!

Thanks for reading.

Until next time... and GO STATE!

- Miss Everhart

The Joys

I know that there are so many jobs out there that are boring, heartless, and lack enjoyment. I have always thought about how I could never have a job that didn't directly serve other people. I know I'm not cut out to be in the business world or even be a salesperson. I may not know if teaching is for me; but I know I'm heading in the right direction.

Today was one of those reflective days for me. I was in a sad lull and was noticing that I was easily annoyed and frustrated - not a good combination for being in first grade for seven hours. At around noon today it hit me: there are so many joys in this profession - you just have to wake up and appreciate them. Today at noon, a boys dad surprised him. I never thought it would happen while I was at Ware, but sure enough, his dad who had been gone surprised him in the lunch line. Now, what do you have to say about that? Wow. I wanted to cry. Is there really any other job out there that can turn you around and make you realize how amazing life can be? Teaching may not be the career for everyone, and it may not even be the career for me; but I do know that it is a career that will always bring a smile to your face even on the most difficult days. When you're having a bad day, when you're disappointed in a kid, when they just will not stop talking, when everything seems to go wrong... there will be that one moment that will top it all, that moment that will make you smile for a good long while.

This week has been an interesting one. As always we have seen those unique personalities that those little first graders have. And gosh have they made me laugh! I wish my hilarious stories from this week were blog appropriate. It's great how kids will say the most inappropriate things and not have a single idea. Innocence at it's best. Tomorrow we will reach another Friday. Mrs. K will be gone which I guess makes me the go-to-gal. We will have a sub in the room, but you never actually know how useful they will be. I'm a little nervous, but I think I can do it. And if it really is as rough as I have had dreams about (yes, I had an anxiety dream about it) then I will just drive straight to Aggieville. Though, I don't anticipate that. :)

I did the count down today. I have eleven days left in first grade. I'm going to miss those little kiddos so much. Can't believe how quickly the time has flown by.

As always, here are some things I've learned.

• You feel better when you don't procrastinate. I have finished all of my lessons that are due tomorrow - which has never happened before - and which is why I'm blogging. 
• Dealing with parents: be calm, be firm, be real, be nice. Don't sugar coat it, tell the truth, and don't let them walk all over you. Let's just say, we've had some parent run-ins this week. 
• Appreciate great professional development, especially when it gets you out of the classroom for a bit. This week we had some prof dev while the kids were in school. It was great to have a morning break from them while we learned a lot! 
• A behavior strategy and a funny story: when a specific kid is having his normal melt-downs, we've learned that all you have to do is get out the video recording ipod and tell him that we will record his behavior and show his mom. In an instant he is under control. It's awesome. We don't actually record him, but it works like a charm. The funny part of this: the other day I propped it up and told him to leave it there while I went to help another kid. I turn around to check on him and see him do a shy wave at the camera, look right into it and say, "...hi Mom." HAHA wish we were actually recording that! 

It's been a weird, rough, wild week and thank goodness it ends tomorrow. 

Happy October and Go State! :)

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart

76 Days

You know that when your hobby becomes a part of your to do list, you have just gone to far. I sure did have intentions of blogging more often, but this past week and a half has been just too busy. Blogging became a part of my to do list that kept getting bumped to the bottom. So here I am again with some student teaching updates. Lots has happened in first grade, believe it or not.

My life has gotten so unbelievably busy. I'm writing about 20 lessons per week, plus teaching prep, plus portfolio work. Let's just say, I am SO ready for December 10th. Don't get me wrong, I love student teaching, but I HAVE TO GRADUATE SOON or I will loose my mind. Just did the count down; it's 76 days until the day that I accept that ridiculously expensive degree. The time is actually going pretty fast, but not fast enough. I have completed six weeks of school and only have three more weeks with my first graders. When I'm done in three weeks I will probably do a mixture of crying and jumping up and down. I will be sad to leave my precious little friends, but I will be so freaking excited to be done with that huge part of student teaching.

So let me get to updating you. Here was the last week and a half (honestly, I don't remember much of it): Now-a-days I'm teaching everything. SFA reading program in the morning, math skills right before lunch, math and writing after lunch, and then our social studies rotations after that. Every day seems to be a hot mess. I'm drinking at least one coke a day plus lots of chocolate - that's honestly they only way you can make it through first grade. The kids are still cracking me up. Every day they do or say something so funny, but Friday was one of those special days. Nothing seemed to go right for us. The technology wasn't working, they were saying the most ridiculous things, and kids were cheating like like it was okay. Yeah, for real, first graders cheat. It was just one of those days where you had to laugh all day because it was so out of hand. And the clocks were ahead three hours from a power outage, so when it was 3:30 dismissal time, the clock said 6:30, which made you think that you were never going to leave that place. Thank the good Lord that it was Friday.

A lot of funny stuff has happened. A lot of it I wish I could just record and show you all because it would be so much better than reading it on here. One boy took a look at my name badge that had a picture of me that was taken a month back. He said, "Miss Everhart? Is this a picture of you when you were a baby?" That's one of those things when you want to say, "Whhhhaaattt?" But instead just have to turn around and walk away. Another great story: A boy and the Para were trying to decide what in a picture was living and non-living. He said, "well, the people are living." The Para agrees and asks for more examples. He responds with a very confident, "....and Jesus Christ is living. Because He is the Son of God." Now there you go, we have a first grader who is already doing some missionary work. Power to ya. I'm telling you; you cannot beat first grade.

Last week I was totally doubting why I was in this career, and I even had some other options picked out, but now I'm starting to wonder. I seriously don't know what I want to do with my life, and I'm starting to hit crunch time. Apparently I'm supposed to be sending out applications now. Yikes. I think I'll just procrastinate on that until I have a solid life plan (which may be a while...).

Things I'm learning:

• It's okay to procrastinate. You have to make time for yourself too. 
• Some days are just destined to be one huge hot mess. Instead of getting frustrated, just laugh at everything. 
• Wearing pajamas to school is truly a gift from God. 
• You have to let go and have fun. It's okay to jump up and down, dance, and act really weird in the middle of the lesson - that will really engage your kids. Sometimes when I'm just bored with my lesson or need to get the kids attention, I will just dance or jump or turn what I'm saying into a song. One kid even asked me to stop singing the other day. They think it's so weird.

Sorry this blog was disappointing and lacked excitement. Maybe exciting things will happen this week. :)


Until next time,

Miss Everhart (I'm back to being called Miss Hart, bummer)


PS: How about that one Miami!? Go State!! EMAW

You Look Like a Circus

Might I say that the funniest thing I heard today was far from funny and far from a complement, but those first graders don't know any better. To begin this blog with a bit of funny, here is the story: I'm wearing my glasses (a rare thing) and my dear first grade friend (he will remain un-named, but he is the one who says all the funny things I've posted) says to me, "Miss Everhart, you're funny." And my reply was, "..and you're funny too." I giggled with the excitement of winning over another first grader with my great humor, but that was not the case. He continues to say, "you're funny because you have glasses." I bite back a chuckle and tell him that that isn't very nice. But oh, no, that doesn't stop him. He continues with, "you're glasses make you look like a circus." I'm baffled, first. How do glasses remind you of a circus? And really, do I look that silly? Oh these first grade will always, without a doubt, say whatever comes to mind. Got to love truthfulness.

Today was a good Monday, big surprise (no sarcasm whatsoever). The best part of the day? Getting scholastic book orders in. If you're familiar with the saying, "a kid in a candy store," then you know how I was feeling. Way too excited. I might have gasped with excitement when I saw the package. Another great thing about the day? Mrs. K., the para, and myself have linked together to drink as much diet coke as possible. We alternate buying cases, and today Mrs. K and the para each brought a case - I anticipate having to buy a new one by at least Thursday. Just kidding - maybe? I kept my diet coke intake to one today, where as the others had a few more. On a not-so-exciting note, the lice has made its return to first grade! YAY - not. I insist that if I bring home a few of those white bugs I will just laugh, but I know that's probably not the case. I also know that if I bring them home, my roommate will probably buzz my hair off in wild anger - again, just kidding - maybe?

Let me get back on the actual student teaching/school track. I have taken on a few more duties this week. I'm teaching full time math and writing! YIKES! That leaves me with teaching math skills, social studies, writing, and full math. Next week I add reading. Which means I will be teaching everything! Bring it on? This week I have seventeen, yes, SEVENTEEN lessons due Friday. Which is of course why I'm blogging instead of working on them. Procrastinators unite tomorrow, right? I have another observation tomorrow, so say a pray for me please, I need strength, patience, strategies, and a heck of a lot of confidence!

Better include my traditional "things I've learned today:"

• Find something to look forward to each week to help you get through the week. This week it's the half day on Friday. Next week it's that Bridesmaids comes out on DVD. 
• Sometimes you must leave school before 5 pm. Just get the heck out of there. 
• Rejoice in the days of having no wet pants (that was today!). 
• Relax. Somehow relax. I'm considering investing in some bubble bath soap. 

Here it is, already 9:30 pm and time for me to go to bed. Don't you wish time in the day would just keep on going until you got everything done you needed to get done for that day?

Hope for a great Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and HALF Friday -- Booyah!

Until next time,

Miss Everhart

You Win Some, You Lose Some

You win some, you lose some. You have good days, you have bad days. This week, (even though it was a short four day week) I managed to create a "win some, lose some" kind of week. A bad day mixed right in with the good days can really throw you for a loop, and that it did.

Thursday I was faced with a couple of observations. My lessons probably weren't that bad, but I managed to beat myself up over them. The stress of my rapid-student-teaching experience set in and I could begin to feel the pressure. {If I hadn't mentioned, I am dual student teaching - which means I have 8 weeks in the general classroom and 8 weeks in the special education classroom.} After a Thursday that never seemed to end, I went home to write lessons (of course) and get my fill of the one and only, far too trashy, but oh so classy, Jersey Shore. Oh the little things that can make you happy. {I probably shouldn't say that  I love Jersey Shore since this blog is about teaching - ha ha.}

I somehow motivated myself to wake up on Friday after a short nights sleep and head out the door with a fairly motivated attitude and a crummy lunch. Friday seemed to speed by and I seemed to be right back in my teaching mood. I worked some counseling magic my Dad taught me during our class bully meeting to answer kids' bully questions -- too bad first graders do not know the difference between real questions and story time. Friday afternoon was one hot mess at Ware Elementary - we had Freedom Walk! All of the students, and I mean ALL 762 of them congregated in the gym for a patriotic sing along. We were all in red, white, and blue - the kids had their craft project hats on and waved American flags. We all sang a combination of God Bless America mixed with Justin Bieber - it really was a good time. Finally, we made our every attempt to have our twenty-six first graders stand 4-abrest (hello, impossible!) as we walked a half mile around the neighborhood. We ended the day with a school picture writing out 2011 and chowing on some red, white, and blue popsicles. Freedom Walk is an annual tradition where our students, teachers, and parents gather to remember those lost on 9/11 and those serving our country. It really was an amazing afternoon. Though the kids were begging for the walk to be over, it really meant a lot to see these kiddos so full of patriotic spirit!

This week also faced us with wet pants galore - and boy is that just thrilling! Not only do first graders still wet their pants, but they also wet their pants and sit in it for an extended period of time. My hope is that our dear first grade friends will learn how valuable a toilet is. I know (I hope) they will learn soon! Another thing we will work on teaching our students is that digging for "gold" isn't socially acceptable. One of our kiddos just digs and digs in his nose non-stop - that's just a boy thing, right?

I feel like much more has happened this week, but my head has been in a haze -- no other reason than just stress and being way too busy! But for now, here is what I've learned this week:

• When bad days come, somehow manage to make yourself smile. Usually, for me it's the kids. If that just doesn't work, then go home, watch some trashy TV, and go to bed, and hope that tomorrow is a million times better. Every day is a new day. 
• Either leave school at 4 pm or 7 pm -- traffic between Ogden and MHK is terrible! Actually, take that back. Leave school whenever, but when stopped in traffic, pull out your notebook and start lesson planning - great use of time but totally unsafe. 
• When things get rough, call on your friends who know the feeling. My other teacher friends know the feeling of a hard day too. In fact, after my rough Thursday, my parents called to say that my kindergarten teacher and another teacher had sent me a care package - talk about perfect timing!
• Don't just go to your job knowing that it is just a job, but learn your purpose. 
• Keep close tabs on how full/empty your Aleve bottle is -- valuable supplies as a teacher!

Enough for now. Maybe you'll hear from me this week sometime - but it's looking doubtful because somehow I just get busier and busier. Happy 5th week of school! Only 4 more weeks in gen. ed. - bring it on!! 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart 

I Can Talk Like a Princess

Can you believe it, it's 12:30 am on a Friday night and I'm still awake?! I haven't even had a nap today to get me to this hour. I'm pretty pleased with myself, especially since I'm ridiculously exhausted and fighting off massive yawns. Somehow, it never fails that first grade just hits me like a brick wall once I hit Friday at 4:00 pm. On my twenty minute drive home I was even close to taking a snooze, but some how I'm still going. I anticipate turning my phone off and sleeping for an unknown (but very long) amount of time.

Though I'm exhausted now, somehow I find all the energy in the world to make it through the week. I think it's a combination of a 9:30 pm bed time, running off adrenaline, and the kids of course. The kids always keep me energized. They drive you a little crazy, they ask too many questions, they do the weirdest things, and they make you laugh like crazy. I will begin my blog with a few silly stories from this week:

• A girl who is known to me just plain silly came up to me. "Hey Miss Everhart, I can talk like a princess..." "awwwhahawawwhaha." And she continued to talk like a "princess," though I would say that she was sounding more like an opera singer. She has said this to me twice now, but today when it happened, she would not stop singing, so I had to close it with, "okay, dear, that's lovely, but have a seat."
• Crushes are alive in first grade. Our class was doing their morning work so there was some commotion in the classroom. A boy who was across the room and not in ear-shot quietly said to girl, "hey (girl's name), I like your dress today." Precious, isn't it? Well get this. Later I caught him winking at another girl during a read-aloud. 1) What a ladies man. 2) A read-aloud - what a place to pick up the ladies. Haha, oh first grade. 

On a not-quite-as-fun note, I had to write quite a bit of lessons this week, specifically last night since I major procrastinated. I have to submit lessons the Friday before they're taught so Thursday's are usually crunch time. Next week I will teach my social studies unit and more math -- time to half hour, shapes, and number identification to be specific. It's a blast! Today when I was thinking about what lessons I would need to write for math for the following week, I realized that I would need to cover everything on the pre-assessment (duh). But then I realized that the students will be tested in October, and judging by their pre-tests, it's not good. Knowing that I would be teaching them the next few months, I felt a little pressure. If these student's don't do well on the October assessment, then say so long. So talk about pressure. But then I thought, this is fun, I'm so up to the challenge! How awesome is it to have a set of kids who struggle greatly, work your butt off, and finally see results?? 

This week we started a new reading program called SFA (Success for All). The SFA classes are divided by levels and each teacher gets a new set of students to work with on reading. Our reading class has 14 kids and it is a special class. The students are fairly low level readers and need a lot of help. We work on letter sounds and then work on sounding words out in a story. If you all could see the patience that I have at reading class - you would be amazed. Helping students take about 2 minutes to sound out a four letter word - whoa - talk about hard. Sometimes I just want to tell them, but you can't, they have to learn on their own. Not only is their reading level low, but we have many unique behaviors. Lack of motivations, some ADHD tendencies, tantrums, and lying/sneakiness are some of the prominent characters in our class. It's hard because not only do these 14 kids need serious help with reading, we have to deal with about five students who need serious attention due to their behaviors. It's hard, it's so hard. I just wish I could record it for you because there is no way to explain it. 

With the weeks up's and down's, I'd say I ended pretty good. I'm seriously loving this all, but don't want to love it too much in fear that there will be a serious down fall eventually ( I hope not). But until then, I'm having a blast. Here are some things I've learned:

• Applicable to all people besides teachers: Don't take old left-overs to work. You will get sick. Right when I was starting to teach a lesson, the lasagna wasn't settling too well. I wouldn't say I saw it again, but I sure wasn't in the right teaching mood. 
• Sometimes kids just need to see another face to get them back on track. In SFA there was one particular students who was causing a ruckus with his whiny tantrum. The teacher was getting frustrated and he was too. Later on when he came to work on reading during his recess I worked with him instead of the teacher, and it went smoothly. Sometimes we just need to see another face that doesn't upset us at the moment. This is also applicable to life. 
• At least one day a week you must fall asleep with out a single alarm set. That's tonight for me and I'm so excited. 
• It's okay to get on kids (not literally of course; in a management way). I had to get on kids this week with my serious teacher voice. I hadn't had to use it yet, but this was the week. I was teaching another class in our rotation system - I hadn't ever seen these kids before and so I just was firm with them at the beginning to let them know my expectations. But the KEY is to turn your voice right back into friendly. After being firm, let them know that they are going to have fun. This way they will be convinced that they will be having fun, but will also not be running you over. 

It's been a heck of a week. 

But it's the weekend. 

Go Cats! 

Happy Labor Day!

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart

{Sorry for grammatical errors. My eyes could literally not stay open any longer to proof-read. And I don't like to proof-read).

It's a Beautiful Day to Stretch!

For the last three weeks I have had every intention of going to bed at 9:30 pm every night, but if you could guess, that has not happened. I wake up sleepy, drag myself through the day with some caffeine while fighting some serious yawns, and end the day at my apartment with a serious case of ADHD. Today is a prime example of my "typical" day. Just like every other day, I missed my old-woman 9:30 pm bed time today, but tonight it's because I wanted to write on this here blog. So, let's begin. A lot has happened since I've last written.

As expected, I got sick. Not really that sick, but still. Thursday and Friday were not my prime days. Sore throat, itchy eyes, headache; you know, the normal signs to the common cold. Thankfully I started popping vitamins, Aleve, Zertec, and Theraflu. Yes, at some point I was taking all at once. (Don't tell Mom). I convinced myself that if I took them at least an hour apart I would be a-okay. No worries though, I made it out okay. I'm still suffering from an annoying drippy nose, but those kiddos don't bother that at all.

The weekend came and went all too fast; just like usual. My friends thoroughly distracted me and I got NOTHING done. If you know me well, you probably aren't too surprised. I ate lots of good food (since my roommate and I hadn't cooked for over a week), watched TV, went shopping, and did all of the other great things that "busy" interns shouldn't do.

Sure enough, Monday arrived just as quickly as the last had. I have learned to not expect too much out of Monday's. Usually the kids are all worn out from a busy weekend - OR - they are all hyper because all they did is watch TV all weekend. This Monday was a special Monday. All of the kids were surprisingly not a problem, however we had one kiddo who was extra "unique." I don't want to say too much here, but it was a day that left us totally challenged, frustrated, tired, and calling a parent. But the best part is that we are still alive! :) Through these first three weeks I have seen good and bad days in the school day, but I try to never let it seriously bother me. Monday night I was quickly reminded that even though I  don't let the school day bother me, my K-State portion of this semester would get to me. I became so stressed and frustrated that I (like many others already this semester) had to take a quick cry-break in the bathroom. No worries, I worked through my problem and I'm happy as a lark now!

Tuesday on the other hand was wonderful. I taught my first official lesson. We were learning how to use manipulatives to add. We used those fun animal plates as our "work places." The students make the math problem (2+1) in the ears of the animal plate with the manipulatives. Then they would move the manipulatives to the face of the animal plate to find the answer. We paired it with a pirate math game online. It was a blast and we had fun! Tomorrow I teach another math lesson. I also teach the first day of my social studies unit to another class. I'm nervous!

I think I've written enough for today. But before I sign off, I need to tell you all some silly stories. Since you've read this far, you will be rewarded (gesh, I really am a first grade teacher) by being able to hear about the first grade silliness. If you were wondering about the title of this post: a kiddo was stretching today, I said "bud, what are you doing." Student: "I'm stretching. It's a beauuutiful day to stretch!"

To top it off, the best story off all.... Student (same student, that is): "Sometimes my underware gets stuck in my butt." The student then stands and wiggles and says, "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!" HAHA.

I've learned quite a bit the past few days:

• Don't let stress get you down. That's a hard one. 
• Find someone that can build you up when you need it. I have a great support that is there to help me and I'm so grateful for that. 
• Buy every book from the Scholastic book order. :)
• Drink Gatorade instead of soda, otherwise your teeth will be hurting all the time (personal experience).

Thanks for reading, friends!

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart (I'm not called "teacher?" anymore -- BIG accomplishments!!)

No Time, No Time!

I have no time now-a-days. I'm suddenly flooded with piles of lessons, documents, assignments, tasks, blah, blah, blah. I was just thinking "how am I ever going to have a social life this semester?" And without much thought I realized I wasn't going to at all. Seriously, I think I will have one night a week to enjoy myself (Friday) because all other nights will hopefully be dedicated to school work. Yuck, that sounds awful! Oh the life of a teacher.

Since I say I have no time, you are probably asking yourself why I am making time to write on a silly blog. Well my friends, the answer is simple. Today was rough, and I couldn't miss telling you all about it.

Those dear first graders had a "case of the Tuesday's." If you don't know what a "case of the Tuesday's" is, then let me tell you. It includes tears, hitting, talking too much, not listening, and general chaos. Sometimes it seemed like the day wouldn't end. We were faced with the challenge of pulling a multitude of strategies out of Mrs. K's 'bag of tricks.' When the normal Ware Bear positive reinforcer wasn't effective, we tried something else. When that didn't work, we tried something else. And when that didn't work, we took them to the bus and made them go home (it was the end of the day of course). As you can tell, nothing worked on the kids today. They talked and talked and talked. Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever get it. However, I have faith that we will get better. I don't know when, but I sure hope it's soon.

Even though this rough day left me drained and ready for a 6:00 pm bed time, I am grateful for it because I learned so much. Here we go:

• Don't ever give up on the kids. When they are out of control and your trick doesn't work, pull something else out and try that. When that doesn't work, try, try, and try AGAIN. 
• Keep your cool. I made special note that my teacher remained fairly calm at all times today. She never let her Negative Nancy show. And I ask, how on earth do you do that?? 
• Ask for help when it's needed. When the student problem is bigger than you can handle, it's okay to get help. Mrs. K had to send kids to "room 4" twice today. Room 4 is what you all would refer to as the principals office. 
• Drink coffee always. Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was dragging in the early hours. Coffee can make your day a little better, I promise. 
• Find something to relieve yourself after a day like this. If I didn't have to come home and spend my evening writing lessons, I would have listened to music, watched TV, or something else to take my mind off school. 

No worries, I did make sure to laugh today even in all of the chaos. 

Hope for a better tomorrow! Every day is a new day!

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart

It's Monday...

Today was one of those days where you just needed a drink.

You know, like a coke or a cup of coffee. A full cup of caffeine was a must-have today. Those first graders were on fire. Always talking, always moving, always doing something they weren't supposed to. Let's just say, it was a case of the "first-grade-Monday's." We spend a lot of today just trying to be quiet, and if you're a teacher, you know how frustrating that can be. On occasion we all have a case of the "Monday's" but when twenty-six first graders do at the same time, there is only so much you can do.

Surprisingly, we made it through the day. I managed to stay at school until about 6:00 pm. When I was heading out of the classroom, I thought, "this isn't too late." Then I realized that it was late enough that the office was locked and I wasn't able to sign out. Maybe it's not such a good sign that I think 6:00 pm isn't late? I can see a work-a-holic future in my life. My to-do list is rapidly growing, leaving me a stressed little mess. No worries, I'm not that stressed yet, I'm still running off of loads of excitement and adrenaline. I hope that never ends.

Today my cooperating teacher, Mrs. K and I coincidentally wore practically the same thing: black dress with floral print, same shoes, black cardigan, same hair style (not to mention same hair color). Can you say creepy? As kids were walking in the door this morning they kept saying, "hey, you and Mrs. K have the same dress on!" One little boy made my day when he walked in and said in his precious and completely sincere all-boy voice, "Miss Everhart, I like your dress!" Oh how something so simple can just make you so happy.

Nothing all that exciting in first grade other than the complete day's racket. There were no injuries, blood, or vomit (un-like many other days). However, there were tears. That is something that we surprisingly see very often.  

Here are some things I learned today:

• Build a friendship with your co-workers, especially those in your grade. They are the people that you can collaborate with and brainstorm with. They can be your back bone when you need some help. Our first grade team works very closely together. In fact they are such a strong group that they celebrate birthday's together. For my b-day we ordered pizza. It's nice to have a group of teachers that even I can depend on. 
• Know that nothing is going to be perfect. I have had more and more opportunities to take charge of the class. I sometimes expect them to be completely quiet for me when I should know that that is not possible (they ARE first graders, and that doesn't even happen for Mrs. K sometimes). 
• Respect all other school faculty even if they are a pain in the rear. It's going to happen, there are going to be some Debby Downers in the school. I learned today that even if you run into some of the sour attitudes you still have to figure out a way to work with them in a way that doesn't leave you with a sour attitude too. 
• Teaching is a little bit acting too. Go with confidence and pretend you know exactly what you're doing. It's very very important to be prepared, but you can't prepare for it all. Every day is like putting on a fun little show. 

That is enough for now. Better get to bed or those first graders are going to run me over tomorrow! Tomorrow is a new day; hope for a great one. 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart...

or one of the other many names I go by.....Mrs. Everhart, Miss Hart, "hello," "teacher" (yes, a student does call me "hello" and "teacher")

(PS: I'm loving this!)

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It's Four O'clock on a Friday

Four o'clock on a Friday only means one thing: get me home so I can relax! At the end of the school day, I was checked out! Get me home so I don't have to think about school until at least Saturday morning (more lesson plans to write). As for right now, I have never been so lame at 8:00 pm on a Friday night, but after a long drive home and explaining to my parents every detail of student teaching, I sit here writing this blog as my eyes get heavier and heavier. I missed blogging yesterday because I had to be a grown up and write a pre-assessment and parent letter - and of course didn't have time to blog before my 10:00 pm bed time.

This week has been pretty great. Of course, as the week went on, I added in a few more yawns, but over all it was a fun first week. Thursday and Friday ended on a fairly good note. I practiced my procrastination skills Thursday night by putting off my parent letter and unit pre-assessment. Later this week I also gained a few more (basic) classroom responsibilities - leading the About Me presentations and walking the class to various activities! Next week I start taking over story time. I'm telling you, very exciting things in first grade!

I have learned a lot in the past couple of days, so let's begin. Here is what I've learned:

• PARA's are the bomb. Always appreciate them. Enough said. 
• Use other people. Not in a rude way of course, but ask people for help. After a side conversation about my geography unit another first grade teacher offered me some of her resources that I might be able to use. Score!
• Spend your money even if you're not making any. HAHA. Scholastic book orders just came in and I'm so thrilled. Sometimes you just have to spend a bit of money to make things great for the kids. 
• Lie a little. This may only work for younger grades, but I have seen on multiple occasions a teacher tell a small fib to scare the students. Example: two boys come in from recess late. Teacher: "where have you boys been!? I was worried sick that someone stole you from the school." Sometimes being a little dramatic makes the point even if it isn't very realistic. 

Funny story for the day:

   Student is looking at my name badge and picture (where my hair is down). 

   Student: "Why is your hair down in this picture? Is it because you didn't want to look bald?"

   Me: "Umm... do I look bald with my hair up right now?"

   HAHA thanks for making me feel equally awkward and funny.

Sorry this wasn't an exciting blog. Those first graders have drained me! Now it's time to re-charge.

Until next time,

Miss Everhart (even the PARA calls me Mrs. Everhart. How do you correct that?! I guess I'm married to my cousin now??)

Ware Bears

Quick blog today, folks. I got home from school late and need to go to bed soon - oh the life of a teacher!

Today was another awesome day. The students started the day by giving their About Me presentations. The kiddos were to gather three items that describe themselves and bring them to school in a brown paper bag. Then the students share with the class about themselves with the items and tell why it's important. This is a very neat idea to learn more about the kids and give them a chance to toot their own horns!

The day went accordingly - nothing out of the ordinary. The students were a little rowdy today - which is expected every once in a while. One technique that Mrs. K used today (and I really liked it) was a "time out." The students were doing math rotation groups and were getting very feisty and loud - you could just tell it was too much. Mrs. K turned the lights off and had all students leave what they were doing to go back to their desks to lay their heads down and remain quiet for one minute. If they talked, they would add a minute. It didn't mean they were in trouble, it just meant that they needed a cool down - and it worked!

Another awesome technique that Ware uses is Ware Bears. Each student has a set of ten bears labeled 1-10 that hangs on a hook in the classroom. When a teacher notices that an individual is having good behavior (being quiet while others are chatty, etc.) they can earn a bear. However, you can also lose a bear. If the student ends with all 10 Ware Bears by the end of the week, they get to take part in a class Ware Bear Party. This method is awesome. The students are responsible for their behavior and can see just where they are. They are also the ones who move the bears up or down so they understand their good/bad behavior. I love this method! {I have been trying to post a picture but I am having some serious difficulties - look later for a picture of Ware Bears}

Here is what I've learned today:

• Be confident. This is one of my biggest challenges but I'm learning to just do it. Have a confident voice and be decisive in what you're doing so you don't come off wishy-washy. 
• Bring chocolate to school. You know you'll need it. 
• Have fun with the kids. Like I said yesterday, you need to laugh. You also need to be light-hearted and have fun (when appropriate of course). 

That's all for now. Time to go to bed! Oh and guess what -- I start teaching my ten day unit in two weeks (a unit I haven't thought about yet)! AHHH But it's okay that it's so soon because I'm still so excited about this!! 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart (Sometimes I'm Mrs. Everhart - I don't like that so much - haha)

HAPPY HUMP DAY

I Need to Wipe My..... (Some Adult Humor)

When you're in first grade, you laugh a lot! Today was a fun second (first full) day of school and I laughed quite a bit (not too much though). I learned there are different kinds of laughs when you're in an elementary school: (1) straight up laughing with the kids, (2) laughing at something the kids said but trying to cover it up with a straight face because you don't want them to know you're laughing, and (3) adult humor. Today I experienced all three. (1) happened when a student and I were playing a silly game together. She is a giggle box and it was just completely contagious - I couldn't help but laugh too! (2) happened way too many times to even explain! (3) happened when I went to check on a boy who was in the bathroom too long. I poked my head in and asked "How are you doing bud? You've been in the bathroom a bit to long so wrap it up." A minute later I hear a voice from the bathroom, "Okay, I'm almost done. I just have to wipe my...." You can imagine what I was thinking... instead he said, "...hands." Moral of it all: always find something to LAUGH about (when it's appropriate of course).

In my second day I can already tell that I'm learning so much. In fact, I often find myself talking to the students just like Mrs. K does. She is such a great model that I have. She talks to the students in such a unique way. She uses a caring voice, but never hesitates to get firm. She uses words like, "first graders don't chew on their pencils," when a student is chewing on a pencil or doing something that isn't acceptable - this makes want to act like a first grader instead. I'm hoping that I will be able to learn fast. I'm nervous that I will not be hard enough on the kids - but I know that I have an awesome role model to learn from.

To close for the day, here are some things I've learned today:

• Always laugh. That's the only way you can continue to have fun in this occupation. 
• Communicate well with others. It's much more efficient for everyone. 
• Eat with the kids when you can. We don't have to eat with the kids but we did today and it was enjoyable. That's our time to "hang out" with the kids and really get to talk to them. It's one of my goals to continue to do this in the semester even if we don't have to.

A few tricks:

• When a kid asks to go to the bathroom and it's not at the most appropriate time just say, "If you have to go in five minutes, remind me." If they remind you then they have to go, and if they don't remind you then they are just trying to get out of class. 
• When wanting to remove permanent marker from laminated items, simply color over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker and then wipe away. It's genius - go try it! Teacher friends: remember this because with this trick you can now reuse anything and everything in your classroom. 

For a recap, today the students: learned a few more logistics things (lunch cards, milk for snacks, etc.). They did simple work in their handwriting books. For math they did simple stations (geo-boards, dominoes, etc.) that allowed us to see what they were capable of. A book or two was read for filler time and they also went to P.E. and Music. And somehow that brings us to the end of the day.

Sorry to make this even longer, but I wanted to let you all know that I don't intend for you to read these all the dang time. By writing on this blog nearly everyday, I'm simply keeping a journal for myself!

Thanks if you did read this. :) 

Until next time, 

Miss Everhart :) (or Miss Hart for those kids who couldn't remember my name today - haha)