Another week has passed, and we are still hopping along...
Mr. Bojangles, the frog, is still hopping, too. The kids are having so much fun with our class pet! We have learned that Mr. BoBo will not eat crickets that are already dead, so we have to make sure to only put live crickets in his cage. We have also learned that Mr. BoBo loves to swim. We had a small cup of water in his cage for him, but I started feeling bad when I realized he couldn't even stretch out his legs. We got him a bigger "pond" and some fresh grass and dirt, and he seems to be adjusting well. He usually only comes out from hiding and hops around when the kids are not in the room. He must not like all of their noise....
This week in 1st grade we learned:
-verbs (a word that shows action)
-how to classify a sentence with nouns and verbs
-greater than & less than numbers
-how to label the parts of a flower/plant
We experienced some sad news this week in my class - one of my students lost everything in a house fire. Luckily noone was in the house during the fire, so noone was hurt. But, they did lose everything. My heart breaks for him every time I think about it. I wanted to bring him home with me, but of course I couldn't. The fire happened on Wednesday, so Thursday and Friday I spent a good bit of time talking to him and loving on him. He did show some emotion on Friday when he told me that he was sad because they didn't get any of his stuff out. I told him that it is ok for him to be sad and upset, but he should also be happy that noone was hurt in the fire. I know time will help him heal, but I still want to fix it for him now. My sweet parents helped purchase some necessary items for him until the family gets back on their feet.
Please keep my little guy and his family in your prayers. He is my sweetheart.
We had a special visitor on Friday! Ashleigh came to my class to meet the kids and experience a day in my life. The kids absolutely loved her! They kept asking "Mih Lemon, is she yo sista?" The answer we found easiest to explain was, "yes." They had lots of stories to share with Miss Ashleigh, and one little girl even said:
"I love white people and mixed people 'cause they hair is so long!"
I think Miss Ashleigh had a nice visit - and hopefully she will come back to visit us again soon!
Tomorrow is Monday, and I am ready for a new week!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Chapter 7: Class Pet
As of today, at 12:05pm, we have our very first class pet.
Can you see him?
We found this cute little guy hopping around the playground during recess. I hate to admit this, but it was actually my idea to catch him; and of course the kids did not think twice about it. Some of the boys were trying to catch him, and some were too chicken to even try! One student caught him and immediately threw him down because it scared him... (As you can tell, this is already amusing.) I, of course, go to screaming, in excitement and panic, for kids to find him and pick him up again! One student found an empty cup-which is what we decided to put the little guy in until we went back to our classroom.
He stayed in the cup for about 5 minutes, then quickly found his way out....
Well, here I go screaming again!
Don't worry - we got him!
As we went back inside from recess, I had the boys go outside by our classroom and collect grass, crickets, and grasshoppers for our little friend while I found him a water dish.
The kids were absolutely ecstatic!
(I was secretly enjoying this experience, too!)
(I was secretly enjoying this experience, too!)
Once we got the little guy into our class terrarium, complete with grass, water, and bugs, we decided to name him. As the teacher of some very opinionated first graders, I chose the name without any discussion:
Mr. Bojangles
Can you see him?
Poor little guy; he was scared silly!
This was the best picture I could get of him today - but there will be many more to come (hopefully)!
The kids love the name Mr. Bojangles,
but like to call him "Mr. Bo" or "Mr. BoBo" for short. :)
but like to call him "Mr. Bo" or "Mr. BoBo" for short. :)
We are having so much fun in 1st grade!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Chapter 6: Tough Week
I have heard from veteran teachers that there will always be tough days and weeks, and now I actually believe and understand those words. I have been challenged a great deal this week. My students are getting comfortable with me and how I teach, and have decided to see how far they can push me. Well, let's just say, even though I'm in a first grade classroom, my fuse is short. I am working hard on my patience and understanding traits, but when I pray for those things God does not hand them to me on a silver platter. Instead, he puts me in situations where I have to use patience and understanding. It has been tough, but I know I will thank Him in the end for the lessons I've learned from Him, my teacher.
This week in 1st Grade we learned:
-Nouns (person, place, or thing)
-Verbs (a word that shows action)
-how to count and represent 100 using base 10 blocks
-how to plant seeds
-how to care for our teeth
-how to follow directions............(this will take a while)
Here are a few scenarios from my week for you to picture:
Me: "Friends, a verb is a word that shows or tells an action. Run. Walk. Sing. Dance. Shake. Jump. Those are examples of verbs. Things that you can actually do."
I then read some sentences and had the students tell me the verbs in the sentence.
Next, I had students tell examples of verbs.
Student: "Lamp."
Me: "Please stand up. Ok, show me how to lamp."
The student stood there, blank-faced, and very confused.
Me: "Ok, lamp is a noun because it is a thing, right?! Show me how to jump."
After a few practice words, she understood why 'lamp' was not a verb.
Verbs can be difficult to understand...
We have Creative Writing journal entries two days a week. This week our journal topics were "Me as a Sandwich" and "Me on Television." The sandwich journals were entertaining, but he television journals topped the cake. I will try to upload some pictures of some student work so you can enjoy!
My favorite journal article of the week:
Me on Television - "I would be a single lady."
I had 2 students miss their bus on Thursday....I was not a happy camper. A teacher stands in the hallway and calls the bus number, then I repeat it so my kids can hear, and then it is announced on the intercom. The 2 kids that ride that bus number decided to just sit in my room and not move. So, they missed the bus. I had to call 18 different phone numbers to contact people to come pick them up from school - and it took quite a while for this process to play out. Needless to say, I won't have any more students miss their buses - that's for sure!
I have a picture of me and Josh as the background on my phone. One student (my little sweetheart that I call 'grandpa') saw my phone and said, "Who that is?"
Me: "That's a picture of me and Mr. Murphy."
Student: "Who Mr. Murphy is?"
Me: "He's the man I am going to marry, silly."
Student: "Oh, well I have the Smurf's movie at home!"
Me: "Not Smurfy....MURphy!"
Student: "Oooh, my bad, Mih Lemon."
The good far outweighs the bad, that's for sure. I really am happy with where I am and what I'm doing. I love my school, and I love my kids. I am praying for patience and understanding, especially for those few students in my room that smirk and grin when I reprimand them.....That's what I mean by needing patience.
But, Monday starts a new week, and I am determined to make every new week better than the last.
Please pray for my patience and understanding, my students and their home environments, and my classroom to be an inviting and exciting place to learn and to love.
This week in 1st Grade we learned:
-Nouns (person, place, or thing)
-Verbs (a word that shows action)
-how to count and represent 100 using base 10 blocks
-how to plant seeds
-how to care for our teeth
-how to follow directions............(this will take a while)
Here are a few scenarios from my week for you to picture:
Me: "Friends, a verb is a word that shows or tells an action. Run. Walk. Sing. Dance. Shake. Jump. Those are examples of verbs. Things that you can actually do."
I then read some sentences and had the students tell me the verbs in the sentence.
Next, I had students tell examples of verbs.
Student: "Lamp."
Me: "Please stand up. Ok, show me how to lamp."
The student stood there, blank-faced, and very confused.
Me: "Ok, lamp is a noun because it is a thing, right?! Show me how to jump."
After a few practice words, she understood why 'lamp' was not a verb.
Verbs can be difficult to understand...
We have Creative Writing journal entries two days a week. This week our journal topics were "Me as a Sandwich" and "Me on Television." The sandwich journals were entertaining, but he television journals topped the cake. I will try to upload some pictures of some student work so you can enjoy!
My favorite journal article of the week:
Me on Television - "I would be a single lady."
I had 2 students miss their bus on Thursday....I was not a happy camper. A teacher stands in the hallway and calls the bus number, then I repeat it so my kids can hear, and then it is announced on the intercom. The 2 kids that ride that bus number decided to just sit in my room and not move. So, they missed the bus. I had to call 18 different phone numbers to contact people to come pick them up from school - and it took quite a while for this process to play out. Needless to say, I won't have any more students miss their buses - that's for sure!
I have a picture of me and Josh as the background on my phone. One student (my little sweetheart that I call 'grandpa') saw my phone and said, "Who that is?"
Me: "That's a picture of me and Mr. Murphy."
Student: "Who Mr. Murphy is?"
Me: "He's the man I am going to marry, silly."
Student: "Oh, well I have the Smurf's movie at home!"
Me: "Not Smurfy....MURphy!"
Student: "Oooh, my bad, Mih Lemon."
The good far outweighs the bad, that's for sure. I really am happy with where I am and what I'm doing. I love my school, and I love my kids. I am praying for patience and understanding, especially for those few students in my room that smirk and grin when I reprimand them.....That's what I mean by needing patience.
But, Monday starts a new week, and I am determined to make every new week better than the last.
Please pray for my patience and understanding, my students and their home environments, and my classroom to be an inviting and exciting place to learn and to love.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Chapter 5: Little People
We made it through our first full week of school!
For me, as a first year teacher, that is a huge accomplishment. All of my students have smiled at least once a day, learned the required content, and given me more hugs this week than I can begin to count.
I would say it has been a very successful week!
The principal at school came into my classroom to observe me one day this week, and gave me some really great feedback. I don't want to boast, but I am proud of these compliments, and I want to share with you. She told me that she loved my classroom, loved my Mozart music playing in the background, loved that all of my students were engaged in a task, and.......
she would want her child in my classroom.
Wow! I was absolutely shocked!
Don't worry - I still have lots of things I need to work on and master, so I am in no way the 'perfect' teacher, and I never will be. But, I was proud to get such nice compliments, especially during my first week of teaching school!
After this week, I treated myself to a movie and popcorn night. I went to the theatre to see the Glee 3-D movie, alone, and absolutely loved it! Not only am I obsessed with the music, there were so many good life lessons to learn through the stories told in the movie. I won't go into too many details, but there was a featured story throughout the movie about a dwarf-sized girl. She ultimately won prom princess and lived happily ever after - but the most important thing I learned from her is within this quote:
"You gotta notice the little people in life!"
She obviously meant that line in different context than what I thought of, but it really hit home to me. I teach because I love children. They are all special and deserve a fighting chance to succeed.
Although they might be small, they are all little people.
Week 1 has been a success!
For me, as a first year teacher, that is a huge accomplishment. All of my students have smiled at least once a day, learned the required content, and given me more hugs this week than I can begin to count.
I would say it has been a very successful week!
The principal at school came into my classroom to observe me one day this week, and gave me some really great feedback. I don't want to boast, but I am proud of these compliments, and I want to share with you. She told me that she loved my classroom, loved my Mozart music playing in the background, loved that all of my students were engaged in a task, and.......
she would want her child in my classroom.
Wow! I was absolutely shocked!
Don't worry - I still have lots of things I need to work on and master, so I am in no way the 'perfect' teacher, and I never will be. But, I was proud to get such nice compliments, especially during my first week of teaching school!
After this week, I treated myself to a movie and popcorn night. I went to the theatre to see the Glee 3-D movie, alone, and absolutely loved it! Not only am I obsessed with the music, there were so many good life lessons to learn through the stories told in the movie. I won't go into too many details, but there was a featured story throughout the movie about a dwarf-sized girl. She ultimately won prom princess and lived happily ever after - but the most important thing I learned from her is within this quote:
"You gotta notice the little people in life!"
She obviously meant that line in different context than what I thought of, but it really hit home to me. I teach because I love children. They are all special and deserve a fighting chance to succeed.
Although they might be small, they are all little people.
Week 1 has been a success!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Chapter 4: Strong Start
Well, today was day 5 of school - and so far, so good!
The students have gotten back into the swing of school, and have adjusted to learning my classroom rules and procedures well. I have some really great students, and some that are challenging me already...
This week we are learning the 5 parts of a complete sentence (subject, verb, complete sense, capital letter, end mark), nouns (person, place, thing), counting and writing the numbers 1 through 120, and distinguishing between living and non-living things. We are going to have some smart 1st graders!
Here is a conversation from yesterday:
Student: "Miss Lemon, do you have a little boy?"
Me: "No, I do not."
Student: "Do you have a little girl?"
Me: "No, I do not have children yet because I am not married."
Student: "Ooohhhh, ok then. Why is you not married?"
Me: "Well, when school is over in May, I will be getting married! I will have a different name when you come to school next year."
Student: "What's yo name gonna be?"
Me: "I am marrying Mr. Murphy - so what will my name be?"
Student: "Mrs. Murphy?"
Me: "That's right; Mrs. Murphy!"
Student: "Well, ain't that somethin'!"
Best Quote so far:
"Miss Lemon, you so birdaful. :)"
I told the students on the first day of school that some days they will love me, and some days they will be mad at me - but no matter how they feel about me (or I feel about them) they must give me a hug before they leave my room to go home.
Because of this, I have truly learned the value of a hug.
These kids sure do know how to make me smile, laugh, and enjoy school! :)
I was without my assistant today, so I am really exhausted. I knew I enjoyed having my assistant, but I didn't realize how much I would miss her until she was gone! I'm so glad she will be back tomorrow!
The students have gotten back into the swing of school, and have adjusted to learning my classroom rules and procedures well. I have some really great students, and some that are challenging me already...
This week we are learning the 5 parts of a complete sentence (subject, verb, complete sense, capital letter, end mark), nouns (person, place, thing), counting and writing the numbers 1 through 120, and distinguishing between living and non-living things. We are going to have some smart 1st graders!
Here is a conversation from yesterday:
Student: "Miss Lemon, do you have a little boy?"
Me: "No, I do not."
Student: "Do you have a little girl?"
Me: "No, I do not have children yet because I am not married."
Student: "Ooohhhh, ok then. Why is you not married?"
Me: "Well, when school is over in May, I will be getting married! I will have a different name when you come to school next year."
Student: "What's yo name gonna be?"
Me: "I am marrying Mr. Murphy - so what will my name be?"
Student: "Mrs. Murphy?"
Me: "That's right; Mrs. Murphy!"
Student: "Well, ain't that somethin'!"
Best Quote so far:
"Miss Lemon, you so birdaful. :)"
I told the students on the first day of school that some days they will love me, and some days they will be mad at me - but no matter how they feel about me (or I feel about them) they must give me a hug before they leave my room to go home.
Because of this, I have truly learned the value of a hug.
These kids sure do know how to make me smile, laugh, and enjoy school! :)
I was without my assistant today, so I am really exhausted. I knew I enjoyed having my assistant, but I didn't realize how much I would miss her until she was gone! I'm so glad she will be back tomorrow!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Chapter 3: First Day of School
The first day of 1st Grade:
I had a wonderful day, I think the kids had a pretty great day, too!
21 students on roll - 17 present.
And they ALL got home by the correct form of transportation - hallelujah!
As the students came in to the classroom, after eating breakfast, I had them complete an "About Me" sheet that is now on the wall where they are to hang their backpacks each morning. We had our Morning Meeting on the carpet, which included singing our "Good Morning" song, discussing the Helper Chart, discussing the calendar and weather, singing our "Days of the Week," "Months of the Year," and "Four Seasons" songs, reciting our alphabet letters and sounds, and counting to 100! I then read The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing, which was a great starter story.
As a class we discussed classroom and school rules, and then we went for a walk around the school. After our walk, we got ready for lunch (which is at 10:45am). The classroom teachers are allowed to sit at a table together during lunch while our teacher assistant's monitor our class in the cafeteria - which, by the way, is SO wonderful! By the time lunch came, I was ready for a nap!
After lunch and a restroom break, we had a bit of Quiet Time, where naps were encouraged. :)
Surprisingly, all but 4 of my kids took a nap!
After Quiet Time, we all went to the carpet and played some ice-breaker games:
'Hello, My Name Is' - Say your name, your birthday, and your favorite food; Simon Says; and Hot Potato. The kids really enjoyed this part of the day!
--We had our first language lesson today during our game time, too: One of the student's' favorite food is shrimp, so we learned how to correctly say the word "shrimp". There is no /k/ or /c/ sound within in the word /shrimp/.--
At 1:25pm my kids go to Resource, or Activity. I was so prepared and had my class lined up and ready to be there on time. We walked down the hall like big 1st graders right into the Library. Well, after I had time to use the restroom, I heard my kids calling my name down the hall....panic, right?! Turns out, I had in my head ALL DAY long today that it was Monday and we go to Library on Monday's and Friday's. Too bad it's really Thursday, and we go to P.E. on Thursday's. HA! My kids laughed and laughed because "Miss Lemons' is loosing her mind...." Yay me.
The kids have Resource/Activity time until 2:20pm - and during that time the 1st grade teachers met and discussed our first day, our schedule for tomorrow, and a daily schedule for us to go by once we get into a set routine. It was so nice to have a few minutes with my teacher friends!
After Resource time, we played Letter Recognition Bingo until time to go home. I had the students return to the carpet for one last book before collecting backpacks.
"Please raise your hand if you had a good first day of 1st grade." - me
17 students raised their hands.
"Please raise your hand if you are excited about 1st grade." - me
17 students raised their hands.
"Please raise your hand if you are happy to be in Ms. Leming's class." - me
17 students raised their hands!!!
Overall, today was successful. I am so happy with where I am, with my Assistant Teacher, with my other 1st grade teachers, with my Administrators, and with my students.
I think it's going to be a really great year!
I am exhausted...
P.S. - I took a class picture of our first day of 1st grade, but will not post it on here due to privacy restrictions. Just thought you would like to know that I, of course, took a picture to document. :)
I had a wonderful day, I think the kids had a pretty great day, too!
21 students on roll - 17 present.
And they ALL got home by the correct form of transportation - hallelujah!
As the students came in to the classroom, after eating breakfast, I had them complete an "About Me" sheet that is now on the wall where they are to hang their backpacks each morning. We had our Morning Meeting on the carpet, which included singing our "Good Morning" song, discussing the Helper Chart, discussing the calendar and weather, singing our "Days of the Week," "Months of the Year," and "Four Seasons" songs, reciting our alphabet letters and sounds, and counting to 100! I then read The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing, which was a great starter story.
As a class we discussed classroom and school rules, and then we went for a walk around the school. After our walk, we got ready for lunch (which is at 10:45am). The classroom teachers are allowed to sit at a table together during lunch while our teacher assistant's monitor our class in the cafeteria - which, by the way, is SO wonderful! By the time lunch came, I was ready for a nap!
After lunch and a restroom break, we had a bit of Quiet Time, where naps were encouraged. :)
Surprisingly, all but 4 of my kids took a nap!
After Quiet Time, we all went to the carpet and played some ice-breaker games:
'Hello, My Name Is' - Say your name, your birthday, and your favorite food; Simon Says; and Hot Potato. The kids really enjoyed this part of the day!
--We had our first language lesson today during our game time, too: One of the student's' favorite food is shrimp, so we learned how to correctly say the word "shrimp". There is no /k/ or /c/ sound within in the word /shrimp/.--
At 1:25pm my kids go to Resource, or Activity. I was so prepared and had my class lined up and ready to be there on time. We walked down the hall like big 1st graders right into the Library. Well, after I had time to use the restroom, I heard my kids calling my name down the hall....panic, right?! Turns out, I had in my head ALL DAY long today that it was Monday and we go to Library on Monday's and Friday's. Too bad it's really Thursday, and we go to P.E. on Thursday's. HA! My kids laughed and laughed because "Miss Lemons' is loosing her mind...." Yay me.
The kids have Resource/Activity time until 2:20pm - and during that time the 1st grade teachers met and discussed our first day, our schedule for tomorrow, and a daily schedule for us to go by once we get into a set routine. It was so nice to have a few minutes with my teacher friends!
After Resource time, we played Letter Recognition Bingo until time to go home. I had the students return to the carpet for one last book before collecting backpacks.
"Please raise your hand if you had a good first day of 1st grade." - me
17 students raised their hands.
"Please raise your hand if you are excited about 1st grade." - me
17 students raised their hands.
"Please raise your hand if you are happy to be in Ms. Leming's class." - me
17 students raised their hands!!!
Overall, today was successful. I am so happy with where I am, with my Assistant Teacher, with my other 1st grade teachers, with my Administrators, and with my students.
I think it's going to be a really great year!
I am exhausted...
P.S. - I took a class picture of our first day of 1st grade, but will not post it on here due to privacy restrictions. Just thought you would like to know that I, of course, took a picture to document. :)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Chapter 2: Finally Ready
Ok friends, I am finally ready for my 1st grade students to come to school....
I think.
The faculty and staff have had many meetings this week, which means I stayed late every day to work on my classroom. We had "Meet & Greet" this afternoon from 4:30-5:30pm, and I had 3 parents come! I was very prepared with some homemade cookies, and well, most of the teacher's enjoyed them. :)
I won't be able to write much tonight because I still have to write out my plan - minute by minute - for tomorrow. Oh, and, it's 8:30pm and I am absolutely exhausted!
Here are some pictures of my classroom!
I thought I should show you all now - because I'm sure it will not look this clean for long...
Welcome to First Grade
The stick kids are holding flags that say "1st Grade Rocks!"
"Reading Spot"
another view of the "Reading Spot"
Word Wall, Assistant Teacher's desk, Computers, Promethean Board, & Helper Chart
My teacher area!
Storage and Bookshelves
Behavior Chart
Morning Meeting Board area
I am so excited for tomorrow!
I will close tonight with this prayer:
A Teacher's Prayer
I want to teach my students how
To live life on earth -
To face its struggles and its strife
And how to improve their worth -
Not just the lessons in a book
Or how the river flows -
But how to choose the proper path
Wherever they may go -
To understand eternal truth
And know right from wrong -
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and in grace,
Then I shall feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God,
That I may do my part,
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.
-James J. Metcalf
I think.
The faculty and staff have had many meetings this week, which means I stayed late every day to work on my classroom. We had "Meet & Greet" this afternoon from 4:30-5:30pm, and I had 3 parents come! I was very prepared with some homemade cookies, and well, most of the teacher's enjoyed them. :)
I won't be able to write much tonight because I still have to write out my plan - minute by minute - for tomorrow. Oh, and, it's 8:30pm and I am absolutely exhausted!
Here are some pictures of my classroom!
I thought I should show you all now - because I'm sure it will not look this clean for long...
The stick kids are holding flags that say "1st Grade Rocks!"
Word Wall, Assistant Teacher's desk, Computers, Promethean Board, & Helper Chart
I am so excited for tomorrow!
I will close tonight with this prayer:
A Teacher's Prayer
I want to teach my students how
To live life on earth -
To face its struggles and its strife
And how to improve their worth -
Not just the lessons in a book
Or how the river flows -
But how to choose the proper path
Wherever they may go -
To understand eternal truth
And know right from wrong -
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and in grace,
Then I shall feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God,
That I may do my part,
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.
-James J. Metcalf
Monday, August 1, 2011
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Day 1:
Today was the first day of school for teachers. We met in the High School Auditorium for our welcome and overview of the school year speech. I had to have my picture taken for my ID badge (so exciting!) and then I was required to attend a new employee orientation meeting. I had time to work in my classroom after the meetings and before a Professional Development session regarding the district-wide technology programs. After lunch, my principal held a school-wide meeting to address rules, regulations, and processes for the year. I was so exhausted after attending all of the meetings today, that I decided to come home and rest!
I am very excited, and a little overwhelmed, about teaching! I feel like I have SO much left to accomplish before I meet my kids on Thursday. But, I will get it all done - I know I will.
Tomorrow and Wednesday are days of meetings and Professional Development sessions so I probably won't have much to write about then, but I'll be sure to write about my first day with my students!
Introduction
As a first year teacher, I have decided to document my experiences - Good & Bad:
I completed my Master's Degree in Literacy Education this summer, and was hired to teach 1st grade in a community near my current town.
I am very excited and honored to start this new chapter of my life.
For privacy and confidential purposes, I will not use the name of the school or any individual students throughout this blog.
I want to create a memory book of my first year of teaching - so, here goes!
I completed my Master's Degree in Literacy Education this summer, and was hired to teach 1st grade in a community near my current town.
I am very excited and honored to start this new chapter of my life.
For privacy and confidential purposes, I will not use the name of the school or any individual students throughout this blog.
I want to create a memory book of my first year of teaching - so, here goes!
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