Baby Bumpdate!! Weeks 9, 10 and 11!!

I'm here today to give you a "bumpdate" for the past three weeks. I've been slacking on keeping you all posted on the bump ;)

But first I just want to say I am so happy! My Daddy is home and recovering super well from his surgery! Much better than I expected! His pathology report was great and indicates that they were able to get ALL of the tumor. Now just for the last round of chemo and then he will have won this battle! Thank you for all of the prayers!

Now here is your bumpdate!

Week 9:

Week 10:

The bump decided to make itself known today!

And Week 11 (yesterday):

Big brother wanted in on the action this week (actually he has every week, we just finally took his picture)!

At our last appointment we got a surprise picture of the baby. The doctor was afraid she wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat so she just HAD to sneak us in to the ultrasound room! I love my doctor! My baby actually looked like a baby this time :) It was also a very active baby! So cute!

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Do you want to participate in our tally chart that we have going on? We are taking guesses as to if it will be a caterpillar (girl) or robot (boy). Leave your guess in the comments and I will add you to the chart!

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I'll be back later with some room updates. We go back this week! Eeeek!

I'm BACK!!!! Recap of What Has Happened Plus a Monday Made It!

Hey ya'll it has been so long since I have blogged. My world has been wild and crazy and my life was totally turned upside down. I'm finally trying to get myself back to a normal, but I can't make any promises as I am going along this crazy path.

When I last left you I had no clue how much my life was about to fall apart. I had mentioned a challenging student in my classroom, but I had no clue how challenging it would get. I don't want to go in to full detail, but let me tell you this, the second half of the year was my worst nightmare. Things went downhill quick because of his family life. That mixed with the issues he already had caused things to get REALLY bad. He even ended up being hospitalized for a week because of one of his meltdowns. I did my best to keep pushing through it all, but I wanted to give up so many times. I was emotionally, mentally, and physically drained by the end. I felt like I had done a disservice to the rest of my class and I considered giving up on my one true passion. After taking some time this summer I have realized that it was not me and that I had a lot going on in my personal life at the time that did not help. I am now recovered and ready to go back for a new year with a new perspective.

So there was all of that going on in my classroom all while my life was crazy busy as my husband and I are Jr. High track coaches. This track season was the hardest on me and I contribute a lot of it to the situations I dealt with all day and the personal life stuff (I'll be getting there in a minute). There was a lot more drama than normal and several of our athletes no longer showed me respect. There were many days I went home from practice and cried thinking that I was a terrible coach. I felt like I also was doing a disservice to my athletes this year. Hopefully next season will be better even though I know that will be a wild ride (see the section on personal life craziness coming up).

I also had the crazy idea to start selling Thirty-One in February. I do not regret that decision one bit, but it did make life a little crazier for me. I joined and less than a week later I was taking off to go on a training trip with complete strangers (the girl I joined under was the only one I kind of knew and I hadn't actually met her in person). This was totally different for me and way out of my comfort zone, but was an amazing experience. Since then I have met many amazing women and have felt totally inspired to do amazing things.

Now on to the personal life craziness. This was the thing that made me finally crack and feel like giving up entirely. On May 1st my whole world shattered. My dad had been having some health issues that he had put off getting checked for 9 months. When he finally decided to go to the doctor to get checked out the results were devastating. My father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It was so advanced that it was a complete blockage of his colon. My world was really thrown for a loop. You see my father is my rock, my best friend, my shoulder to lean on and all of this happened. He was also our assistant coach for track and this dramatically changed our team (granted some of it was for the better, because the drama finally stopped). Over the following few days and weeks we had to learn what the treatment plan was. The path was finally decided to treat with chemo and radiation first to try to shrink it. The problem was it would expand first and there was no room to expand with out causing issues so an ostomy had to be put in. There were several complications with that surgery and he ended up being hospitalized for a week. He had not been in a hospital overnight since he was a child. This was a very scary time. Luckily he finally recovered from it and was able to proceed with the treatment. He has now completed the treatment and is in the recovery stage waiting for surgery. He is scheduled to have the tumor removed on August 5th. We are hopeful that this surgery will go off without any complications.

Unfortunately because of all of this he was unable to attend the state track meet for our athletes in person. This was an extremely hard time for him as he had worked so hard to get one of our distance runners there. We decided to take him with us and send him pictures all weekend long of his adventures. Here is my favorite picture. He was just hanging out with me watching some races.

Through it all my dad has been a trooper and has kept his head held up high. He is truly inspiring. My dad is a distance runner. He has completed several marathons including the Boston Marathon. He is determined to be back there running once he has fully recovered and kicked cancer's butt. All of this has caused him to not be able to run like he used to, but he set out on a mission to run/walk a 5k for Colon Cancer Screening. He put together a team and set out on a mission to just finish the race. It was amazing because once he got out there running, he just couldn't stop. He ran the WHOLE 5k just a few days after finishing his chemo/radiation treatments. It was such an inspiring thing (especially since I couldn't even run the whole thing).

Here we are walking in the last of our group as a team.

Here is the team showing our spirit before the race.

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Now onto my Monday Made It. This Monday Made It was actually made a little while ago, but I am just now getting around to it. After my post head on over to 4th Grade Frolics to check on some more Monday Made It's that I am sure are actually school related. I promise to show you some school related ones next time. ;)

I created this video about a month ago to announce that the hubby and I are having our first baby. This was a blessing that was much needed in our family. We are very excited about it even if the timing means the beginning of track season. We're just going to have an extra coach...lol. Our due date ended up getting changed to March 2nd after I had posted the video saying February.

Here are a couple of pictures we have taken. I will be taking another one tonight so I will have to post it for you sometime in the next couple of days. I'm pretty sure my bump has shrunk in the past week though. I did a lot of walking while I was at Thirty-One National Conference.

Baby's first picture :)

Much love all!

Whole Brain Teaching- Week 4: Implementing the Rules

Hey ya'll I am back here today to share with you this week's focus for implementing Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom. This week is all about implementing the rules. If you are interested in learning more head on over to Whole Brain Teaching.

Most of this week's focus I have already been doing successfully in my classroom the past few weeks, but I am going to work on improving it this week.


Rule #1:
In order to implement Rule 1: Follow Directions Quickly, you should use the three-peat procedures. I started the three-peat two weeks ago and it was pure magic.

You give students a one word direction (i.e. when you want them to turn in papers say "papers" or when you want them to line up say "line") and students repeat the direction word three times and follow the directions. When I do it I begin slowly counting and they have a certain amount of time to complete it. The amount of time I give is based on what the direction is. This has sped things up in my room and I am not having a lot of wasted dead time. We have actually had time at the end of the day since doing this because we actually get everything done on time. It is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!



Rule #2:
In order to implement Rule 2: Raise Your Hand for Permission to Speak, you must first decide if you are serious about it. If you are serious you have to stick to it. This is one I have struggled with and I plan to really focus on improving this week.

When a student talks out without getting permission you call out "Rule #2" and all students should respond with "Raise your hand for permission to speak". After  a while of that if certain students are still having problems give them a silent two fingers and the individual student should silently do the gesture. If after several months that still hasn't worked, practice cards will be started.



Rule #3:
In order to implement Rule 3: Raise Your Hand for Permission to Leave Your Seat you should do the same as you do for Rule #2.



Rule #4:
Rule 4: Make Smart Choices applies to EVERYTHING. In order to implement it you ask students if it is a smart or foolish choice to... (fill in the blank with examples) and have the students give their reasoning. Take time each day to go over some things that might become issues.



Rule #5:
When you want to stop backtalk call out "Rule 5" and students respond with "Keep your dear teacher happy".




For all of these it is important to practice, practice, practice both the wrong way and the correct way. This is the key to success with implementing all of the rules. Rehearse one rule at a time and wait for them to master it before moving on to the next one.



Now for the mastery challenges:
~Rookie level: students master rules 1 and 2
~Pro level: students master rules 1-4
~All Star level: students master rules 1-5 (you have virtually eliminated challenging behavior from your classroom)


For students who constantly do not follow the rules start making them do one minute practices at recess. If they won't do it tell them "It's one minute my way or two minutes your way".

That's all I have for you for tonight! I hope my summary of each of the weekly videos is beneficial to those of you reading.


Goodnight all!
Power to the Teachers!

Common Core Assessment Workbooks

I am here today to tell you about a fabulous resource that has recently been released. Last year I purchased the Third Grade Common Core Workbook and couldn't believe all that was included with it. I have been pulling things from it all year to work on. Next year I would like to have it a little more organized so that I am using it more.

Today I discovered that they have released their Common Core Assessment Workbook. It includes an assessment for every standard, answer keys, and progress reports. I downloaded the Third Grade Sample and was very impressed with the assessments that I saw. I cannot wait to get my hands on the full download and use it in my classroom. I can see this as being very valuable in assessing the standards to ensure I meet all the standards.

My favorite part about this and the workbook that I purchased last year is that there is something for EVERY Math and ELA standard. Sometimes it is hard to find items that meet some of the standards. Those times are the times when I am grateful to have the workbook and now will be thankful to have an assessment tool as well.

I definitely recommend you head on over and check out these fabulous Common Core Assessment Workbooks. They would be a valuable addition to your classroom.

Whole Brain Teaching- Week 3: 5 Rules

I am here bringing you my post on the 13 Week Master Class for WBT. Week 3 focuses on the 5 rules. I am posting about the 5 rules, but my focus this week won't be too much on the 5 rules because  we have been practicing since the beginning of the year and I have already mastered all three levels of the mastery challenge this week. I want to share with those of you who do not know about the 5 rules yet.

Whole Brain Teaching has five classroom rules that pretty much cover every behavior issue you may have in your classroom.

Rule #1: Follow directions quickly (gesture: make your hand swim like a fish really quick)
Rule #2: Raise your hand for permission to speak (gesture: raise your hand and then make your hand talk)
Rule #3: Raise your hand for permission to speak (gesture: raise your hand and then make two fingers walk across your arm)
Rule #4: Make smart choices (gesture: point to your brain)
Rule #5: Keep your dear teacher happy (gesture: frame your face and bob your head from side to side)

It is important in the early stages to practice, practice, practice these rules.

Rookie Mastery Challenge: Review the rules 5 times a day for a week
Pro Mastery Challenge: Have five students lead the rules at least 5 times a day for a week
All Star: Call out the rule number anytime throughout the day when students need a review of a rule due to it being broken; use this a minimum of 5 times a day for a week

When using the All Star level, you are not rehearsing the rules, you are implementing and reinforcing the rule. This is the direction you must take in order to get to Teacher Heaven!


Rule Strengths:
~Rules 1- 3 cover the most common, specific classroom problems
~Rules 4 - 5 are universal and cover everything else that is left

If you are at a school like mine that is a PBIS school, your PBIS rules are included in Rule 4


If you have students who don't go along, create a leadership team of 5-8 kids (no more than 2 rebels). Stand next to the weakest rebel and review the rules, have the leadership team follow your lead. Praise any improvement by the leaders and rebels. If you do this, there is no place for rebels to hide. It is a LONG year so keep this in your back pocket and don't use until you absolutely need to.

Currently February

I am linking up with Farley again after a few months for Currently February.

Stop on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade to check out all of the other Currently posts.

Here it is:

Listening:

I enjoy listening to my iTunes Radio when I am blogging/blogstalking. I am a huge country fan so it almost always set to a country station when I listen to it. Even at Christmas it was set to Country Christmas.

Loving:

I am loving the impact that WBT has had on my classroom over the past few weeks. I do not think I will ever go back. I have felt so inspired since having such a successful day yesterday. I had been following Mrs. Shipley's blog for awhile, but hadn't really gone back to read the posts from before I started following her. Oh man, I did that this weekend and it is a wealth of information. Mrs. Shipley inspires me. She is who I want to be! So if you are reading this, thanks Mrs. Shipley!

If you are interested in her blog head on over to Mrs. Shipley's Classroom.

Thinking:

I have spent most of the day researching Whole Brain Teaching; I just can't help it. I have been so inspired lately. It is now after 8:30 and I still haven't had dinner so I probably should get off the computer and go eat. Of course, I am sure I will be right back to the computer after eating. I have some more research to do...lol!

Wanting:

I want my Donor's Choose Project to get funded mostly because I am so excited to try out the stability balls. I have one particular student who I think will benefit tremendously from it. I am hoping this project gets funded soon. I'm about to cave in a donate a big chunk of it since I want it so bad!

Needing:

I have my pre-evaluation meeting with my principal this week. There is some paper work involved and other things that I need to get organized before then. I need to get that done. For the first time since I started teaching I do not feel very nervous about my evaluation. I am actually very excited because I will be showing off some WBT strategies. I am hoping to get the school on the WBT bandwagon and that starts with administration. Plus my students totally rock at WBT!

2 Truths and a Fib:

1) I have found my true passion with WBT: TRUTH

This one should be a no-brainer. I mean look at this post, I have talked so much about WBT! I have absolutely fallen in love and will never ever go back! Thank you for such a wonderful program Coach B. I'm so inspired lately that I might actually attempt to get my WBT certification.

2) I have completed a marathon: FIB

I have completed three half marathons, but never completed a full marathon. One day I would like to though.

3) I have a condition called neuro cardio genic reflex syncope: TRUTH

When I was in third grade I was diagnosed with this condition. In simple terms, there are times when my body thinks I am dehydrated when I am not and it will just shut down and I will pass out. Third grade was a scary year when I first started passing out and no one knew why. Thankfully I had a great third grade teacher who helped make things a little less scary at school. The cool thing about that is that I am now teaching third grade with her! 

I have lived with this condition long enough that I can pretty much control it now and can avoid the passing out. I do have to be careful about my hydration and making sure I am not standing in one place for too long. I have a stool in my classroom that I use on days when I can tell my body is a little off kilter. 

So there you have it! Head on over to read some more Currently posts!

Five for Friday- 1-31-14!!!

Wow my kiddos totally rocked today! Fridays are normally not very good days but it was the BEST day we had all week and definitely the BEST Friday we have had all year! I have one thing that gets all the credit for a fabulous day! By now you are probably wondering what that one thing may be. Well, let me tell you! It is Whole Brain Teaching! I am so glad I did all the research I did over Christmas break because it has completely transformed my students, my teaching, and myself! I'm a true believer!

This past week I decided to put the 13 Week Master Class on a pause due to a VERY rough start to the week (a couple of my kiddos had some rough days that through off everything for the week). I plan to start Week 3 this week so check back for my post on the focus of the week. It will be posted sometime this weekend. Plus, I have more WBT topics to talk about!

Today I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the weekly linky of Five for Friday:

Today we did a super cute craftivity to put up on our bulletin boards. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of it so I will just share the product with you and then I will post a pic later this week. We made Valentine's Day robots. It is a product from Aimee over at Primarily Speaking.

Love Bot Craftivity

They are super cute and my kiddos had so much fun making them. We will be doing the writing prompt to go along with it next week!

I had a lovely stranger donate $25 to my Donor's Choose project yesterday and I was jumping for joy. We still have quite a bit to go before my project is fully funded, but we are one step closer. We are working on getting some stability balls, floor cushions, and floor pillows to use as options for my students to sit during independent and small group time. I am currently doing my research and looking in to possibly doing alternative seating next year. These items will help with that and will definitely help this years group of students. They do so much better when they can choose where to sit. If you would like to donate to my project it is found HERE!

I would really appreciate it!

Like I mentioned earlier I have some posts coming up on the WBT strategies I have recently used in my classroom. It is a part of my Whole Brain Teaching series of posts.

I hope you will check back to see what these fabulous strategies are doing for my students.

I am so excited for my evaluation in a couple of weeks now that I have these fabulous WBT strategies transforming my classroom. I can't wait to share with my administrator how amazing WBT is.

Sorry, in case you can't tell, I have majorly jumped on the WBT bandwagon!

Power to the Teacher!

For those of you who don't know, I am also a Jr. High Track coach and our season starts in one month! I cannot wait! I am already preparing for our season. Last year, we started having a fabulous fundraiser that is not very common. Actually I don't know of any place that does it around us. We have a track meet that is open for the public to participate in. It is a fun filled day and raises quite a bit of money. We have started preparations for this years event.

The best part is I coach with my hubby and my dad! That means that tonight, the hubby and I are going on a date because we have some shopping to do...lol. We are going out to eat and then going shopping for paper for our flyers so we can start getting them printed. 

If you live in my area and are interested in participating in our event HERE is the Facebook page with all of the details.

I have saved this last one to brag on one of my kiddos. He was one of the ones I was talking about earlier having a rough start to his week. He is autistic and ADHD. They have recently determined that they also think he may be ODD. Anyways he has often has issues and Monday and Tuesday were really bad days for him. Things settled down Wednesday and Thursday, but they were not perfect by any means. Today this little guy came in and was absolutely FABULOUS. He really struggles with not talking out, but today, oh man today, he raised his hand ALL day long when he wanted to talk. It was so fabulous, I just couldn't keep it to myself! I have been bragging to everyone about his day! He paid attention all day, participated, and was so well behaved! I am just so stinking proud of him.