Ohmygracious! Where Have I Been?

I sure do miss writing but have no idea how the time gets away from me.  I NEED to make time for my poor, pitiful blog and get this sweet little love of mine up and running again.  Truth be told, I need to get ME up and running again too.  I hope this is a start to my reentrance to blogging more regularly.  We're halfway to Friday and TWO DAYS (WHOOT WHOOT) away from being finished with the FCAT (and it'll be a good riddance kinda day)!

Have a wonderful day, friends,
XO,
kvk

Tightened Security

I am so sad that it took something like this as, even after our community lost one of its angels three years ago to an abduction (Somer Thompson--to know her was to love her), that it took place off of campus didn't seem to make security on campus a tad tighter.

My hope is that the school I'm at now, which from all angles I've seen, seems to resemble the layout of Sandy Hook, will become a closed campus for which parents need to be buzzed in.  For now, doors are closing and classroom doors are being locked.  Mine has always remained locked.  Any thoughts?

Heartbroken Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

EEEEK! My Observation is Coming!

 Okay, it isn't as though I'd normally be nervous so let me begin by putting that out there.  I mean, yes, anyone coming in with a clipboard and making marks in columns is unsettling nerve wracking, but I am NERVOUS with a capital NERVOUS!  It's for a few reasons, really.  It's a TERRIBLE time of year, as most of you know, to try and get a great assessment out of most because the kids are OFF. THE. CHAIN.  There, I said it.  They have  Christmahanakwanzikafeveritis. 

If that's not enough, many of them are missing about every other day because of the schmeg that's going around, so the building onto my lessons is missing a few legs of the framework for those students.  I also have a new AP who will be observing me and she doesn't really know much about me or my teaching style (that I know of, but I'm sure that she does her homework).  She had another teacher in tears last week because the teacher was meeting standards on many of her points and she wasn't used to that.  But that is the thing, it's also a new observation tool.  In Florida, we have gone to a new tool about which our administrators have been drilling into our heads at faculty meetings that its is EXTREMELY difficult to exceed the standards.  Ummmmm, that's not acceptable!  I've been working so much harder and (I'd like to believe) smarter this year to come up with something, ANYTHING that will work with the 'difficult-to-describe-in-just-one-post' groups I have this year.

Higher order thinking?  Not natural for them.  Self control?  Only when they feel like it.  Respect for the tall people (adults) in the school?  Maybe next week, but it's not looking good.  2013 doesn't seem to be in their immediate plans for that either.  Most of this, I've opted to handle with Whole Brain Teaching and Daily Five Instruction using an incorporation of Reader's Workshop and Guided Reading as well.  I'm spinning my wheels here to get it all in.

Now, the reason that all of this is stressing me out (on top of the fact that I have been sick and have low energy anyway) is because this is the first year using this observation tool in this way and this is also my last year in our district.  SO, depending on how this observation goes, it could have a positive or a negative affect on my job hunt for next year in a different district in Florida, five hours away (where my reputation as a dedicated educator does not matter).  My fate lies in the hands of my munchkins.

Oh well, all I can do is my best and hope that it goes well at this point.  I'm pretty sure sleeping is going to be out of the question for the night anyway.

Anyone else have any observation entertaining stories to ease my troubled mind?

 

Dork and Wimpy Kid Woes

Hey there gang!  I am wondering if I can get some feedback from some many y'all (hey, I live in the south and 'when in Rome', right?).  When you're in the workshop model, do you dictate the type of books that your children read?  I typically have them reading from a chapter book on their level but have run into a lot of Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries) readers.  Do you feel like you're getting well thought out, higher-order-thinking-type responses from your children that actually apply the skill taught in the mini-lesson?  I feel like I'm at a crossroads and am really not wanting them to read those while applying the skill, but then at the same time it means I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth because it is, by definition, a chapter book and they're leveled at or near the child's level (EXCEPT it does NOT follow the five-finger rule).

What are your thoughts?  Do you allow your children to read the comic book style chapter books for mini-lesson application?

Behavior Overhaul

I am embarrassed that I even have to admit this, but I had to COMPLETELY change my behavioral plan.  I've been teaching about ten years now and can honestly say that I've never felt that my classroom management was a weak area in need of development.  I run a tight ship and my kids and their parents know that.  I also adore my little monsters and do everything with the best of their interests in my heart.  I care about them as miniature humans and that is never questioned by anyone who spends any time around me with my students.

That all being said, I have been spinning my wheels with a majority of my children this year.  My rules and the enforcement of them have been (what feels like) a huge joke to them and them showing respect to myself and other adults on campus is the punchline.  That has to be the case.  Why else would they continually interrupt me or stop me, mid-sentence while giving directions, to ask me about something completely unrelated OR about something that I haven't gotten to yet because I am still going over the assignment/expectations?

Care for an example?  Perhaps that would help to build perspective.  We have a library slot on Fridays at the end of the day.  I get my homeroom back at 2:10, and we have library from 2:10-2:25 with dismissal at 2:42.  This would leave me about 17 minutes to get a quick social studies lesson either started or finished. So last week, I am rushing them all into my room at the end of the day and reminding them that this is our only time all week to get to the school library to exchange books. "Please go into the room, set your things down, and immediately line back up to go to the library.  Remember, if you are renewing your book you need to grab it because we have returned the other books already."

Now, as I'm greeting the children back into the room, I have a child who has stopped me twice to try and ask/tell me something. I have told him both times that now was not the time because I have to get everyone to the library and back.  The children are attempting to get in line to go (by now it is 2:20) and yet another young man walks over to me as I am giving verbal reminders to interrupt me and ask me something.  I don't even remember what it was because I stopped him mid-interrupting-the-teacher-sentence to ask him if this was something that I absolutely HAD to keep 21 other children from going to the library for or could it wait until I get back.  He's attempting to tell me that it could wait when from the other side of the room, the first interrupting child shouts (not exaggerating, it literally startled me), "YES!"

I look at the other child, mouth agape, I'm sure, and ask him what it was.  "I left my lunch box on the playground!"

*DEEP BREATH...it's Friday after all*

I wasn't even sure where to start because so many responses were running through my head as this fifth grader felt it was imperative I keep books out of the hands of 22 children (including him) so that he could go get his lunch box on the playground.  I am not even kidding you when I say that I saw three hands fly up to the mouths of the children muffling their laughs because this was wildly inappropriate in the given setting.  I turned to my line leader and said, calmly and oh so defeated, "Go, please."

Now, as the majority of the children are leaving the room, another sweet face raises her hand..."It can't wait?"  She says, "Can I bring my own book to read at the library since I'm not checking anything out?"  Uhhh, yeah, I think the library is a safe place to bring a book to read, I thought to myself.  "Yes, please do," I actually said.

I mentioned the time for a reason.  We have lunch with our first period groups.  First period ends at 12:10.  It had been out there for over two hours and he needed to go out RIGHT NOW to go get it.  After we got back to the classroom I sent him with two students, my keys, and a walkie talkie because this is at dismissal time and they would not be going where teachers would be standing.  It was gone--probably at the Lost and Found--but here's the kicker.  He was going DIRECTLY PAST THAT PLAYGROUND on his way home.  UGH.

Oh and Ps, the OTHER child with a pressing interruption...he had a club to stay after school for and he wasn't sure which line he'd need to go to.  After library.  After social studies.  At dismissal.  In 30 or so minutes.  I think my liver is starting to hurt just thinking about all of that again.  And THAT, my friends, was a Friday.


I know that doesn't sound like a very big deal, and it really isn't.  If it were isolated.  However it is not.  My entire days have been filled with a series of moments just like that.

Sooooo, I researched what I could be doing wrong. After all, if you continue to do the same thing and expect different results and all...

I put on my big girl pants and decided to change what had been working (very well, I might add) for nine years.  What I've decided on is Whole Brain Teaching.  I am still kind of terrified going into it (I started on Monday) but it seems to be that at least 1/3 of my children are embracing it with open arms and welcoming smiles.  That's a start and it's more than they gave me at the beginning of the school year one short long month ago.  *sigh*

How about you all?  Any words of the wise that you can share or positive experiences with WBT that will be encouraging?  I just can't lose another month of instruction trying to get these munchkins to value what I do and who I am so that I can complete a sentence...

2008-2009 to 2012-2013 Classroom Evolution

Phew!  We are one week into our school year, Orientation is over and went off without a hitch (worth mentioning, anyway), and the students have paid 4 of their 180 days' debt to society as fifth graders in my classroom *giggle*.  I've made quite a few changes this year and they really were more a product of the past four years' experiences.

I initially planned on doing my reveal today, but I have a few things that I finished up this weekend that I was going to take to school and hang first, so that will have to be my next post.

Obviously (based solely on the title of my blog), I have had a beach theme in the past.  That hasn't so much changed as it has evolved into more than just a beach theme.  It's also opening the door for me to transition into potentially changing the theme one day.  You know, if I win the lotto, get a wild hair, AND decide that I have nothing but time to dedicate to the cause.  I don't anticipate that happening ANY. TIME. SOON.

So, the evolution was caused by the team-teaching-turned-six-partner-switch that has occurred over the five years we've been working at OVE.  There have been a lot of changes, some good and others not-so-much, as far as the fifth grade team goes.  From the first year that we opened, out of a team of 8 (9 if you count our ESE Teachers, and I always do), only three of us remain.  *FROWN*  However, we've gotten the opportunity to make a lot more friends that way.

Short story EVEN LONGER, our grade level has been color coded since the first year we opened.  I was chose pink because red was already taken by the teacher who brought the idea from her former school--not being too big a fan of pink at the time, I have adapted MARVELOUSLY *patting myself on the back in an over-the-top-kinda-way*!  The first two years, I worked with Mrs. Teal (one of the originals ;)) and her color was...wait for it...TEAL!  For obvious reasons--though her favorite color was purple and happens to be my LEAST liked color (I detest purple and have no idea why)--and I am glad she went with her last name for the coding.  After that, my principal split us up to put two (what she called) seasoned teachers with two teachers who needed seasoning.  Hehehe, that part I rephrased.  My new partner, Mrs. Devine, was fairly new to teaching and I was excited because I conned convinced asked her to come to OVE when she was surplussed from GPE our first year of opening (she is the only other teacher that remains with us from the first year on our grade level).  Maureen (Devine)'s color choice was LIME GREEN.

NOW, we are split up in the grade level.  One partnership has the inclusion class and one mixed ability class (heterogeneous, if you will).  We remaining six have our homerooms, to whom we teach social studies, and then two homogeneous groups in our departmentalized subject areas.  For those who are new (and honestly, I'm not sure if I've even mentioned it yet), I teach language arts and reading to two blocks a day.

Last year was the first year that we did this and I really think that it went well.  I got the opportunity to work with five other teachers rather than just one, and also got the chance to know even more students rather than just the 44 I would have taught.

The color coding within my group began at that time with the three colors, as I was only using two in the previous years.  I had all of these left over teal and lime green storage  bins and areas, so it was just a natural color selection.  It wasn't all that obvious last year, but this year (and largely due to Pinterest and my constantly expanding blog reading/following) it took on a whole new dimension.  When former students returned to my room during Orientation to say hi--which I get VERY excited about because my babies leave the school after fifth so I don't get to see them in the hallways like other grade levels get to--they were oohing and aahing over the changes.  One student in particular, who I ADORE and taught the first year, said to her mom, "Mrs. Van Kampen has upgraded since I was in her class."   :D We had quite the giggle over that.

Well there you have it--I started using a beach theme, and it grew and grew for a few years and then this year I abruptly added a LOT of lime green and teal to my already pink accents and storage areas.  I am including a link to last year's sneak peek so that you can see the "before" from just a year ago.  My next post will have this year's updated (or upgraded, hehehe) look.

2011 Sneak Peek