First Day Hurray!

My loving husband took the day from work to take our daughter to and pick her up from school.  All I asked was that she was dressed so that I could do her hair for the first day.

Put me leaving the house 5 minutes later than I had wanted but worth it.  Pictures together and then it was up to daddy to get her there and take the rest of the pictures for me.

Then it was off to my school to meet all of my new babies!  We have such a sweet group of students matched with equally awesome parents!  I wish I could be able to see and speak to every parent this afternoon and tell them how wonderful their children are.  They are so bright, eager, loving, and lively.  This is going to be an incredible year.  If I don't get the chance to speak directly with each of you due to the hustle and bustle of first week excitement, just know this:

You are all now my mommas and daddies just as your students are my children.  Let's work together to help them learn, both in and out of school.

And email me if you ever need :)

QTIP

Back to work!  Today is all in the classroom and some meetings while yesterday was all learning!  There were so many wonderful points to listen to and note.  New ideas for the classroom and to implement at home too!  I'll post pictures and details of these new things once I've made them.

One thing that I don't need to take a picture of to talk about is our positive phone calls.  I love the idea of positive phone calls.  I wish more teachers did them.  How we do positive phone calls is that the first telephone communications that we have with parents are just a sweet call to talk about everything awesome about their child.  The positive phone calls don't have to stop there but are wonderful to make periodically throughout the year as well!  I think positive phone calls are the best. 

Oh, the QTIP thing?  We all had q-tips waiting for us when we came in.  It's to remind us to: Quit Taking It Personally.

From Puppies to Pirates

Last year was the first time in many that I was lucky enough to be able to decorate the outside of my classroom's door.  When I first started working with this head teacher, she had a vision.  A vision of a puppy door, but was in a panic to get it accomplished in time for meet and greet.
"No problem,"  I said.  "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
And in to work I went to create a puppy.

Now, I must mention about this puppy, we're the first classroom at the opening of the hallway for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms.  All of these children pass by this puppy to go to class in the morning, to the library, to the gym, to the office, to the playground, ANYWHERE.  Anywhere the children had to go, they had to pass this three-dimensional temptation.  Even the tails points to the fire alarm switch of temptation.
Shockingly enough, this puppy was still standing until I tore it down in March to make my Lorax scene.  The children left it.  The teachers and other paraprofessionals worked with their students on leaving it alone and they did it.  The children loved seeing that puppy and they let it be.  Even students who lost their cool never hurt our puppy.  Now, that electric outlet down there I think found home to a dinosaur by one of the students at the end of the year.. But our puppy was never once harmed.

This year, we've moved from puppies to pirates!

Both of these doors only took less than a day to put up.  It might be hard to see, but we're actually working on putting beads in this pirate's hair.  I know our class list will be "Our Scurvy Crew" but we're also taking suggestions on a welcoming message the pirate could have written in a speech bubble next to the door.  "We ARGH Ready for School" or something of the sort.  I saw a cute one about the "Learning the 3 ARGH's" but we're a pre-kindergarten class ssssssoooooo.....  "Ahoy, Welcome to the Crew!"?  

And then something like this outside the door as well.  I love my job. 

Magic School Bus

Did you ever want your teacher to be Ms. Frizzle?

If you say no, then you never read or saw an episode of the Magic School Bus.  Anyone who's seen the show at some point wishes her as a teacher.  She was fun, you always went on field trips, and she didn't really teach.

Well, you thought she never really taught.  I've seen the start of books where kids were bringing in homework, projects, and preparing for quizzes so there was teaching.  Even what we witness in the books and show is a type of approach to learning.  It looks like project approach to me, but from what I've studied so far that's a more common approach for social studies.  The children are guiding the teacher as they explore through life experience topics of relevant interest to them.  

What teacher doesn't want to be Ms. Frizzle?

From her dress to the funding to gather a magic school bus to the expediency of which field trips are approved to her class size.  She's got it rolling over there. She's got a great attitude and has mastered the art of guiding learning without directing the classroom.  It sounds weird, but that's a great style for early learning environments.

Reading and watching these as a mother and an educator now, they still hold up to what they once were.  Unlike my childhood-self, I can see now where Ms. Frizzle's teaching styles can actually function within a real classroom setting;minus magical field trips... Or is that what our imagination is for?  With smart boards and other such technology assisting us, we can virtual tour almost anything!  We live in an age where we CAN be Ms. Frizzle.

....I think I want to decorate the white board to look like a magic school bus to house the smart board.  

Diaper Cake

I love making a good diaper cake.  I thought with this upcoming baby shower that I might try a diaper caterpillar or train but after being asked by the expecting daddy if I would make a diaper cake.. Well, it's like getting expecting parents something not on their registry.  They asked for diaper cake and I'm more than happy to deliver that to them.

My bestest friend went in on helping to supply things to the diaper cake so that it could be really nice but didn't break the bank for either of us.  

First, the prize center.  I love this part the most.  It's like opening a present because there's always something neat inside.  This base item gives you something to build around so that you aren't trying to hold up a million diapers to each other for the base.  My last diaper cake had the lavender bedtime bath set of lotion, shampoo, and powder.  SPOILERS: this one has three hooded towels inside.

Then you roll and roll and roll diapers then band them all together.  And you keep going!

And you cover it in layers of diaperness.  I found a super cute "diamond" teether ring/rattle that I had to have to top this bad boy off.

Oh no!  The expecting momma is worried about not having enough diapers?  Throw some diaper towers up and decorate this pile of awesome!

EXPLOSION OF DIAPERS!  

2002!

You all helped me get past my high school graduation year in page views.  Thanks guys!  You've been sticking with me and my nonsense.  As a special treat; MORE NONSENSE!

Last week's duel was between Kyouichi Saionji and Arisugawa Juri.  The slow and strong stride of the kendo team captain was nothing compared to the swiftness, agility, and ferocity of the fencing team captain.  Green rose petals fell as Saionji fails to move on to the next round.

Round 1, Duel 2:

Kiryuu Nanami versus Kaoru Miki

Kiryuu Nanami is the younger sister of the student council president with a brother complex.  Miki is a student council member, a brilliant student, and piano composer.  Nanami's preferred weapons are the scimitar (main) paired with a dagger.  Miki's preffered weapon is the épée.  Who will progress to Round 2?  

Poll is open until next Saturday when the victor will be announced and the next set of opponents is unveiled.

Toxic

SURPRISE!  You've got a poisonous relationship in your life!
Turn to page 34 to realize they don't matter OR Turn to page 78 to remove the poison from your life.

Toxic people don't realize how they poison the lives of others and are left wondering why people limit their interactions with them.  Oh, and then there's always the fun advice of "just don't let it get to you."  Yeah, I can do that with a lot of people.  Some people it shouldn't surprise or get to me anymore, then I get the mixed feeling of "it's doesn't bother me"/"WHY?!"
OHOHOH!  The ultra-fun advice of "address them so that you can peacefully move on."  Huh?  They're toxic, what makes you think moving on after addressing them is going to be peaceful in any shape?
The important thing I think when you have those Toxic people that aren't going to change and aren't easily separated from your life: focus on the people who do support you.
And those people that are toxic to you but CAN be easily removed from your life.  KICK 'EM OUT OF IT!
Not that anyone who gives you any sort of constructive criticism is toxic, but spend time with people who support you, love you, and want to raise you to higher levels instead of those people that want to break you, hate you, and lower you down.  I mean, holy wow, prolonged stress can kill cells in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory.  Save your hippos!