To Do List- Teacher Style!

I don't think I could pin this post fast enough! I adore Post-It Notes and clipboards and Clutter-Free Classroom just really nailed it. Once I was hired and could finally log onto my computer, I quickly adapted this project to make it my own so that I could start organizing my thoughts. Here's the result:

I simply made it in Publisher by finding the one border I liked, putting in squares to frame the Post-Its, and labeling each square. Originally, I made the Post-It squares the same size as the notes, but I really like having them framed. I'm not super tech literate, so I don't know how to make it super fancy like CFC, but I'm still a fan of what I created. I printed it on cardstock and it is residing on my clipboard made of recycled bottles :)

If you want to use my template, here is the link. Click on the little arrow under "File" to download. You do have to have Publisher to download and edit, so if you don't, I am more than willing to edit it and email you a PDF. Just shoot me an email (argyleandpolkadots@gmail.com) if that's the case.

Sunday Sweets

It's time for my weekly roundup of good things!

• Monday was Open House. I wish more parents (specifically the ones who have had issues with me) had attended, but I was pretty pleased with the way it went overall. PTSA kindly fed us delicious food (including Chick-fil-A sweet tea!), I had some good conversations, and I was able to explain the method to my madness. I even had a decent number of kiddos show up. 
• This week was the first time most of my kiddos who said they would come in for make up work actually did. It was awesome.
• One of my freshman football boys has stayed after school twice now to finish up some stuff. The first time he stayed until six, which was a whole hour more than he needed because we were just talking. Those talks really do make a difference in the classroom, y'all.
• One of my girls gets super sickly, so she also came after school one day and, again, stayed longer than necessary just chatting. I didn't really know her that well because she's in one of my more time consuming classes and she's already missed about a week of school, so it was neat getting to know her. 
• My econ kiddos didn't do as poorly on their test as I was fearing. Not great, but they didn't all completely bomb.
• I've been able to connect more with my paras and I'm starting to feel better about all of my special needs kids.
• My kiddo who speaks practically no English started becoming more insistent this week on doing the same work as everyone else even though he doesn't understand it. And another ELL student has continued to be a rockstar and fill in my language gaps.
• 3rd period is one of my more talkative classes. Like, I'm constantly calling out the same kids over and over again. However, Friday I only had to do it once or twice. Even when they were having table discussions it was relatively quiet. I was so proud of them!
• TCU is now 3-0! My best friend came along with us to the game and one of my dad's co-workers bought us Sonic afterwards, so it was a good day.
• Friday I discovered my new favorite show- Secret Princes on TLC. Y'all. I'm never doing anything on Friday nights again. Say Yes To The Dress and this show. OH MY GOODNESS.
• I'm probably going to regret this tomorrow, but I did practically no work this weekend. Like, I have to have most of my weekend for me. I think that's really how I've managed to avoid the exhaustion everyone else seems to be fighting.

Wow. It has been a super good week (again). Tuesday (and I might need someone to hold me to this) I'm going to post about some of my time management strategies. Huzzah! Real teacher tips!

What are some of your good things?

Good Things

Normally my Do Nows on Fridays are sharing good things that happened that week. First, I have the kiddos share at their tables, then I ask for volunteers to share with the whole class. Those who volunteer get a raffle ticket (I'll have a post on that soon!), so I sometimes have to limit the number of volunteers (some classes are super into the raffle and others are lukewarm about it).

I know it's Sunday, but I wanted to go ahead and share my good things!

• I went to the freshmen football games Thursday since I have a lot of football boys and one period has been especially insistent I attend. I got there and sat next to one of my girls, so it was a super win situation. I got to see my boys doing something they love and I got to know one of my students way better. I also saw my cheerleaders and my one dancer. They all got a HUGE kick the next day when I told them they did a good job on [insert specific instance here]. One even asked before I could say anything if he "did good" the night before.
• I had to keep 3 of my freshmen football boys after class on Tuesday to discuss their constant chatter and distractions. I mentioned it to the coach the next day, which earned them bear crawls. I DID NOT mean for that to happen. But every day since then, I only have to raise an eyebrow and they correct their behavior and the behavior of those around them. They then ask me after class every day how they did. They fist pump and exclaim "no bear crawls!" when I say they were much better.
• My 8th period econ kiddos are totally into staying after and having discussions with the teacher. It's all fun and games until they get in over my head (I'm still learning economics myself). But seriously, I enjoy those talks and just shooting the breeze with them.
• Geography had a quiz over climate regions and landforms on Wednesday. Since they sit in groups of 4,  I made 4 different versions since I've already noticed some tendencies to "work together". I passed them back Friday and told them they could make corrections up to a 70. One of my boys then grabbed the quiz of the kiddo next to him who got a 100 and started copying. I said, "Those are two different quizzes, sweetheart. It's not going to do you much good." His face fell before quipping, "I was helping him correct his! He needs a lot of help, you know." That's when I completely lost it and doubled over laughing. Goodness gracious, that class has me doing that a lot!
• Most of my students actually followed through on seeing me before or after school to make up missing assignments! It was like pulling teeth last year.
• My Horned Frogs won yesterday! It sure wasn't pretty, but a win's a win!

Now, back to getting grades in for progress reports and figuring out what I'm going to say at Open House!

Just Some Reassurance

I did a summer program for the last two summers and some of my fellow teachers from there are in their last year of college. They (and others) keep asking me how real teaching is, so I wanted to get some thoughts down.

Yes, being in charge of 150 ish kids is absolutely bananas, especially when you add in the English Language Learners, the 504s, the IEPs, and the BIPs. If I total up all of that paperwork, I have about 35 kiddos who need extra help in some form or fashion. That is unreal for a first year at my school. HOWEVER, THIS IS STILL SO MUCH BETTER THAN BEING A LONG TERM SUB. A few of those kids I had last year made me want to never go near a classroom again. What a world of difference starting the year out with your very own kids makes! Thank goodness I kept pursuing my lifelong dream.

So, yes, the whole staying organized/slightly ahead of your kids business is challenging. But I have yet to feel like I'm totally drowning or simply surviving. We had a training day this past Saturday and almost every other teacher looked EXHAUSTED and kept mentioning how they were happy to just be surviving. Meanwhile, I am LOVING every minute of training, professional learning, meetings, teaching, tutoring, grading, etc. Well, except the emails from parents. But you can't win 'em all.

Funny story about juggling all these kids: I said "Hello, [name]!" to a girl entering my room last Friday and she got the biggest smile on her face and exclaimed "I love it when teachers learn my name and say hello!" Like, it's week two. That should just be a thing. I'm glad I made her day, though. They know I'm trying and when I have a bajillion girls who look exactly alike, I do pause from time to time. But I know them. And I'm learning stuff about them. And they LOVE that. Like, I am 100% committed to attending the freshman football game this Thursday because otherwise I'll have a riot on my hands since I didn't go last week. And I bought a coupon book from one of my choir kiddos and he thought that was the neatest thing ever. THESE KIDS, Y'ALL.

So, friends worrying about the ever nearing future, despite being hired two weeks before school started, I am lovin' it oh so much. I am doing exactly what I was born to do and that is an incredible feeling.

P.S. Once I'm totally settled (haha yeah right, that's a never ending process), I will have some sort of blogging schedule. I really am going to prove secondary education can be cute and awesome. I got lots of stuff to share :)

My First Week Ever (!) In Review (Of Sorts)

Real talk. I was absolutely dreading my first week as a real life teacher. I had a long-term sub position in the spring and it was AWFUL. We're talking I wanted to quit every time I got to my 8th period class. I loved my other classes, but that 8th period almost made me stop teaching altogether. And I've wanted to teach since kindergarten. HOWEVER. This week was the best first week I could have had. Absolutely none of my little darlings are like some of the kiddos I had last year. Sure, there is a lot to balance between two preps, 150 ish students, and a whole mess of paperwork. But y'all, my classes are fun. No crazy behavior issues yet and most of them are willing and ready to participate. What a breath of fresh air.

I'm still getting my room in order and all organized and cute. I am on a mission to prove that it's not just the elementary classrooms that are all cutesy and fun. My goal with this blog is focus mostly on social studies plans, but also discuss classroom and behavior management ideas that can work for high school and middle school, all while being goofy and adorable. Let's see how this goes. I'll leave you with a picture of how my room looked on the eve of classes starting: