Teaching Applications and Interviews

Wow! I just realized I haven't had a post in nearly a month! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation but also look forward to going back to their jobs in the fall. I hope to have a full-time teaching job come August and I have been busy applying and interviewing. Fingers crossed that all the time I spend pinning, browsing blogs and raiding the Target Dollarspot will be well worth it soon!! :)

Summer Gift Complete

Here is my adapted version of all the ideas I have seen on Pinterest; I changed it to match the needs of my kiddos. I typed the cute little tag on Microsoft word, pasted it onto scrap-booking paper, and attached it to the top of a Ziploc bag. As you can see, inside is a Fundip, 3 Smarties and a bouncy ball. I hope my kiddos like it :) It is so much fun to come up with your own little gifts to meet the needs of your students! Enjoy!

Feel free to email me if you want to print out your own tags; I will give you the ultra-simple template I created!

Sight Word Candy Land

I come to you with more sight word and letter ideas! Can you tell I am a reading teacher? :) I found the following fabulous idea on this cute blog! It is a sight-word version of Candy Land that you create using the original game but substituting the color cards that show you where to move and adding sight words on them. Then the kiddos have to read the word before they can move to that space! Thanks for the great idea "First Grader...at Last"! Below is my finished product! All the words on my cards are from Fry's First 100 Words List, and the "special cards" where you move to certain character spaces and cards with two moves get two words the kids have to read :) The kiddos love it!!

Additional Endorsement Areas..

I have been done with college since November, and as nice as it is to call myself a certified teacher, I am finding that I actually miss taking classes. I am certified in Elementary Education K-5, Cognitive Impairments K-12 and Language Arts 6-8 but I want to add another endorsement. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best endorsement area to add? Thank you!

Sight Word Stars

While sitting around bored today (after having a PAINFUL tooth pulled and having to miss work the day before break :( )I stumbled upon this adorable blog and found the following fabulous sight word idea. It is so amazing that I am going to use it exactly like she describes, so you will have to check out her fabulous blog to get the details! Thank you "Finally in First"!

Sight Word Challenge

Again, I found this idea on my favorite website of all time, Pinterest! The original source of this idea was not listed, but I just really love the concept! My idea (to save time and energy) is to put the sight words on sticky notes along the wall in my room and have the kiddos see how far they can get without making a mistake. I will write their names on the words they end on, and whoever gets farthest along our word path will win a small prize. I'm super excited about it; it is nice to have creative things to do during the ending weeks of school :)

Summer Ideas

I found this cute gift on Pinterest and I am thinking about making it for my kiddos! We were contemplating bookmarks and pencils, but (sadly) I feel that they may get more use out of this on their upcoming summer vacation! I am going to create my own tags, but now I just have to figure out where to buy the bouncy balls! I may have to resort to getting them out of the quarter machines they have at restaurants, but it would be rather embarrassing to buy 21 as a grown adult :)

** Update-Found the bouncy balls at Party City, 12 of them for $3! Woohoo!! :)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, here are some of my favorite quotes about the best profession there is! :)

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” 
Dan Rather 


“Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” 
Anonymous 


"If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. " 
Donald D. Quinn


"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre." 
Gail Godwin


"Teaching is the greatest act of optimism." 
Colleen Wilcox

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child."

Carl Jung

Comprehension-again :)

I found this lovely freebie on one of my favorite blogs, The Inspired Apple! These are simple, yet adorable cards you can print off and laminate for your kiddos to use to check their comprehension of a text after reading.  Add one more thing to my ever growing list..just think when I get my own classroom!! :)