How Do You Learn?

When was the last time you learned something new? 

I mean - totally brand new? I had to contemplate this question myself if I was going to ask you the same! I think for me, it was back in April when I had my eye surgery from a torn retina. I was on bed rest and had to lay on my side and do nothing. That's a hard request for someone who always likes to be on the move! So I signed up for Skillshare - a site that has hundreds of online classes on many topics. I had a 2 month free trial and took as many classes as I could. I had a blast learning new things - brush lettering, creating hand-drawn wallpaper, ink and watercolor, doodle art, and much more. I chose things that were of interest to me. I love writing (I was the kid that loved writing research papers!) and wanted to improve my handwritten documents. Plus, I love making things. I found that I could learn the new material easily because 

1. It was visual (I am a visual/spatial learner)
2. I was passionate about the topic
3. I practiced using hands-on application (I am also kinesthetic)
4. I could pause and repeat (I forget easily and need to see it again)
5. I made the time to do it

How does your child learn best? I loved studying Howard Garner's Multiple Intelligences when I was in college. I find that it is quite true and I loved sharing the theory of multiple of intelligence with students. I consider about my own kids. My daughter excelled in school, especially reading and writing. She was driven to do her best (and she still is!). My son did not really like school. He wanted to pursue art and music, originally. He grew up thinking he "wasn't smart" because spelling was difficult for him. I knew he was brilliant. He just didn't feel that way because he was comparing himself to others that were linguistic. He pursued his music career until one day the science behind wires intrigued him. He set out to study physics and graduated from Berkeley with a Physics degree. Lauren is body and linguistic "smart" and Brett is musical, spatial, and logical "smart". God has given each the talents and abilities they need to do HIS work. 

You see, there are several types of "intelligences" and schools often focus on linguistic (spelling, reading, writing) and logical/mathematical (math). So, if students struggle with reading or math, they deem themselves as "not smart" which simply isn't true. (Another great reason to study the Growth Mindset.) These areas CAN be improved even if they are not the strongest in this area. Most likely your child is "smart" in one or more of the following "intelligences":

• Spatial: Art, the ability to see things in the mind, conceptualize. These students do well looking at pictures in order to learn.
• Body/Kinesthetic: the ability to move the body to solve problems. These students benefit from movement, acting, sports, building things, taking apart things, hands-on activities
• Musical: sensitive to sounds, tones, music. These students benefit from songs in order to memorize, etc.
• Linguistic: the ability to make meaning of words. These students do well reading, writing, journaling
• Logical/mathematical: the ability to conceptualize logical relations. These students enjoy numbers, charts, graphs, data
• Interpersonal: the ability to interact with others. These students enjoy group work, collaboration, teams
• Intrapersonal: the ability to understand one's own goals and feelings. These students enjoy working on their own, planning, journaling
• Naturalistic: the ability to make distinctions in the world of nature. These students enjoy animals, plants, being outside

Most people tend to know their own strengths and reading through the list, you may have an idea which appeal to you most. It's fun for kids to learn about their own strengths. Here is a fun self-assessment if you want to try it out! 

Please - share with your kids that God made them just right! He has given them specific skills, talents, interests, and "intelligence" to do His work in the world. We need people with skills in ALL these areas! 

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First Week!

Ready. Set. Go!

Our school year is about ready and we will soon be off and running!  I am super excited for this year. I've done a lot trying to get the year off to a great start. We started with redecorating my office and the teacher conference room:

Our theme is "Rooted to be Fruited" -- helping students be rooted in God's word in order to have the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Kids will get fruit to put up on our fruit stand when they demonstrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit and are recognized by a teacher or staff!

Teachers created this bulletin board with darling pineapple faces. We painted them at our staff retreat up at Diamond Arrow.

I'm getting ready by reading Lead Like a Pirate by Shelley Burgess. I love all the PIRATE books and have read many! The books truly helped me transform as a teacher. From their website: "In Lead Like a PIRATE, education leaders Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf map out the character traits necessary to captain a school or district. You’ll learn where to find the treasure that’s already in your classrooms and schools—and how to bring out the very best in your educators. This book will equip and encourage you to be relentless in your quest to make school amazing for your students, staff, parents, and communities." It is my hope that Victory Christian be continue to be the most amazing school for students, staff, and families! 

On a personal level, as much as I am loving getting ready for the year, I am being bombarded on all sides.  New school. New job. Mom just moved in with us. Mom has cancer. Son just had heart surgery. Husband flew out to be with ill dad. It's been quite a week. 

One thing is sure:

HE rocks - because HE is awesome. And...HE is my rock and fortress when times get crazy. I was able to participate in a book launch at just the right time...

http://www.stretchedtoothinbook.com/

If you are a working mom...or just a really busy person like me...this book is a must! I battle to do ALL things well. At the end of the day, I am often stretched too thin. Some of it is my own fault...I take on too much. Some of it is because of my perfectionistic tendencies. Jessica Turner helps you establish clear work boundaries, become more efficient and less stressed, and how to prioritize self-care. 

Okay. I'm off to some self-care right now! I'm choosing to relax on my front porch swing and read. ahhh.....

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Three Things to Do to Avoid Burn Out

I have known of way too many teachers - many new, young teachers, who have quit the teaching profession due to burn out. Let's face it. A miserable teacher really shouldn't be teaching. 

So, today I am going to write about how I have avoided burn out. At least, it's a guess of why I have avoided it! I'm not 100% sure - I just have some hunches. 

1. Give thanks.

There are so many things to be thankful for. When we focus on what "could be" or "should be" rather than what we have, we get the poor-me-syndrome. A few years ago I had the privilege of visiting a small orphanage/school in a rural part of Mozambique, Africa. It was fascinating. The classrooms were all painted a weird red/pink color on the inside and consisted of benches and a front chalk board. That's all. The teacher stood in front of the class and spoke with no manipulatives, no technology, no paper or pen...you get the picture. And you know what else I noticed? The kids were happy. They sang, clapped, danced, answered questions, smiled. They were "doing school" with nothing and it worked. I went back to my classroom and instead of complaining about all the things I wasn't happy with, I started listing all the blessings I had. There were many!

List your blessings, daily. Give thanks. It will cheer up your day!

2. Be a learner.

Strive to learn something new each day! Learning helps us grow and improve in our profession. Subscribe to blogs, follow awesome fellow teachers on Twitter, try a new class from Skillshare! Earlier this year I tore my retina and was bed-bound for weeks. I took tons of Skillshare classes. They weren't related to education, but I can use some of the things I learned in my career. Love. It. 

3. Balance.

Finding a balance between work like and home life can be very difficult for a teacher. Most teachers I know are also the hardest working individuals I know. You have to keep a healthy balance in order to avoid burn out. As a past teacher, I spent my summers getting ready for the next school year. I had a hard time saying no -  to myself! I was constantly working, planning, creating. Nonstop. I admit. Balance is a hard one for me. One thing I DO do, though, is make time for myself. I love to ride my bike, run, cook, draw, write, and paint. I make time for the things I love to do. Even though I work like a crazy woman most days, I work hard and play hard. My exercise time is built into my day and it naturally adds the balance I need. 

drawing on my iPad

a quick ride on a backyard trail

I'm sure there are many more ways to avoid teacher burn out. I've enjoyed working in education for 33 years now. Although there have been up and down times, I know that if I continually strive to learn new things, live a balanced life, and count my blessings, I won't burn out. I love it too much. 

What are your thoughts? What works for you?

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Help Me Survive This...

That's what I was telling myself just yesterday. You see, back in October I signed on with a running/training group to train for the South Folsom Trail Run - 21 miles and almost 2,000 feet of climbing. I trained hard and was getting in great running shape. Then - I went to India. Not only did I not run in India, I sat a LOT. When I came back, I was very ill for almost 2 weeks and also did not run. Just last week I ran a total of about 12 miles...6 being my longest with two 3 mile days. Help. 

Then - my daughter let me know she and her husband were driving from Santa Barbara to cheer me on. Yikes! I told her I wasn't ready and couldn't run it. She said, "That's okay - we already made plans and are coming anyway." Even the night before I said I wouldn't go because it was supposed to be 35 degrees and rain. I woke up Saturday and -although it was cold- it wasn't raining and I decided to attempt the 13.5 mile run instead. In the meantime, Seth decided he would run a race downtown since I said I wasn't going to run and they went off to Sacramento.

At the half marathon turn around, I decided - "How bad can 8 more miles be?" I was feeling good so I decided to go for the 21. What was I thinking? It was pain.fullllll. At mile 15 my legs were both cramping, my back hurt, and I was exhausted. I decided I would bail. Then...my daughter texted, "How are you doing?" Augh. I called her back and let her know I was going to drop. She proceeded to talk me out of quitting ... urging me on and telling me I COULD do it. (I continued to argue that I couldn't.) As most of you know, she is a marathoner and she runs into the "wall" often. She told me to focus on each mile at a time...or the next hill at a time...or next few steps at a time...but to keep going. She then called back every 15 minutes to keep encouraging me. Yep - I finished with my last 2 miles running in hail! This reminds me of how much encouragement helps! 

This quote is up on our board right now. Seems fitting, doesn't it?

Do you know about the AMAZING event that is happening soon? The World Championship Twirling in Norway and GUESS WHAT? Our very own Olivia will be representing the United States! Yes, we are thrilled for her. Here is a great promo video to watch.  We are excited for you, Olivia!

This week students will be working on their Persuasive Speech! 

We will spend this week looking at a review of giving a speech including tone and posture as well as how to write a speech.  Students will not need to have a formal speech written, but they will need note cards. It should be fun!!

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Getting Lost - and the Growth Mindset

How do you get lost in your own hometown? Let me say - it is possible. I did this. Just yesterday. Yep. Plumb lost! I went out on a new mountain bike trail and saw a "single track" to the left and decided to take it.

It split into multiple single tracks and before I knew it, I had worked my way into a pickle. The single track disappeared and I found myself with my bike on the side of a mountain trying to figure out where to go.

Isn't life like this? Decisions all around. We are on one path, and all of a sudden find ourselves on another. And...sometimes...we find that the path isn't clear --or that it's down-right gone. How do you handle those difficult times in life? In class, we teach about the growth mindset. We realize that challenges can be good. In fact, some challenges - like my ride - are beautiful if you just look around and focus on the good.

Perseverance.  Determination.  You can do this. 

Every mistake you make is progress.

There is a difference between not knowing, and not knowing yet. (Sheila Tobias)

Sometimes learning isn't easy. Embrace the struggle and grow. Remember to talk to your child about having a growth mindset.

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Rally !

I loved our short week! Didn't you!? Thursday was tons of fun ending the day with our first middle school rally. Jimison class theme was black and sunglasses (since our future is so bright). Paul theme was black and glow sticks. Yes - both teachers are super competitive. I must admit - I wished I had come up with that theme. I loved the glow stick idea. In the end - we won!! Woo hoo! I don't know if it was for our class theme or teacher spirit...I've heard both. But, either way, the class wins an ice cream party. Yes! So excited!

NEXT WEEK is our food drive week and ...it is a competition!! CostCo is a great place to buy in bulk it you want. Each item is one point. Buy 12 cans = 12 points! The food goes to Placer County Food Bank so know you will be blessing someone with your donation. 

Monday- Canned Corn/ Canned Green Beans - Crazy ‘Bout Corn -Crazy hair day

Tuesday- Canned Pumpkin/ Canned Sweet Potatoes- Neon colors or tie dye colors

Wednesday- Salad Dressing- Mismatch outfit

Thursday- Stuffing mix/ Instant Mashed Potatoes - Bring in stuffed animal

Friday- Frozen Turkeys (not in barrel; Friday morning only at drop off) - PJ day

Other needed items:

Canned Ham
Boxed Scalloped Potatoes
Peanut Butter
Canned Cranberry Sauce

Next week is also parent conference time! I look forward to meeting with you. Remember that we have half day all week - school out an noon. 

We've been studying Ancient Egypt and it's such an interesting topic! Students did a great job sharing what they learned about the class system. 

The students always amaze me with their awesome work! 

Finally, I'll share my past weekend with you! Our daughter was married in February and we were able to travel to Santa Barbara to visit them. It was a super short - but sweet - visit. 

Awesome coffee at Handlebar.

Visit to Santa Barbara Mission

Great food at Vegetarian Restaurant - Mesa Verde

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Happy Fall, Y'all!

Look at this plate of gooey-ness! Thank you to our parents who came and helped with our classroom party Friday. We had apples with caramel, chocolate, and toppings. You can see, some chose a little bit of apples and a lot of toppings!  Then, we played charades with Core Knowledge topics over the years! A special thank you to Mrs. Waters for planning it all for us. 

This week we took a field trip. Ooops! You didn't know we went out of country to Egypt? Yep. We took a virtual field trip to Egypt! Using Nearpod, we explored the outside of pyramids and went into the tomb of Ramesses VI!

Photo credit: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ramessesvit.htm

It was so fun watching the students turn their iPads 360 degrees to look around! 

We are looking forward to fun adventures next week as we travel down the Nile River! Don't worry, parents...I'll cover the cost for you. (smile) 

During our e-block times we have been working on putting together our 4 foot robot, coding Osmo and Dash, researching careers via Classcraft, and working on skills in language and reading. MobyMax is a GREAT tool that I use to help reinforce skills. MobyMax works at filling in gaps and giving students that are ready to move on to the next level. All students may also use MobyMax from home! They have their own personal log in. SO - if you want your child to have extra practice in any subject (not just ELA and history) have your child log in to MobyMax. Students are also working on standards re-takes through MobyMax for ELA standards in which a 3 has not yet been achieved. I have assigned these students specific standards to practice. 

We cleaned out and collected our Lightning Thief books. Get a load of the evidence flags collected out of one book! I just had to snap a photo of it!!

This week students will finish their "hero" stories and turn them into mini-movies using Toon-tastic! I can't wait to share these with you. Toon-tastic has turned 3D which should be really fun!

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Keep The Quote

One of my favorite things in our room is "Keep the Quote."  At the beginning of the year, students turned in their very favorite quote. Each week, I choose a new one to write on our Keep the Quote paper that hangs up at the front of the room. At the end of the week, I cut it off and give it to the student and place a new one up! I love all the quotes they chose!

This week students will work on their end of module assessment - an analytical essay comparing a common theme found in The Lightning Thief and the myth of Cronus. Wow. Sounds impressive, doesn't it?  I know they will do a wonderful job! We are using many graphic organizers, rough drafts, peer editing, and typing up the final paper. 

We will also have tons of fun with building a Ziggurat and an activity with Hammurabi's Code! These activities will culminate our study of Ancient Mesopotamia before we move on to Ancient Egypt. I can't wait to see their Ziggurats and will be posting pictures next week!

Enjoy the journey!

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Monday Made It and Class Reveal!

I'm so excited to participate in another Monday Made It! This time - it's my classroom reveal...well, at least as much as I have completed of it! I have a tad bit more work to do. 

But - before the reveal, I have to share what I've been doing these past 3 weeks...

First...our son got married! We love our new daughter, Naomi! She is a gem and they are a great team.

Here's me giving a speech!

What do you do when you are an empty nester?...

  

Yes! My husband and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in Paris and Venice! It was a wonderful trip! It was really one of our few vacations. Anytime we have gone out of country, it has been on a mission trip with our church. These was the first time to go to another country and just relax! My hubby has been working out of town for the past few years and is only home a few days a week so it was a special time to be able to spend together. LOVED it!  Venice was my favorite...such a beautiful city and the FOOD....OMG. So good.  

After coming back home, I had to quickly get to work on my classroom. I moved rooms this year and while my room is a bit larger, it is long and skinny. I am still trying to figure out how my new desks fit together! I haven't quite gotten that down yet!

  

I love my shiplap bulletin board paper and papers flowers. The flowers were super easy to make and turned out so pretty! This board is the fridge for student work:

I can't take too much credit for this one except for printing out, laminating, and cutting! These are Marzano's Levels of Questioning by Teaching and So Forth. You can purchase it HERE from TPT!

This is my "Keep the Quote" board. All I did is take a roll of Kraft Paper and put twine through it and hung it from 2 hooks! Easy!

I've posted my group boxes but here they are again. I'm trying to make it so that my group shelves are not so messy! Someone will be in charge of keeping them clean and organized. The group caddies are cute with a fake succulent in them!

Those that know me know I love to run and cycle...so...I had to include a little bit of that on my book shelf:

Here is our CI Goals board above our sink area along with our school-wide 8 keys of excellence:

My desks are so hard to put together. I am still working on that!:

Cricut comes in handy for the whiteboard!

Birthday cupcakes...student names will be on candles in the cupcakes:

My desk area. It's already starting to get full and school hasn't started yet. Yikes. 

Front of the room:

Student jobs and positive thoughts board:

File Cabinet Makeover!

My husband brought home an old file cabinet and we had fun making it over! First we painted it white (it was a weird tan color)...then...we added old solid redwood to the front that he had saved! Free makeover and looks awesome! We did buy cute drawer pulls from Amazon!

Finally, I bought a new essential oil for my classroom...Purification! Oh my...it smells awesome!! I don't know how I am going to give it up and send it to school to use so I am going to have to get another one for our house!  I'm putting in an order mid month so comment if you want me to order some for you!

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