Goodbye Bulldog. Hello Summer.

Messy: It has been a hard year to say the least. Sometimes saying less is best, and this has been one of those years as far as school goes.

This AmAziNg card from my sweet friend Allison

pretty much sums it up. Basically she has the GiFt of finding the perfect card always:

Beautiful: Since August I've donned the bulldog Monday through Friday, and today the bulldog is officially off of this girl's skirt...It is a beautiful day indeed!

Grateful: I know that this trying year is serving it's purpose in refining this messy soul. We shall see what fruit it will yet bear. As for now, I'm grateful for the many times I was able to rely on the ONE greater than anything my 31 could throw at me for help and comfort. I'm grateful for the FoRgiVeNesS He continued to offer me on those many days I relied on my own strength instead of His. I'm grateful for my patient husband who graciously listened to my daily woes. And finally I'm grateful friends like Allison who pray, listen, and always seem to be there (with reinforcements) when I'm on the brink of losing my SaNiTy.

So Goodbye bulldog, hello summer! I will not miss you. I much prefer the poodle...And just because we're saying goodbye to the bulldog, it does not mean that our Ben and Jerry's days are over. There's always a place for ChErRy GaRcIa, always...

And so it Begins...

Not sure Dan knew what a CoMmiTmEnT marrying a teacher would be...


He moved 20 or so boxes of my stuff from our garage into my new mobile...what you don't see is the additional boxes of previous teachers' sTuFf he moved out of my mobile so that our sweet custodian wouldn't have to do it. She was grateful and so am I. Boxes and boxes of books are NoT pleasant...


Unpacking and Organizing. Yikes!


And this my friends is how you cope...

Thank you to our new friend Jim for this FaBuLoUs mix. It made the sweltering heat and endless boxes much more bearable :)

After a week of this, I forgot to take an after shot. I just wanted to get out of there and take in what bit of summer remains...

I'm sure there will be more than enough time to enjoy the finished product of Mobile 5 come August 23rd, but until then I'm keeping my distance!

My 28

Worlds MoSt BeSt teacher...They make me smile...even if their grammar is a little interesting:)

Katie Bailey and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day

It's official. As of today I am "honorably dismissed" from my position as a teacher in U-46. I knew it was coming, but there's just something horrible about signing on the line and having to face my 28 darlings the rest of the day.

Here I am sporting my PiNk, standing strong with the other 700 or so teachers who were released today...pink slip in hand (I know, it's not even pink)...and a pink bag filled with chocolate from my sweet colleagues and friends at school who also wore head to toe PiNk in support of hundreds, like me, who were RiFfeD today.

I consider it a tremendous loss to leave students, teachers, friends, and families that have captured my heart in many ways, and though I have not lost heart, and I am hopeful for the BeSt, today was undoubtedly a No Good, Very Bad Day...there's just no other way to put it.

The End.

Back to Normal...

Whew...The ISATs (our state assessments) are FiNaLly over! This is what I came back to after lunch on Friday:

These are the little things my 28 DaRliNgS do that just bring a smile to my face and warm my heart. Can you tell they were happy to be DoNe? They did a terrific job, and I'm so very proud of them no matter what the outcome :)

Go here to see us celebrating with a ViCtoRy DaNcE...just promise not to judge me for not keeping up with my classroom blog...it's a work in progress.

At any rate, I'm so glad to be back to NoRmAl...well, as normal as you can get in a fifth grade classroom for the MoNdaY following Daylight Savings Time and leading up to Spring Break...Four more days to go!!

Oh Happy Day!

The Girl Scout Cookies have arrived!... and ThIs is what happens when you have absolutely no self control... even though I'd like to blame it on being a teacher:


We'll see how long these tasty morsels last...Thank you Girl Scouts for making our lives so much more delicious!

Kids say the funniest things...

FrIdaY afternoon, our amazing ThiRd GrAdE BuDdiEs were making their weekly visit. The BuDdiEs were hard at work finishing up their How To books...you know, How to Make a PBJ, How to Make a Paper Airplane, etc. My FiFtH GrAdErS were supposed to be leading their third grade buddies in the effort.

As I walked around the room to ensure that everyone was on task, I stopped at a table of four boys working together on their book...well, one boy was working on the book while the others were being SuPpOrTivE observers :).

In an attempt to EnCouRaGe a TeAm effort, I simply said, "The whole group is supposed to be working on the book. Why are ThReE of you just watching G do all the work?"

Their response: "We're taking turns coloring the book 'cuz we already stapled the pages together."

My response: A PuZzLeD look followed by...."That's why you're supposed to StApLe it once it's FiNiSheD so that each of you can work on a page instead of just one person working on OnE page while everyone else sits and does NoThiNg".

Their response: Completely PuZzleD...

My response: A look of DiSbEliEf because no one in the group has thought to solve this problem by taking out the staples and passing out the pages so that everyone can be On-TaSk and the project can be completed in an efficient manner.

I calmly take the book from G and begin pulling out the staples by HaNd because I'm HaPhaZarD like that.

Their response: Utter AmAzeMenT. Seriously...You would have thought I'd just made something VaNisH into thin air...

One of the students who appeared to be the most puzzled KriNklEd his face as if seriously PoNdeRinG the matter and said in a high pitched tone of utter PeRplExiTy...

How'd you do that Mrs. Bailey?....
Did you have trainin' to do that or somethin'?

My Response: Of course I ErUpTeD into laughter at the thought of me and every other teacher in the WoRLd receiving training on how to pull staples out of paper by hand...as if this is some high-level SkIlL that all teachers must show competence in before being crowned with the HoNoR of teaching these little ones.

Through the LaUgHteR I replied, "Actually, no, I didn't get training in this. Believe it or not I just figured it out on my own."

CoNfuSioN still on his face, the student replied, "oh" and began working on his part of the book.

In these sMalL MoMeNts I'm ReMiNdeD of the great JoY found in what I do. I'm EnCouRaGed that even though my job can sometimes seem ChAoTiC, out of control, and OvErwHeLmInG to me, my clientele still think I'm a HiGhLy QuAliFieD GeNiUs, and I'll take that any day....even if it is just for tearing staples out of a book by hand.

SUMMERTIME

...BiTTeR

SwEeT...

Perfect Timing

It's that time of year...

warm weather + one more month of school + a full year of learning/creating curriculum for a new grade level + 27 kids who know summer is near = Though I AdOrE my little darlings, I'm ready for a change of pace...Bring on the gardening, sleeping-in, and good books!

It's that time of year...

The PeRfEcT time of year to find this in my school mailbox on MoNdaY morning:


It's the time of year when SwEeT fifth grade darlings, OvErCoMe by warm weather and the prospect of summer, seem at times to be more interested in AnYtHiNg but their teacher and her CrEaTiVe lessons. It's the PeRfEcT time to know they were thinking of their teacher on the way to school...at least long enough to stop and pick these...

It's the PeRfEcT TiMe to have SwEeT DaIsIes beside the stacks of homework waiting to be graded...

I LoVe my JoB. The InCrEdIBle KiDs I teach are more than enough to give me JoY in what I do, but it never hurts to have lovely FloWeRs on your desk...KuDoS to the SpRiNg TrAiL PTO, my students and their wonderful parents...PeRfEcT timing.

I Love Me Some ELLs

For those of you who are not in the education world, ELL stands for English Language Learner. I have the privilege of spending some extra time with a few of my students who fall under this umbrella or who have been a member of this category in the recent past. I truly cherish my time with my after school crew.

There are few things so satisfying to a teacher as when a child has a "light bulb" moment. These are the moments that make me say, "I LOVE my job".

Some of my favorite teaching moments occur in the after school hour with my little groupies. BeLieVe Me, my room becomes especially BRIGHT during this time.

Here's an example from this week that I think will shed a bit of light on what I'm talking about...

Mrs. Bailey: So remember whenever you see any variable x, y, z, n...whatever, all you have to do is plug in the number given to you for the variable....so if they say x=10, just plug in 10 wherever you see an x.

Narrator: This mini-lesson goes on for five or so minutes. Mrs. Bailey and the students complete several examples on the board...plugging in numbers for various variables to solve the equations. At the end of the interaction, Mrs. Bailey, thinking that everyone has gained full understanding of this type of problem, but wanting to quadruple check CoNfiDentlY asks...

Mrs. Bailey: Any questions?

Narrator: One student with a bit of a PuZZleD look on his face looks up at her and says...

Puzzled Student on the Verge of a Light Bulb Moment: I think I get how to do it, but I'm just wondering what exactly do you mean by PLuGGinNg iN?

Narrator: A now PuZzLeD Mrs. Bailey pauses for a moment with wide eyes as she realizes that she is in the midst of her own PeRsoNaL light bulb moment...

She wonders how these students pick up as much as they do in her fast-paced classroom of 27. She wonders how many expressions she uses on a daily/minute basis that keep them from understanding. She wonders how many times she doesn't stop and ask, "Any questions?" to clarify and how many times they don't stop to ask "what exactly do you mean by...?"

Recovering from her moment, she SmiLes gingerly and attempts to shed light on the plug analogy...

outlet:three-pronged metal thingie as variable:number

After a small bit of clarification, all five students, seemingly in one accord, let out an "Ahhhh"! Looks of puzzlement are replaced by looks of CLaRitY and CoNfiDeNcE.

As the students pack up their things Mrs. Bailey watches them in AmaZeMenT. She ponders anew how it is that these students who NEED so much manage to TeAcH her more than they could ever know. She smiles and waves goodbye, grateful for yet another personal LiGht BulB moment brought to her by her most HuMbLe students.

Attempting to Manage the Mayhem

What do you get when you combine loads of sugar and 27 ten/eleven year olds on a Friday afternoon Valentine's Day Party?!....PuRe mayhem. After nearly three years of experience, I've stolen/borrowed/begged ideas from others and come up with a few strategies of my own to make this recipe for ChAOs a bit less cRaZY!

To my fellow TeAchErs and ANYONE who has the privilege of serving/working with children in any capacity, I hope you will find these ideas helpful and use them if you would like...I'd also LOVE to beg and borrow your ideas. Please do tell!

My First Line of Defense:

I find the week leading up to the party is quite a challenge for many students. It's difficult to FoCuS on fractions and five paragraph essays when you're anticipating loads of candy, valentines, and games. I like to HELP my students out by offering them an incentive to work hard so we can party hard at the end of the week.

Exhibit A: Raffle Prizes

Above you see approximately $15 dollars of Valentine's Day loot from Walmart. AKA- a fantastic way to get your students to have a super productive week despite the excitement that can potentially cause them to act like kids that couldn't possibly be in YOUR class!

Throughout the week I pass out cut out hearts for students making good choices (trees for Christmas, pumpkins for Halloween, whatever fits your fancy). Students place their "ticket" in a basket. I pass out tickets all the way through the party. It's AMAZING how quickly the room is cleaned at the end of the bash when the raffle starts as soon as the room is spotless!!

Believe me this is a well spent $15! It keeps your room clean, your kids learning, your SaNiTy, and it's a great GIFT for your kids. They will LOVE it and so will YOU!

Exhibit B:

Here's an idea I got from a teammate. Use a banana as your Valentine to the kids, and it serves multiple purposes:

1. It eliminates wasting PReciOuS TIME in the Walmart aisle trying to decide between the endless cartoon characters, Hannah Montanna, Jonas Brothers, etc.

2. Your food contribution to the party...DoNe.

3. A great way to show LoVe for our world by making a GrEEn choice.

4. OBVIOUSLY fruit tastes better when your teacher writes on the peel!...a great way to RAGE against the major sugar injections taking place at such events!

5. This one could also be used by all of you moms and wives out there trying to encourage fruit consumption! As you pack those lunches, show a little LOVE by writing a message on the peel!

6. A FaNTaSTic Photo Op. The KIDS had a BLAST posing with the bananas as a smile, phone, or like this...

I'm SORRY I can't put their SuPEr FuN pics up on my personal site. This will have to do!


Exhibit C:



A creative mom brought in this SIMPLE yet CrEaTivE spin on cheese and crackers. It was a success! The kids actually had more of these puppies on their plates than the HOT CHEETOS! This is another one that could easily be modified for any holiday and used to add a little PEP to those sack lunches!

Well...that's all I've got for now! If you have any IdEAs, I'd greatly appreciate them...ALWAYS attempting to MANAGE the MAYHEM...and have a little FuN at the same time!