Oh MY WORD!! I have been gone too long! It has been over two months since my last post! I am so sorry! {if any of you noticed}
I have good reason though! I promise!
I have taken on a lot more responsibility on my campus this year. The beginning of the year was very VERY hectic and I had many breakdowns. My anxiety got bad. I had to choose what was the most important to me. So, blogging and TPT took a backseat to the rest of my life. BUT that is okay.
Luckily, things have settled down and I am hoping to get back into my regular postings! I really have been taking pictures of things going on in my classroom but just didn't have the desire/energy to post it.
On the brighter side, I can say that this year I have an AMAZING, FABULOUS, AWESOME group of kiddos {and parents}. God KNEW exactly what I needed after a horrible last year. So far, all we've been hearing is negativity from the third grade teachers about the kiddos that we had. That was just a bad grade level all together!
This year, BOTH of my classes are awesome. My first class is full of angels! Such smart students with only one who is usually on another planet....but that's doable. :) My afternoon class is super sweet. I have a minor behavior issue but that child comes with some serious family baggage for which I don't blame him. {though it isn't an excuse}Needless to say, I am happy this year. I don't dread coming to work like last year. I was seriously thinking of what other profession to which I could move. It was that bad! {sigh}
Anyways...{Nacho Libre voice...if anyone gets that}
This first 9 weeks we have been focusing on the writing process. Recently, I introduced my kiddos to peer revising and editing. We created anchor charts for ARMS and CUPS to help them remember for what to look. I also created the checklists for them to follow when checking each other's papers. Those have been posted on my Facebook page! :) If you haven't liked it, click on over and grab it under my fan freebies!
These kiddos love to check through each other's papers for a place to help them become better writers. Now, honestly, it has gone over better with my morning class {which is the GT cluster}, go figure. I am still helping my afternoon class with actually searching for things in their peers writing rather than just reading it through and saying they're done.
Overall, I'm happy with the progress.
Here are some snapshots of my kiddos at work!
I know it wasn't the MOST exciting post, but I had to start somewhere! I promise to be back with more interesting and useful material. I think I'm going to do a post on our reading journals and reading folders this coming week! So, check back for that! :)
Thanks for those who have stayed with me. I'm sure you know how it is when you get overwhelmed!
Have a FABULOUS weekend!!!!!
Much LOVE!
See y'all soon!
Carly, I don't think you are alone with stress and anxiety. I've been feeling the same way and I finally realized I'm just going to have to cut back somehow. I'm glad things are going better for you! I didn't realize you moved up to second grade. (I have missed reading a lot of blogs!) Do you like it better than first? I am thinking about making a change this next year, maybe a grade level change or a district change. I love your freebies on Facebook, I'm going to try the peer proofing with first grade. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteKelly
I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher
I love your blog!! Super cute! Hope you can join me on my Insta-Friday linky party :) Go check it out!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear I'm not the only one having stress, anxiety, and major breakdowns! Last year was one doozy of a year! Like you, this year's class is awesome and much smaller! I had to change schools and districts to keep my sanity. I don't even care that I had to take a major pay cut to do it. Sometimes the money just isn't worth it. Good luck to you and I hope this year continues to be a success.
ReplyDelete