Hello 2014!

Well it's January 1, 2014 and I have officially been a teacher for just over 4 months. Kind of doesn't seem real! It's also been just over 4 months since I last posted anything on this blog - I guess time really just slipped away from me. 

These past few months have kind of been a whirlwind of successes, mistakes, learning curves, learning cliffs, smiles, tears, and so much more. Teaching is nothing like I thought it would be, yet everything I expected and wanted. I really feel like I am starting to find my groove and I am excited to see what the second half of the school year will bring. 

In an effort to recap the school year so far, I have created my top seven events since August (because I'm too tired to think of ten!). So here it goes in no particular order:

I graduated. YES! I actually graduated. It's pretty much a miracle that it actually happened considering that I told my mom years ago to punch me in the face if I ever decided to go back to school. Luckily she didn't punch me when I signed up for classes and was nothing less than completely supportive. I have actually grown to enjoy school and am even thinking I should get my masters....but that may take another 28 years. 

We got a class pet. Her name is Layla (we like to call her Lala) and she is a red-footed tortoise. The kids are in love with her and so am I! I didn't think I would love a silly little animal so much but I do. And the best part? Easiest pet to take care of!

Marshmallow Snowball Fight. I put together an advent calendar for our classroom and the kids were able to earn it each day. One of the days we had a snowball fight with mallows. When the kids were headed back to class, I had already gone back a few minutes earlier and prepared for their return. I had hidden a small bag of mini marshmallows in each student's desk and I had a bag of giant marshamallows. As soon as they walked in the room, I started throwing them at the students. To say they were shocked is an understatement. They loved it! They quickly discovered their own "ammo" in their desks and were dishing it back to me. It was maybe only 5 minutes out of the day, but they talked about it all month. Definitely doing that again next year!

We painted and stuffed mummies. We studied Ancient Egypt and learned all about how they mummified the pharoahs. So part of the unit we designed, painted, and stuffed our own mummies. It was a little crazy to get them all done, but the students did awesome and they turned out great!

We meditate. I read a study that said kids have a hard time processing stress and that mediation can help kids relax and destress. So now we mediate and the students love it. I really think it helps them! You can check out the article here. 

We flew a 50 foot trash bag and called it science. It was seriously the coolest thing ever! That Steven Spangler really knows how to make cool science projects. Click here to see just what we did!

Our class grew butterflies. We ordered teeny, tiny larva and watched them as they grew. Out of the five, three of them actually survived and were beautiful butterflies. Then one afternoon we released them and it was so cool! I highly recommend that any class do it! I think kids of all ages would enjoy it. 

I'm sure there were plenty of other amazing and fabulous things that happened, but my tired, holiday break brain can't remember anything else! So here's to another great few months in 6th grade!

Back to School Night QR Code Poster

Hey guys! Remember yesterday when I made that awesome QR Code with my contact information? Well I created a a poster to display on back to school night. I think it will be a perfect way for parents to get my information without having to even ask for it. I realize that not every parent has a smart phone, so of course I will have it available for those that don't. But I thought this would be a fun way to let parents know I'm hip with the technology! I downloaded a chalkboard background from Big Red Clifford. I then used PicMonkey (Have you tried it? It's amazing...and FREE!) to create the poster. Now I am just anxious for Back to School Night so I can meet some parents!

 

QR Codes for Teacher Contact Info

GUYS! I love finding new and innovative ways to reach out to students as well as their parents. While perusing Pinterest for Back to School Night, I came across an awesome idea! You can create your own personalized QR code with all of your contact information. Amazing, right?!?!?! So...I created my own and am planning on using it for when the parents and students come. I really think they will like it, and it shows them that I am new and open to what technology and options are available to me. Best part about this little code....it's FREE!

So...here are some simple steps in case you want to make one. You don't even need to be a teacher. It's for any type of contact information.

So to get started, go to the following link:

https://developers.google.com/chart/image/docs/chart_wizard?csw=1




This is going to pull up the google chart wizard where you will actually create your code. See below image. Your first step is to click on the "Editor" tab. 

Once in Editor, click on the drop down menu next to "Chart Type" and choose QrCode. See below image. Choosing QrCode will pull up what you need to fill out. 

Next, you change the information in the text box to show your contact information. If the box is empty, copy and paste the below paragraph into the box and then edit it to fit your information. 






MECARD:N:Joe Morales;ADR:2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego, CA 92101;TEL:6191029501;EMAIL:first.last@email.com;
URL:http://website.com;;

Voila! You are done! The QR code shows on the right hand side of your page. You can save it to your desktop to be used on fliers, business cards, emails, etc. If it doesn't let you save it, you can either use snipping tool on a PC under programs or on a mac you can hold down command+shift+4 until a little plus sign with tiny numbers pops up. Highlight the QR code and it will save it to your desktop. 

Below the QR code is a link you can email out, or an html code that can be used in blogs, websites etc. I am so happy to have found this and can't wait to try other things with it in my classroom. I'm in the process of creating a little sign for back to school night using the code so I will post it when finished. 

Night, ya'll!

Miss Jarvie

Things I Have Learned in the Last Week

1. Designing a classroom isn't as fun as I thought it would be.

Just so you know, I love being creative. I love planning parties and rearranging furniture. I like to scrapbook and make crafts and make things over. All of these things would help me create a classroom that is loving, warm, fun, cute, and well, perfect - like my own personal teaching dreamland! But disappointment quickly settled in when my grandiose plans weren't working out quite as well. You know when you have an image in your mind about what you want something to be? And then it doesn't quite work out? That's whatIi was going through times a million. All of my plans and products were not adding up to the perfectionist room I had dreamed of. Total bummer and not what I expected. Luckily it's turning around - check back for pictures of the finished product!

2. Teaching is expensive....like more expensive than I even could have imagined!  

Whether you are starting your own classroom or planning curriculum and activities, it adds up, QUICK. Yes - I do get a little money to start my classroom and buy supplies. No - it's not very much money. Let's just say that it wouldn't buy you a nice pair of shoes, but it might buy you a new skirt and a cheap shirt. So what to do? Spend my own money. I wanted my classroom to be a home for myself as well as for my students - somewhere they can come to feel safe, loved, welcome, and a part of something. I guess when you look at it that way then no amount of money would be wasted if spending it for a cause such as this. Oh by the way...I'm currently accepting donations. (haha)

3. You never feel ready!

No amount of planing and prepping can adequately prepare you for what lies ahead. I constantly am thinking about what I need to do next. Whether it's what bulletin board I need to finish or what lesson plan I need to write. From getting to know who my students will be to creating class lists and assigning desks. I'm even having nightmares er, I mean dreams about my class and everything that could go wrong! I am sure that even on the last day of school in my 30th year of teaching will I feel prepared even then. I will still feel unprepared, and still wish I had more time (and money!). 

4. There is nothing that makes me more happy. 

At the end of every day, I come home. I put on my Costco pajamas that are so comfortable I would wear them on the first day of school if that were acceptable, pull out my computer, and brainstorm ways that I can be the best teacher possible. I mean - the best teacher in the entire world! I have big goals peeps. I scour pinterest for the latest ideas, read news articles about technology in the classroom, and studies about students and how to help them be more successful. And right now I am going to start thinking about making my back to school night not only informative but fun got both teachers and students. Have an awesome ideas of what you have done as a teacher or what you have seen as a parent? Leave me a comment! I need all the help I can get. 

But just like the great hero Nelson Mandela said, "It always seems to be impossible until it's done." So here's to impossible!

Well Here It Goes

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I never thought I would be a teacher. In fact, I never thought I would graduate from college or ever even step foot on another campus again. To be honest, I loathed education and was fine with my 8-5 job that supported my life. But life has a funny way of making you do what you're supposed to and such is the case with me.

In May of 2010, I was laid off from my job unexpectadely. I was shocked! I mean, who would want me to go? But what may or may not have been best for the business was certainly best for me. After a trip to therapy, I left having my entire life planned. Oh wait, no that didn't happen. I left feeling confused, a little lost, frustrated, and wondering, "what next?". But luckily I had a smart counselor who just happened to mention that I should be a teacher. After a summer of pondering my life and what road I should take, I felt confident signing up for school and pursuing my education.

Well, its been three years and I have one more semester until I graduate. I never knew how passionate i would become or that my entire life would begin to revolve about I can best help the students in my classroom. I didn't know that I would actually be a teacher of a sixth grade class while finishing up my last semester and I never thought I could be so happy.

So like I said - Life has a funny way of making you do what you're supposed to do and I couldn't be happier with how it's turning out.