Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child - A Book Review

I recently sent the book Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child by Maria T. Lennon and asked to review it. This is the review that I gave the book (I am not being paid to give this review):

The title intrigued me and I think it would catch the interest of many middle school or high school students. The story is told from the viewpoint of Charlie, a middle school age girl who was kicked out of one school and now must attend a new school. She faces a lot of challenges and learns that you can’t hide from the past. Trying to make new friends, she has to decide what her values are and what she stands for. It was so interesting that I didn’t want to put the book down until I knew how the story would end up.

This would be a great book to use in the classroom as a class novel or as an individual read for a book report. There are many topics that would lead to interesting discussions such as: peer relationships, sibling relationships, jealousy, character development, expulsion from school, fitting in, making new friends, honesty, sticking up for what is right, tolerance, bullying, and trust.

If you are looking for a book to read in class, I would definitely check this one out!

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 09/27/13

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Rewordify - Rewordify.com is powerful, free, online reading comprehension and vocabulary development software. It helps people understand difficult English faster, and helps them learn words in new ways. (L:G; SA:A)

Examtime - “ExamTime is changing the way students learn by providing free study tools for students and teachers. ExamTime has been developed to help students make studying more than just a mind exercise. It can be a “do” activity.” (L:G; SA:A)

Lingual.ly – Boost your vocabulary in different languages. (L:G; SA:LA, FL)

Volunteer Spot – “VolunteerSpot is the leading FREE volunteer management software that's so easy, anyone can use it! A simple online sign up sheet makes organizing everyone easier and faster. VolunteerSpot's free volunteer scheduling software lets organizers quickly set up volunteer needs in an online calendar and invite volunteers to sign up from their computer or smart phone. Use it for anything including service projects, school carnivals and walkathons, class parties, swim meets, tournaments, charity races, Scout campouts, parent teacher conference scheduling, and more! Automatic reminders help volunteers keep their commitments and easy online calendar editing, reporting, and messaging saves organizers more time and energy so they can do more good!” (L:T; SA:A)

Edmonton Corn Maze – through Google Maps, take a virtual tour through the corn maze (L:G; SA:A)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Advice to a Kindergarten Teacher

I recently got an email from someone asking what advice I would give to a new kindergarten teacher and thought I would write it as a post instead of an individual email. I made a list of things as I thought of them and not in the order of importance.

1. Take your multivitamin to stay healthy.

2. Exercise regularly. This will help you have the stamina and endurance to keep up with the little ones.

3. Dress comfortably but professionally.

4. Enjoy learning along with them through their eyes. Remember that learning can be fun!

5. Remember that what you say and how you act can have a big impact on these students.

6. Encourage them to spread their wings and try new things.

7. Teach them that following directions is very important in order to be able to learn new things.

8. Help them find their learning style. Some may do better with listening and others may need to see it visually. Some may do better by actually doing it.

9. Invite speakers in to tell about what they do for a living: firemen, policemen, lunchroom ladies, garbage men etc.

10. Remember that there is more to life than worksheets!

11. Incorporate lots of activity in with the learning. I know some teachers who taught math skills while doing exercises at the same time.

12. Have the students use all of their five senses whenever possible.

13. Give them lots of opportunities to try different things.

14. Let them make choices whenever possible such choosing 1 out of 2 or 3 activities.

15. Teach students to respect each other. It’s never too early to learn this.

16. Keep in touch with parents on a regular basis and say positive things as much as possible.

17. Don’t judge parents too harshly on what the students says or does. Usually the truth is not what it seems. Do investigation before making judgments.

18. Be sincere and show the students that you care.

19. It’s okay if the student is mad at you. They have enough friends and need you as a teacher.

20. Remember that there will be some bad days but usually the good days outweigh the bad ones. When you see the student grasp a concept and get excited about learning, it makes it all worth it!

What advice would you add? Please share!

Image: 'hands'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73645804@N00/535439394

Enjoying the Silence

In The Sound of Silence: How you can pursue greatness in the still morning from Cool Cat Teacher Blog, Vicki Davis shares,

“The more you work with kids, the more you need this time alone…When is the last time you've listened to silence?”

I get up early and I love this quiet time because it is peaceful. It lets my thoughts settle down instead of always racing. I can feel my heart beat settle into a calm rhythm. My breathing is calm and relaxed. My mind is open to new ideas. I feel good about myself and the upcoming day.

As much as I love my time with people, I cherish my alone time early in the morning. I think that is why I get up so early. I have time to reflect on my day, organize my thoughts and the things I want to do. There are no distractions (other than the ones I allow in my thoughts). I try to make my list of things I want to accomplish during the day and then number them in priority. I also like to think about the day before and give myself a pat on the back for getting things done that needed to be done. I also think about what didn’t get done so I can add it to the list today. Sometimes I accomplish a lot on the list and other times I don’t but that is okay as long as the important things get done.

Sometimes I will get inspired with new ideas because the silence allows the possibilities to run wild. I’m not crowded with other noises and voices distracting me. The possibilities are endless in this silence and I can’t wait to write them down. Later, I may wonder what I was even thinking of but at this time, there is nothing that is impossible.

Silence can be a great comforter. It allows me to feel contentment. I realize how blessed I am for all the good things in my life. I am filled with gratitude for all the people who are my friends and family. I have time to think about all the things that I don’t have time for during my busy day. And I remind myself that…

Life is good.

How do you feel about silence? How do you use it in your life? Please share.

Image: 'Serenity'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35660391@N08/4901961781
Found on flickrcc.net

Fall Allergies

I don’t know if you are suffering like I am but fall allergies have hit. The news says that fall allergy season can be just as bad as the spring. I don’t feel up to snuff but I don’t feel terrible. I sound worse than I feel but I don’t feel 100%. Of course, I still have responsibilities and obligations to fill that can’t be put aside.

This makes me wonder how many of my students are going through the same things. How many of them aren’t bad enough to miss class but just don’t feel wonderful? How many really know the answer but they don’t feel in the mood to answer or think about finding the answer in their brains.

How do you fight this allergy season? What can I do to make the students feel better or survive this season? How can I fight it too and still keep up the quality of teaching that I can feel proud of.

I don’t know the answers to all of these questions but I know I have them. I guess right now I feel so miserable that all I have are questions. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

If you or your students are suffering from allergies, I hope you survive this season too. But remember to take pity on those others who are suffering too.

mage: 'Yellow' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20741443@N00/2883411763
Found on flickrcc.net