PinAnon

Hello. My name is Mrs. P and I am...a Pinterest addict.

*phew* I am glad that is off my chest! I have a feeling there are a lot more like me out there, though! Am I right?!?

This summer, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time pinning everything from hair and makeup tips that will hopefully speed up my morning routine, to bento box ideas for lunches (because who doesn't want a more enjoyable lunch?!?). Along with the insane amount of uselessful home and lifestyle ideas I have pinned, I have gone absolutely bonkers with school ideas. These range from decor inspiration to actual lessons and teaching methods I want to try out.

And while I have come across a TON of wonderful ideas, I am at the point of feeling extremely overwhelmed! How on EARTH am I going to implement all of these fantastic ideas in one school year without pulling my hair out (and thus, defeating the purpose of the hair care pins)??? If you are anything like me, you have probably come to the realization that it's just not possible. And, if we are really kindred spirits, your feeling a little bit anxious about it.

But don't fret, where there is a will there is a way!

Here is my plan: I am going to pick five ideas (out of the 300 plus I have pinned) to focus on. If they go smoothly, I may add more. Now the tricky part is narrowing all of those ideas down to five...

You all will be the FIRST ones to know when I make my choices, so stay tuned!

Now your turn:

Tell me at least one idea you have found (on Pinterest or elsewhere) that you will definitely be trying out in your classroom this year. Please provide the link if possible...just in case we would like to pin it.

;)

P.S. I just HAD to share this yummy dinner I made with you (recipe courtesy of...you guessed it...PINTEREST!) It was so easy and SO delicious! Click here to hop over to the blog that it was originally pinned from to try it out for yourself!

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash...very low carb and VERY yummy!

To Fail, Or Not to Fail...

Ever since my first year as a teacher, I have been assigning students grades for their class work, homework, tests and quizzes. It is logical to do so, right? After all, I received grades for my work growing up. However, as I do more and more professional reading and networking, my views on the traditional grading system are beginning to shift. This is not a small shift, but an epic, monumental, cosmic shift. One in which I feel like beating my head against a wall and exclaiming "What have I been doing to these poor children for all of these years?!?!?!?"

If you follow some of the same people as I do on Twitter, or have joined many educational blogs, you may have had the same seed planted in your own brain. The two questions that are battling it out in my brain are these: Are the grades I assign truly providing feedback and inspiring students to learn, grow,  and improve? OR Am I simply punishing them?

These are difficult questions to not only think about, but to try and find answers to. Many teachers that I have spoken with have a very hard time understanding why I am questioning this system. Not only that, but something I often hear is: "But if you don't give grades, how will parents know what their children are struggling with?" What I wonder is this: Do the grades we give really provide parents with accurate information about their child's learning?  Not only that, but am I alone in feeling like my time would be better spent giving written or verbal feedback about content of work instead of busying myself with trying to assign a numerical value to it? Not to mention the hours spent entering grades!

I am not saying this system is "wrong." I am just wondering if it is what is "best" for our children. I dread passing back papers, handing out progress reports and report cards. The look on the faces of some of my students is devastating. If I feel this way, how do THEY feel? 

I don't have the answers when it comes to solving this "problem." However, I do have the desire to think more about it find out as much as I can from others. I encourage you to do the same. If you haven't thought about the way you grade before now, just spend some time reflecting. I am not criticizing anyone. In fact, as my principal often says, "teaching is one of the hardest jobs...to do well." But in order to make sure we are doing the best we can for our students, I think this topic deserves some attention and careful consideration.

Resources I have found helpful:
The Case Against the Zero

Teacher Joe Bower's blog

"School Isn't a Job"

"Homework: Is It Worth It?"
"Grading Practices the Inhibit Learning"

Week in Reveiw 2/27-3/2/12

I apologize for my recent hiatus. I did not realize that being a teacher, new blogger, and "student" would be so difficult to carry out all at once!

I am currently on a mission to find quality picture books for the age group I teach. Mission accomplished. By simply entering "Picture books for middle grades" into Google, I found a plethora of book titles to get kids even more excited about reading. Fiction, nonfiction, traditional literature, poetry...there are a TON of picture books out there geared towards older readers. These books are perfect if you have students who are still emerging readers. They can swallow up several of these books per day and feel very accomplished, which will lead to more reading! Once students realize that starting and finishing a book (as well as *gasp* enjoying it) is not impossible, what other choice do they have but to read more?

When I first introduced the books to my cherubs, I did so in a very dramatic fashion. This is the style of teaching I enjoy most because, well, it's just more fun. I had been to the local library and checked out over 20 books to share with my students. Of course, the library books are not allowed to leave my room as I am financially responsible for them. However, they are free to read them at any time that they are with me. I had them all in a big bag. I called my students to the carpet, and told them I had brought them the BEST present. They were waiting with bated breath. I slowly began to pull each book out of hiding, telling them a little bit about each one. I told them how much I loved reading the books. I explained that at their age, not only will they enjoy the reading, but they will be able to appreciate the artwork in a more sophisticated a grown-up way. "Drink them in with your eyes," I instructed them. "Take your time and find the hidden messages from the author AND the illustrator." You would have thought I had brought iPads in for each and every one of them. They were practically salivating, barely able to contain themselves. It was fantastic!

I now have over 40 books checked out and in my classroom. This week, we had to settle disputes with quick games of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (this is they only fair way to settle ANYTHING in 5th grade).

I am finding this is a great way to add to my classroom library and evoke more interest without breaking my bank account. The ones they really love I have added to a list of possible books to purchase. If you don't already do this, I suggest you try it. I put all of the books in a pretty and sturdy basket I bought from IKEA to showcase them and make them stand out from the rest of the books in my library. The kids are doing a great job with them and I am really enjoying watching and listening to their reactions as they read some great picture books.

I also found these fun videos about reading I wanted to share... just because. The last one is one of the many wonderful people I have gotten to know via Twitter. His name is Colby Sharp (@colbysharp), and I think every child deserves to have at least one teacher like him in their educational careers. I am SO following in his footsteps at the beginning of next year!

That's the biggest news from this week. Next week on March 7th we will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day. I am looking forward to sharing the events of that day with you as well! Hope your week was fantastic, too!

A Fun Giveaway!

Click on one of the buttons below to check out some great blogs I just joined AND a chance to win some goodies! Each blogger will be picking one person from the blog to win an item from their TPT/Teacher's notebook store! Good luck!