Adventures in Web-meetings

Here in the Northeast, we've endured some whacky weather - high winds and plenty of rain. Not exactly a hurricane, but a giant inconvenience, particularly for those without power since Sunday night. The wind damage and power outages resulted in school cancellations throughout the Merrimack Valley; some school districts are now left with just 2 of the allocated 5-day calendar allowance for snow days before snow season actually starts. Buckle those seat belts, it is going to be a bumpy ride this winter.So what does the weather have to do with web meetings?  One of the off-shoots of a no-school day is that all activities after school are cancelled. For me, and the trusty group of participants in the graduate literacy course I am leading, that meant our All-Hallows-Eve session of EDUC 7226 was postponed and would need to be made up.So, in a semi-panic (okay, that was a full-blown panic), I offered the possibility of doing a conference call based lecture to the participants in lieu of a face-to-face class. Making up the class would be a scheduling problem in that the class sessions needed for the full course already occupy every Tuesday between mid-September and December 19. I was pretty certain no one would be enthusiastic about pushing out the end date to the first Tuesday after the holiday break, January 2.  We needed to hold the Halloween class now somehow.Anticipating that with 2 days out of school, some people might actually want to try to hold this session even if it was held off-site, I started to wonder about having a conference call where participants could access the slides that I use to accompany our class session. It turned out that quite a few participants were willing to give this a go, even those who were without WIFI and electricity.  The problem solvers in the group found ways to overcome those challenges, some even heading over to local coffee shops where WIFI and electricity could still be had.So, my task yesterday morning was to quickly get up-to-speed with webinars and conference calls.  Never having hosted such a thing, I Googled "webinars" and discovered  hosting an online web-meeting was indeed possible... at a cost of $89/month to $429/month. I was pretty sure the bookkeeper in this family would veto that. Next search was "free+webinar+software" and BINGO! The product I serendipitously discovered was Free Conference Calls.When something is free, there shouldn't be any expectation for easy use or full functionality.  Free usually means there will be some pain for the user, because... free, what do you expect?This product, however, is the real deal.  Since I had to come up to speed with the product in about 3 hours, I keep my wishlist simple:  a) ability for access to audio only (for those listening in on cellphones) or for audio+shared screen b) easy (for me) to negotiate invites and manage participation, and c) free.  Free Conference Calls was all of that - and I was able to record myself for participants who may need this class session on instant replay. Other functions that I didn't use (yet) included Q&A boards, break-out sessions, and using pointers and highlighters on my shared screen.At the appointed hour for our class to start, nearly all of the 22 participants in this course were logged in either as either full meeting participants or audio only.  The audio recording resides on my Conference Call account as a weblink which will allow anyone who was unable to attend our live meeting to listen in later.  And, considering that I'm not the most technology-saavy person on this planet, the fact that all of this went off without a disaster, is totally gratifying.Sometimes the stars do line up in our favor.  We are Technology Warriors - every single one of us!

"Doing" Justice: More than just forms

Donalyn Miller recently tweeted about a recording sheet she uses for the 40 Book Challenge she not only "invented" but practices with her students in her classroom.  As I've recently added her book "The Book Whisperer" to the book study portion of a course I've developed, Donalyn's tweet caught my attention:

My curiosity over why Donalyn Miller would feel compelled to tweet an endorsement of  Debbie Ohi's collection of forms led me to read this post from August 2014:  The 40 book Challenge Revisited.Her point this:

... the original thinking behind an instructional idea becomes lost when it’s passed along like a game of Telephone. You heard about it from a 60-minute conference session. Your teammate attended a book study and she gave you the highlight reel. The teacher down the hall is doing something innovative. You should try it. We’ve all seen the quick adoption of shiny, new ideas without a full picture of how these concepts fit into best practices (or don’t).

I've frequently heard fellow educators reference that they are "doing" the Daily Five or the Daily CAFE. However, digging in a little deeper, misinformed yet well-intentioned educator's idea of the "doing" is more likely to be incorporating some of the "centers" (sorry Gail and Joan, I know that's not what you intended) or using some printable for students downloaded from one of the educator enterprise sites.The Daily Five practice is based on developing a trusting relationship between learners and teacher. The development of this trusting relationship is every bit as important as the student activities.  A gradual release of responsibility leads to developing students independence and accountability.  Joan and Gail's commitment to research and development of their own practice is the powerful glue that, in my opinion, holds the Daily Five and CAFE together. This becomes the basis for educator changes that lead to best practice.Shiny new ideas are terrific, of course. That is the basis of being "green and growing", as one of my former administrators used to say.  However, without fully understanding a method for management of teacher, the practice become so simplified that it often becomes just another tedious fill-in-the-blank task to keep students occupied. And that, is not a best practice of any kind. 

The Other Growth Our Students Need

About 10 years ago, I was introduced to the Responsive Classroom, a program that was highly supported in the school in which I worked. There are many principles of Responsive Classroom that not only make for good classroom management, but create an environment of communal trust within a classroom and a school as a whole.The first principle of a Responsive Classroom has always been important for me, a foundation of my career as a teacher: The social and emotional curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. Recently, Edutopia and other education news sources carried the tale of how student "grit" is a key to student success.  What is grit? Self-perception, the ability to overcome inner obstacles, persistence, resiliency, self-regulation of emotions - in short, as Carol Dweck has written, it is a Growth Mindset.These ideas are essential to a child's education. They are the social and emotional curriculum that form the foundation for academic growth. And they are often missing in classrooms jammed with test preparation and curricular standards.Sandra Dunning, the Principal who introduced me to Responsive Classroom, believed in the importance of developing a community of learners. Each morning, a 30-minute block of time was carved into our schedules for the community-building of Morning Meetings, Greetings, collaborative activities that fostered this development in each student, teacher, and classroom. There was a calm, purposefulness to our classroom in those days, and when things went off the rails, as sometimes happens, our group was able to process together and resolve whatever issues had preceded it.Sadly, under the guise of "raising the bar" and increasing "rigor", by the last few years of my teaching career, the daily activities that had created and fed my students' social and emotional growth were undermined and replaced by time-on-task schedules, test preparation and packed curricula. Most mornings, we could squeeze in a Morning Greeting between breakfast and leaving for Allied Arts classes; some days we could not.Responsive Classroom Principle 4 reminds us that To be successful academically and socially, children need to learn a set of social and emotional skills: cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. We are short-changing our students' education when we can't attend to emotional and social growth.  

How do you plan for that?

A former colleague and new-to-grade teacher recently asked if I'd share my plan book with her. I was, of course, flattered by that request and, since planbook.edu hadn't yet disabled my account (retirement = less out-of-pocket spending), I was happy to send her a PDF of my old book. With footnotes. Why?Well, I realized as I looked at the attachment I was sending that throughout the year, my plan book changes in content and context. Quite drastically actually.Like most everyone, at the beginning of the school year, I focus on routines. The required "I can" statements and goals and objectives reflect that. Then as I begin to know the students more, those statements become more language-based and focused.  Adjustments like this are natural to see. As a teacher learns more about what the students need, the focus shifts to the academics and meeting curricular goals.As I flipped through the year I also noted when something that caught my attention during professional development was incorporated into planning. The structure of the day - the schedule of what happens when - morphs to fit what is more comfortable for my students and for me.Yes there are immovables; Special Education schedules can rarely be changed once they are set at the beginning of a school year. Still tweaking and changing to accommodate what flow is best for students is an ongoing process.My comment as I sent the attached plans off? Looks like by the end of the school year I finally got it right. Or at least close to something we all could live with.How do you plan for that? I'm thinking, you don't. You go with the flow.

Bulletin Boards

When I first started teaching, I changed bulletin boards monthly - always with, what I perceived was a "cute" theme.  Laminated cutouts, tracings from an overhead projector.... I diligently changed the boards in my classroom to reflect seasons and my own idea of what would make the classroom seem cute or homey.Oh boy, have things changed! Next Tuesday, when my students enter our shared space for the first time since last June, those cute, decorative, perfect bulletin boards will be missing in action.Why? Several reasons. Over time, I've recognized that the perfect, teacher-created bulletin boards can create a dizzying space. While I don't want the walls to be institutionally devoid of anything, there is a balance needed. Kids don't need to have more stuff to distract them. So, mainly anything I put on the walls is necessary as a reminder (example: Daily Five I-Charts) and mostly co-created with my kids.Now I use one color for a background throughout the classroom. Following Gail Boushey and Joan Moser's lead (the "2 Sisters"), I use a very light pink which is easy on the eyes and not a distraction from what will end up on those boards. Putting up backgrounds is tedious, measuring, pulling the material taut and stapling it to the ugly grey material of the board takes lots of time. When I used to use construction paper, it would fade very quickly. So for the last several years, I've "invested" in plastic table cloths from our local party store. This material doesn't fade, stays up, and staple/pin holes are pretty minimal. And they are inexpensive. Sweet!Similarly, I use a border that stays in the background, but ties all of the display areas together cohesively.  The black border that I have chosen is a simple, corrugated, plain border which just happens to be reasonably inexpensive.As you can see, outside of the bare bones of what will become our CAFE board and an alphabet strip, the boards are bare and ready for the students and me to begin creating essential reminders of what we are learning or student work.We are (almost) ready for the first day.

Begin at the beginning

How do you define your classroom space?I like to call mine collaborative classroom design.  As a follower of Responsive Classroom, I know how important it is for students to feel ownership and have a voice in designing the space we share. When I walk into my classroom space for the first time after a summer break, I ask myself:

• Is the classroom a reflection of me? Or will the students own the walls with their work on display and the tools or charts they need to use?
• Is there visually too much? Has there been consideration given to create a visually calming space?
• Are the supplies students use placed so they will be able to access them independently?
• Is there a purposeful sense to the flow of traffic in the room?

Just four things to consider and yet, these four are so important! I want the students to feel that they have a shared responsibility for the room - for the upkeep, tidiness, and for the feel of the space. I want my students to know they can access needed supplies without asking me where something is all of the time! When it isn't working I find my kids may not tell me with words, but with their actions that something is working or not working. Believe me, when it isn't working, it is crystal clear!This week, I will begin to reset my classroom after its summer cleaning and spruce-up. As I set up for a new year of learning, I will keep my four considerations in mind and prepare to collaborate with my 24(ish) new best friends.

Scheduling (I'm dancing as fast as I can)

How do you start planning for a new school year? I begin with thinking about my daily schedule.At the beginning of my career, this was more problematic because teachers weren't given all the contributing factors (like lunch, recess, and special schedules) until the day before the kids came. That made for a long night before school started. This year, our principal has made the decision that lunch times will stay the same as will specials. Knowing when students will out of the classroom for allied arts and lunch is a giant help in planning for instruction.The wild card this year is that there are many mandated time allotments and not enough time in the day to meet all of them. Teachers in this district are asked to provide time on task for almost as many minutes as there are in the entire school day. That leaves no time to get to point A from point B, no time to transition kids from one activity to another, no time for recess or bathrooms. Sorry, no can do.So, today I began to triage what I hope will be our class schedule.When I try out a times on paper, I like to think about what worked with my students. I sketch and re-sketch on paper, let it simmer for a while, come back, and give it another shot. Hopefully, I have something that will make sense and be able to record these ideas on a spreadsheet before setting up any kind of plan book.My nature is that I like to mix things up halfway through the school year, but because I am teaching with a Special Education partner with an even more complicated schedule, that's not always possible. So whatever schedule I create needs to meet the mandates from our Central Office and School Committee, be natural for students, and be possibly in place for the whole 180 days.Yes, I am dancing as fast as I can, and school hasn't even started. 

Begin.... at the beginning

It rained last Thursday. Which isn't really news-worthy unless you are a teacher with just a few weeks left of summer break.A rainy day is usually the impetus for me to start readying my classroom for the first day of school.  This year I am a bit more behind the eight ball than usual as I physically moved spaces. So lots of my stuff is not where I might have put it last spring.Here's what I walked in to:

Which, of course, isn't bad. Just not how I envisioned our classroom workspace.

Even in the new classroom, I will have a ceiling mounted projector, and therefore, the need to have the projector, Mobi teacher unit and document camera connected to wall drops just to the left out of the frame. Having several classroom work areas - a rug for large group gathering, desks for individual, and for technology viewing, places where smaller groups can work ... all are considerations.  As I don't sit at my desk during the school day, that item can be pushed out of the way. We have a somewhat large classroom library and many math manipulative materials that need to be accessed regularly.  It's a lot to consider when setting up space that feels uncluttered and open.

So with all of that in mind, I've sketched out the plan for our classroom space.

Step 1: Breathe

In the upcoming school year, I will be changing grade levels and classrooms. Honestly, I am not sure which of those two is more scary - learning a new curriculum or moving my collected treasures.The move to a new classroom is at once exhilarating and deflating.  I do welcome the chance to vigorously downsize my collection of teaching materials. My new rule of thumb is "if you haven't used it in the last 2 years, reduce, reuse, recycle." Of course the corollary to that rule is "if you toss it out, you will immediately find it essential to a lesson as soon as the trash truck empties the dumpster."Still, I am finding I must be merciless in my assessment of each item's usefulness; hanging on to something I made 5 years ago just because it has an emotional investment just makes for more to move. And organize. Off and on, I've been moving since June 22nd, this activity is getting old.The moving should finish today. I have two more supply closets to transfer to my new classroom and a willing volunteer to help me.And maybe then I can breathe... a sigh of relief.

Some Safety Suggestions from the Peanut Gallery

Lots of schools districts - including the one in which I work - have been revisiting safety procedures since Newtown's tragedy.  That's a good thing. But as with many suggestions for educators, there are some incredibly myopic ideas out there.Recently I heard the suggestions that educators plan room arrangements so that bookcases can be installed close to the classroom door. The thinking behind this is that, in cases of emergency, a teacher could push the bookcase in front of the door thereby providing a barrier to an armed intruder.Well, I consider myself fairly strong after over year of strength and conditioning, but I can tell you it would take a lot more than my muscles to move a bookcase in front of an entry way in an emergency situation.  Not to mention classroom entry door open out into the hallway thereby allowing an intruder to simply open the door to gain entry.If you truly want to know what may or may not work in safety situation, invite the people who might actually be in the situation in to the discussion. Any teacher or building administrator could have reminded a consultant of these two factors.What might work? Well, that would probably cost more money than a school district is prepared to spend to retro-fit classrooms.  Currently, in order to lock the classroom door, I need to open the door and lock from the outside of the door.  Keeping the door locked and shut during the day means every time one of my students needs to use the bathroom during the day, a student would need to knock to regain entry to the classroom, thereby interrupting teaching and learning.Two thoughts. One, change the door material from wood to steel. Two, install a dead bolt throw high up on the door (so that small inquisitive fingers don't accidentally throw the bolt) that could lock the door within seconds while students are moving to safe spots in the classroom.It's a different environment we're teaching in. Answers to school safety concerns will not be easy. What are your ideas?

I Am Not A Nudge..... Really

When you have pretty strong convictions about something, they are not always understood or shared by others.For me, one of my thoughts is that creating an environment of order and welcome is of high importance to my students' frames of mind. With many of my students coming from existences that are not always orderly, I have felt that the ambiance created in the classroom can go a long way toward settling students, toward allowing students to focus and learn.My colleagues and I are reading Charles Appelstein's No Such Thing As a Bad Kid, as part of a teachers' book club this fall.  I was struck by the importance of cleanliness, warmth, and color in a classroom toward creating a safe environment for my students. Appelstein specifically calls out attending to classroom design - as do the Sisters. It is something I have been dabbling in for the last 4 months and now, armed with both Appelstein's and Gail and Joan's thinking, I may be ready to do something drastic.I hate clutter. There seems to be no end of it in an inclusion classroom, so the first thing I need to address is the collection of materials that do not appear to have a use. Countertops get covered with materials - surely there has got to be a neater way to store what materials are needed for a day or week. This is tricky when you are sharing your space with other adults - I don't want to be bossy about it, but some of the materials I see tucked away has no real purpose in the everyday learning of my students.The next step will be to somehow find a way to create a more welcoming space - adding curtains/valances (whatever the fire code allows), changing that God-awful turquoise to something more calming, putting away or weeding out materials that aren't in use, creating spaces that are welcoming for children to read, write and think.So really, I am not a nudge, but I am convinced that the changes I can make -- and the clearing of clutter -- will impact the learning environment in this classroom. And they must be done.

The Grand Plan

I broke down today and started to work on a room arrangement.  I am planning on 24 kids - already have 23 on the roster - and have a contingency for a 25th.Here are some "before" shots from last June:Step one was to move shovemy desk out of the way. I have a large, desk with anequally large return; thankfully it is not attached! I have rotated the return around so that that kids have access to the knee hole. On top of this space I've put a 24-slot letter sorter we use for "mailboxes" and the shiny new iMac that actually runs the web-based programs our district subscribes to. I'm kind of happy with this arrangement already. The mailboxes are inside the classroom space now and not at the doorway causing a logjam. They are lower so the kids should be able to access them. And the computer is now easily accessed by students.I have an old(er) Dell laptop that I have replaced with a personal netbook. I willhopefully gain permission from the computer network gatekeepers to access the internet from within our school's firewall - which will allow me to do what I need to do assessment and data-wise, unplug the laptop and bring it home to continue my school tasks.  We'll see how long it takes to get all of that permitted.I've also flipped where the classroom library was located to the front of the room. My classroom is at a junction point for 2hallways - it is often noisy - which means it is distracting to put the reading conferencing space and/or student tables in that vicinity. I placed the shelves to create a kind of barrier which I hope will insulate us a bit from the hallway noise.  This is also where the gathering space is for whole group lessons.Finally, I've decided to group my students in 6's - not because that's such an ideal number for cooperative learning, but because there will be less real estate involved with the desks when we get down to 4 groupings.Now to work on the tossing; after sending out an all-school message, I got a taker for the table I wanted to get rid of. Next up is to get the TV cart moved in to storage and clear off the countertops. Once that is accomplished, I can bring in my plants and lamps -- and some other homey touches. I've even located some fire retardant valances on the web. Things are starting to come together.Yardsale anyone?

Classroom Reorg: Making Our Space Less Cluttered

I've been spending a bit of time thinking about what the physical atmosphere and arrangement of the classroom projects.  I am a packrat. There, I've said it. I saved egg cartons - must have had to toss about 50 of them when we moved 16 years ago - knowing in my teacher brain that I "might need these some day." Well, someday never came.As much as I would like to make the classroom into a homey place, I worry about the wisdom of bringing upholstered furnishings into a space and risk bedbugs or other interesting things. Fire inspectors tell us that only 50 percent of our wall surfaces (or is it 20?) can be covered - and nothing within X feet of a door. Sprucing up foggy plexiglass windows with a window valance is out of the question.Even so, there are things I can take control of. I have a concern that a cluttered classroom translates into a chaotic message for students who are easily distracted. I understand that there have been rules created to ensure teachers have equitable access to equipment -our Union book spells out some of this. But an overhead and extra cart in the room - I don't use this any longer as we recently obtained projection equipment - just takes up space.Here are some of the things I am considering:

• Clear the countertops as much as possible. Use the surfaces for displaying special literature or projects.
• Using the "return" on my desk for the students' mailbox center and for the newer computer. Where will all that "stuff" on the return go? I am rehabbing a 4-drawer file cabinet which I'd like to use to get stuff of the surface areas.
• Get rid of the rectangular reading table. I have a round reading table that can be used for conferences or listening or what-have-you. I want to conference right at the student's desk or read in small groups in a rug area.
• Put the television in storage. The cart it sits on must take up 6 square feet.
• Throw, recycle, sell - get rid of any personal teaching material that doesn't support the current framework or hasn't been used in more than 2 years.

This year I will be sharing my space with at least one - possibly two - SpEd/ health paraprofessionals and some medical equipment for one of my new students. It is not only a nicety that the room becomes less cluttered, it is imperative. There may be decisions to be made about where adults put personal "stuff" and how much can or cannot be in the room. That will most likely not be met with enthusiasm.Time to roll up sleeves and get cracking.

Outside of the Box

We will have a lot of changes this coming Fall. Some are more global: a new administrator, a new superintendent, new Core Curriculum. On a more local level, my grade level has made a decision to locate the Inclusion classrooms side-by-side, so next year I will be a SPED Inclusion room again.And there some changes in my own teaching that I've been thinking about. I've dabbled in implementing the Daily Five over the last year. It's something that makes sense to me. This summer, a couple of us will be going to the Daily Five workshop offered by "The Sisters" and I'm really psyched about learning more with my teaching colleagues.However the classroom design ideas from The Sisters that have really piqued my curiosity -- along with a suggestion from  Tuesday2's blog -- and that is what is giving me the inspiration to really look at my classroom's traditional layout.  Is the room "mine" or is it "ours"? And if it is ours, everything - seating, access to materials, EVERYthing - needs a re-evaluation as to its purpose and usefulness in a room filled with 9 year olds.Just how much radical change can be made remains to be seen -- the District has requirements (overhead projectors in each room has been a hot topic in the building this week). But there will be change.... this is going to be fun.

Cleaning Out

This June, with just 3 years  -- or maybe 4 if the stock market takes a nose dive -- left of my teaching career, I've started the process of streamlining.  It seems like a good idea. I certainly don't have an delusions that all that stuff I've been saving "just in case" is going to be manna from heaven for my replacement. But more importantly, we are going to begin using the new Common Core Standards here in Massachusetts.  So this seems like as good a time as any to clean closets and really look at what is useful, may be useful, and should have been in the circular file years ago.I find it difficult to let go of those things with which I've found some measure of success, even when those "things" have outlived usefulness. For example, I have entire units of author studies that my old grade level team and I developed when we had to use a particular basal for Reading First. Reading First has long expired and I no longer teach second grade, why I couldn't let go of that remains a mystery. I'm not sure it's much use to second grade teachers I know -- it is so outmoded... as it should be. Our teaching should change over time; to continue to hammer at instruction from viewpoints held long ago is to be stale and not responsive to the kids in front of us.So along with the frenzy of record keeping and end-of-year to-do lists, I am taking some time to reflect on what is in my classroom, to finally get rid of the things that are just taking up space, and to redesign the feel of the room.  I want it to be more welcoming and friendly and not so focused on function.  The Daily Cafe has some great information on classroom design, but there are others who have shared their passion for creating spaces that are welcoming to students.Lots to think about and consider over the summer. But for now, I can be found next to the recycling bin.

3 Down, 177 To Go.....

I have a love-hate relationship with the first week of school.I love it because it is a time for a fresh start, a do-over; everything about the start of the year is new and exciting.  And to be honest, after 10 weeks away from teaching, I miss it.... even the most annoying of personalities has made the changeover to endearing in my most human of memory banks.  Honestly, what other profession allows one to have a "new year" in September (and then another in January)?Meeting students for the first time and building that community of learners out of so many differing personalities is challenging and fun.  As a Responsive Classroom, we often start our year with a Human Treasure Hunt (see page 2 of this link).  We learn much about our sameness, and our differences and begin to build a tolerant classroom together.  Will we falter? Most likely, but then we will regroup, rethink and begin again.This year I have finally taken my principal's advice to move slowly and not give in to the pressure to get the show on the road.  We have spent 3 days learning and practicing routines that will become part of my students' mental "muscle memory".  We practiced the quiet chime signal until students can stop and listen without reminders, we have learned important emergency routines and other essentials. And, using ideas from The Daily Five, students learn what is expected during Independent Reading -- this is the routine I am most excited about.  By slowing building my students' "stamina" for reading independently, I hope for once and for all (well, it's a hope), that my students will be able to work independently thoughout the 60-minute Reading Workshop Block so that my focus can be more on instructing and conferencing -- and not so much on behavior managements.  We are well behind diving into academics this year.  I am trusting that the time and effort spent in setting routines and expectations will pay off in the long term.So, what don't I love? Well, for one thing I don't love the paperwork that comes with the start of school. Yes, I realize it is part of the territory, but starting, updating, and creating lists in cumulative folders, record cards, gradebooks, and so on is tedious.  Did everyone change phone numbers this past summer -- I'm beginning to think they did! And, it does not seem to matter how much I've anticipated returning to my school hours and routines, I am one disorganized mess during that first week.  I'm still not sure if we have food in the house.However, this weekend I am determined to enjoy the beautiful end-of-summer weather with which we've been gifted.  And next week we'll begin again to build our community of learners.

3 Days and Counting.....

Hours put in since the last post:  6+Yesterday I met with our Team's new Special Education Teacher, Melissa.  I don't know about Melissa, but I am definitely feeling the overwhelming panic that encompasses the start of a new year.  The weird dreams have already begun.  It will be good to get back to school and find out the students are NOT throwing spit balls around the room while I chase after them in my nighty :-)I wrote a sketch of what I hope to accomplish over the first 3 days of school.  Trying to find a balance between the procedures and routines I feel are necessary to creating a classroom community and some fun stuff so the kids don't feel overwhelmed is always a tightrope walk.  I like order; accepting that "things" won't be perfected (or as close as they'll get) until a good six weeks into the school year always gives me an uncomfortable feeling.I did change the desk arrangements around, partly to accomodate a student in a wheelchair and with a wheelchair accessible desk and partly because I just don't want to give up on cooperative groupings of 3 or 4 students.  I like grouping my students heterogeneously so that they can talk to each other when they are stuck, need help, don't remember what to do. As you can see from this shot, a large meeting area takes a good part of the classroom.  It's important to me to get down on the floor on the same level with the students and this is one way I achieve that.At this time, there are minimal supplies on the students' desks.  The empty red writing binder and 5 tab dividers, a word study test book, a spiral notebook used as a math journal, crayons and a bookmark.  Once my class list is fairly final -- on Monday during Staff Orientation -- I'll add a personalized materials.  Working in urban schools for the last 20+ years has taught me to be cautious about personalizing materials until the students actually arrive in the classroom.  Over the last week my class roster has fluctuated from 18 to 20 to 19 as students move around the district to another elementary school.  Students will continue to enroll in the District through the week after Labor Day as not all parents will be familiar with the early start date.Melissa and I read through the cumlative folders and IEPs of the incoming students.  It is good to think and plan ahead for these students: How can we adapt and change materials so that everyone feels successful? There are so many questions that need answers.As of today, the physical space is prepared. The first 3 days of plans have been sketched out, and I am as ready as I can be at the moment. Waiting for the first bell on Tuesday with lots of First Day Jitters.

Organization Day 3

Time 4.5 hoursAfter cleaning and arranging the large items in my classroom, it is time to start prepping for the students' arrival.  I purchased an additional 10 cardboard magazine files to be used as book boxes. That makes a total of 24.  I am prepping for 24 because that, in theory, is the maximum number of students that may fill the classroom -- however, there's always the possibility that more students arrive than anticipated.After assembling the magazine boxes, I used some large format Avery shipping labels and created book box labels.  I use numbers, not student names, to label the boxes.  The student will use their "number" as their address at the mailbox center and for the book boxes.  Finally, I placed a line of yellow painter's tape on the countertop so that the students can replace their book box on the counter at the end of the day without interfering with the countertop vents.Each book box has the bare bones of a Readers' Notebook and a baggie filled with essential reading supplies.  The baggie idea came about as a result of reading To Understand by Ellin Oliver Keene -- and it's one of those "why didn't I think of this long ago" moments.  Each baggie contains a pencil, a highlighter, and some sticky notes.  After I assess each student using the F&P Benchmarks, we will make a Reader's License and that will also be put in the bag for reference.  The Reader's License has the student's name, picture and a color dot corresponding to the student's independent reading level.  This has proved to be very helpful in reminding the student -- and me -- where the student will find books that are "just right".After seeing the Fountas/Pinnell Reader's Notebooks -- and calculating the cost -- I make my own version of a Reader's Notebook for my students.  I chose a red 1-inch flexible vinyl notebook (it bends and fits right in the magazine box) and have been able to recycle these notebooks now for the 3rd year.  Inside the notebook are 5 dividers labeled "Record & Goal" (daily reading record and a recording sheet of what the students & I agreed would be a next step), "Genres" (defined genres and a monthly tally of the genres student has read), "Interests" (books and genres that student would like to read at some point), "Responses" (weekly letters about how reading is going/teacher directed responses to a shared text), "Reference" (mini lesson reminders).  I have a different organization system for Literacy Circle materials and storage which uses a plastic see-through box.Once we have our Reading Workshop up and running, it is my expectation/hope that students will be able to take this book box with them to any corner of the room without scrambling to find all the necessary materials for 5 minutes.Next up, I needed to check to see that all the materials I need for starting school are available.  We have particular requirements for our academics:  a composition style notebook for recording Buddy Tests (Fountas & Pinnell, Word Study), a math journal (I use a spiral notebook and have students paste or copy a problem onto a blank page before solving), and a Writer's Binder.  Having worked in school districts where ordering and budgets are frequently challenging, I have been in the habit of replacing the essential school items with a portion of my previous year's classroom ordering budget.  Luckily, last year was no exception and I have all the essentials that are needed.  Our ordering for the current school year was delayed and, had I not stockpiled, it would be a bit less than organized for start up.Finally, I looked through the masters of essential printed materials that I use in the notebooks -- things like the students' reading record and the conferencing/goals forms.  I organized these items into folders so that, if copy assistance is offered, I can take advantage of it. These are mostly materials that will be introduced to the students during the first month of school as we build both the Reader's Notebook and the Writing Binder.On the way home I stopped in the office to get an updated roster.  Our class lists can be pretty fluid from June to September so expecting the unexpected is always a good idea.  However, I like to write to my incoming students about a week before school starts to welcome them to Grade 3 and, if nothing else, help them to remember their new teacher's name!  But my main goal in writing to the students is to begin the process of opening communication between home and school -- and this is the first step of many.  I keep my letter to the students brief -- welcome, a few hints of the exciting things we'll be doing in Grade 3, and a reminder about bus passes and dismissals on the first day.Feeling a little better about being ready for the First Day, next up will be some long-range planning with my new Special Education partner and some specific planning for the first week of school.  Lots to do!

Building A Mystery, Part 2

Time Spent: 4 hoursThis morning I loaded up the Jetta with our new shop vac -- more power! -- and began cleaning up the dust from the floor replacement.  Here's what was all over every surface, nook, and cranny of my classroom (even behind closed cupboards - this stuff goes everywhere).Cleanup meant first sucking all the dust with the shop vac and then wet mopping it with paper towels and cleaner -- sometimes twice.  It was nasty stuff.  The floor installers left some panels off and the floor vents took a major beating as well as one of the built in metal shelves.  That'll all need fixing by the pros.By the end of the four hours, The room was cleaned up and all the decorating that I plan to do completed.  We are a Responsive Classroom school and one of the things we do to build community is to decorate (reference charts, etc.) together.  The only exception I made for myself this year is the alphabet chart. Due to a shoulder injury, I didn't take that down -- but if the students have some preferred spot, I will and with help put it up according to the consensus.  So here are a couple of shots of the classroom configuration right now:Meeting Area Rug:  The classroom library and a large bulletin board abut this area.  I have put the easel at one corner (my coat closet and 2 storage closets are beyond that) and I keep the snapcubes for our math investigations in a crate under the easel.  Also against the wall I have shelves that hold supplies for Writing Workshop (editing/revising pencils, forms, paper, art supplies), a listening center CD player, and a crate of cushions and 2 large beanbags.Here's a second view from the front of the room.  My desk area, 2 clipboard crates, and my collections baskets are to the right.  The table barely visible in the foreground is a round table which I use for conducting small group reading or reading/writing conferences.My current thinking (I love that phrase!) is that I will have students keep all reading materials -- independentbook selections, reading binders and any small group materials in the recycled cardboard magazine files (why are the recycled? See the Leveled Library Organization Project) you see on the window shelf. I also will have students keep a reading supply bag in that box - highlighter, stickynotes (cutting a 1/2 pad of 3x2 notes should be enough), bookmark, pencil) - things that take time to locate when moving around the room for Reading Workshop.  We create our own Reading Binders using floppy vinyl (red) binders and dividers (more on that later); I'm proud that my students have been very conscientious about taking care of the binders and with one or two exceptions, these are the very same binders I purchased new three years ago.     Because there's a very important air flow vent built into the counter directly behind those boxes, I will lay masking tape to mark where the front of the box needs to line up.  The blue space behind those boxes is where we generally put a word/vocabulary wall. The front of the room looks the most bare at the moment.  Usually on one end of the white board we record homework assignments and on the other we keep a magnetic chart tracking where students are in the writing process.  I also hang a daily poster of our Reading Workshop Schedule at the front of the room.  I do use an overhead a lot.  Storing it at the end of the second reading/conference table and rolling it into position works for me. I have a rack of frequently used materials (Venn diagrams, blank story maps) on this table so that students can take them independently.When I moved from the Bailey School to the Lincoln School I was excited because of the shelves!  The Lincoln was constructed one year after the Bailey and the architect apparently didn't think shelf units over the sink area would be all that useful.  Luckily, when the Lincoln was constructed a revision was made and the shelves are well used!  In fact, I wish there were more of them -- but then that would just encourage teachers like me to hold on to more STUFF.  I have a rolling "art cart" in which I keep a minimal amount of construction paper and lots of composition and math paper.  On top of that cart, I have a 24-section sorting file that is used as student mailboxes. This final shot is a closeup of the coat/storage closet area.  Over the first 2 doors are pocket folders from Really Good Stuff. The first one holds reading and spelling/Word Study materials so that the students can help themselves.  The second holds math game and other such materials for our math program (Investigations).  Door Number 3, however, is the prize winner.  One of my former colleagues, Patty Myers, shared how she kept the little "stuff" she always needed in a clear plastic over-the-door shoe hanger.  This has been the coolest tip ever!So now the room is clean, minimally set up, and ready for the first day.  Now all we need are the students!

Building A Mystery, Part 1

It's a good news/bad news thing.....At the end of the school year, there was a rumor that our ratty carpeting would be replaced by tile.  Good news: the carpetsare gone!  Bad news: the replacement required some serious sanding before the new tiles could be laid.  Everything in my classroom is covered with a fine, white dust.The new floor, however, looks outstanding.  No more wheezing - I hope!Here's what the classroom looked like after being packed away for the summer and after the custodians removed and replaced all the furniture - including my 5 bookcases full of classroom library books. I don't envy them having to do this each summer.Yesterday was spent surveying what needs to be done so the room can be put back in order before students arrive on September 1.  The dust is hopeless -- a wet towel just created cement and didn't really clean off the surfaces, so next trip back I'll bring my shop vac from home.  I did manage to wipe down my desk, replace my desktop shelf unit and wipe down the bookshelves.I had left a map of where I wanted furniture replaced after the summer cleaning and Kevin, Delores and Mark did a great job of following my map!  I'm still playing with the desk arrangements; however.  I've always had students sit in cooperative groupings; the U-shape that I mapped just seems strange to me -- so I'll probably revisit the desk configurations.  And I will have a student with a motorized wheelchair so I need to rethink the room spacing to accommodate.I'm hoping 2 days will be enough time to get all the classroom layout completed, computers reconnected and dusting completed.