What Works! A Teacher Appreciation Linky and Giveaway!

Whether your school fills the week with non-stop fun, or your biggest gift is a child's smile, you can always count on your friends in BlogLand to bring join in the celebration. The bloggers at Inspired Owl Corner and Pawsitively Teaching have put together TWO amazing giveaway packages that will warm your heart during this special week. Nothing like a chance to win a whole bunch of fabulousness to start the week off right!

On top of that, a group of bloggers have put their heads together to share some teaching secrets. (To be honest, my ideas are neither secret nor particularly spectacular, but I'm always excited to participate in any event that celebrates teachers!)

Strategy #1: Stay connected. Even though I work at a very small school, I know the importance of staying connected. I could easily work through every recess lunch, and after-school afternoon (and still not be caught up!). But that would be counterproductive. I am blessed to have some truly wonderful teacherfriends who I know I can count on. Whether it is to explain a math standard, lend me some copies, problem solve my technology problems, or just to listen, I am surrounded by some truly wonderful women. We manage to find time to check in with each other almost daily.

 

Second, I make it a habit to celebrate everything. It is easy to become discouraged if your goals have to be "meet standards," "be proficient," "read at grade level," etc. In many classrooms, there are a few (or more!) kids who may not meet those goals during your year together. I tell my students that we celebrate moving "forward." I try to recognize kindness and good character whenever possible.

But I also try to recognize those "moments" that matter in a different way. Whether it is having a pencil two days in a row, finishing a book, remembering 8 x 7 = 56, or using a "lovely language" or the word of the week in written or spoken language. I keep a supply of "sweet notes" on hand... but just as often it is a quickly written note that highlights a personal goal. In many ways, the encouragement buoys my spirits as much as the students'!

I have some good organizational skills in some areas... and then there are areas that could be considered a deficit. One of the biggest challenges for me as a teacher is staying one step ahead of the never-ending piles of papers.

Here's our work basket. As you can see, there is room for one more set of papers before it will be overflowing. So I had to  make a rule: No double basketing! I can't re-box, re-pile or re-hide the papers. I need to check them in--or do whatever is required. I pretend there is a silent alarm that only I can hear... telling me to do something with the papers--since we all know more will be added to the basket soon!

Nothing stellar. Nothing surprising. Just three things I've tried to work on this year. What are YOUR secrets? You can whisper them... I'm listening!

There is some more great news just waiting to be shared!

There's a GIANT giveaway going on!

You have a chance to win LOTS of great stuff! And the more times you enter (by doing different tasks through Rafflecopter), the greater your chance of winning. And these prize packages are worth almost $500... each!

Here are the details of Package #1...

Just take a look at everything you could win...

One lucky reader will win this entire prize package!!!

Prize Bundle #1 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art Coloring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Game Pack from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....a Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies valued 

at $140 sent to you from Amazon!

And, as I mentioned... There are TWO prize packages!

We aren't finished yet....take a look at everything a second lucky winner will win!!!

Prize Bundle #2 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art InteractiveColoring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Mega Task Card Bundle from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....a Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies valued 

at $140 sent to you from Amazon!

Be sure to enter both Rafflecopters for a better chance at winning one of these amazing prize bundles!

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #1 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #2 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You won't want to miss out on all the other great secrets being shared by successful teachers!  Be sure to check out all the other great posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sending you good wishes and lots and LOTS of appreciation...

Five for Friday... A Week Worth Appreciating

It's Time for Doodle Bugs' Five for Friday! (Shhhh... let's just not tell anyone it's already Saturday, Okay?) Click on the picture below for a peek into this week's adventures in other classrooms.

This week FLEW by! It seems like there was something important happening every minute...

Monday was our last day to review for The Test. We finished our English Language Arts testing last week and this week we had two days of testing for math. I've changed the way we review for testing... I've added more partner work, move "move-around" games and more group study. Time will tell...

By Wednesday it was all over. And I was soooooooooooo proud of my students. They really worked hard! It was funny to be watching them and suddenly hear someone say "Yes!" (Translation: "One of my answers is in the list!") and "Oh, Oh, Oh!" ((Translation: "I've seen a problem like this before"). Even if their scores are not all stellar, I will be more-than-pleased with their efforts. The state measures their scores against a standard of proficiency. In my mind, they all worked at a proficient level... including those who waited quietly (and waited and waited!) for their classmates to finish. I'm glad that's over!

Wednesday was Teacher Appreciation Day. Some of my students brought flowers... and chocolate... and sweet notes... and they left me a giant note on the white board with everyone's name included. I left it up for an extra day because my heart wouldn't let me erase it!

My principal gave each teacher a book for Teacher Appreciation Day. (I love that my principal is a serious reader!) Mine was called Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach. (I wrinkled the ribbon, sorry, J.) and the quote on the card was "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited" --Plutarch. I thought that was so inspiring (and thoughtful). And, of course, I loved my purple pen! My favorite section is called "Holding On." Now I know just where to look when I need a little extra motivation to try again the next day.

Our PTA puts on a luncheon for the entire staff at our school... and our tiny staff barely filled six tables! Yep, we are a small school. But what we lack in numbers, we make up in determination!

Yes, I did do laundry, but that's not why this picture is posted! Sometimes, when the stars are all aligned, I can manage to sneak in a surprise for my colleagues. Under the guise of "practicing for promotion," twenty sixth graders learned a song in sign language called "Do I Make You Proud?" Our colors are white and royal blue, so they dressed in school colors and took the stage. Some were nervous and some were... more nervous!

Just like the differences in students' voices, their signing is different too. Some sign in a "timid" way and some sign in a "dramatic" way. It makes the whole performance that much more touching. And, since they only had two days to pull it together, it was so gratifying that they managed to shine (brightly!) on stage. They were SO precious! I was fine for the first few verses, but at some point, the tears started and that was that. Later, they said they thought it was funny that I was crying, but I think they knew it was just an acknowledgement of how proud I felt at that very moment...

If you have never heard the song--or you missed a season of American Idol, I left the link below. Imagine it from a student to a teacher... Pretty sweet, huh? The part about raising my hand really affected me because we worked so hard this year to become participants. The video is a little "over the top," but twenty kids in blue and white shirts, signing with all their hearts would have made even Taylor Hicks proud!

Friday was Western Bar-B-Que Day. By 10:30, the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill had reached every classroom. We sneaked out a few minutes early--only to be among the three other upper-grade classrooms who were thinking the very same thing!

Living in suburban southern California, most of my students don't own any "western wear." Three kids had a variation of a cowboy hat. A few had plaid shirts and jeans, but we didn't look very festive. The night before, I had made a trip to Boot Barn. This is a local store filled with cowboy boots and other western attire--quite dissimilar from the shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes worn by most of my students to school each day. The salesperson was laughing as I sorted through the big barrel to find 32 bandannas. She didn't know that I was thinking with each choice: "Ashley will want a pink one, Marcus will probably be wearing black basketball shorts, Roxie's favorite color is green..." That morning, I let them choose bandannas, and soon we looked ready for a photo shoot... or at least for a tray of "special" food prepared by the Food Service people!

Once lunch was over, we finished our Mother's Day letters, and then my cowboys and cowgirls waited for the clock to finally tick its way to the weekend.

Twenty more school days. I keep alternating between being excited and feeling a bit melancholy. This is definitely a class I will always remember...

PS  Don't you just love those cupcakes? Just another wonderful clip art set from Ashley Hughes... find them  HERE at TpT!

Teacher Appreciation Thank You Note FREEBIE

I hope that you felt well appreciated and celebrated last week during Teacher Appreciation Week!
(In case you're pressed for time...  There's a freebie at the bottom of the post!)

Last Wednesday, the sixth graders signed Brain Asselin's song ("You Have Made A Difference") during the Teacher Appreciation luncheon and their performance went beautifully. I find it amazing that even the shyest or least communicative child can sometimes perform so eloquently in sign language.  I bought blue and white shirts for all of the performers, so their hands really stood out (Oops. I think I may have twisted up some figurative language in that sentence... hands and stood?!) Forty-five sets of hands moving in (almost) synchrony. I was SO proud. One of my students e-mailed me the next day and said, "Let's do that again!"  And here's what one of my colleagues shared...

On Thursday, the members of the Student Council went to each classroom. It was one officer's responsibility to chat with the teacher and keep him/her occupied while two other officers handed out the "secret surprise": special Teacher Appreciation stationery to be filled out and returned the next day with a message of thanks to their teacher.  Although there were a few comments such as "Do I have to do this?" the Council members did a great job deflecting the complaints... "It's a nice thing to do." "Here's a chance to say thank you for free!" and "You can just draw a (nice) picture and sign your name." I love when kids talk to kids. It really is magical.

 

On Friday, the Council members worked together to assemble and deliver "Care Packages"
("... because we CARE so much about you!") The bag was filled with treats like cookies and Dove chocolates and goldfish crackers and other yummy things. Part of the sentiment read "You find a way to teach and love all of us... big and small, "salty" and "sweet"... I think our teachers felt appreciated--and well-fed!

What happened at your school? Were there treats? Presents? Starbucks cards? My bucket was overflowing after reading sweet notes from sixth graders and munching on chocolate and sipping coffee. You already know my history with thank you notes, so I grabbed some of my favorite Scrappin' Doodles graphics and made an easy thank you card.

And I am sharing the notes with you too! You can run off two copies on a page on some white cardstock, cut them in half, fold once, and you're ready to go (Don't forget to set the printer on landscape). You can put the recipient's name in the space on the front and add a quick sentiment inside. You can guess what is at the top of my To Do list tomorrow afternoon.

Click on the graphic to get your own thank you notes at google.docs or just Click HERE!

Finally, before I am too terribly tardy, I wanted to say thanks to my BloggyPals too. I APPRECIATE your words of wisdom and kindness and I feel blessed to have found such sweet friends in BlogLand.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead...

Just the Video, M'am

Some folks remarked that they were unable to view the video...

If you would like to see/hear "The Teacher Appreciation Song" by Brian Asselin, click on the purple square.

That should take you to the correct place on You Tube.

You can read about out how we are using the song by clicking on "older post"--the one before this one.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day/Week!

Click Here >>>>>>>

The Video That Made THIS Teacher Feel Appreciated!

I am thanking Brian Asselin. And after you watch this video, you'll be thanking him too!

Maybe you've already seen this, but for me, this video was new.
And it made my heart swell with JOY that someone could home in so accurately on the many hats a teacher wears on any given day.
To me, it seemed as if Brian used his experience to express his appreciation in a way that celebrates ALL of us...

I work at a small school. The secretaries are the nurses and counselors, the teachers are often PTA board members and always committee members, the librarian helps with noon duty, and the principal can't always guess what her next task might be. This amounts to a few people doing many things.

We don't always remember to say thank you to each other because we are so busy. Even during this special week, we're still finishing testing, planning Open House, and getting ready for field trips and report cards and promotion. I'd like to believe that parents and students don't always say thank you because the note reminding families about the significance of this day/week doesn't always get sent home (or brought home!) because it was on someone's To Do list and it didn't get done in time.

As a small school, we sometimes group our celebrations together.  So, this week, we are having a Staff Appreciation luncheon, where we will celebrate ALL of the people who work together to support our students.

Right now I am giddy with excitement and anticipation. SECRETLY, I have taught all of the sixth graders the words and signs to the song that Brian wrote from his heart.

We have some deaf teachers, assistants, and students at our school, so we often add sign language to our presentations. This always makes something wonderful even more beautiful.

So when the staff settles in to enjoy their picnic lunch, a sixth grader will step forward signing that first lovely verse... to be joined by more and more sixth graders until the whole group is signing with their hands and with their hearts to all of the people that have guided them through the years.  I am so excited, I can hardly stand it... especially since no one but the kids and the interpreters are in on our surprise!

So... Here is the video from YouTube.
If it touches you too, be good to Brian Asselin and Eric Disero. You can purchase this song from his website or iTunes, CD Baby or Amazon.

In case you're wondering, we've chatted on e-mail, and Brian seems just as sweet "in real life" as you would have guessed by his song.

Sit back, grab a tissue, and feel appreciated...

See... Lovely, isn't it?

Wishing you a Wonderful Teacher Appreciation Day or Week... however you celebrate.
And, even if it is just a cyberhug from a BloggerFriend (or warm wishes in song-form from Brian), consider yourself appreciated!