Sydney's School Stories

 As a special education teacher one of your big jobs is to case manage and teach students with individualized education plans (IEPs).  What's An IEP?  IEPs are legal plans to help students with special needs and create systems to help them in school. IEPs need to be reviewed annually with a student's family/guardian, general education teacher, school administrator, special education teacher, student (if appropriate), and any specialist involved (speech, occupational or physical therapy, vision, advocates, etc.). An IEP outlines goals for student and any accommodations or modifications a student might need for that school year.  I was so nervous at the first IEP meeting I facilitated! It can be nerve wracking to create / share a presentation to a student's family and your colleagues- all while remembering that that is a legally binding document. Today I want to share with some ideas and materials to have a smooth IEP meeting! Preparing / Writing an IEP Give yourself L...

 Year 7! I cannot believe that time has passed so quickly. This year I am teaching a new subject (elementary resource room) at a new district. Last year was really challenging and I just needed a change. This year I am hopeful . Hopeful to fall back in love with teaching and hopeful to regain my own sense of self.  Here are some photos of my new classroom. I share this space with a wonderful PT and OT.  Update 3 weeks in... I just finished the first full week week of the school year- so tired but overall feeling happier/more at peace with teaching. I'm exhausted but I think this is just because of transitioning to being back at school.  Highlights I realize that last year I really missed having more conversations with kids and building relationships. (Last year I taught young students who were still learning how to use AAC and this made communication more challenging). I love laughing and talking more to my students.  I am using A TON of skills that I gained fro...

This is the second post of my "3 Schools in 3 Years" series. After you have (mentally / emotionally) processed that you are moving schools or classrooms it is time to get down to the process of packing. Here are my top 10 tips for packing up your room in preparation for moving. Share with your students that you are moving . I told my students that I was moving schools because I was feeling stressed and on edge- I knew I wasn't being the more "present" teacher I could be and wanted to share what was going on in my life to my 5th graders. I also want my students to know how they can contact me next school year and not be shocked when if they come to visit in the future and can't find me.  Start early. I began packing with 3 weeks left in the school year. I started by packing things that students couldn't see- such as curriculum I was done teaching or teacher books. If you start the process early you won't feel overwhelmed at the very end of the...

The past several weeks have been difficult because I am being involuntarily transferred to another school in my district. I am being transferred because a new school is being built in my district and students from my current school will be moving there and thus several classes are being cut and determined by seniority. I will be teaching 5th grade (staying in the same grade level- yay!) at a title one school. This will be my 3rd school in my 3 years of teaching. Moving schools is not easy and it has been stressful wrapping my brain around the fact that in a few weeks I will be saying "good bye" to the new friends I have made and will have to establish new relationships. I had previously thought that if I was going to move I could at least go back to my old school- but there were no open positions there. If you are getting involuntarily moved this year- here is a hug to you. It is hard and its ok to be frustrated, confused, tired, and in a "bleh" state. It is...

Today I am going to share how to create a teacher website. I have created both a teacher portfolio and classroom website on  WEEBLY . Weebly is a free and easy to use website building plateform that is great for educators Other great website builders are: WIX . WIX is a free website builder that also has an easy drag/drop system. I know several teachers who have used WIX and love it.  BLOGSPOT . This is part of Google’s system and mostly used for blogging vs. building a traditional website. This teacher blog was created on Blogspot.  SQUARESPACE . I have friends that have used squarespace and they find it easy to use - it seems to have a similar drag and drop function as Weebly. Squarespace costs money to create a site.  Wordpress.com  or  Wordpress.org . These websites offer more customization and people create beautiful sites. I have tried wordpress.com but found it very difficult to use.  A classroom website is a great way to connect with y...

Weekly Math Rotations Grouping I put students into 5 homogenous groups. I group students by using a unit's pretest scores, exit tickets or quick quizzes throughout the course of a unit, STAR tests (these are tests that predict / track end of year SBA scores), and what I notice as a teacher.  There are about 5-6 students per group. I color code student's names with their group- this makes it easier for students to look at the smart-board and know what group they are in.  This year I have more boys than girls, but I do try to have both boys and girls in each group. I put students who are quiet with students who are chatty and try to make sure that kids have someone they like in their group.   Weekly Math Rotations

My school uses Foss Science Kits from UC Berkeley ( https://www.fossweb.com/ ). I only teach math and science - but I teach these two subjects 2 times a day. We are so lucky that we have boxed kits for science and have access to awesome curriculum! Science Projects 1. We did a STEM engineering "Build a Parachute" project. Students thought about what materials and sizes would make a good parachute. We used coffee filters, felt, and plastic and later tested the parachutes we designed. The materials all came in the Foss Science Kit, but you can find more information here:  https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/design_a_parachute  if you want to do this in your class! 2. Foss mixtures and solutions project. In our mixtures and solutions unit we are thinking about how to create mixtures and separate water from salt, water and gravel, and water and powder. Students learned about evaporation and what a solute is. Here are photos of projects that we did for the las...

I recently changed my classroom layout! My students have been really chatty lately, so I broke up some of my table groups and now have 4 rows of 4 desks each with 2 groups of 6 in the back of the room!

Here are photos of my classroom this year! This is my main whiteboard. I used washi tape to divide my whiteboard into sections for my daily schedule, voice level, table points for each class, objectives, and class community news. The objectives are from  https://teachingtoinspire.com/  and the place value chart is from  https://teachingandsofourth.com/ .  At the beginning of the year my class and I made "looks like/sounds like" chart for showing respect, solving problems, making good decisions, and being a good scholar. Students get class stars every time they display one of these attributes.  The rug has seen better days lol. The rug is from Marshals and pillows from Michaels (Michaels has a free teacher discount program!!!).   https://www.michaels.com/teachers--create-for-your-classroom/article-teachers.html  This is my math board. I list may do and must do items for students to complete in math and list math resources for the...

The 2016-2017 school   year was an exciting one for me- I got married, cleared my CA credential, and survived my first year teaching! There are many things I wish I could have changed about year one and lots I learned. Here are some of my Do’s and Don’ts for making the most out of your first year in the classroom! TLDR ( too long didn’t read) Version ·       Teaching is really hard, but also really enjoyable- so celebrate the awesome work and relationships that come out of your room but also reach out and lean on others for the tough days. ·       Have fun ·       Don’t compare yourself to others ·       When your friends tell you about their fancy jobs and big paychecks celebrate with them but remember this job is important too! Do’s ·       Do ask a lot of questions ! Ask your administration or fellow teachers questions about the cultu...