It's been nearly a year!

I can't believe it has been nearly a year since I updated my blog. Life threw me several curve balls in the past 11 months and my priorities shifted a bit. Last May I was hired to be a Reading Teacher and Instructional Coach in a new district.  Instead of a classroom I have an office.  Wow, what a switch! We had two major health scares and now a new baby on the way! So, it's been a busy time. Hopefully I can get back to posting helpful and inspirational tips to all of you.

The  teacher blog world has exploded and become so wonderful.  I feel like a dinosaur in this realm. I will meet it's challenges and be bringing you more cool stuff.

Illinois Common Core Link

Hi.  The Illinois Common Core Link I had listed  wasn't working.  The problem has been corrected and the link is working fine now.  If you are not an Illinois Teacher then the PARRC Website might be of some help to you. 

Illinois Common Core Standards

Linky Party for a First Year Teacher

My dear friend Mrs. Crouse has finally been given a break in finding a teaching position.  She is one of the most thoughtful and caring people I know.  She has worked the trenches for a few years as an aide and recently was hired as a 6th Grade teacher.  She will be awesome at this!  Let's help her out by offering some advice, suggestions and big ideas to inspire her.  Please share and support her.  She's one of those "awesome teachers who have that unique quality".  If you follow my blog you understand when I say... She's not just a "warm body with a teaching certificate. :)

Below is her blog:
http://crouseallstars.blogspot.com/2012/07/preparing-for-school-linky-party.html

Laugh of the Day Activity- Common Core

In our 6^th Grade Reading Class we will share in a minute or two of laughter with a “ Laugh of the Day”.  Every child will have the opportunity to read or share their weekly jokes to the class.  The same child is responsible for being the “Comdedian” all week.  We will have a rotating schedule to help keep us on track.  5 jokes should be submitted by the student 1 week before their spot in the rotation and approved by the teacher.  Jokes must be pure, age appropriate and non -discriminatory towards individuals.

We will keep these jokes and publish them at the end of the year.  Joke books and websites will be available for students as resources.

6^th grade Common Core Standards: RI.6.5 & 7, W.6.4,8,10

Team Teaching improves learning?

Does Team Teaching really improve learning?  You bet it does.  Not only is Team Teaching a proven teaching strategy it also helps teachers to learn to work together for a common purpose.  It goes without saying that a team can be hard to be apart of if there is a kink in the process.  Excellent collegue leadership and in-tuned Administration are a plus. 

While reading Leaders of Learning by Richard DuFour I found the 4 P's of success in people working together for student and school achievement.

" Success doesn't just happen.  It's the result of 4 P's, Planning, Preparation, Performance and Perseverence."

 Food for thought.

5 Princples of RtI

When planning and preparing for your year of RtI requirements there are five ideas to keep in mind.

• "All children can learn!"  Even if it's the simplest concept no matter what age they are.
• "Quality assessment informs instructional practices."  Purposeful assessment(s) should be the compass of your instruction. 
• "Quality teaching makes a difference. " It's a no-brainer that children need to have teachers and leaders who are knowledgeable about pedagogy and how to best teach/reach students.  For a few years I have said that a "warm body and a teaching certificate doesn't qualify them to teach children in our classrooms".  I have been a witness to teachers who got their jobs for who they are in a community rather than their abilities.  Sometimes the teacher employment process can be an unfair one... grr, I digress!  Please see some of my other posts for further opinionations on "quality teachers".  :)
• "Positive relationships within the classroom maximize learning."
• "Educators must work as a team." 

These principles are from a book I read this summer.

RTI SUCCESS, Proven Tools and Strategies for Schools and Classrooms. Written by Patricia Whitten, Kelli Esteves and Alice Woodrow, ISBN: 13-978-1-57542-320-3.

Summer Reading for Education

Most teachers I know try to read for enjoyment in the summer as an escape from our busy and stressful school year.  Then there are a few of us-geeks who enjoy reading about our profession and building our knowledge base.  So for those of you geeks who are looking for a book about how to improve schools I would "lightly" suggest the book Leverage Leadership: Building Exceptional Schools. I have been reading it on my kindle. The target audience for this book is Administration, Superintendents, Principals and some lead teachers.  It discusses the steps and attitudes people in leadership should have in order to lead effectively.  The book uses real life experiences of Superintendents whose schools are not meeting the state requirements, meaning AYP.   It walks you  through some great concepts, ideas to try and helpful research to consider.  It can get a bit boring and dry in some areas.  I am about 50% through it and finding myself skimming and scanning through some parts of the book.  Have a great summer!