The Meek Moose Sings the Song of Procrastination - Sunday Scoopin'

First off - I have never ever pretended to not be a procrastinator.  I'm not *proud* of the trait, but I recognize the flaw.

I'm claiming all but The Delegator.  And The Paincker - to a small degree.  I do it sometimes.  Delgate, never.  Because I'm also a bit of a control freak.  #Imokwiththat

In an attempt to organize my rambles, I'm linking up with The Teaching Trio's Sunday Scoop again this week:

Have to do:
1) Lesson Plans.  Just like last week.  Which I told myself, and my daughter for that matter, that I would do yesterday.  But I didn't.  Yesterday I was : The Napper, The Social Sharer, The Internet Researcher, The Snacker, The Gamer, and The Perpetuator.  The Perpertuation was brought about through The Social Sharer when Kelly commented on an FB post that she waits until 8pm Sunday.  So I figured, why not join her? Kelly, thou art my muse.

The Gamer was caught up in this app called Rules:

Nothing makes you angrier or more determined to play for another 8+ hours than not being able to remember that whales come after phones but before green monsters with odd numbers.  I highly recommend it to everyone. Please come join me in this seventh ring....

As far as lesson plans go though- let me be The List Maker - because that's my favorite.

This week I must teach: 

Addition facts to ten with missing addends + subtraction

Story Problems with the 4 box plan

(My kids are also ready to move up to time to the half hour)

The scientific process with magnets

Reading Salad, 

Reading Stamina to 12 minutes

Three ways to read a book, 

accountable student discussion

word work activities

Oral storytelling with basic sketch drawings

Beginning, middle, and end

PALS testing

Reading Level Assessments

And I'm not even sure if that's all.  Let's hope though.

2) The dang playdough.  This was on my list last week- and I didn't do it.  I really WANT to do it this week though.  It will help me accomplish that Word Work Activities bit in the lesson plans.  I got a lot of questions about the playdough last week, so I thought I'd elaborate a bit today.

First of all, The Internet Researcher in me loves Pinterest.  It makes me feel like I am actually working even though it's just electronic hoarding.  Personal goal to actually do something with my pins this year, so let's see if I can do it.

I have a playdough recipe board where I collect all sorts of playdough related pins. I am very interested in incorporating sensory activities into my second grade classroom. 

It started with seeing this recipe for Eucalyptus cloud dough and eucalyptus playdough - my kids get stuffed up a lot.  And so do I.  

 

But I wanted to start the year with chamomile and lavender playdough for it's calming qualities. 

  

I am hoping to convert the recipes to this softest dough recipe.

  

I will do my best to make it today and take pictures/video of the ensuing experience.

3) Math Class Homework  I'm taking a class being offered by my school system for teaching Number Sense to students on the K-2 level.  It's going to be awesome.  Except for the not getting home until 9pm and having to go to bed right away.  And the homework that I will put off reading until the last minute.  Other than that- fab!  I love our instructors.  So it will be good.  It's just, they said the words "fifteen more meeting days" on the first class, and that made it sound like a loooonnnnng time.  I'll adjust.

Hope to Do:

1) Clean my room.  Home and at school.  I left a mess when I ran for my life Friday afternoon.  And well, here, my organizational abilities at school do not translate to the house.  So, I've got some work to do.  PLUS- it means I get to utilize The Cleaner procrastination style.  Yay, me.  But I could probably put this off.

2) Get paid on Monday.  As in tomorrow.  Seeing as I haven't got a paycheck since June 15, tomorrow would be really exciting.  Except I got an email Friday afternoon that they messed up something about my check and I won't be getting the full amount until September 30th.  The Meek Moose is feeling a bit irate.  And bankrupt.  And nervous.  And in need of that rich organic strawberry farmer with big hands and nice teeth.

Happy to Do:

Pinning my friend Lucy's pins.  She must be super excited to see my name 1,000 times from going through every single one of her boards last night. (and I'm not done, Babe)  

Do you guys know Lucy?  You should check out her blog : Here's an Idea, her Facebook page, annnnnnnd her Pinterest Boards. It's where I got the Procrastinator graphic.  And one of my favorite snortables from her boards yesterday:

Happy Sunday, one and all!

Notebook Phobia

Don't get me wrong- I've seen plenty of posts about notebooks and it seems easy enough. But I can't do it. I'm completely petrified of notebooks.

Any time I've ever attempted notebooks in the classroom, I end up giving up on them and they go home mostly blank. Mostly blank notebooks make me feel like a failure. It's a professional embarrassment. So, to avoid the trauma, I just don't do them. 

But next year, I have to. New team composition, new ideas. One team member really wants to try an interactive science notebook.  I really want to do lap books. The compromise is notebook for science, lap book for social studies- reevaluate at end of year. And we're all going to try Words Their Way, and apparently you need a notebook for that.

I'd probably have been fine if I hadn't had a conversation about notebooks with my daughter. But I did. She brought home all her notebooks from third grade, and gave me the run down on each one.  You know what phrase she kept saying over and over? "What's the point?"  

So here I am, already a hot mess when it comes to notebooks, and my girly has confirmed my inner fears. If kids are feeling this way about notebooks- then they are probably telling their parents. And even if they aren't, the whole point of the notebook is to help the student, yeah? But are we helping with these things?

Don't just take my word for it: 

 

Squirt on blank pages 

 

Squirt on what she had to write inside them

 

Squirt on storage

 

*horrors* Squirt on Word Study

 

Squirt on her future plans

 

 

I can tell myself I'm just being silly when it's only me thinking it in my head.  But hearing my daughter say it - FREAKING OUT.

 

Which, I suppose, is a silly thing to do.  But notebooks are like, a thing teachers DO.  Are we all failing at them, even if we think we're cool with it?  How do you make a notebook useful, necessary, interesting, and worth keeping?  If you can't, if it's not meant for that, then WHY are we bothering?

 

Somebody weigh in.  Let's get real.

 





 ..

First Week Down

Number One- my class is awesome.  I am going to love this year.
Number Two- two weeks in a row and I have my week's lesson plans done.  So I'm doing pretty good so far.
Number Three- I've even already gone over their initial assessments and made note of them in the computer, so I am on my way to maintaining my grade book.
Number Four- Things are still organized in the room, it's looking good.  I've been able to find everything when I needed it- and the kids even know where everythign is too!
Number Five- I just haven't had time to decorate still, or blog.  I'll have to find the time somehow.

Here's some pics:

 

And so it begins, again...

Tomorrow will be my first day back at work.  The idea is to use this week to get all of my belongings organized and the room put together.  And I absolutely must get it accomplished in these five days because next week I'll be in meetings and planning for the entire week.  And then Tuesday the 4th it all starts with the kids.  Looking back over the summer, I don't know that I accomplished what I thought I would.  That's my standard routine, of course. But, I did enjoy the time off, and what I did manage to do I am happy with- so it can't be all bad. 

I am moving rooms and I am not relishing the idea of all the sorting I have to do this week.  Even though I am sooooo happy to be going downstairs to be with my team, I know I have to throw out half of my old things and sort through what was left for me before I worry about my NEW things that are clogging up my house at the moment. Or decorate.  Which is what I'm more interested in doing.  And I'm very easily distracted when I'm doing a chore I'm not in to.  So I'm making myself a powerpoint to flash up on my promethean board while I work:

Snarf.  They sort of make me happy.

And I put the goal setting method I learned to use, and made myself a page for my first two days this week:

Overall, my plan is to spend two days cleaning, sorting, and tossing.  Wednesday I'll work on furniture arrangement and wall coverings.  Thursday my Dad is bringing my hoard from home, so I'll be putting that away.  And Friday for finishing touches.  I'll make another goal sheet for my decorating days to keep me on track.  I'm hoping for a look that is tasteful and not busy looking.  We'll see though, I have never pulled off that style before.