Next Year Linky

What?  Next year?  Already?  Yup!!!  I'm linking up with Kim at Finding JOY in 6th Grade to set some goals for next year (that I hope you'll all hold me to)!  We are done with school on Friday so it seems more than appropriate timing for me.  When are you done?

The wonderful paraprofessionals that I work with take lots of data and collect work samples to supplement the time that I spend with students.  This is invaluable because I have four rooms and I bounce between them and inevitably, something exciting happens when I'm not there.  The data helps drive instruction and track progress toward IEP goals, but when I get in the room the first thing I want to do is spend time with the kids.  I need to get better at checking the data binder first!  I just get so excited about seeing where my little ones are and marveling at the progress they are making!!

At my K-8 school, we have some wonderful opportunities for big kids and little kids to connect and build relationships.  We have had a couple of kindergarten students who need help on the play yard - finding things to keep them busy, figuring out how to interact with their peers, solving little scuffles, etc.  We recruited some "big buddies" to hang out with groups of kindergarten students and help with those challenges, but having a more formal program next year would be fabulous!  The upper grade students (6-8th) have the same lunch time as the little ones (K-1st) so it works out well.  It makes lunch time so wonderful for kids who would struggle otherwise, so I want to make sure we have a great program next year!

Great things happen every day and I want to share them with you but I keep coming to the problem that there are no pictures to show you.  My cell phone is permanently attached to me so I just need to get better at taking those pictures to show you!

And then I'll be able to blog more examples of how I teach students with a variety of disabilities with my many diverse students who don't have disabilities.  I appreciate the supportive comments you've all given me, and it just makes me want to show you more!

What are you going to do next year??

Adie

Linking up to Share my Summer Bucket List

What?  Summer already?  We have 11 days of school left and most of the "big stuff" is all done.  I still owe you pictures from our fabulous Annual Project day, but for now, just trust me that it was amazing. This week we have "Buddy Days" where the future kindergarten students come visit for the afternoon and they get a campus tour from a current kindergarten student!  Just signs that the year is ending! So.......I'm joining the Summer Bucket List Linky Party over at Miss Kindergarten!

1. Yoga!  I know I shared how much yoga has been helping my recent back injury and I'm so excited to keep going and become stronger and healthier!

2. Read for fun!  I want to catch up on all those books sitting on my Kindle app just because it is fun for me.  Any recommendations for fun books to read?

3. Check off some Pinterest cooking/baking/DIY projects!  I got a lot of organizing done over Winter Break but I have pinned many things since then.  Top projects to complete: Finish my quilt and start a new one!  Which one do you like best?

4. Travel!  I'm going to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Israel in June and a new cousin will be born while I'm there :).  I'm also going on a one week trip with my other grandmother to London just for fun.  My best friend and I always plan a trip - we're considering Florida and Oregon, what do you think?  AND I want to make it out to Texas to meet a dear friend's new addition!  That's a lot of time at the airport, eek!

5. Hit some milestones - 100 TpT products available.  100 blog followers. Any others I should aim for?

6. Do lots of fun things that aren't on my bucket list!  I just want to enjoy LA in the summertime and see friends and eat good food and relax by the water and hike.  Unexpected adventures are the goal!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's plans for summer!

Budding Blog Linky Party

A Linky Party for Budding Bloggers? That sounds perfect for me! I can't believe I've been blogging nearly 2 months now. I have enjoyed it so much, I can't wait to connect with more amazing bloggers and make myself a better teacher!  So I'm linking up with Jess over at I {heart} Recess for her Budding Blog Linky Party!

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging because my friend and colleague, Vanessa from Kindergarten Schmindergarten, kept raving about it and about the amazing people she was connecting with through their blogs.  I started two months ago when I had some time (thank you, spring break!) and I haven't looked back since.  I love it!

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

I have a general education and a special education credential, but I LOVE being a special education teacher.  I have the opportunity to collaborate with some amazing general education teachers to figure out how to help all of our students access the curriculum.  For some students, this means providing them with some accommodations, but for other students this can be a complex puzzle with no easy answer, but after trying different options and learning about my individual students, it feels so wonderful to find the way that best meets their needs.

3. Describe your teaching style.

I believe every student can learn in a room with their peers.  The world we live in is a diverse place and learning to work together and value each other's strengths builds a community full of compassionate, resourceful people.  My little people know that everyone learns in their own way and at their own pace, but that everyone deserves respect for their hard work and everyone should be proud of their own achievements.

4. Give three interesting facts about you.

-I love traveling around the US (especially road tripping!), my best friend and I plan at least one trip every summer going to a new destination.  We haven't figured out our summer trip for this year yet...any ideas?

-I grew up in New England (4 years in Boston, 5 years in Connecticut, 9 years in Rhode Island) and no matter how many years I spend in LA, I will always be a New England girl at heart!

-I didn't learn how to whistle until I was in college.  That is not for a lack of trying, but it took me that long to figure it out!

5. Do you have a TpT store?
YES!  I have a TpT and a TN store.  Check them both out!

Looking forward to meeting other Budding Bloggers!

Adie

The Conversation that Never Ends

Honestly, I think I could talk about teaching and my students all day, every day, to anyone who will listen.  I spent yesterday flying across the country to visit my best friend in Massachusetts and sat next to a very sweet family with a first grader, a pre-K-er, and a toddler.  Of course I chatted up the kids learning about their favorite apps on Daddy's iPhone and the cool movies they were watching.  You can take a teacher out of a classroom, but s/he will always be a teacher.  As thankful as I am to be on vacation to recharge, I just cant see a little one and NOT talk to them.

And of course my best friend, a fellow first grade teacher, and I always talk about school when we are together.  I find it really interesting to compare our schools and get some ideas from the other side of the country.  We stayed up until long past midnight talking about our favorite Pins, education videos, etc. We went to bed only because both of our phones died and we couldn't share any more ideas.  Her favorites: Bill Nye videos, Envisions math, and a few cute youtube videos.  My favorites: Harry Kindergarten, Edmoto, and my new blogging world. We swapped tales of hilarious comments, lessons gone really well, and this changing climate with Common Core.

I am fully capable of having other conversations with people, but I definitely light up when I get to talk about my kids or my ideas for the classroom.  I don't think I'll ever run out of things to say about teaching my little ones!

Still talking...

Adie

My love of Pinterest!

I joined Pinterest one year ago. I held off out of fear that I would be as addicted to it as I had become to Facebook.  I was so glad to find out that Pinterest was not just going to suck hours of my life away into a screen, but rather connect me to other teachers, at home cooks, and help me to spruce up my home. Like all pinners, it would be a full time job to make/do/create everything I've pinned, but I have made any home renovations, baked some delicious goodies, and brought some great ideas to my little ones.  I can't get enough of Pinterest, the more I search around, the more inspired I am by teachers I've never met before.  I loved that teachers from all over the country were helping me to improve my practice and give me ideas for my little ones that I never would have thought of before.

Well........joining Pinterest led me to join Teachers Pay Teachers which led me to join Twitter which led me to join the blogging world.  I am so excited to join a new league of teachers who blog their fabulous ideas. I hope very much to bring some new ideas blending special education and general education. What are you most looking to learn in this area?

Thank you, Pinterest for opening the door for me to start connecting with some pretty stellar teachers. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!

Adie

Entering the blogging world...

Hello blogging world!  I am so excited to enter into this fabulous community of educators sharing their ideas.  As the world of education moves toward students with all abilities working alongside each other in inclusive settings, I get very excited about sharing my ideas, tools, and suggestions for making classrooms warm, welcoming, challenging places for students with all abilities to grow and learn together.

How did I come to this?  I grew up with an amazing, creative, hardworking, inquisitive sister who happens to have a disability and spent her whole education learning alongside her typically developing peers. These relationships and peer models helped her become the woman she is today and it fuels my desire to create a similar experience for all of my students - those with and without disabilities.  I studied to become a general education teacher and then studied to become a special education teacher and I spend everyday trying to fuse the two into the best education possible for my diverse students.  I teach students with challenging behaviors, students who are gifted readers, students with limited verbal skills, and students learning English.

What will you see on my blog?  Why I believe this is such a valuable model of education. Tips and tools that make this kind of inclusion possible. Hilarious stories that only other teachers would ever believe. Answers to any questions that come up along the way.

Here's to a wonderful adventure together!

Adie