New Adventure...New Stress...New Found Happiness.

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry I have been slacking terribly..but that's what happens when you start a new job? Right? Time slips away from you and before you know it, I've almost been in school for a whole month already! Wow! :)

Let me update you on the past month of my life...starting 1st grade in a brand new school! Let me tell you it has been an ADVENTURE!  And with that adventure has come alot of stress, tears, smiles, and fears...but I have found myself being happy with this stress....challenging myself in a new situation and testing myself in all sorts of different ways.  Here's to my first year in 1st grade....are you ready to jump on this journey with me?  Let's go!

First Day of First Grade!

First, let me start off by saying I have THE CUTEST group of kids!  They may be chatterboxes and have TONS of stories, but wow, do they bring joy to my life?  Every day I hope each and every one of them is there because I absolutely LOVE seeing them come in with smiling faces and anticipation to learn something new.  They are truly the best.

Aren't they cute?! :)

We have been very busy in 1st grade, learning about sight words, letter sounds, 2d & 3d shapes, iPad time, Smartboard Time (interactive whiteboard), center time and so much more!

WORD WORK:

Building sight words with Play Doh!

Building & Writing CVC words!

Stamping sight words!

MATH:

Building hexagons on the smart board!

How many ways can you make a hexagon? :)

Sorting 2d shapes by their attributes on the smart board!

Building shapes with Play Doh!

Buidling 2d shapes with marshmellows & toothpicks! :)

SCIENCE:

We have been talking alot about insects in Science so we had a visitor come talk to us all about butterflies!  And next week, we have an expert coming to talk to us about bees! :)

They have been so busy and have already turned into little self-directed learners!  They are so independent already and that is what I pride myself on in my teaching.  I want my students to be independent.  I want them to see that they can do it by themselves and don't need to depend on an adult every time they need or want something.  It's very important in today's society that they learn that independent quality because I know my parents taught it to me and wow has it taken me places!

1st Grade has started off great, and again, a new grade in a new school does bring new stress but my school family has been great, and my 1st grade team has been wonderful.  They have helped out so much and I can't thank them enough for that.  I can't wait to continue my journey here in Mason City in 1st Grade and I hope you continue it with me!

As for home life...well, it's officially fall and it's officially harvest season...so as for my dad and Kyle...well, we don't see much of them right now!  But this is their favorite time of the year, and we all need to cherish it because farmers know how to work and they know how to provide and I'm so lucky I have two dedicated farmers in my life. <3

Farm Life with my man <3

Until next time...stay safe and thanks for listening. <3

New Adventures Await...

My job is to take the stars in, and shine them

and buff them and then send them out to the sky.

Leah Becks

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my new blog look...
could anyone figure out why I wanted to change my look?

You're right...!

I have officially began my teaching career at the Mason City Community School District in Mason City, Iowa.  This school district is MUCH larger than the district I was in before, so it's been an adjustment and overwhelming at times, but I know it is exactly the direction I was meant to go in!  I'm having a blast and have officially completed 5 days out of 9 days of meetings! WOOHOO! :) 

For those of you who don't know, I will be teaching 1st grade at Roosevelt Elementary within the Mason City School District.  Along with myself, there are four other 1st grade teachers and they are great!  They have been very helpful in this process of getting ready for a new year and helping me with a new transition into a new grade.  I am so excited for this journey and I can't wait to get started.

I'm going to leave you with a little poem we received at Teacher Orientation Day that literally almost brought me to tears...I hope you all enjoy this poem as much as I did, because it describes my profession perfectly, and I can't wait to hang it up right next to my desk.

 

The Star Polisher

I have a great job in the universe of occupations.  What do I do?  I'm a "star polisher."

 

It's a very important job.  If you want to know how important, just go out at night and look at the stars twinkling and sparkling.

 

You see, I'm a teacher.  The stars are the children in my class.  My job is to take them in - in whatever shape they come - and shine and buff them and then send them out to take their places as bright little twinkling beacons in the sky.

 

They come into my room in all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes they're bent, tarnished, dirty, crinkly, and broken.  Some stars are cuddly, soft, and sweet.  Some stars are prickly and thorny.

 

As I buff, polish, train and teach my little stars, I tell them that the world cannot do without them.  I tell them they can do anything they set their minds to do.  I tell them they can be the brightest, shiniest stars in the sky, and the world will be a better place because of them.

 

Each night as I look at the sky, I'm reminded of my very important job and awesome responsibility.  I go and get my soft buffing cloth and my bottle of polish in preparation for tomorrow and for my class of little stars.

 

Stay tuned to see a classroom tour and to find out who our school mascot is....... :)

Thank you all for listening, and until next time...stay safe. <3

10 Memories Later...

Hey everyone!

Wow, once track season started I definitely slacked on my blog!  I am so sorry!  My 2nd grade class this year was phenomenal and I absolutely loved them!  We finished our year strong and they are all going to be great in 3rd grade.  They definitely made my last year at Clarksville a memorable one!

And so...as most of you know, I have been a 2nd grade teacher at Clarksville Schools for the past two years.  This year though, they unfortunately had to cut me at the end of the year because of budget cuts.  Ouch.  Yep, it was a hard 6 months and honestly, I cried every night for along time because I just did not want to leave my tight-knit community and all those amazing memories I had made there.  I have no idea how to wrap up my time at Clarksville, but I am definitely going to try to do my best.

In order to wrap up my time at Clarksville, I'm going to choose my top 10 favorite memories from this school and community.  I have so many more memories than just 10, but here are my top 10! :)

10.  MY VERY FIRST CLASSROOOM:  

Clarksville School was the first school district I ever taught in and it will always 

hold a very special place in my heart.  

9. RANDOM THOUGHTS OF APPRECIATION:  

In a small school, you often rely on coworkers, friends, and family to get you through those rough times.  The amount of Thank You's and notes of appreciation I was given by coworkers and family was unbelievable.  You know you're in a great school when you have people always caring about you, when they are so busy in their own lives as well.  This random gift card came to me by mail at school and I still have no idea who it is from, but wow, what a generous thought and I can't wait until the day I know who sent this because you lit up not only my eyes, but the students' eyes in my classroom because they had never seen something so random but nice done before! :)  Thank you to whoever you are! :)

7 & 8: MY STUDENTS:

Your first class always holds a special place in your heart but this time, I have to say 7 & 8 are even because both of my classes were so great to me!  They all had different personalities, interests, ways of motivating, and ways of caring.  The amount of quotes I have saved from these two classes continues to make me giggle every day, from "Miss N, you sound like Katniss off of Hunger Games" or "Miss N, you're the best teacher."  They were so precious and to know I made an impact on their lives just makes me giddy! I just love my job! :)

My 2nd year class!

My 1st year class!

6:  COACHING:

Wow, I knew I wanted to coach someday, but I never imagined it would be so soon.  I am so glad God guided me into coaching because it has made me into a different human being, and has also made me appreciate all of my former coaches so much more!  I was the COED Assistant Track Coach at Clarksville for 2 years, and I LOVED IT.  Being able to make an impact on young adult's lives was remarkable.  Yes, they are young adults.  They were trying to manage college classes, prepare for college, get good grades, and be involved in COUNTLESS activities and sports.  Not only did I get to interact with the young adults but with their families as well.  It made me feel more in tuned to the community getting to know adults and their athletes and seeing them throughout town all the time! :)

5. COWORKERS:

Yep, these are my coworkers.  My small, teeny tiny staff that I loved so much!  Many people will look at this and say "That's all?"  Yep, that's all.  But wow, did we do work?  Talk about a tight knit group of teachers.  Of course I saw some more than others, but I always knew that when it came down to it, they had my back and would defend me or help me in any way.  And that's what this picture represents.  We wore pink for all the pink slips being handed out because of the government's lack of funding.  Look at how they supported me as well as another teacher.  They fought hard and I can't thank them enough for being so understanding and so caring during this difficult time for me.  I will miss each and every one of these ladies so much.

4.  MY COOPERATING TEACHER:

Wow, where do I even begin?  Anything I say will not be enough to honor this great person that I have come to know so well and become such good friends with.  Her name is Tina but it should be Mother, Teacher, Caregiver, Wife, Coworker, and so much more!  This lady is a woman of many talents, but her best talent is her caring personality.  She took me under her wing like I was one of her own and I cannot thank her enough for that.  Any first year teacher will understand where I am coming from.  She acted as my second mother when things got rough and I needed a shoulder to cry on or simply exchanging stories of our crazy kiddos who we love so dearly.  No words will be enough to show what this woman means to me and I can't imagine any cooperating teacher being as great to me as this woman was.  I will miss you so much Tina and you were so great to me.  Thank you!

3. A NEW FRIEND: 

Jill.  Oh gosh where do I begin.  First a coworker, now a very close friend.  This girl is exactly like me in so many ways.  First we are VERY alike because we are both teachers...duh! :)  Now, we love to have fun, but know when to be serious.  We laugh at each other when trying to be serious in school because we know both of us just want to laugh out loud at what's happening a majority of the time! :) We try not to let things bother us, but when they do, oh boy do we know how to be mad.  Do we love our job?  ABSOLUTELY.  But do we know there is more in life than just work?  Yes.  And that is what this girl taught me.  She taught me how to live my life, even with a full time job.  Offering to let me come hang out at her house or go for supper or a drink, a walk when time allowed, or helping her coach Junior High Girls Basketball.  The most important thing I will never forget are our phone calls on the way to school and on the way home from school.  Not every day, but a lot of times, it was our only time to catch up because kids do not allow for teacher talk time! :)   Jill, thank you for letting me be part of your world for 2 years.  I came to know how to live life with a full time job and make memories that I will never forget.  Here's to many more memories! :)  

2.  MY FIRST JOB:

Clarksville Schools was my first real, big girl job...like with benefits, IPERS, yep, the whole shabang! :)  And man did they treat me good!  This school was one of the best, and there is a reason they are still on their own, yep one small tiny teeny town.  They work together to make the best things happen and being part of that for 2 years was so cool to see.  From being a teacher, a coach, and a citizen, I can say that I truly do know Clarksville and I got to have the privilege of calling it my home for 2 years. Thank you to everyone who made my journey in Clarksville an unforgettable one.

1.  OPPORTUNITY TO GROW ON MY OWN:  

Clarksville was the small town I was looking for when I graduated.  I needed time on my own, to grow up and develop into the person God wanted me to be.  I spent countless hours running, walking, and biking around this small town and on it's amazing trails.  I knew nobody when I came to this town, and that is exactly the experience I needed once out of college.  It made me a stronger person than I have ever been and though there were times where I got very lonely or hated living on my own, I grew from it.  I learned alot about myself in these two years at Clarksville that have made me a better person than I was before.  Looking back on my time at Clarksville is so memorable and gosh, I will miss everyone there so much, but God has a different plan for me now, and I can't wait to see where this next adventure takes me! :)

A few tears, smiles, laughs, and 10 memories later...

I know it's alot to read, but I needed that.  I needed to somehow preserve the memories I made in that small town in just 2 years.

Thank you all for reading..and until next time...stay safe! <3

Stay tuned to my new journey....

I'll give you a hint....

FORMING FUTURES IN FIRST GRADE...! :)

1, 2, 3..Blast Off!

Hey everyone!

I hope you have all had a great start to your week!  We have had a chilly, but great start here in 2nd grade!  Let me tell you...we have been SUPER busy learning and having fun in 2nd grade!  I'm so excited to update you on our Space Unit that we just wrapped up on Friday last week!

So get ready to blast off into space...oh, and be ready to learn something because we have LOTS of facts for YOU! :)

Bulletin board to set the "space" mood in 2nd grade! :)

In the middle of January, we kicked off our Space Unit by first writing an application to be an astronaut, because if you are not an astronaut, then you aren't allowed in space!  Each child was required to fill out an application in order to become an astronaut!  I loved this activity because it shows them that jobs aren't just given to you, they are earned by knowledge and well written sentences! :)  Luckily, all of our students did great and all got to become astronauts for the next month! :)

Astronaut Application! :)

After creating our astronauts, we blasted off our into our space unit by first learning about the moon and stars in our galaxy.  We discussed and learned about the eight different moon phases as well as the stars/constellations in our sky!  We got to do lots of fun projects such as a "Moon Phase" book and we even got to create our OWN constellation! How cool is that! :)  The students learned a TON during this part of the unit and one of them even came to me one morning and said, "Miss N, I think it was a full moon last night!"  I wanted to say to them I already knew it was a full moon because whenever there is a full moon the kids always seem to be a bit more crazier than a normal day! :)

Moon Phases! :)

Constellation Project!

One of Mrs. Halverson's!  You HAVE to read this! :)

After finishing up the moon and stars part of the unit, we were able to fly into studying about the planets in our Solar System!  The students were SO excited for this part of the unit!  They continued to ask me about it over and over again and kept asking, "Miss N, when do we get to study the planets?!"  As always, I told them to be patient and we will get there when we get there! :)

Studying the planets was SO much fun.  Each pair of students got a chance to research a planet and they were able to use a handout (provided by myself), books, and even an online Solar System WebQuest  to research their planet!  They did so great with their research that I let them make a poster and they had the chance to share their report and poster with the whole class! :)

Planet Research using the handout provided by the teacher!

Planet Research using books from the library! :)

Planet Research using the Internet! :)

Planet Presentations!

Planet Research Final Project!

Along with their research, they each made a Solar System folder where they organized the planets in their correct order, and then were able to write down facts in their folder that they learned during the planet research presentations!  It's a great way to make learning fun for them and they have something to take home to share with their family! :)

Overall, our space unit went fantastic!  This is such a fun unit to teach and the students have ALOT of fun with it.  It's great to hear the things they already know but things they also still want to learn!  We had a great time studying our Solar System, and I hope they came home and shared all of this awesome information with you!

Thank you all for listening...and until next time, stay safe! <3

100 Days Smarter!

Hi everyone!

I hope your week has started off great!  Who loves all this snow we got?! I know the kids LOVE it! :)

Let's get down to business.....fun business that is! :)

We celebrated our 100th day of school last week on Tuesday, January 27! Woohoo! Our kiddos are officially 100 days smarter! :)  We had lots of fun activities planned and this is a day that the kids absolutely ALWAYS look forward to!

The kiddos were welcomed to the 100th day with a candy bar and a pencil (100 day themed of course!)

In the morning, Kindergarten through 2nd grade splits up and has a "100th Day Center" in each room, making six different activities for the kids to complete!

Each room had a different activity!  They were "100 Lego building," "100 Exercises," "Race to 100!," "100 Ties," "100 Red Cup Structure," and "Digging for 100 Pennies."

I had the luxury to host the "100 Lego building" activity where students were given 100 legos and had to make a structure with a partner using only 100 legos!  These were some of the cool structures that were built with 100 legos! :)

100 Lego Robot

100 Day Structure

We also made "100 Day" smarter flags for a fun activity and had a "100 Day" math activity! (I forgot to take pictures of the math activity!)  After some activities, it was finally time to PARTY! :) We listened to Fancy Nancy and the 100th Day on YouTube and enjoyed a 100th day cake made by myself and "Flavored Slush" from a student in the class!  The kids LOVED the slush! :)  It was a huge hit and fun to have something different as a drink!

100 Day Cake! Simple but cute! :)

100 Day Smarter flags!

Overall, the 100th Day was a blast and I think the kids had a great day.  It was a crazy day, but a fun day!

Thank you all for listening, and until next time...stay safe!  <3

*New Year = New Memories*

Happy 2015! This is my first blog post of 2015...I know, 25 days late.  I have no excuse but I do have some fun things to share!

We have been quite busy at school with kicking the new year off!  The first week back to school I think we had a total of maybe 20 hours of school thanks to snow and cold weather!  So, by the second week of January, I think my kiddos were finally back in the swing of things!

The first couple weeks of school in 2015 we have been busy transitioning back into school as well as taking Iowa Assessments!  To make testing more fun, I sent out an email to parents asking if they would volunteer to provide treats for the kiddos during testing week!  I had quite a few parents respond so we were overwhelmed with snacks and the kids loved it!! Nothing like a little sugar to keep their brain thinking and active!  Check out below a few of the snacks with cute little tags to go with them!  (I apologize, I didn't get a picture of everything!)

We also have been studying idioms in 2nd grade since the beginning of January and oh.my.gosh. the kids LOVE them!  Every time I say one or I read one to them they are like, "Miss N, that's an IDIOM!"  You got it kiddos and I'm so happy I can say you actually understand what they are and what purpose they serve!  :)

My example! :)

The kids had the chance to draw the "Literal Meaning!" How fun! :)

Next to their picture is the actual meaning of the idiom! :)

At the beginning of January, we also had a chance to write our New Year's Resolution to be done at school, with the title "Ringing in the New Year!"  Each New Year's Resolution was written on a cell phone! How cute did they turn out?! :)

Door Decoration! :)

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour through our first month of the new year!  Stay tuned to hear about the 100th day of school, happening on January 27! AHH! :)

Thank you for listening..and until next time, stay safe! <3