Watter Bottles, Daily 5, and Teacher of the Year...

Water Bottles

 

So how many of you saw that pin this summer with the water bottle cages on the classroom chair?

 

I did and I sought out a way to make it happen! The thing is those cages are not cheap...so I gave up.

 

I then bought a hanging shoe rack, but after realizing I had absolutely nowhere to hang it...gave up again.

 

When I saw Kristi's classroom tour, I immediately texted her about where she got the holders in her pictures. The answer...Wal-Mart...a set of 4 for about $2. These are actually cup holders with a hook on the top (I had to snap mine off because I didn't have a bar going across like Kristi) from the automotive department.

 

Ta-da! My hubby put them all on for me this Saturday. We used two zip-ties on each and tested them with three different water bottles. Seems like they are going to be PERFECT!

Daily 5

We are hard at work on establishing our Daily 5 routines and since I keep forgetting to take pictures during the school day (take a peek at my schedule and you'll forgive me), here's our anchor charts. I love having a "wall of charts" this year...even if it is actually a "whiteboard of charts."

 

This week, we are going to start Work on Writing and Listen to Reading. My goal is to start my Daily 5 rounds next week. I'm so ready to get into a routine and to start my small group teaching!

 

Teacher of the Year

 

I got to see Kristi and a group of my former coworkers on Saturday at the Kansas Teacher of Year banquet. You may remember Kristi was selected district teacher of the year and this was the regional banquet. There were 7 of us who went to surprise her and we were even able to work it out for her mom to come. Kristi was so surprised. The look on her face when her mom came in was priceless. She was not chosen as a finalist, (they obviously made a mistake) but it was neat to see my sweet friend honored at the banquet. She is such an amazing teacher and definitely deserved it!

 

Have a great week!

District Teacher of the Year!!!!

Okay, so Kristi will probably want to kill me when she sees this post, but I just have to brag on my teaching buddy. We had our district breakfast and awards ceremony yesterday to close out the year and guess who received the District Teacher of the Year award?

Kristi, that's who! :-)

There were several in our building that nominated her so we were waiting with anticipation yesterday morning to find out if she had been selected. I was getting stressed out because she kept having to go to the restroom (too much coffee, that is all I will say about that), and I was afraid she was going to miss the announcement. Then when they called her name, she says, "Do I have to go up there?" LOL!

Here's a few parts of the nomination letter I sent:

I will never forget the first time that I saw Kristi teaching. It was the spring of 2008, and I was observing various schools and classrooms in order to decide where I wanted to student teach. I watched that morning as students started filing into the classroom, each receiving a personal greeting and a hug. Then as Kristi began to teach with such animation and excitement, I knew that I wanted to learn from her.

As I think about what makes Kristi a great teacher, the first thing that comes to mind is her love for the kids. She takes the extra time necessary to truly foster a relationship with each of her students and bring out their best. Some in our building even call her “the child whisperer” because of her talent in the area of classroom management. Aside from that, Kristi works many extra hours searching for resources online that can make her lessons more exciting. She presents her lessons with such enthusiasm that the students are actively engaged – even during direct instruction.

Kristi would probably disagree with what I have written here. She is very humble and does not realize what a wonderful teacher she truly is – which makes her all the more deserving.

And I have to apologize for our lack of posts this last week. After the zoo trip, things just got a little crazy. I will say that I CRIED the last day of school as I was saying goodbye to the kiddos. I thought I could make it through the line, but then one of my sweeties told me a 5 minute story and I just couldn't hold on any longer! By the end of the line, I was crying so much I could barely talk. I really enjoyed this group and I'm going to miss them!

Today, I slept in until 8:00! My hubby and I do P90X every morning before work...last night, I told him he was on his own because I was sleeping in on my first day off. :-)

Have a great day!

Crystal