Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Cesar Chavez Day - April 1
I am new to California and this state holiday, but I am very familiar with Mr. Chavez's wonderful work toward equality.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes of his:
"Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
"Once social change has begun it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated a person that has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot oppress people who are not afraid anymore."
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes of his:
"Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
"Once social change has begun it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated a person that has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot oppress people who are not afraid anymore."
Clockwise from top-left:
- Meet your class at the local farmers market to meet the folks that bring us our food. Great job Mrs. K!
- Use this gardening poster to help your students evaluate their own learning.
- Grab this free facts sheet about Chavez's life.
- Esperanza Rising is the BEST book I've read about migrant farm life. It's riveting and gives an amazing perspective on the lives of families that lived the life of inequality Chavez worked to abolish. I couldn't put the book down! However, it is not for young children.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Life is a Collage: April Fool's Day
I am lucky enough to have April Fool's Day fall within our spring break. Yay!
For those of you that will be in school, here are a few fun April Fool's Day tricks!
Before regular snacks are passed out, bring out a delicious pan of brown E's!
Write your Morning Message backwards.
Slap some googly eyes on that pencil sharpener.
Good luck! (And that's no joke!)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Happy First Day of Spring!
What do you do to help your students understand how the seasons are created?
In my class we always act out the Earth's rotation, with one child being the sun and holding a flashlight and another holding a globe. We sing the months of the year song as Earth orbits, then say the seasons.
I'm still looking for a great video clip/animation for the kids to watch. Any suggestions?
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Changing the Paradigm
Today I attended a conference entitled Changing the Paradigm: The Intersections of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma Informed Care and Nonviolent Child Raising.
It wasn't a conference specifically designed for educators; the room was mostly filled with a variety of social workers and therapists.
I listened to some very well-informed folks and enjoyed spending the day taking in new information. Of course, the most important part of new learning is reflection time and I wanted to share a few thoughts that I took away from the day:
- We are agents for change for children. If something needs to be changed, we can put into motion what needs to take place.
- Asking/answering the question "How are the children?" can be an excellent indicator of our society's success. Can we say that the weakest/voiceless/powerless members of our community are treated with dignity and respect?
- Change the question, "What's wrong with you?" to instead "What happened to you?"
- Trauma can overwhelm a person so much they have an inability to cope, not just with the past, but with daily life. I see this with my students when they fall apart over a small social misunderstanding or are paralyzed with no options in sight when their pencil breaks.
- An overwhelming event + an inability to cope = loss of safety
- We can help by (1) increasing a person's ability to cope in daily life and (2) help them feel safe now.
- "Often trauma victims are protected by shame, secrecy and social taboos..." (I thought the use of the word 'protected' was so interesting)
- All traumas can influence brain development in childhood (effecting learning ability)
- When a child's home base is unsafe and they are confused in situations (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.) the first thing they will do is blame themselves. ("It must be me. I am the one evoking the abuse/anger. I am dumb - everyone gets it but me.")
I could go on and on, but I know I need to internalize this information a bit more before adding to this list.
Thoughts, anyone?
It wasn't a conference specifically designed for educators; the room was mostly filled with a variety of social workers and therapists.
I listened to some very well-informed folks and enjoyed spending the day taking in new information. Of course, the most important part of new learning is reflection time and I wanted to share a few thoughts that I took away from the day:
- We are agents for change for children. If something needs to be changed, we can put into motion what needs to take place.
- Asking/answering the question "How are the children?" can be an excellent indicator of our society's success. Can we say that the weakest/voiceless/powerless members of our community are treated with dignity and respect?
- Change the question, "What's wrong with you?" to instead "What happened to you?"
- Trauma can overwhelm a person so much they have an inability to cope, not just with the past, but with daily life. I see this with my students when they fall apart over a small social misunderstanding or are paralyzed with no options in sight when their pencil breaks.
- An overwhelming event + an inability to cope = loss of safety
- We can help by (1) increasing a person's ability to cope in daily life and (2) help them feel safe now.
- "Often trauma victims are protected by shame, secrecy and social taboos..." (I thought the use of the word 'protected' was so interesting)
- All traumas can influence brain development in childhood (effecting learning ability)
- When a child's home base is unsafe and they are confused in situations (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.) the first thing they will do is blame themselves. ("It must be me. I am the one evoking the abuse/anger. I am dumb - everyone gets it but me.")
I could go on and on, but I know I need to internalize this information a bit more before adding to this list.
Thoughts, anyone?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Grant...Granted!
It was a wonderful day in my class today! The Prize Patrol arrived right on time and the kids were elated (and so was I)! Now we're off to do some shopping!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
How about creating a St. Patrick's Day photo booth? Students can create WANTED posters and write personal narratives about their mischievous leprechaun ways. Some great mentor text for writing from another's perspective include 'Memoirs of a Goldfish' by Devin Scillian or 'The True Story of The Three Little Pigs' by Jon Scieszak.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Life Is A College - St. Patrick's Day
I broke the news to my class this week that there is no such thing as Leprechaun's Day. They were a bit devastated, but got over this when I assured them the holiday of St. Patrick's Day included leprechauns for some people and confirmed it is customary to pinch someone if they are not wearing green on March 17. All this made me excited for this Irish day and thought I'd share some inspirations with you.
Visual writing prompt: Where is this tiger going and why?
5 LA & 5 Math Centers for St. Patrick's Day
Visual writing prompt: Where is this tiger going and why?
No green beer for me, I'll have green macaroons instead!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!
I did it! I was awarded a Cash 4 Conejo Classrooms grant for my students! I wrote a grant to buy an incubator, so we could hatch chicks while we study life cycles and they chose me! Yay! Yay! Yay!
More photos to come! The prize patrol is scheduled for sometime next week.
More photos to come! The prize patrol is scheduled for sometime next week.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
How does your state measure up?
Check out this cool site that allows you to create your own comparison tables for our states' education system! How does your state measure up? Are you surprised by th results?
http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/
Monday, March 4, 2013
Mmmmm...bread
Nothing fancy to share. I'm fighting off a cold, so I'm simply lying in bed, thinking of bread.
Mmmmmm.....bread.
Mmmmmm.....bread.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
My Girls
Did I ever mention that I have the most amazing set of girlfriends?
Thirteen years ago, when I began teaching, our eight worlds collided and they could never tear us apart! (I hope you just started singing INXS Never Tear Us Apart).
It may sound cheesy, but it's so true. We each have very different lives, we've gone different directions in our careers and with our families, but for some reason the interweaving of our friendships have never unraveled.
I never took for granted the special bond we have, but it wasn't until I moved 1,450 miles away that I understood how much security I gained by having them physically close to me. Not only do I miss seeing them at our Girl's Night Out get-togethers, but it feels so foreign never bumping into them at the grocery store, pulling up beside them at a stop light or having one of them call and say, "I'm on the way to Tappy's (FroYo), want to come?"
It's another bit of my life that makes me feel like I moved to Jupiter.
Last week was not the most joyful week at work for me; I can't quite figure out why everyone isn't sweet as peaches out here...
But yesterday when I got home from work, this enormous gift was waiting for me. It made me cry and my heartache...who knew you could feel so many emotions at once?! Great love for those gals, deep gratitude for their friendships, happiness for my students getting all those supplies and a stabbing pain that I'm so far from the ones that sent the gift.
I don't know if absence makes the heart grow fonder, or if it just makes the ache more intense.
Thirteen years ago, when I began teaching, our eight worlds collided and they could never tear us apart! (I hope you just started singing INXS Never Tear Us Apart).
It may sound cheesy, but it's so true. We each have very different lives, we've gone different directions in our careers and with our families, but for some reason the interweaving of our friendships have never unraveled.
I never took for granted the special bond we have, but it wasn't until I moved 1,450 miles away that I understood how much security I gained by having them physically close to me. Not only do I miss seeing them at our Girl's Night Out get-togethers, but it feels so foreign never bumping into them at the grocery store, pulling up beside them at a stop light or having one of them call and say, "I'm on the way to Tappy's (FroYo), want to come?"
It's another bit of my life that makes me feel like I moved to Jupiter.
Last week was not the most joyful week at work for me; I can't quite figure out why everyone isn't sweet as peaches out here...
But yesterday when I got home from work, this enormous gift was waiting for me. It made me cry and my heartache...who knew you could feel so many emotions at once?! Great love for those gals, deep gratitude for their friendships, happiness for my students getting all those supplies and a stabbing pain that I'm so far from the ones that sent the gift.
I don't know if absence makes the heart grow fonder, or if it just makes the ache more intense.
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