Teacher Funnies

With all the Prop 30 debate and the ads declaring So and So will hold teachers accountable, I thought this would give us a good laugh.  What are the parameters of our job?  We joke about being teacher, mother, father, nurse, therapist, counselor, advocate, secretary, and on and on.  I have seen teachers take on jobs way outside the realm of 'their job'.  We do it because we care and WANT to do a good job.  We are accountable and pretty awesome people...true story!

Tree Chart

Today we read the HM story 'Moving Day' and did a fun warm up have, is, are chart.  Living near the California coast many of my students have been to the beach and collected shells.  Having a random collection of shells is good to have on hand for TPR. 

My Inspiration

It will take a few shakes of a lambs tail to get my blog up to speed but I wanted to take a few minutes and pay homage to my inspiration to set it up.  I have been teaching First Grade for four years and have somehow floundered my way through without being labeled a fraud...mommy guilt kicking in!  I have done a pretty acceptable job but have never been creatively inspired.  I have always loved the kids, that was never the problem.  I am what a colleague calls a Houghton Mifflin Baby (a fairly new teacher who has only ever used scripted curriculum).  I have been terrified of being CAUGHT doing something fun that might not correlate to HM and/or be without a standard or objective. 

 So this year, after struggling through two years of horrendous medical conditions with my baby boy, I decided I needed to find something to push my nervous energy into.  I, just on a lark, did a Google search for contractions and after stumbling through HM type worksheets I found Cara Carroll at First Grade Parade...AMAZING.  I forgot all about contractions but needed to use what I learned in Lamaze so as to not pass out after all the ahhh!, ahhh!, ahhh's!  There was so much great stuff, my minds eye was all a-twitter.  I started using many of her ideas and have purchased several of her creative units from Teachers Pay Teachers.com.  I have been truly inspired and my kids think I am the greatest (true story).  Thank you teachers, for sharing so well and being the creative geniuses you are.