Groovy Educator

I am so excited to link up with  Doodle Bugs Teaching  for another Five for Friday! A couple of my items are more personal and not school related this time. 1.  My baby girl WALKED!  I mean she took five steps carefully and didn't fall.  She is almost 11 months old.  I am so excited.  She has done this a few times this week.  It never ceases to amaze me how much she has learned in such a short time. 2.  In my quest to get healthy, I attempted jogging!  It felt good to do more than I thought I could.  Whenever I undertake something challenging, I try to look at it from a kid's perspective so I can be empathetic to their struggle at times. 3.  On a sad note, a friend's cancer came back full force.  She is in the hospital.  Please pray for peace and relief from the pain.  Life is a gift and circumstances can change quickly in either direction.  Times like these make me realize that life is unpredicta...

I have a new product in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!  It is a station documentation packet.  Basically it is a way to record what stations your students went to during the day.  I have also included s brief explanation of the various stations.  Right now it is on sale for $3.00! Here are a few images to give you an idea of what is included. 

Several years ago when I was teaching Kindergarten, I had an idea in the night.  I used to keep a notebook next to my bed to jot down these ideas... I need to start doing that again!  It was an idea that I quickly implemented and loved.  For some reason I fell away from it but I plan on reinstating it this year.  What might it be?   Musical transitions! Now you may have heard about singing chants to transition from one subject to the next.  I love to do that too but this is different. The musical transitions I am referring to are designed for literacy stations or centers. In the classroom music helps manage volume.  If you play soft background music, the children learn to keep their voices low.  Being able to hear the music helps them self regulate their volume.  (You have to explicitly teach this of course!)  It is also soothing and peaceful.  Couple these two notions with transitioning from center to center and you h...

It is getting close to the beginning of a new school year.  New ideas flood my brain about this time every year.  I always like to change things up.  In order to organize my thoughts I write lists.  Usually I write my beginning of the year to do list on a piece of scratch paper.  This year I am adding it to my blog so that I can refer back to it in years to come.  Right now this list includes a lot of items that I need to think about and decide upon before jumping into action.  I'll probably be adding to it in the days to come. Room Arrangement (Think about the placement of the following) desks circle time/calendar area teacher area supplies (storage and accessibility) writing station reading station listening station inside recess toys bulletin boards reading table technology (computers, projector, document camera) lunch boxes homework box where the children will turn in their work Supplies pencil cups (sharp/need to be sharpen...

When I began this blog it was my thirteenth year of teaching and my first year as a mom .  Talk about a perspective shift!  As an educator, I constantly reflect on what went well and what can be improved.  I am always interested in new ideas. Currently, I am not teaching due to my fibromyalgia.  Long story... When I started this blog the goal was to simplify and get super organized yet remain creative.  Now the goal is to share any inspiration, insights, and knowledge that may be helpful to fellow teachers and families. Periodically I add items to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Please take a moment to check it out. More recently I have started another blog to go along with my eBay store (Lowery's Loft).   Thank You for Visiting!   A little more about me:  I have taught on both the eastern and western sides of the United States.   In 2006, I was honored as Teacher of the Year for my school.  I...