Two Hoots and A Holler: New Year, New Ideas

Sorry guys, we are just now getting around to our first post of 2017!  Between holidays and snow days, we have been busy playing catch up!  So here it is (finally), our first Hoot and Holler of 2017....

Hoot # 1

 So far 2017 has been very busy!  When you are busy, you do not have much time for anything...like displaying work out in the hallway!  The wall outside my door has been blank since before Christmas Break!!  I loved Ron Clark's theory on hanging student pictures in the hallways that he shared during our visit to Ron Clark Academy in December.  He basically said that students didn't even notice that their work was displayed in the hall, and teachers were constantly hanging things and switching things to display in the hallway (which we know takes what seems like forever sometimes).  If the students did not even notice it was there, then why are we taking up our time doing it?  We all know a teacher's time is valuable!  So at RCA there are literally hundreds of pictures lining the hallways of the students.  The students actually look at the pictures to see if they see themselves or their friends.  The best part is....once they are up, they are there the entire year! I brought this wonderful idea back to my classroom.  I printed pictures out of various activities we have done since August, made sure every student was in at least one picture, and hung them in the hallway.  The next morning as the students were coming in the classroom, it was all they talked about!  They were willing to skip out on breakfast to stand in the hall and look at all the pictures!  One kid came in grinning, and said "Ms. Jodi, that is just AMAZING!"  Another thanked me for hanging up a picture of her where she looked "so cute"!  I will add a few pictures here and there throughout the year, but it will not come down until May!  This is definitely something I will do every year now!  Just by hanging pictures so much of my time was saved, and it brought smiles and laughs to every student in my room.  TOTALLY WORTH IT! 

Hoot #2

Due to the snow break, we had to combine a few of our activities. We finished our new years celebration by making our New Year's glyph.

Then we began our study about Polar Bears! The students loved learning all about these lovable mammals. As we finished our study, we made a chart of all of the cool things that we learned. We created polar bear glyphs to go with our chart.

This Week's Holler...
This week's holler goes out to April at Grade School Giggles. She has everything you could possibly need as a primary teacher and more.  Handwriting has been a frequent topic around our Kinder table. So, we were immediately drawn to her "Handwriting Help" post. We already had the pencil grips that she selected, but the blog post gave use some wonderful ideas to try with our kiddos. There is something for everyone! Go check her out!

Two Hoots and A Holler: Magic Comes in the Size of Your Village

Hoot #1

 Jamie's Ron Clark Experience...
Last Thursday and Friday, we were honored to be able to go to the Ron Clark Academy!! I know that you have heard people post about their trips to RCA, but I can tell you that nothing beats actually going there. I left every afternoon exhausted!  My brain was in overdrive! I want to share a few things that I took away from this trip.

1. Teachers should create an environment that makes them happy as much as it does the students. Ron Clark said that after he hires someone, the question that he asks is, "What are some things that you love?" This determines the theme their room will take.  The art work in their building is amazing.

2. The importance of building a community. I have always thought that I have done that so well in my class.  At RCA, they take it to a different level. They do this by creating "houses" within their school.  Every grade is made up of each of the four houses. Students earn points for their house each week by doing good deeds. At the end of the week, the house with the highest points, get to be champion of the house. You can read more about this by downloading the Ron Clark Academy app under resources.

 This is the wheel that determines their house. Every year, new 5th graders get to spin the wheel on their first day of school to determine their house.  That is the house they are a part of until they graduate from RCA.

 Mrs. Gilner and I chose to be a part of the Altruismo house!  We joined in a dance off between our house and the other houses! On Friday, Altruismo spun the wheel for 100 points!  They are now in the lead!  Go black!!

3. I learned about the "Bus System." In each school, there are people that are classified as "Runners", "Joggers" and "Walkers."  "Runners" are those teachers that take initiative. They go the extra mile. They want to perform their best at all times. They want to find solutions. They usually think outside of the box in order to create new interests for the students. "Joggers" are those that are still needed.  They are willing and excited to do. They usually follow the lead of the "Runners." "Walkers" are those that usually complain about how ideas are not going to work. They will not do much more than take up space and count down the days to retirement.
I was so intrigued by this method that I purchased his book Get On My Bus.  It discusses all of these.  It also discusses how to help build a school of "Runners".
You may order this book here

 4. Songs and chants! This was a part of their daily routine. Songs and chants were done on an average of one every 10 minutes (maybe less). These were done to help regain students focus or to help instill previous knowledge. These were always done with a set of drums playing and children up out of their seats. Many of the students were on tables. Love, love, love it!!!!

I plan to implement every bit of this in my classroom. I even want to carry much of this throughout our school.
 Here is a picture of me as we arrived.  I had just made it through the welcome line! All of the students and staff hugged and gave you a high-five. It was simply amazing!!

We can't wait to go back! If you are a teacher. You have to do this!!!

Yes, Jodi and I are now proud to say we ARE slide certified!  So many wonderful memories made!

Hoot #2
Jodi's Ron Clark Experience...

I always knew that one day I wanted to go to RCA, only because of all of the awesome stories I have heard about this school.  I have watched videos, read articles, and seen pictures of RCA over the years.  Nothing that I saw beforehand prepared me for the most empowering professional development I have ever done in my 16 years of teaching! Here are some things that I learned and discovered during this experience:

 

1.  IF YOU EVER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO RCA, DO IT!  EVERY TEACHER SHOULD GET TO EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF RON CLARK ACADEMY.  I PROMISE YOU WILL LEAVE A BETTER PERSON AND TEACHER! 

2.   As teachers, we must find our purpose.  I mean really dig deep into why we do what we do.  Not just because we want to teach, or because it is a high demand.  But really dig down deep and search your soul as to why you teach?  When you think you have your answer, keep asking yourself why?  Every teacher has a purpose.  Once you discover your purpose, then you will truly be able to base your career upon your sole purpose.  Students need purpose as well to feel like they matter, and to know what they are doing is making a difference.  This purpose is found when students are given their house they are a part of for the rest of their years at RCA.  

I challenge each of you to find your why and your purpose! 

 

3.  When you raise the bar and expect more, the students will rise up to your expectations.  If I teach to the middle student all the time, students think that is my expectation.  But if I teach to the highest student in my class, students will rise to that expectation.  This happens when students and teachers have a strong relationship.  Students must understand that you will never expect less than what they are worth. 

 

 

4.  Everybody, no matter who you are, has a story.  Your story can have the power to change someone for the better.  Your story can be told in a negative way leaving you and everyone you surround yourself with just feeling down in the dumps, OR your story can end in a way  that changes people and inspires people.  It is up to you how you write your story, and it is up to you how you tell it.  No matter what has happened to you in life, you can always rise above and come out of all of the negative.  Surround yourself with people who will lift you up, and when you rise above whatever it is that may have you down and out...it is then that you found your story.  How will your story end?

 

5.  As teachers, we have mastered the act of teaching and the skills it takes to teach.  But where is the passion and the desire to teach?  When did we become so robotic in our teaching that we have lost the art of teaching?  The RCA experience proved that passion is needed to make things happen.  As teachers, we should never lose our passion to teach.  When there is passion in what you do, that is when the real magic happens.

I could go on for days about all the things I learned from this!  It has truly empowered me as a teacher and a person.  It has motivated me to be better, and inspired me to reflect on my teaching practices.  I am FOREVER changed by this experience as a teacher and person. 

This Week's Holler...

The holler this week is simple! It goes out to all of the RCA students! They are the ones that are truly amazing at this school.  They had us amazed by their enthusiasm to learn.  They are simply changing their stars.  I know their parents are so proud of them. We wish we could remember every face and every name so that, one day, when they make a name for themselves, we will be able to say "we knew them when.."

Two Hoots and A Holler: Deck the Halls

Hoot #1

Thanksgiving and Black Friday have now passed, so it is time to let the Christmas Madness begin!  We have come back from break, and we hit the ground running to get all of our Christmas projects and end of the semester assessments completed in time.  We only have 2 more weeks of school before we get out for Christmas break!!  YIKES!!!  Check out some of our projects we have been working on...

Here are some ornaments the kids have made, and we hung on the tree.  We usually make the Rudolph from popsicle sticks, the Christmas tree from popsicle sticks, the snowmen hand print, and the Santa hand print.  There may be more, depends on if time allows us to make more.  

We tried gingerbread men cookies, and we graphed what part of the cookie we ate first.  Tomorrow, we are going to build a gingerbread house for our gingerbread men!  By the end of the day tomorrow, we will have 44 gingerbread houses decorated and ready to send home! Talk about a busy day!! 

 
 The Jitterbugs made toy soldiers to line up down our hallway as the kiddos walk down the kindergarten hall.  Look how cute these are!!

 

Hoot #2

Unfortunately, we will not be able to do our weekly blog post next week because we will be at RON CLARK ACADEMY (sorry, not sorry)!!!!!!!  OH MY GOODNESS!!! We are so excited to get to go see what everyone keeps talking about.  It is going to be an amazing, mind-blowing experience.  We absolutely cannot wait to get to tell everyone what we saw and learned, that is if we are calm enough by then to be able to put it all into words!  We are so blessed to have the chance to go visit RCA.  We started this blog together 2 years ago.  Over the past 2 years Kinder Glitter Girls have been on some amazing adventures together, met TONS of awesome teachers, and learned so much along the way.....and now we finally and actually get to go to Ron Clark Academy for 2 days!  It seems like a dream!   Jamie, get your red pen ready...this time next week you will be able to check this off of our bucket list!!  Stay tuned for pics and our latest adventure!  

This Week's Holler...

This week's holler goes out to Elizabeth Hall over at Kick' It In Kindergarten.  She is a kindergarten teacher and presenter who is creative and excited to share and collaborate with other teachers.  We LOVE her "in my fur ring" idea! Go check out her blog to see what it is all about and check out her latest products on TPT!  She really has some awesome stuff that is now in our wish list!  Thanks Elizabeth for your dedication to teaching!  

 

Two Hoots and A Holler: We Salute Fall and our Veterans!

Hoot #1
This week we had fun with scarecrows! We discussed how scarecrows actually got their name. Then we thought of things that scared us. After doing some brain storming, the students found a cozy place to write.  Each student wrote about something that scared them! Finally, they created their scarecrow!

This Jitterbug wrote, "I am scared when I see Mrs. Jodi." I love it!! Needless to say, I couldn't wait to run over and show Mrs. Jodi!

Hoot #2

We had our annual Veteran's Day Program. This is such a special event for us each year. This year, we made soldiers that told our Veterans how thankful that we were for them. These hung in the building where we served lunch to the Veterans.

 The following are pictures of our program and some of the beautiful decorations.

 These American flag hearts were made by the Rockstars to help decorate for Veteran's Day. 

Thank you to all of our military, past and present, for serving our country.  Thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe! You work does NOT go unnoticed!!

This Week's Holler...

This week's holler goes out to Whimsy Workshop! This is a website for all teachers.  There are TONS of STEM activities! Are you trying to find activities to go with a specific theme??? Susanna has provided a ton of great activities and resources! Be sure to check this site out! It will save you a ton of time!!

http://whimsyworkshopteaching.com/