Millions of Peaches

Hey Y'all! Welcome back. It's been forever. I know. But I'm so glad you're here. I have a new adventure to tell you all about. I'm so excited to join about 30 other Georgia bloggers and bring you an exclusive, brand new collaborative blog titled The Primary Peach. We've got lots of tips, tricks, fun, and freebies up our sleeves JUST for Georgia teachers and we really hope you'll join along for all of the things we have in store for you. 

For the first blog post we are doing a blog hop full of FREEBIES!  And not just any freebie, a freebie that is tailored for the end of the year.  Each blogger has created an exclusive, end of the year freebie, just for you! But first, allow me to introduce myself. 

I've taught at the same school for 5 years and I love it. It's tiring and each day brings a different challenge, but I am blessed with coworkers who make me laugh. I've taught 1st, 2nd, EIP (1st and 2nd) and recently came out of the classroom to do Math Intervention for grades 3-5. Next year I will be an instructional coach. I have my ESOL and Coaching endorsements and am working on my math endorsement. I love learning and creating. 

I've got a sweet treat for you today. I live for teacher appreciation - appreciating the other teachers I work with who come in and help with my students and just help me get by on a daily basis. What we do truly take a village. I've created a fun little gift tag for you to use for gifts. I made a gift basket for one of the most awesome coworkers the other day. The basket had: a bag of Starbursts, pens, a cute notebook, fun binder clips, colored Post-its, and a gift card to the Container Store. I personally think the little tag would be cute with just a gift card or just a basket containing items (however you choose to use the play on the word "contain" - have fun with it)! Click here to grab them. 

Want to meet the next Primary Peach blogger and collect another freebie?  You're in luck because Jivey has an awesome end of the year poem for y'all. Head on over to her blog to snag it. She's so creative!

Also, be sure to head over to The Primary Peach to enter our Rafflecopter. There are some good prizes. We will have 1 GRAND PRIZE $50 TPT Gift Certificate and 3 more lucky winners will each receive a $25 TPT Gift Certificate! Be sure to enter. 

Have fun Blog hopping with the rest of the sweet Georgia bloggers. 

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Have You Thanked a Teacher Lately?

I hope you all felt the love an appreciation yesterday, and all week/month through. We are down to the last 10 days of school and I have a lot of appreciating to do. This is not a job we do alone and we don't get by on own. It is without a doubt all the other people who come in throughout the day and work with our kids, and more importantly work with us as teachers. They never give up on us and they make us better at our jobs. Yet because they are the "helpers" or the "coaches" in our building they often don't get the credit they deserve. We can't forget about them. I've got some of these up my sleeves. 

I adore these printables from eighteen25

I am so sorry I cannot remember the source of these. I found them on pinterest after a source of teacher appreciation. I love that they are filled with gummy worms. So easy!

How adorable is this?!

detail oriented diva

This is so fun. You could always add a gift certificate for a mani/pedi if you really know the person.

she's kinda crafty

I love these because I love mason jars:

 I found this adorable letter you can put together over at little wonders days

Dear Ms.________,

It's been a (insert ruler)long year, but by our (insert calculator) calculations, it's been a great one!  You've given us the (insert pencils)"write" stuff to make our (insert markers) mark in 3rd grade.  There are too many things to (insert highlighter) highlight from our wonderful year, but they made a (insert Sharpie) permanent mark on us that can't be (insert eraser) erased.  We wish we could (insert glue stick) stick with you forever!

Thank you for (insert crayons) coloring our world this year!

Love,

Your Smarties (insert bag of Smarties)

Hope you found some inspiration for your co-workers. We don't say thank you to each other nearly enough.

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Thank You

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Teacher Appreciation. I love it not because I receive tons of accolades but because I truly believe in giving. 

There's not a lot of glory in education. I have yet to meet a teacher who does it for the pay, and I'm 99% positive no teacher does it for the hours. I'm sure this may come as a shock to many, but let's be honest - school doesn't end at 3:00 and it doesn't end in May. Our jobs are never ending. 

In many ways, I've had it easy. I'm not married and I don't have children. I can get to school at 6:30 in the morning and stay until 6:00 at night. I can go in and work on Saturdays. I can teach after-school without giving it a second thought. I can volunteer to teach summer-school. I know it won't always be like this, so I may as well give it everything I can now. I watch the teachers who have families at home. I don't know how they do it. How do you put up with kids all day and know that other people are waiting for you to get dinner on the table? How do you go home and give your own child all the patience they deserve? Me? If I come home and am exhausted I lay down. If dinner didn't get made, I don't eat (I know my parents would be appalled by this). But to the teachers who go home to another life, I respect you more than you know. 

I used to not think much about this, but then this year I was blessed with the help of a co-worker who I am inspired by every. single. day. She's my age. She's married and has a little one year old. Her husband travels. I honestly don't know how she does it. She is one of our Literacy Coaches and she is absolutely amazing. 

I used to not want the help of a coach. I think many of us have a perception that if we ask for help, we're weak. Why should we ask questions and risk appearing less superior than our coworkers? I used to think like that. I used to not care for the literacy coach assigned to my grade level. However, mid-year this school year, she left. In a way it was a blessing in disguise. I decided to ask for help. L fell into my life. Technically, she is supposed to coach 3rd-5th grade. I happened to go to her before an interim coach had been assigned to my grade-level. We were given permission to continue to work together. 

I remember the first time L coached me. I cried. I was overwhelmed. Did she think I was an idiot? She had to have. I was asking questions that I should have known the answer to. I mean, it was January. What must I have been doing the first half of the school year?! L never once made me feel like an idiot. What began was a series of co-teaching every Friday (together we have piloted Social Studies and Science Fridays for our entire school). When she is not able to be in my room with my students and myself, we miss her, terribly. I learn something new from her every time I watch her interact with my students. She has become a great friend and I am sad for this year of our teaching together to come to an end. 

Last week she couldn't be with us due to our state testing, and we took advantage of her absence to create a special present for her. When I tell you my kids adore her, it is an understatement. While I know that the best Teacher Appreciation gift is for the end, I couldn't resist sharing this one. 

The poem reads: 

We're glad you worked with our teacher

You've really helped us grow

We can't believe the end is here, 

Please say it is isn't so!

We love you so dearly

And we mean that sincerely

Sci. Fri was better because of you

Pancakes, Force, Jazzy JC and #42!

Such fun was had in all the things we did

But most of all remember, 

You made us feel like very special kids!

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Keeping it Real...

through a series of confessions: 

There are 18 days left of school. 

Confession: I'm excited (for day number 18). 

In the next 18 days we will have Junior Achievement Day, Field Day, Teacher Appreciation Month, SST's, retention meetings, two benchmark tests, planning for next year, and packing. 

Don't be confused. I am NOT packing this year to go somewhere else. That's right, for the first time in my 7-year teaching career, I get to stay put. I get to know that I am staying before contracts ever come out. I get to teach the same grade for more than one year in a row. For any of you who have followed my story, this is miraculous and amazing all rolled into one. 

my first year - kindergarten 

my second year - kindergarten (diff. school)

third year - student teaching

student teaching, diff. school

fourth year - subbing; long term-subbing (not pictured)

fifth year - 1st grade

six year - EIP 1st & 2nd grades (not pictured)

seventh year - 2nd grade

Confession: It's going to be exhausting. 

Bring it on! I'm ready. My kids and I have had fun this year and we have all grown a lot - especially me, their teacher. 

I've learned a lot. I learned about the teacher I am and the teacher I want to be. I've learned that there are some co-workers and coaches who will help us get there. I've learned that there are some, who unfortunately, will set up road blocks. I've learned to keep my eyes open, my ears clear, my mouth closed, my head held high, and my ideas flowing. I'm thankful for the people who have taught me to stand on my own - whether I got hurt in the process, or I laughed every step of the way. It's the co-workers who you come to find are true or false friends that get us to where we are. I'll keep the true ones. Unfortunately, they are far and few between. At the end of the day though, I'm there for the kids. 

Confession: Teaching is hard. Not every day goes as planned, and let's be honest, we don't have a plan for every day. 

After 162 days of school, you can still give a vocabulary test for 5 words, have a word bank at the bottom, read each sentence aloud, and when you pick up the papers there is a child's whose it blank. Why? "I didn't know the answers." 

As you discuss Cause & Effect and have an awesome lesson planned incorporating technology, tying in The Lorax and Earth Day and yet you ask, "How can we look for Cause and Effect when reading?" and a students says: "Well if you are reading and turn the page really fast you can get a paper cut, so reading caused the paper cut." Have you missed the boat? 

Confession: Somedays you just have to laugh. In fact, almost every day you have to laugh. 

Confession: Teacher Appreciation at my school starts this coming week and I could not be more excited. I live for Teacher Appreciation - not for me, but so that I can have the opportunity to thank the co-workers who have taught me to keep it real and be the teacher I am. 

I've got some fun cooked up and can't wait to share. 

You've been so kind and generous

For your kindness, I'm in debt to you

For your selflessness - my admiration

Lessons Learned: 

keep it real

sometimes keeping it real goes wrong

laugh

be honest

appreciate

                                          

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Have You Seen This? (Freebie)

 I hope you have been feeling appreciated this week. Myself and other authors from TBA are trying to spread the appreciation all month long. The other day I posted this idea.

Here's another one that you may have seen on Pinterest, I know I did:

                                                                         Source: makingitteacher.com via Sydney on Pinterest

Well, guess where you can get it?! Right here at Making It As A Middle School Teacher. Didn't Michelle do a great job?! I think so! Go show her some love. 

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That Little Extra (freebie for you)!

 Last year I made these cute little labels to put on a pack of Extra gum for all of my teammates who I teach with. I was trying to think of a little something different to do and then my PTA beat me to it. In our box today was a cutely packaged pack of Extra gum with this taped to it: 

The difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary is that little EXTRA. Thanks for all you do! 

So, I went ahead and whipped up these labels for you in case you want a quick and easy little gift to make some people you work with feel a little "extra" special this week. :) Stay tuned for more Teacher Appreciation from some amazing bloggers through the weeks to come. 

I personally like these new little kraft labels by Martha Stewart than can be found at Staples: 

but of course, the best part is, the template for them is the same as a regular Avery label! Enjoy and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week.  Tomorrow, be sure to visit Making It As A Middle School Teacher for her post!

That Little Extra

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The MOST Important Thing

Before I go on with the rest of the topic at hand, I do have to share a few of the finished products from yesterday's painting. They came out great!

  

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand."

If you've paid attention to my blog, you may have noticed that in between some of the fun and creative posts, every so often there's some sweet and reflective posts. Today is one of those. 

Ever since I saw this post at First Grade a la Carte! using the basic idea of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown (which, if you have not read it for yourself or to your students, you must go find it before the end of the year and do so!) I have been in a reflective mode about the most important thing about first grade. This book has long been one of my favorites. In fact I have used it for a couple of different lessons throughout the year. Tomorrow, since we have been doing little creative projects each day this week (go here to see yesterday's paintings, and today we started making homemade Shrinky Dinks, remember those?) I believe I will have them complete the page from First Grade a la Carte! and compile a book. 

However, if you remember from previous posts here and here as of now I will not be back at my school next year because of the way the hiring worked this school year and that two of my amazing coworkers had asked to borrow my entire class yesterday morning. Well, with three classes in the know of what was happening I was utterly impressed at the secret keeping that took place.

Today I was gifted with this:

They did this with my kids, had them each write why they love me, took the most adorable pictures of them, collaged it all with some quotes, and framed it. This is beyond anything I could have imagined. Yes, when I was an assistant in a private school we had room moms and they did wonderful things for us at the holidays and the end of the year. Even in the 2007-2008 the teacher I worked with, as her assistant took an art project I did with the kids and framed it for me as my end of the year gift. On the back of the frame each child wrote what they would miss about me. 

What I received today though was made for me from the hearts and idea of two teachers who I teach with on a team, but not with in a classroom. We support one another throughout the days and weeks, but we are not in one another's rooms. However, without them, I don't know if I would make it through. And it is true, they know my class best (it is even their names in my sub plans in case of an emergency saying exactly that). But what teachers actually take the time out of their days during the last week of school to do this? I have never been a part of something like this and while I am sad to leave it behind the fact that I got to experience it and be a part of it is perhaps the most important thing. 

from top going clockwise: "I like Ms. Cohn because she is cool and she is smart, but the thing she is really good at is teaching"; "I love Ms. Cohn because she takes us outside"; "I love Ms. Cohn because she goes crazy."; I like Ms. Cohn because she gives us math."

It's great to see what each child wrote, because those are the most important things to them. We never know how what we do will touch a child and affect them. 

Remember each day never to underestimate the most important things we do, sometimes without knowing it, whether it's for a coworker, a child, or a family member, and sometimes if we're really lucky we're blessed to experience the friendship as well. 

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S'more teachers like YOU! +printable, & a confession

Sorry I didn't post with a fun little appreciation token for you to give your coworkers today. I didn't give one to mine today. Maybe it was a sign of my day to come. The title I would really like to have had for this post was "Chalkboard Confessionals." My morning began with my stomach in knots. As a first-year teacher I had never sat through retention meetings. I sat through one a few weeks ago but I didn't know it was going to take place. It began as just a meeting and in the middle of my AP translating in Spanish, she turned and looked at me and said it had now become the retention meeting. After today I have now sat through three more.

Of the four students I submitted for retention, three will be retained. At the end of those two hours, there was a part of me that walked away with a smile. I felt vindicated. I felt like someone finally saw what I had been seeing for months. Then it began to sink in - had I failed these students? What if they had had a different teacher who could have helped them better? What if they had gotten to stay with their original teacher from the beginning of the year? Did I really do the best I could for them?

I suppose it's normal to have those days as a teacher when we feel like maybe we have let our students down. Sometimes it happens to coincide with the weeks or days when others leave us to feel no matter how hard we try we're just not gonna get it all right - somewhere, somehow, one of the balls we have juggling is going to drop. Mine did today. <-- there I confessed. I feel better now. Maybe I can appreciate some coworkers again tomorrow.

With that said, here is a printable I made. I am going to put these labels onto a plastic bag in which I put two marshmallows, a snack size bar of Hershey's, and two graham crackers:

I got the idea from these here, but I am too lazy at the moment to print these, cut them out, and staple or glue, so I went with something that I could have on labels. I will not be offended either way. Hers are probably much cuter. :)

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Popping with Appreciation +printable

I hope everyone felt appreciated in some small way today. We're down to 19 days and I think every one will be a struggle - to make sure I've taught everything I possibly could have and should have, to make sure I feel comfortable leaving these students (and it really will be me leaving them - we'll cross that bridge in a few weeks), and to make sure their behavior is still as in check as ever.

It was fun to put the packs of gum in all of the 1st grade teachers mailboxes today. I didn't have my name on the note, but for some reason I thought they would figure out it was me. Two of our teammates are on the Sunshine Committee and they knew it wasn't something the school had talked about doing, but it still took me telling them. It was still nice and gave me a warm fuzzy all of them started finding out.

Here's tomorrow's sticker. They fit on Avery Shipping 6 to a page. It is going on a bag of microwave popcorn. I have said, my students came from several of the teachers who were already there and because my class formed later my students also now get split up for specials. So, throughout the day my kids are around almost every other teacher. I haven't decided if I will have them give this to the teachers or if I will place it in their boxes. I tried to pick a font you could read, I wanted it to feel like popcorn though....

It says this:

You planted a kernel of knowledge this year that in our hearts will keep on popping. 

We'll try hard to share it with others so it can grow without ever stopping. 

We're not trying to "butter you up" but to us you're the "salt of the earth."

You need to know how much you helped us grow and just how much that's worth!

 

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Extra Extra Special!

Okay, so I had a few comments that people were unable to see the labels. So I am trying this again. I really hope it works for you. I used Avery 5163 Shipping Labels - 10 to a page. On my screen everything looks perfect but when I print the last few are not aligned correctly. I am hoping that is something I can fix on my new printer and not a problem with the document. Either way the gum is ready to go for tomorrow and it looks cute. Hope this works for you.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

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You're an EXTRA special teacher! + printable

Tomorrow begins Teacher Appreciation Week, and as I said earlier, I could never do this alone. Only a few of my coworkers know about this little 'ole blog of mine, and I don't think they read it so regularly (and if by some shock they do, I am crossing my fingers today is not a day they do - or maybe they could because the truth is, this is for them).

The people I work with come in each day and give it their all, not just to the kids but to me too. Its hard enough in a school the size of ours, but to stop in the middle of your day and take your time to help a teacher who comes in after the first 9 weeks of school - well that indeed requires some EXTRA special teachers. I've seen this idea around, but I wanted to make my own labels. So I did and I am sharing them with you. They should print on the Avery labels, so just peel them off and slap it onto a nice little pack of Extra chewing gum!

Happy Appreciation Day 1!

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Feeling appreciated? + a FREEBIE

Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. My school is so large (approx. 1800 students, so imagine the amount of teachers and staff) that we are going to appreciate everyone for the entire month. I like that my principal decided to do that. We all need that push as the year comes to a close anyway. 

I love to look around on blogs and see some of the adorable ideas people come up with. I can't make them all for myself (though they are SOOO cute), I think part of being appreciated is the feeling you get when you help appreciate others. Let's face it - could we really make it through the school year without our coworkers? No one can do this job alone. Half the time unless you are talking to another teacher, do others really understand?! 

Here are some items I found:

 

These ladies at eighteen25 are awesome. Make sure you go there to download yours for your classroom! (I may even print some for my teammates). While you are there browse around at their other great ideas!

 

They are cupcakes. Too cute, right?! I love to bake plus to teach my students my name I always say it sounds like "cone, like an ice cream cone!" This has become very popular with the 1st graders when we learned about homophones. I'm a homophone! hehe. Go here to see how to do make them and get the printables. 

 

This site, Nothing but Country is full of great ideas and printables as well. Head over there. 

 

This site has a slew of ideas and directs you to others. I may do these and have my kids take them to the teachers (it's appropriate in my situation because my students have a bond with many of the other 1st grade teachers. My class formed in October so my students were taken from other's classes).

 

I went here just to get these editable printables. I changed to the name to ME. I make wearable flowers out of zippers and fabric. Lots of my teammates comment about them. I may try to make some and attach the little card. 

 

This is another cute idea that even if you don't want to try it for teacher appreciation, you could put letters on the blocks and have a fabulous word work game - or keep it as numbers and you've got yourself a math game (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and it's pretty to look at too!

A few more places to check out:

 

pencil flowers 

 

for your favorite teacher! 

 

ABC Flowers 

 

holding everything together 

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