Snowflakes

We did this today at our Winter Party and the kids really enjoyed it! I encourage everyone to do this when the return in January!!!

Free TpT Products!

Ok...ready for a little bribery?!? Hehe.
My niece Harper has been entered in a little contest.

You can also find adorable Harper pictures here, here, here and here!!!

It's a small contest based out of my hometown and the winner gets a free photography session and a big canvas print!! There aren't very many kids in this contest (25-30) and she's at the top. So...being the great aunt I am, I am bribing my followers to vote for my niece in exchange for any product you'd like from my TpT store FOR FREE!!!

Here's how it works:

You can vote today-December 10th one time a day. Each day you vote, leave a comment what number vote you were and also what product you'd want to use in your classroom. **Make sure you install the app if you are voting from your phone. It doesn't do anything scary...it's just the webpage the voting opens on. Make sure you click the word VOTE. If it worked correctly you will see the current number go up one showing it counted your vote. :)

If you're not a teacher and could care less about the prizes...well, I'll just have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)

VOTE HERE!!!!

TpT Items

I finally jumped on the TpT train. And to clarify, I've been on the browsing and downloading train, I've just started uploading my stuff. I started going through my files at school and had a ton of stuff, but figured they looked a little boring compared to TpT standards. Ha! So this weekend, I katie-fied them and added some spunk. Thanks to Kevin and Amanda with their awesome fonts and a handful of other people with their awesome graphics, I think I'm set.

Without further ado...

Tweets in the Classroom. You can read about how I used this in real life HERE

Mean, Median, Mode and Range Review.

Big XII Football.

This is always a big hit. I do a huge display in the hall and we keep a graph of football wins for the week. Then the kids get to find the MMMR each week. We love football in this neck of the woods!

and finally...

This is an activity going along with the book "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. My 5th graders love it. Anytime you can mix a fun picture book into a math lesson...you know the kids will love it! :)

Hope you can check out some of my stuff! I'm busy getting more together...so stay tuned. :)

Aunt Katie x3

I was looking through my blog today and realized I've gone all teacher for the last 6-9 months. While that's wonderful and all...this blog did not start out being a teacher only blog. I remember one of my very first posts said it would be about my family, recipes, great deals I've found, teaching...and anything else I found interesting. I use this blog as a place to log things important to me and to be a resource for great ideas.

That being said...one of the things that makes me happiest is being an Aunt. Since my last "Aunt Katie" post we've had an addition. Little Hudson Wayne. :) He is so precious!! ...And I can barely wait until the holidays so I can get my hands on all three of these little babies!

...And now for a little Ella Kate and Harper. :)

These three make my heart SO HAPPY!!!

Venting

Teachers! Have you ever felt defeated at school?  Like to the point that teaching can barely even happen because behavior is so off the chain!?!?

Parents! Please help me out!!!!

Why is stupid recess more important than learning?
Why is football practice a bigger priority than doing homework?
Why are you doing their homework for them?
Why is your child always telling the truth and the teacher is lying?
Why in the world does your child have the audacity to speak to an adult (much less their teacher) with SUCH disrespect?!?!
Parents, why is it ok to speak to your child's teacher with such disrespect?

I could go on...but I'll spare you.

I just don't get it. It was never a thought in my head to speak to my teachers in the way these kids do. AND if I got in trouble at school...you better believe I got in trouble at home. There was no such thing as believing me over the teacher. My parents defended our teachers no matter what...not talk bad about them in front of us. I've never experienced anything like it. Kind of just makes teachers want to throw my hands up in defeat. It seems as though parents could care less that there child HAS TO pass state tests to go onto the next grade level...I just don't know what to do anymore, because like I said...I don't get it! Please tell me I'm not the only one!?!?!?!?!

Election 2012

Today our 5th graders put on our school wide Presidential Election and out did themselves. It was so much fun! They each got to work the polls in one way or another. We learned about the Electoral College in Math, which is a another story. Lol. I taught it in the basic form...because if I'm being honest, I don't complete understand it. :) I hope you enjoy our pictures from today!

My Week & Classroom Tour

I wanted so bad to participate in the Blog Hoppin' Teacher Party all week....but it just didn't happen. :(  

Rewind on this week....
I reported back on Monday and that night I started getting a sore throat. Got through Tuesday...it was still sore but I made it. Nothing a little DayQuil could't handle. Wednesday that little sore throat went to swallowing razors (well, it felt like it) and ZERO energy. Thursday turned into neck and back aches, sore throat and having to rest (aka lay my head down) in between every little task I did. Thursday night...Meet the Teacher. I put my "I'm not sick" face on and greeted everyone with a smile. Let's just say an hour and a half later I could barely stand or walk...get home to discover I have a fever. (100.4) I don't get fevers...my normal body temp is like 97.1, so this made me raise my eyebrows a little.

Friday. I should've never gone to school...but I did because I have TWENTY SIX 5th grades coming Monday morning...I had to finish my room. AND, I have my first student teacher who is starting the 1st day of school and she was coming to meet me that afternoon. I seriously took 4 breaks while getting ready. Shower-lay in bed, get dressed-lay in bed, dry hair-lay in bed, makeup-lay in bed. Got to school around 9:30...and had a little burst of energy (maybe 45 minutes) and got a few things done but it was just about all down hill from there. I had my nurse check me and I actually didn't have a fever (thanks to the meds) but my lymph nodes were swollen and throat red. Long story short...I made it until noon and couldn't do it anymore. Went straight to the doctor. No Strep, No Mono...tested me for West Nile (since I have all the symptoms EXCEPT the main one...a known mosquito bite) so we'll see. My fever actually spiked to 105 while I was there which prompted them to give me an antibiotic and steroid shot. Then it went right back down and Ive been fever free since. It's helping I have my energy back...just can't talk and when I do...I sure pay for it! So a very low-key weekend for me to get ready for Monday morning. I did finish my room early this morning so I have tons of pictures. Sorry you had to read my bio first (HA!) but I figured my #1 blog readers aka my fam would also like to be updated...since I can't talk. :)

And all that, just for this....my classroom tour!

 My desk area

Wall opposite my lockers 

 Front of Classroom. I couldn't get a good picture, but the flags 

across the top are my place value banners. Billions to Thousandths. 

Here it is a little closer. It's just too long to fit in one picture!

 Looking towards my door 

 Opposite corner looking at my desk

 Locker tags...scrapbook paper

 View from my front door

 Back wall

Just for fun....here is my classroom BRIGHT and yellow from last year in case you'd like to take a look. Click here

Monday Made It

I've enjoyed reading everyone's Monday made it's all summer, so I thought I'd join today. I feel like this picture makes everything look uneven but it's straight in person. :) Just a little hallway decoration for our 5th grade hall. 

Sneak Peek

Here you go.

A sneak peek of my new wall color.

I still have to hang a million things back up but I wanted to show you how the walls came out. 

I think I'm going to REALLY like it!!!

Change.

About 5-6 years ago, our school classrooms got painted either pale blue or pale yellow. I went with yellow on 3 of my walls and kept the green accent wall that the previous teacher had painted. I've always liked it...I mean it is our school colors and all. I think it's just time for change. :)

My principal gave me the ok to paint so its time for the yellow to go! Goodbye pale yellow, hello Granite Gray!

Classroom Makeover pics coming soon!!!!! Oh, and if anyone has a suggestion on what I can do to make this board over my chalkboard less of an eye sore PAH-LEEZE let me know!!!

I Think I'm Going To Try That....

I know a lot of people can be on Pinterest for hours, but me...I usually just use the search to find what I'm looking for... look around for a few minutes and keep it moving.
Not last night.
Man, if this could only be true.

I found someone's teaching board and went nuts. Ha! She MUST be teacher of the year somewhere. :)

Just wanted to share some of my favorite finds this week. Follow my school board if you're interested.
*I tried to cite what I could...but you know Pinterest, some links are just to the picture. If your reading this and see something of yours, let me know and I'll link it from Pinterest*

 via

 via

 via

via