Pssst - It's Friday! {In case you didn't know} *FREEBIE*

As hard as it was to get back into the swing of things, we didn't really have a choice, did we?  We had conferences in November, but report cards don't go home until December.  I'm not sure who the genius was who thought of that craziness...but they'll be getting coal in their stocking this year..I'm pretty darn sure of that!

I wish I could figure out how to balance it all; or at least not feel so guilty when I don't.  Seems that assessments come right when things are coming together and we've found our groove.  Remember my post about loving Daily 5?  Wasn't that just last week that I was all geeked and excited about it?  Yeah, so things can take a nose dive fast when you change the routine a bit, expect the kiddos to last "just a wee bit longer so I can finish up this running record".   Some little dumplings were taking advantage of Mrs. W's red-cowboy-hat-with-a-red-tinsel-brim...{You wear one too, when you test, right?}  I tell you, it works...lightens the mood when they sit down next to me to read, "Howdy pardner...ya'll gonna show me what you'ns got?" {they just giggle and read and nobody bothers me - not even other teachers because they know what "the hat" means...SHE'S TESTING}.

I've got some smart kids, though.  I'm so darn tootin' proud of them!!!!

Maybe it's my teaching? 

Teaching has changed so much over the years, hasn't it?  I don't know if I could be a new teacher today {I swear I feel like one half the time though...we change what we do and how we do it so much it makes your head spin}. With that, I have to say in a lot of ways I love the teacher I've become because of these changes.  I think we've probably all changed in a lot of the same ways - we encourage thinkers rather than sponges. 

Michigan has adopted the Common Core - with that my district adopted the Bridges math series.  This spiral approach toward teaching really threw me off at first.  It's largely game-based and relies heavily on visual models (ten frames anybody?).  It also encourages divergent thinking through questioning. 

We were given question stems to hang up in our classrooms - not so much for the kids, but for the teachers...just to help us remember to delve deeper.  Of course they weren't cute enough for me...so I fancied 'em up.  Here they are in case you want to hang them up in your whole group area {that's where I have mine}.

Psssst....don't forget, it's FRIDAY!!!!!!