Rewards Day

My student's LOVE rewards. 

They want a token for their hard work.

And I am happy to give this to them. 

I actually have two different systems for the student's I work with.

The first is the Success Maker computer lab. 

The students earn a ticket each day their score is over 70%.

I print out what is called a last session report to see who scored 70% or higher for the previous day. 

I highlight the students and give out tickets at the end of the 30 minute class period.  The students are always so excited to get these tickets.  They have worked hard to get the tickets.  The tickets go in a bag for their class.  On Fridays, I pull out two tickets from each class.

The two students get to chose from the reward jar.  The items in this jar range from candy to bracelets to happy meal toys.  

I love to see the students's faces when their name is drawn and they get to choose a reward.

The second type of rewards I get to pass out are for PBIS.

PBIS stands for positive behavior intervention system.  I have the responsibility of being the PBIS coach  for the past two years.  As a school, we have implemented the Check In/Check Out program for the second tier of PBIS.  This tier involves taking trouble students and completing a check in/check out with daily.

The process works like this....the students come see me first thing in the morning.  We talk about what they are going to do for the day.  They tell me how many points they would like to reach with the cap being 72 points. I write this on their sheet and then they tell me a reward they would like to earn.  This reward could be pencils, bookmarks, free blue jean passes, or candy bars.  The students then come see me at the end of the day.  We add up their points and talk about the teacher comments that are on the sheet.  If the student has meet the goal, they get the reward that was written on the paper earlier.  If the student does not meet the goal, we talk about what we can improve the next day at school.

This part of my day is the most rewarding for me.  I get to interact with students who need the attention and support I am giving them.

Interventions in the Classroom

Intervention is a word that will strike fear into teachers.

They will run and hide behind their classroom doors.

Some will just nod their heads when asked if they are completing interventions.

Why does the word 'intervention' just scare us??  We are TEACHERS....we are not scared of anything!!

Now I will admit that it did scare me at the beginning, too!

I just knew it would be a lot of work....

How would I fit this in my day....

What if I do all this and the students don't benefit from it....

All of this was a big concern to me.  So, what I did was order a BIG diet coke (with vanilla) and just went for it. 

I started with my supplies of a binders, tabs, three hole puncher, sheet protectors, and lots and lots of paper.

I did check to make sure my printer ink was in good condition.

I was fortunate enough to have access to a computer program that came with some interventions to get me started.  I printed them all off, organized them by skill and content (comprehension, grammar, spelling, and etc).

This gave me a great start, but then I realized I was missing skills. 

So, then I bought out the heavy equipment....the Internet.  I searched for great website where I would find great interventions.  This was not an easy or cheap task.  I did pay for subscriptions to some website (but it was so worth it).  I would print the interventions off and add them to the binder.

After two years in the computer lab, I have now quite a collection of interventions and feel very confident when people ask have I been doing my interventions.  My head nods and my hand is raised real high!!

The video below shows how I do my interventions in my classroom.  It is not as bad as it seems and remember....you just need you BIG diet coke (with vanilla) and your supplies!!

Good Luck!

Testing Week

It is THAT week.........

the dreaded standardized testing week in Louisiana schools.

I know that the teachers at my school have worked hard.  They have put in a lot of time and effort to teach each and every student.  

I am proud of all the students at my school.  I know they will knock this out of the park.

Below you will find a link to Cherry Ridge Elementary Website.  The link will take you to some suggested test taking tips.  

Test Taking Tips

Remember to:

Get plenty of sleep

&

Eat a good breakfast 

  

Spring Break

I am officially on SPRING BREAK!!!!

It feels so good to get that out!

I know I needed this break.... from not only my students, but from the stress of the standardized testing that is coming up.  

That is all any teacher or administrator can talk about and well I just needed a conversation about the flowers or weather for a change. :)

It won't all be fun in the sun for me....I have two graduate classes to work on and a final portfolio for graduation to complete.

So wish me luck and enjoy your week!!

Eric Carle

Raise your hand if you know who Eric Carle is?

A photographer, an actor, or maybe a politican??  Nope, the answer is a famous author.



Eric Carle is the creator of many children's books with vibrant colors and inspirational messages.  I have grown to love all of his books and working on my very own collection everyday.  Even as an adult, I am learning from his books.

To learn more about Eric Carle, please click 'start prezi' on the video below.  This presentation is in Prezi with a You Tube video embeded.  

To learn more about Prezi, check out www.prezi.com


Please leave a comment!

I Make A Difference

Teaching, what does it mean to you?  

To me it means that I make a difference!  

I make a difference to the students I interact with everyday.  I make a difference to the faculty members I talk to.  I make a difference to the parents who just need talk a problem out.  

I had no idea I would make this much a difference when I chose this profession 5 years ago.  I realize I am still in the early years of teaching and I have a lot to learn, but I do plan on making a difference as long as I can.

I have made a video about myself and the job that I love so much.  

Take a look and leave a comment!!

Around the Classroom

I absolutely LOVE my job and not many people get to say that.  Now, let's be honest....there are times that I feel frustrated; I believe that just comes with the profession.  Remember, I work with little people.  I wake up with a smile and go home everyday with the thought "I am a better person for experiencing that today."  

My classroom is a friendly and welcoming to students of all ages.  I planned it that way and spent one whole summer ordering colorful items.  I had three walls painted a neutral tan and the fourth wall painted a bright teal.  I made curtains for the windows and painted signs for the door.  You see, this was the first year for the English/Language Arts Success Maker computer lab at my school.  I got the privilege of picking out and ordering my own tables and chairs for the 26 computers I was receiving.  I even talked the district into getting chair pockets!!  I was set when school started.

Now let me show you what I mean....

The bright teal wall with computers in front. 

My computers in the center of the room and my colorful bulletin boards!

The computers along the wall. with more of my colorful charts!

My little corner of the classroom.

The intervention table for teachers and students.

This blog will contain:

• tips for teaching computer lab to elementary students
• how to successfully complete interventions
• my sometimes crazy computer lab
• the joy of students learning

Please check in weekly, as I will update and keep the smile on my face!