TX Teacher Mama

Hopefully by now some of you have read my posts about considering flexible seating and gathering flexible seating options . If you're new to flexible seating, you're probably asking, "yeah, so how do I do  it?" I know I've mentioned this before, but it's so important that I want to mention it again: Flexible seating is about meeting your students' needs. I first implemented it because as I was teaching whole group lessons two years ago, I would look out at my class and notice that almost all of my boys were practically falling out of their seats because of their need to move. When given the choice to sit at their desks or lay on the floor during independent work time, one  of them stayed at his desk and the rest of my class was on the floor. We expect so much from kids academically, I believe that it is essential  to meet them where they are in terms of seating. So if all you have is the furniture your classroom came with, start there. A...

I've gotten this question a lot over the past few weeks and it's something I've been ruminating over since. Why start a blog when I have a young child to take care of, a new house to clean, and a husband to spend time with? And that's not to mention that I am just a month away from jumping head first into a new grade with a whole new set of standards to learn. Am I crazy? Probably! But there's more to it. After our son was born and I spent many weeks at home loving on him, going back to school proved to be harder that I thought it would be. I had just gone through a huge lifestyle change and now, here I was having to go through a huge teacher lifestyle change. I used to be the teacher who stayed late every single day preparing and grading and visiting, etc. I spent time in the teacher's lounge and enjoyed the company of my team. Knowing that I had to get home to feed and play with my baby completely transformed my school routines. I was quickly becoming ...

If you didn't see my earlier post about important lists to make before you start the year hop on over there before you read this. First off I will say that some people are list writers by nature. At one point in my life I would have said I am an ultimate list maker, though admittedly some of my lists are in my mind. I always have lists going on my phone. I have lists in random notebooks, etc. I also love a good to-do list. My husband is the master  of to-do lists. I don't think I have ever passed his desk without seeing an extensive one that he is diligently working at completing.  One of the lists that I thought I had worked out as a first year teacher was my procedures list (haha I thought I had procedures down as a first year teacher). I just worked procedures into my beginning of the year lesson lists (more on these in a coming post). After reflection however, I realized that a more explicit list would have served me much better in the long run. Over the ...

With the new school year looming (is it looming already at the beginning of July?), it might be hard to remember the end of the year. I for one know I was in survival mode for the last few weeks. As soon as my kids were out the door I went into hyper-speed to get my checklist done and out the door for some summer fun and downtime with my family.  Was I emotional about telling my students goodbye? You betcha. Was I ready for them to leave? Absolutely. Was I eager to reflect and improve on the year that had past? No way, at least not yet. I firmly believe there are two types of teachers: those who are able to relax and unwind in the summer and those who are not. I am the latter. Yes I do have fun. I go to the library and the pool and on walks and to coffee with my son all the time. We've gone to the beach, enjoyed some relaxing time in the beautiful Texas hill country and lots of time at Gramma's house. But I can only handle so much downtime before I go crazy. I know t...

Welcome back! I'm hoping you're joining me after spending some time with my considerations outlined in the first part of my alternative seating series. If not, go ahead and hop on over there so work through some guiding questions before you invest the money, time, and effort into switching up your entire classroom. When I began my transition to alternative seating, it was December. One of the catalysts for this classroom transition was a larger transition of technology in my district. They were officially switching us from bulky desktop computers to sleek Apple laptops, thus freeing up space in our classrooms. While that whole transition could be a blog entry of its own, long story short is that I got a huge section of my room back and also got two long tables that had once been used for computer tables to use in other ways in my room. I immediately began imagining how nice it would be for my students to have access to larger work tables as opposed to their small desk...

So a horrible thing happened to my wallet this month. I was already hurting because I live just 2 minutes from my town's Target so obviously I was there a few times a week. Someone thought it would be cute to open up a 5 Below, Michael's and Tuesday Morning in that same shopping center. This means an extra money saving challenge for me but also some teacher finds at 5 Below for you! The thing I love the most about 5 Below is of course  the price. Yes it can be really easy to get carried away because it's all so cheap, but that can add up quickly. I like the price because then if something I have bought for my classroom breaks or isn't as successful or popular as I had hoped, I'm not out a huge amount of money! So here are your Fun 5 Below Finds for June 2017 : 1. Cute Pinatas- $5 These caught my eye because they are so bright and colorful and go with a lot of trendy teacher classroom themes I've been seeing around Instagram. They would make an ador...

How many of us teachers or mamas (or teacher mamas) are guilty of walking aimlessly around Target, once, twice, three times a week (um you mean a day right?). Last summer I found myself in a precarious situation. It was my first summer in 9 years without a job. I was also 8 months pregnant (can anyone say nesting) and of course looking forward to the upcoming school year. Needless to say, Target was definitely my second home. As a teacher it's difficult for me to shop without my classroom in mind. Especially since I love alternative seating, I am always on the lookout for new ways to spruce up my room. So here you have it: Target Teacher Treasures June 2017 Edition (because let's be honest, I will be back to look at the fresh finds in July, and  August, and September, etc). 1. FLASH CARDS & RESEARCH CARDS These are some of my favorite every year. Let's be honest, kids can tear up  some flashcards if they use them enough so I always refresh my stash at ...