Split Class Linky Party!

Christina Bainbridge is having a linky party to share tips for teachers who have several grade levels in 1 room. My room is set up to be a K-2 room but my K's left me so I only teach 1st and 2nd right now. I don't pretend I know what's going on and how to run a multi-age room but what I do seems to be working very well.

• I have an aide, which is the first part of why my classroom runs smoothly. My kids COULD be independent if they were confident enough in their abilities, but since the first words out of their mouths are usually, "I can't, this is too hard" before they realize what they need to do, she is there to help them out. 
• I do leveled guided reading after a whole group reading strategy lesson. The rest of reading time is differentiated according to their Word Sorts & More word sort levels and the books in their book boxes are at their level.
• Science/Social Studies are done whole group.
• Math is done in rotations. I work with 1 grade level while the other does Xtramath on the computer, and a math tub. Then they switch. With 3 groups I have to be more structured with it and keep each group to 15 minute limit, but with 2 it's way easier. 
• My kids go to specials with another 1st grade class which helps them get used to the integrated setting and develop friendships outside of our room. 

Enjoy and link up with Christina if you teach a variety of grade levels in your room! 

A Day In My Shoes

I am linking up at this fabulously fun linky party to share what a typical day for me is like! Link yourself up here! We Are All Very Busy People

5:30 am - really expensive alarm clock my iPhone alarm starts ringing and I hit snooze.
5:40 am - repeat.
6:00 am - I roll out of bed and get in the shower to wake up.
6:14 am - My "WTF ARE YOU THINKING YOU BETTER GET OUT OF BED NOW" alarm goes off.
6:15 - 7:00 am - I blog stalk, FB stalk and sometimes catch up on my fave shows from the night before while I dry my hair and get dressed. Yes, it takes me 45 minutes to dry and straighten my hair, probably because of all the computer-ing I'm doing but I get bored while I'm doing my hair! Somewhere around 6:50 am - Sophia starts calling me from her room. "MAMA! I TALKIN TO YOU! WANNA GET UP!"
7:00 am - get Sophia up, chase her around her room to change her diaper. Let her pick out her outfit for the day.
7:20 am - (yes, the above takes 20 minutes. She wants to sit on the potty, read a book, hug a dolly, anything she can do to make us later) Head downstairs to make lunch.
7:25 am - wrestle Sophia into her hat, coat and mittens. Feed the dog.
7:30 am - wrestle Sophia into her car seat and head to the sitter.
7:32 am - arrive at the sitter and proceed to peel clingy 2 year old off my leg. this same 2 year old was screaming excitedly in the car " LIZ TIME! SEE ALL MY FRIENDS!"
7:40 am - Leave for work and settle in for the 30 minute drive ahead of me.
8:00 am - Stop at Dunkin' or Tim Hortons for breakfast while listening to my favorite morning radio show.
8:20 am - Arrive at work. Sit at guided reading table and "put my face on" as my grandma would say. No time at home to do makeup!
8:30 am - Run around the building getting ready for the day, copying, printing and sometimes last minute laminating.
9:05 - Students arrive!
9:15 - Announcements and the pledge, and morning work at their tables.
9:30 - Kids leave for speech. I have a free 30 minutes! Woot!
10:00  - Start reading instruction for the day, usually with a short mini-lesson, then pulling small groups.
11:15 - Start writers workshop with a short mini-lesson then independently working for 20 - 25 minutes.
11:50 - L-U-N-C-H with my lunch friends!! I looove eating with these people - its such a nice break to the day and we laugh a LOT.
12:30 Pick up my friends and start science or social studies lesson.
1:00 Start math block or send them to Art on Tuesdays.
1:50  Specials
2:30 Finish up unfinished work, then FREE TIMEEEEE! I like to include this because it gives us time to work with the kids who have social goals on their IEP's and teach them how to make friends and play together.
3:15 Do STAR books, pack up and GO HOME.
3:40 Leave to pick up Sophia, and gear up for the evening at home with my daughter in her terrible twos!

OMG. I didn't realize how long this was. My mornings are obviously crazy town. The rest of the day is easy compared to my mornings!

I Will Survive Linky Party

Karla over at Life In Special Education is having a linky party to share crazy stories from your teaching experience. I teach Special Ed self-contained so I have a TON of wild experiences with my kids! Link up and share your funny/horrifying/embarrassing stories!

1) I have a bathroom in my classroom and my first year in the room, I was teaching science at my table. One of the girls asked to use the bathroom, and I said ok. Somehow between the table and the bathroom, she swiped a paper clip off my desk. After she came out of the bathroom, another little girl went in, and came right back out. "Mrs. Wyand?" she says. "There's something wrong with the lights...?" So I go in there, and find the paperclip stuck in the lightswitch and the entire bathroom dark because the first girl blew the lights!!!! I had her go to the nurse to be checked out to make sure she had not been electrocuted, and the janitor had to come and pull out the paperclip, which was all black and singed. Sigh.

2) This past year, I had a little lady with some severe behavior issues. She couldn't keep it together for a full day in the beginning of the year. One day she got upset about something, like she didn't have her sneakers for gym or something, and completely. flipped. out. She absolutely DESTROYED my room, dumped over desks, ripped apart my foam alphabet mat (yes, I took pictures) and tried to lock the door shut by wedging a chair underneath the door handle. (I laugh about all this now!) I removed the rest of the kids, had my aide take them outside and called the principal. He came down and let her have her meltdown because there was NO reasoning with her. While she was melting down, she tried to roll up my red carpet, but the principal was standing on it. The best part of this story is the fact that our six foot tall principal is standing on the carpet, and this tiny second grade girl is literally trying to tear the rug out from under his feet!! (I still laugh thinking about it!)
3) I have a little boy with autism who had a VERY difficult year managing his anger issues. He hit me, punched me, kicked our aide, threw things at me, screamed at me - everything to show he hated me. On the last day of school, he broke down SOBBING and threw himself into my arms, crying "I'm (sob sob) gonna (sob sob) MISS (sob) YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!"
Linky Party!

Things We Say Linky Party

Christina at Mrs. Bainbridge's Class is having a super fun linky party!!!

We've all got those "things" that we say.  What is something you always say to your students?  Maybe it's something cute that you love... or maybe it's something that you heard them start to say to each other that made you go "uh oh!".
Law, I say so many things! (And yes, I just finished reading The Help and "law" is now a regular part of my vocabulary.)

1. "Are you in charge?" when my little friends tell each other what to do.
2. "Seriously?" 

3. This one is my favorite: "Are you dying? Are you bleeding? Is someone throwing up? Do I need to take you to the hospital? No? Ok then don't tattle." Yeah, I'm mean, but I try to teach them not to tattle on someone unless someone is seriously hurt or going to be hurt as a result.
4. "I'm changing my name and I'm not telling you what my new name is!" when they keep calling my name over and over and over...this REALLY made one of my kids mad last year!! She didn't have much of a sense of humor.

Go to Christina's site and link up!

What I Can't Teach Without....

Mrs. Lamb's class is having a linky party to talk about things we teachers can't teach without! Go check it out! Linky Party - What I Can't Teach Without

1. School provided Dell laptop. I don't think any of us could teach without one, in this day and age! Everything is on it - attendance, principal e-mails, important calendar updates, etc.

2. Sharpies and Sharpie pens! I LOOOOOOVE them so much. I can't even explain it.

3. I'm going to have to start bringing 2 of them in my lunch. I used to have a rule: no Pepsi before 9 am. That rule went out the window when I started teaching elementary!

4. This book changed my LIFE last year. I hated guided reading with a passion, and then I found this lovely. Finally - FINALLY I had found what I was looking for. I think we are soul mates.

5. Ok so I don't have a SmartBoard yet, but the room I'm moving into does. I can't WAIT to learn how to use it! I don't think I'll be able to teach without it after my first few times.