Sprinkle a Little Magic While Bidding the School Year Goodbye

This week is it, the end of online school. We will pack away the ipads and the worksheet packs with very little hoopla, and say goodbye to another year. The year that made history. It feels strange saying it, but summer is upon us and in another week, we will begin a new normal without any connection to these tiny or not-so-tiny humans that have made a way into our hearts forever.

But does it have to be this way? I am here to say that it does not! We do not have to slide from this school year into summer with little notice and no celebration. These babies may have been in our classes for three fourths of a year, but they will be held in our hearts forever. So let's get out our party hats and see what we can do to sprinkle a little magic while bidding this year school goodbye. 

If you have been a teacher for any amount of time, you know that teachers love to see what other teachers are doing so they can, well, get ideas for their own rooms. Sometimes you can just take an idea and run with it or other times, you tweak the idea to make it your own. There are thousands of teachers on YouTube, Pinterest, posting on blogs, on The Gram or even Facebook. If you spend enough time there, you could come away feeling inadequate, but just remember you are not seeing the day-to-day, but the highlight reel. This is the best of what they do in their rooms and  while it can be magical, just remember, it is NOT the day-to-day. We all have magic in our classes if we stop to look around. 

With that being said, I love looking for new ideas around, especially on Instagram. One of my friends and coworkers is known as  Learning With Mrs. Fresh. I love her idea of putting together little bags for her students.  She included a letter to each student as well as a class picture. She added in some fun touches (candy, pen, glow stick). How easy is that? And what better way send the class off on summer break and let them know that you care? Also, her school did a virtual school spirit week, which I adapted and am using during the last week of school. Let's bring the fun engagement. We can STILL do it, despite being separated by distance. Here is a look at what we are doing on the last week of school. 

My whole school is not hosting a school spirit week. But what's to stop me from doing that in my class? Nothing at all! I am most excited about our Taco Tuesday. In class, we have regular lunch bunches. Students look forward to coming to sit and eat lunch with me on Fridays. I always bring treats for the students who are in lunch bunch. A lot of times, I have made homemade chocolate chip cookies for them. I took this idea and decided to enjoy lunch with my class on Zoom. What I was trying to figure out was a treat for them. Then I had the idea to send them home (after our last pick-up) with a bag of ingredients so they could make their own cookies. So, that is just what I did. I made each of them a bag of supplies and passed it out to them. I am uploading a quick tutorial on YouTube so they can bake the cookies at home with their parents and then have them for the lunch bunch on Tuesday. I cannot way. And neither can they. I keep getting questions about when they can bake the cookies. This is going to be fun!

Another idea that I loved on Instagram was these affirmation flowers. I saw them on Pencils Top Pigtails. I loved this idea so much that I decided to create some of my own.

The only thing was, that I sent my husband out to Dollar Tree to snag some of these for my project and they only had Fourth of July themed ones. That was fine, but I had my heart set on these bright ones with multiple colors that were so beautiful. I went to another store and it was the same story. I just could NOT find the ones I wanted anywhere. A week later, with nothing, I decided that I would just get the patriotic ones and the kids would not know the difference. I went back to not one, but two stores and just found three of them total. I decided to go to one more store that I had not been to previously and I hit the jackpot and was able to get enough for my whole class in the colors that I wanted. I was so excited! I am planning to do a drive by, not sure if you would call it a parade, but at least to plant a flower in the yards of my students and spread a little love. 

Whether you do something "big" or "small" teacher, you are amazing!  

Start Your Year on a Positive Note...and Keep it That Way

Starting the school year can be a challenge. I like to start it on a positive note and work hard throughout the year to keep it that way. Here are five easy tips to help you start your year off on a positive note and keep it that way too.

1. Send a letter of greeting to each parent. If you can get a hold of parent addresses about a week or so before school starts, send a letter of greeting to each parent introducing yourself and telling something about you. Be sure to include some things students will be learning during the school year. I also like to send a post card to greet the students individually. Students LOVE to get "real" mail and parents will enjoy passing this note along to their child. 

2 . At the start of the school year, call every parent within the first week. Seriously, take the time to call each one and thank them for entrusting their child to you. Tell them that you look forward to working as a team and share something positive that you have noticed about their child. It is so important to do this before any misbehaviors have a chance to happen. Generally, students are in the honeymoon stage the very first week of school, so I choose to make a phone call home during this time so that the first contact from me once school has started is a positive one. 

3. Set up a communication binder. Be proactive and set one up before school even starts. Keep a record, throughout the school year, of each and every communication. It can save you if you are ever in a tough spot. Documentation is key. Save every email. Document every phone call. Write down conversations you have with parents in person. This will help you keep track of all interactions. I like to keep a binder where I can write down each and every interaction. 

4. Send positive notes home. I set a goal to try to send one positive note home at least every two weeks to each child in my class and while I am not always able to accomplish that, parents really do enjoy getting little notes of praise from the school. To do this, keep a clipboard of positive note printables on a clipboard. Write each child's name on one of the notes. When you see something to celebrate, write a quick note. Send it home at the end of the day. Doing it this way helps you keep track of who you still need to send notes home with. I use one of these cute little printable note sets to keep it super simple. 

Here is another piece of advice on this one. If you have a child who is not easy, and let's face it, there's usually one every year, give these notes of praise even more often. Remember teachers, fair is not always equal. Fair is making sure each child receives what he or she needs and I make sure the students in my class know that they will not all be treated exactly the same because that may not be what he or she needs. Students with difficulties often have low self esteem, but you can help build that child up and strengthen your relationship with him or her by looking for things he or she is doing well or right. Be sure to be sincere and let him or her know exactly what you appreciate.

5. Have an open door policy. I know teachers who never give out their personal phone number or only allow parents to see them at certain times. I want my parents to feel and know that I am available to help them when needed. In the twenty years I have been teaching, I have NEVER had any parent overuse my phone number. Instead they are always respectful, apologetic, and thoughtful when they have to use it during my personal time. It certainly gives them a feeling that I care about their child and them and that feeling goes a long way. I am available to meet with parents after school as needed. It is not often that I need to meet with a parent or take a phone call, but I want them to know that I am there if they need me. 

Good communication will knock out a whole host of problems before they have a chance to begin. It is the number one way to keep parents informed, feel a part of the school experience, and be on your side. It is worth the time and effort. I am not a natural communicator. I am a quiet person, but knowing this about myself has made me push myself even harder to keep up the communication. So let's do it! Let's start this year on a positive note...and keep it that way.

If you need some resources to help, you can check these out. Click on the pictures below to be taken to the store.

Elf Surveillance in the Classroom

Christmas time is right around the corner and with it, Elf on the Shelf dolls are showing up in schools around the world, bringing the magic of the holiday season to classroom. Check out these fun elf surveillance reports. They are a fun way to spread positivity this Christmas season! You can find them right here.



It's time to dust off some of the old holiday games as well, check out my math resources to help make your holiday bright and bring some fun to math time.