I am linking up with Sunny Daze In Second to share my one-word resolution for 2014.  I have debated whether or not it should be one of the following "P" words....   PATIENCE   or     POSITIVITY   In mulling over it this morning, I have decided that another word includes the meanings of those listed above and will remind me to remain steadfast in the face of any stressors or adversity that the months ahead may bring.        PERSEVERE   May you also keep calm and carry on in the new year!   Sending peaceful and easy feelings,               ...

I have decided to jump on the New Year's Sale bandwagon being driven by many of my fellow bloggers and TPT sellers, and have reduced the price of all products in my store to between $2-$3, with at least three being FREE! I am most appreciative of the 25 positive product ratings, 30 followers and 55 Facebook "likes" that folks have blessed me with, and will intone the lyrics of James Taylor to express my gratitude.....   Shower the people you love with love Show them the way that you feel Things are gonna work out better If you only will....   I hope you will enjoy ringing in 2014 by saving on some new resources that will make your transition back from winter break a little less painful.  Click on the link below to visit my store!   TPT THANK YOU SALE-A-BRATION   ...

It is the first morning in many that I've logged on to my sister's laptop to check e-mail, read my Bloglovin' feed, or think about the "teaching side" of my life.  It is my 10th day of true rest & relaxation with family on Florida's golden gulf coast, and "working" is just not something I can bring myself to do while here! I will probably pay dearly upon my return home, but for now I will recommend the following leisure activities to enjoy as you have time.... *Go see "Saving Mr. Banks!"  The storyline, characterizations, cinematography, costuming, and message of this movie made me laugh, cry, sing along, and re-live the grand moments of my childhood, as well as my absolute love for the Mary Poppins book series and film. *Become addicted to Pet Rescue Saga, Words With Friends, and Candy Crush Saga and play them on your iPhone when you cannot sleep at night!  As a 53-year-old woman who often suffers frequent bouts of insomnia, a...

The inhabitants of our beach house are waking up slowly on this misty morning.  Banana bread and Dunkin Donuts coffee are the breakfast choices.  We are wrapped in blankets with our books as we greet a day that may not be made for beach-lounging.  A trek to the local movie house may also be in order.  We shall see.  There isn't really a schedule now that the holiday hub-bub is over, and that feels good. I continue to resist the urge to do "work" during this holiday, and will probably wander into Barnes & Noble to get a mindless romance to read.  I have also been sleeping in and taking a large amount of daily naps.  Downshifting from the fast lane I usually move in during the school year feels good.  I plan to do so for at least another week. In the words of Simon & Garfunckel, may you also remember to...   Slow down You move too fast Got to make the morning last Just kicking down The cobblestones Looking for fun And feeling groovy....  ...

Now that I have recovered from the crazy last week of school before break and settled into the slow and relaxing rhythm of beach life, I thought I'd drop back in to blog about fun, family, and festive times her in sunny Florida. My clan gave up on cold, white, and Midwestern holidays when my parents moved permanently to the Naples/Fort Myers area about 15 years ago.  My father's annual gift to my five siblings and I is to rent two deluxe beach houses so that we can all be together to make merry, eat way too much, sing favorite songs around the bonfire, play competitive sports and board games, and exchange a mountain of gifts.  We also eat Snickerdoodles for breakfast and stay in our pajamas until it is time to change into our bathing suits! This two-week respite is truly relaxing and rejuvenating for me.  I don't bring any school work, I only read mindless historical romances or People magazine, and I eat lots of junk food.  I go out to breakfast and I shop at a non-fre...

It's official.  Every child in Room 2 has ceased listening to me.  They have tuned out.  My constant cajoling, explicit instructions, gentle guidance, and repetitive reminders are falling on deaf ears. They have better things to do besides follow my directions or complete  multi-step tasks.  They are very busy discussing what their Elf on the Shelf did last night and talking about what Santa is going to bring them.  They have family parties to go to and holiday movies to watch instead of reading at home and completing their weekly word study activities. They do not understand the urgency in my voice when I ask them to please focus on finishing their parent gift instead of poking their neighbor with a Sharpie marker. Even though they have been told numerous times that teachers have a direct contact with the North Pole, they still insist that pushing in line and telling someone that the gingerbread man they created looks like a "doofus" shouldn't be cause for remov...

It has taken me 15 days to finally get my holiday decorations out and up, but Christmas has finally come to my humble home and my condo is now looking quite festive in a homespun kind  of way!  For a gal that keeps her Santa collection on display all year long, that is a bt of a tragedy, but thanks to being semi-snowbound for the weekend, the halls are decked!  Now I can finally link up with Fabulous In First's seasonal questionnaire!  Here goes! FABULOUS IN FIRST   Hot Chocolate or Eggnog?  Hot cocoa with marshmallows and a candy cane to stir it with, or maybe even a bit of Peppermint Schnapps for a little "kick!?"  Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them underneath the tree?  Santa always left our toys out and ready to play with on Christmas morning.  The gifts were marked with nametags and ribbon only.  The tradition continues today with adult "elves" assembling things and putting them out for display well past midnight!  It is all part o...

As I was making my lists and stressing more than twice about not being able to get out and about to accomplish some shopping because of yesterday's snowstorm, I happened across this quote on a friend's Facebook page.  The spirit of Dr. Seuss himself then reminded me to take a deep breath, focus on the people   I am most grateful for, and enjoy the sounds and sights of the season around me.  Today while I am again slightly snowbound, I will brew a flavored coffee, rummage through the holiday projects I saved from when my children were little, decorate sparingly, and craft some simple  but heartfelt gifts.  Giving from the heart means more.  Thanks to the Grinch for reminding me of that! Wishing you a peaceful, easy feeling this holiday season, ...

I remember that it was a school day like this one.  Cold, blustery, and long.  Everyone's mind was not on what we were learning but on how many days until Christmas.  After putting my students on the bus, I sat down at my desk to check Facebook and read e-mails before going home.  A series of sad, horrified posts without any details showed up on my feed.  I immediately searched online news for "Sandy Hook" only to remain frozen in my chair with tears streaming down my face. Once I regained my composure, I raced home to watch what would become a sorrow-filled and endless marathon of TV news reports.  I texted fellow teachers and asked heartfelt questions like.... "What are we going to tell our students tomorrow?"     "Are you scared too?"    "Can you imagine getting that phone call as a parent?"    "What was going through that teacher's mind as she hid her children in cupboards to protect them?" This afternoo...

In honor of the one-month anniversary of my blog AND my birthday this week, I am hosting my first Rafflecopter giveaway!  I was born on a wintery Friday the 13th in December of 1960.  Yep.  I am OLD! The contest started yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 11th, and entries will be accepted by using the chart above to  1) Leave a blog comment here about your favorite birthday memory! 2)"Like" my Facebook page! 3) Do BOTH for more chances to be a winner!  The lucky winner will be asked to e-mail me their choice of four units from my Teacher's Pay Teacher store! I am adding a $25 e-mail Amazon gift card to the mix as well because it is the season to be giving!   FA-LA-LA-LA-LA!  LA-LA-LA-LA! Thank you in advance for participating!  E-mail me at storiesandsongs2@gmail.com with questions or suggestions!  ...

I must admit that most years I hope that Santa will leave me a new Nora Roberts or Debbie Macomber novel to read in my beach chair, but this year I am really hoping the jolly guy leaves me a copy of WORD NERDS!     Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary by Brenda J. Overturf , Leslie Montgomery and Margot Holmes Smith  I've been reading a lot about the successful word power program developed and used by two teachers in Kentucky, and can't wait to try some of their methods!  Thanks to Jen over at Positively Learning for hosting this Linky Party so that we teachers can share more "good read" ideas! Whatcha Reading? Linky Party  ...

Sometimes inspiration strikes at surprising moments and in the oddest forms!  Today's spark of creativity came from a merry moose drawn by Messare Clips & Design.  Messare Clips & Designs  This whimsical woodland creature purchased from tPt now graces the cover page of my new creative writing packet!  This language arts unit is designed to help students think and write about how they can spread good cheer to others this holiday season with kind words and actions.  These prompt cards and response pages will be put to good use in my classroom this month to thwart greedy thoughts of material things and replace visions of sugarplums with random acts of kindness performed for no reward.  My second graders will be making a different kind of list and checking it twice, making sure that what they say and do in Room 2 is thoroughly nice!         LIGHT UP THE HOLIDAYS--CREATIVE WRITING PROMPTS THAT PROMOTE CLASSROOM KINDNESS    ...

This Friday could not come fast enough!  In a note to my principal yesterday, I mentioned that since returning from Thanksgiving break my class was riding the behavior "struggle bus!"  I imagine that unless I come up with a new plan for Monday things are just going to continue to spiral downhill! A new seating arrangement could be in the works.  As are a few choice "notes home" to parents.  Including writing-related art projects at the end of the day will get us through as well.  Cutting, pasting, and creating are always a good remedy!  Not having outdoor recess due to colder temperatures has definitely been a factor, so incorporating more music and movement breaks will be essential.  And now for the weekly sharing of my never-ending list of things we did in school this week, things I need to do, and things I want to do! Doodlebugs       We are focusing on developing graphing skills during the month of December, and I am using Hope King's wond...

I am linking up this morning with Mrs. Miracle's Music Room to share three things that I am thankful this year!  It has been a very good one so far, and full of wonderful people and experiences, new and old.   1.   I am grateful for the opportunity to spend yet another Christmas holiday  sharing fun times in rented Florida beach houses with my family members and our 88-year-old father!  Waking up to watch dolphins play in the surf before opening gifts and feasting on a big brunch is a wonderful way to celebrate the special day!   2.  I appreciate the teachers and students in my life that make my school life amusing, rewarding, challenging, uplifting, and thought-provoking.  Education is truly my vocation, and they keep me answering the "call" to serve as a nurturer, instructor, and mentor.   3.  I am thankful for the music in my life that inspires me, soothes me, energizes me, motivates me, and helps me connect with my second grade students.  "Country...

As I sit here on my couch wrapped in the aroma of hazelnut coffee and the warmth of my big fluffy bathrobe, I don't want to tackle any of the many things on my "to do" list!  I would much rather sort through my holiday decorations than grade math assessments.  I would much rather shop online for my children's gifts than write sub plans for the two days that I am going to be out this month.  I would much rather sew a memory pillow for my daughter's cast mates than create and copy printables that coincide with this week's writing and word work lessons. But the responsibility and practicality of my life dictates putting pleasurable activities on the back burner.  Making sure that the needs of the 20 children entrusted to my care are met must take precedent over my personal preferences. There are 13 more school days in December, followed by a glorious two week vacation.  I will persevere with patience and purpose....and a secret stash of chocolate in my desk...

I am feeling nostalgic today and thinking back to the time long ago when district late starts, professional development days, and early dismissals meant glorious and uninterrupted time to work in my classroom.  They often used to fall at the end of the month, so changing over seasonal bulletin boards and my calendar, along pulling holiday files of printables to copy and preparing new learning center activities was easy, breezy. But alas....gone are those days when valuable "student-free" time was my own.  Now I must attend endless in-service seminars about data collection, progress monitoring, common core standards, and new curriculum adoptions.  I am often made to look at charts and PowerPoint presentations that tell me information about my students that I already know because of my good instincts, years of training and experience, and day-to-day time spent in the trenches with them. I really don't need a line plot graph to tell me that "Johnny" and "...

I am linking up tonight with Miss Kindergarten to share my favorite purchase from the tPt sale today! The Teeny Tiny Teacher has a variety of seasonal Reader's Theater bundles that are "just right" for helping my second graders who are reading below grade level!  I look forward to helping build fluency, confidence, and word attack skills using this collection of stories! The Teeny Tiny Teacher ...

Tonight's post links up with Farley  and all of the other teacher-bloggers out there willing to share just what they are doing (besides preparing lesson plans) on a Sunday night! My list is short and sweet because I need to retire early so that I can be up at the crack of dawn to shop online at the tPt CYBER SALE!  I've got 17 products in my cart from some of my favorite sellers that I can't wait to purchase!  Quality materials for 28% off!  Woo hoo!  ...

Those children and adults who know me best understand that I absolutely LOVE language!  Yep.  I am a WORD NERD!  I love the rhythm and rhyme of song lyrics and poems, and use them in my classroom daily to help my students build their sight word vocabulary, recognize familiar spelling patterns in words, develop phonemic awareness skills, expand vocabulary, and improve reading fluency. I have often created original short poems on chart paper with my student's help during our reading and writing lessons, and am forever using rhyme to give directions, label classroom areas, and get my student's attention.  We don't come to story corner, we come to "Group Soup."  We don't just line up for lunch, we "Get ready to use marshmallow feet to go walking down the hallway street!"  We don't just find writing prompts on the Teacher Table for morning work, we head over to the "Creation Station!" My penchant for "all things rhymed" is ofte...