Five for Friday--One Day Late!

My struggle is real.

This sentence summarizes my week!

In reflecting back upon it though, I did find five positives to share!  So in celebration of my now virus-free and newly backed-up laptop -- thanks to the hugely patient and helpful Gabe at a little tech place I discovered uptown called SPACEBAR-- I am here to link up with Doodlebugs for.....




I know that I am a day late to this party, but instead of blogging like I normally do on Friday evenings, I forced myself off of my couch and out into the social scene!  Pasta with my gal pals at one of my favorite Italian restaurants was the comfort food and good company I needed after a rough week at school.  I mostly just listened, sipped my sparkling wine, and ate way too much warm bread.  

In our group of five, I am the "divorced woman and independent empty-nester."  My life perspective and path is very different than my friends, so I often am the watchful observer when we get together. Humor (and sometimes wisdom) often shoots out of my mouth at random moments and provides entertainment!  Laughter truly provides the best medicine, right?

So here I am, on Saturday morning instead.  Get comfortable, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and visit with me now as I list what made my days more meaningful during this third week of January!






My student teacher returned to Room #2 on January 14th, and I finally got around to welcoming her back the other day with fun new desk supplies!  She was my methods student during fall quarter, and will be with us until early May.  

I am blessed to have her as my sidekick for many reasons, and one is that she writes me reminder Post-it notes to keep me on track throughout our busy day!  One of my little ones recently exclaimed, "Miss G!  It is a good thing you came back!  Your young brain remembers things better than Mrs. R.'s old one!"  TRUTH!





No matter how many basal series manuals my district provides for me, I always return to
this tried-and-true resource to guide my reading instruction.  This edition was published in 2000 and was recommended to me by our building intervention specialist.  The stellar list of trade books for teaching comprehension strategies, the small- and whole-group planning sheets, and the suggestions for different types of writing responses to reading provided are some of the best I've found.  I shared it with Miss G., and thought that I would share it with you too!






Piggy and Elephant.  Elephant and Piggy.  This dynamic duo was new to my classroom last month, and how I did not know about them beforehand is a mystery to me.  Mo Willem's Pigeon series has been a long-time favorite, but I was not aware of this one.  I am making up for lost time and enjoyment though, and it melts my heart to see my struggling readers feel successful, read with expression, and develop confidence when it is their turn to adopt these two stuffed friends during our Read To Self block.  I just sit, watch quietly, listen, and smile.




My small TpT store is "going on the road" in a few weeks thanks to two blogger buddies who are attending an educator's conference in Texas!  They will share these "goodie bags" at their booth, in hopes that some teachers there will find my resources useful. Watch for some new product uploads and freebies in my store over the coming weeks as a result!






Keeping track of my commitments is easier when the tool used is visually pleasing to me--and features my favorite musical group-- so I bought this Fab Four calendar the other day!  Now to customize it with my Flair pens and Washi tape!  Woo hoo!  The forecast here is calling for another "winter weather event" on Sunday night.....so Monday could be another creative snow day for me!?!?

As always, thanks for stopping by to share my story!  Continue believe in your dreams, hold a song in your heart, and teach your children well.

Peace out,











4 comments

  1. I don't know the book on solid ground I'm excited to find out about it.

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  2. Good for you getting out of the house! Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
    Deb
    Not very fancy

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    1. Thank you, Deb! Dinner and conversation was good "therapy" and a nice diversion after a rollercoaster school week! Enjoy your weekend as well!
      ~Jennifer

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  3. I have to "make" myself get out a socialize a bit, but once I'm out having a good time I realize how much I've missed it. It's nice to have some girl time every once in a while. I'm so glad you shared On Solid Ground with us! It looks like a fantastic read! I'm heading to Amazon now to check it out. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
    Courtney
    Polka Dot Lesson Plans

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