A YEAR GONE BY... 12-18-2015

The best thing about a cell phone is the camera.

I have always wanted to be a photographer.

If I were more daring and outgoing... maybe.

In another life maybe.

Ask my boys. 

I have captured most of the moments in their lives via cell phone.

Sometimes they get tired of it, 

Sometimes they request it.

It's been a year since we said goodbye to mom.

It has not been easy.

I doubt it ever will be.

Like the boys, I tried to capture moments with her too.

She never complained like the boys.

Maybe she knew it would be something that would bring us comfort when she was gone.

I miss that smile.

Even when she fought like hell through chemo, she had that smile.

So on the first year of her passing, we honor her memory by doing what she loved.
We all had breakfast at her favorite hangout.
We sat in her favorite spot (although it's completely remodeled now)
We bought 3 extra chocolate chip cookies to take with us because she always had some in her purse for the boys when she got home.

We made an afternoon stop at her favorite Mexican market.
We bought some chicharron because she would always come home with some to share whenever she went there. She had tried chicharron elsewhere, but this was the best one. Even after the cancer made it impossible for her to enjoy the fatty snack, she would buy more, so she could watch us enjoy it... and the boys did/do!
Mexican rice pudding was what she discovered she could eat during chemo, so we bought lots of it, all different kinds. I am grateful to rice pudding for giving her the calories she needed.

We ended the night celebrating her life at another favorite place of hers, Hometown Buffet. I think it was her favorite place to eat because she knew that kids loved it there... and she loved making kids happy, especially her grandkids. 

No waiting for food and lots of choices, what more can kids ask for?

We don't go there often now, 

but when we do, I know the kids think of her, as we do.

 My sister posted this picture of mom walking the Great Wall. She is wearing a pouch she had made. A seamstress by trade in China, mom made many beautiful and useful things. Resourceful and creative is what she was.

 One of two beautiful quilts she left us... with pieces from the fabrics she used to make clothing and other items during our childhood.

And that wonderful smile.

Thank you mom.

Miss you mom.

Grateful for the time we had with you.

 

79/180 Pajama Day!

It started off as a wet (yay rain!), pajama, play dough kinda day!

Fine motor, problem solving, oral language, and social skills all in one!

Negotiate, create, plan, build, engineer...

dramatic play and 4 puppy dogs too!

Winter Vacation is here!

78/180 Running on Empty...trying to find patience at home...

Pizza and Chicken Nuggets Party Day.

Collecting for and helping set up Holiday Luncheon Day.

Ordering pizza for your 9 year olds afterschool party day.

and a

Lazertag and angry teen night.

#tired #OnedayMore

On a good note:

My principal let me come in late so I could be there 

for Bryce's Student of the Month Award!

Now to work on behavior at home!

The hands of a 4 year old who has had a hands on, active learning kinda day!

77/180 Writing Check In...

D at the beginning of the year. He knew the letters in his name and explored lines.

Today I asked my group to draw what they wanted for Christmas. 

I encouraged and worked with students that I felt were making some letter/sound connections. 

D wrote his name and the letter sounds he heard when we said his sentence together.

I want chicken nuggets. 

Underlining what students were able to do helps me keep a record of their development in writing.

Excited to see where they go next!

J was drawing heads of his family members in September.

He continues to have difficult in articulating and speech, but he knows that letters carry a message, so he writes them randomly and independently!

                                    

J has learned to grasp his pen/pencil now. He's 3, so he has time!

Just a few more writing samples where students were encouraged to write sounds they knew. No pressure. Those that didn't want to try didn't. I am more concerned that they build confidence at this point rather then be perfect!

76/180 DANCING 3-4-5 YEAR OLDS... and Pencil Grips

Woke up with a stuffed nose and body aches.
Winter Program and 4 days left.
You push on.

The kiddos were fabulous!
But then again when you are 3-4-5 years old,
you really pretty much just need to show up,
smile, and they will clap!

Before the program, I had a chance to do some informal observations.
We are working on trees and measurement.
I wanted to make sure students understood the concepts of taller and shorter.
I had them draw a picture of themselves.
Then draw a tree that was taller, or a tree that was shorter compared to them.
Most of them understood the instructions.
Many understood the concept of tall and short.

What I loved was watching how they held their markers.
It's been a while since I really looked closely at how they were handling their writing tools.
So excited that they were able to grip a pencil correctly now!
Just beautiful watching them draw and write... #teachernerd #loveobservations

75/180 4 out of 5

I wrote 5 field trip grants this summer:

-FedCo

-Skirball

-Getty

-Target #1

-Target #2

Very fortunate to get 4/5 of them. Well, the 5th one was on behalf of my co-teacher, so I guess it really shouldn't have counted, but I tried anyway. 

Now I know I shouldn't be greedy, but I would love the opportunity to take my kiddos to the California Science Center again this year. If they were older, I would definitely do the Metro. I miss my old school community partners and the resources that surround Exposition Park.

I truly believe that kids need to be exposed to the entire city. Some kids may never venture out of their neighborhood. I was lucky I got to when I was in elementary school. In fifth grade we even took a plane ride to San Francisco. Wow, those were the days.

Sad that field trips are not a bigger part of the budget. I guess I'll be spending another summer writing more grants for next year... I'm not alone.

Yes, it's worth it. 

Ask Anna Gaiter!

BEST Teacher present!

 One the very same day I got my Target Grant, I got a Christmas card from my former student Kaylen. (See 8/20/16 post) It's not everyday you get a Christmas card from a former student, who is a full time freshmen student, playing full time collegiate football, and majoring in the sciences... during finals week.  I was very honored... and very proud... and very blessed to be able to watch him grow.
#LuckyTeacher #RewardsofTeaching #GoodDay #GoKaylen!

*Last night I got to celebrate my son's 16th birthday with friends that are family, including this group of amazing educators from White House Place Primary Center. (We are missing a few alums)

WHPPC is where I learned to teach, write grants, be a teacher leader, and found life-long friends that were just as passionate about teaching and learning as I was. We have grown up together... gone through ups and downs, weddings, births, adoptions, illness, death, divorce, parenting, retirement, ... and yet they are always there. They are my village. #LoveThem...

74/180 FUN-FRIDAY

We decided to make our Holiday Program banner using the paper snow globes from last week. Had to add two more panels because we don't want our students and parents to wonder why they were not on the class banner. Heading courtesy of my super talented co-teacher!

Guess who came into town today?
He found our chairs to be really small.
There are NO adult chairs in the room! 

Great gift for me! J able to hold and cut paper on his own now!
He use to use only one hand/arm, but now has learned to use them both!
Yay!

Still my favorite holiday decoration project!
Simple and "stolen" from Daniel's first grade teacher.
I still see her students take them home these days...9 years later!

73/180 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good...

We got a chance observe the items from our tree walk and talk about what we noticed! It was great! Students were able identify parts of trees, examine leaves and pinecones, and find evidence of other things living in trees (feather, leaf with hole eaten through, etc.)

When you add water, you get a whole new experience with sand!

Directed Drawing with 4 year olds!

Daniel had his first winter concert tonight! Guitar and Tuba!

The Bad...

Got a text yesterday from a parent informing me that her son has lice.

Today we found 2 more students with lice.

The Ugly...

Now, I am itching... always happens when people mention lice in the classroom, especially yours!

We all wear hats for our Winter Performance next week.

Lice is not an excuse for not coming to school, and students are not excluded anymore from class.

We have hats in the dramatic corner and they love HATS!

6 more days...

72/180 It's time...

Today we decided it was time to add soil to Mr. Pumpkin.

He was beginning to smell... and it wasn't a good smell anymore!

#LetsSeewhereitleads

#SunSoilAirWater

71/180 Outdoor Learning...

Taking the learning outdoors... 

Oral language and sand...

Tree observations walking to the park!

Look teacher! We made the same phone!

New Sand = more language, sensory, and social emotional learning!

70/180 What Makes Me Happy

During small groups today, the kids were practicing writing their names.
D came up to me and proudly shared what he had done.
I love this kid.
He can be challenging,
but he can be charming too!
I asked him if I could tape him.
He said yes.
This makes me happy!

Engineering continues... today... The Staircase!

THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES...

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

We had two pumpkins we used to cut, cook, and make observations with last month. Before Thanksgiving break we put them in a tub and left it out on our playground. No instructions, just left it out there. Kids have been making daily observations. 

We share our playground with TK-K classes during their recess and lunch. 

They are supervised by an assigned TA.

Friday, one of the TA's came knocking. She wanted to let us know that the pumpkins were rotting and the kids were touching it. She took the tub and placed it next to the garbage can so the kids won't bother with it. She even slightly hinted that it was disgusting and maybe we should throw it away.

My co-teacher, and both TA's reaction: Why can't the kids touch it? They can wash their hands... and what's the big deal if it smells. 

The tub is now on one of our 4 exploration tables smack in the middle of the playground. 

*Wink, wink...  #ECE  #PleaseTouch

69/180 ENGINEERING IN ETK

Love observing how a group of 4 years old construct, test, redesign, construct, test, redesign, construct, test, ... (They worked together on this for nearly the entire outdoor center time.)

#ETK #FutureEngineers #ActiveLearners

68/180 TREES, TREES, & MORE TREES!

Our next unit is Trees.
My TA's are amazing with changing bulletin boards!

 Practice with fine motor skills and cutting with cool scissors!

We don't have much changing of color in Fall, but every now and then we can find a tree or two!

This is one of our school hallway bulletin boards. Just in time for the Winter Program!
We get two of them because ETK use to be 2- 1/2 day classes. 

Painting trunks and branches... helps when you can see a tree in front of you!