Creating A "CARE"ing Class

WOW what a busy couple of weeks! I've been loving my kiddos, but I'm definitely excited for this looong weekend (4 kid-free days, because today was professional development).

I LOVE that my school prioritizes character education. After all, my little ones are not going to work hard, listen to each other, or motivate themselves if they don't feel safe first. So far we have covered 9 out of the 10 character traits my school focuses on- just integrity left, which encompasses all the rest (respect, responsibility, honesty, patience, kindness, perseverance, resilience, empathy, and self-control). Of course, I plan to incorporate them much more as the year goes on- but with the overview, at least they have a basic understanding of what each word means.

The class created our expectations (it definitely worked better to give them categories and have them brainstorm- I was impressed by what they came up with!).

We've already updated some: "Take care of your paper AND all belongings" and "Get started right away...follow directions the first time"

& Yes, the cross out is totally bothering this OCD teacher:)

We also focused on using "healthy" versus "toxic" words. I got this from the incomparable Hal Urban, who I saw speak at a character conference. Love, love, love...and the kids do too. I introduced it after our kindness lesson, when we read Thank You Mr. Falker. In the book, Eric is mean to Tricia while Mr. Falker is kind, so it was a good starting off point. We talked about how healthy words make people feel good and keep our classroom safe, while toxic words make people feel bad and poison the environment. We made a list of toxic words we didn't want to hear (name-calling, inappropriate words, whining, etc.).

Then we thought about healthy words/phrases. I gave them 4 categories- Cooperative, Affirmative, Reassuring, and Encouraging. We did Cooperative together, then groups brainstormed the other three.

Their brainstorming sheets- with kid-friendly definitions of our categories

Later, I wrote the phrases they came up with on leaves and created this bulletin board:

I've been referring to this board constantly- whenever we begin group work, if someone gets upset (I have a very sensitive little one), when we play games...and the kids are quick to point out if anything "toxic" has been said. I make a big silly deal of spraying air freshener:)

Of course, I still feel like there is so much to be done to really strengthen our community!! One thing I'm super excited about is this awesome idea from Miss Lee's Kindergarten via The First Grade Parade's post. Just saw it today, and I am immediately fitting it into my schedule for next week! It goes so well with the peace path I created (based on one I saw during student teaching, but then couldn't find for the life of me). I'll upload the PDF later!

Well, that's just a teensy glimpse into our first 2 weeks. Time to relax for the next few days....(who am I kidding, I'll still be working on stuff for school. I can't help it, but it's okay, because I love it!). Have a great long weekend:)

The Final Countdown

I can't believe school starts on Tuesday! Although many of the older teachers tried to talk me out of it, I will certainly be up at school tomorrow getting everything finalized. My "To Do/To Buy/To Copy" list is still a little too long for me to feel ready.

But even though I'm not ready, I'm definitely excited...especially because I got to meet most of my new second graders on Friday afternoon! The kids were shy (that won't last) and the parents were all super nice (I hope that lasts!).

Here is a little overview of what Friday looked like in my room:

I had parents help their child sort their markers, crayons, pencils, glue, erasers, and kleenex so I could collect it without taking up time on the first day. Since only 4 of my kids didn't come, it should make things a LOT easier on Tuesday!

I had a pile of papers for parents (health form, note about a peanut allergy in our room, bus form for the first week, and on top is my first newsletter and a contact magnet that I'll show you up close). I had a former student come in and help me pass all the papers out-- just being able to say a "former student" is so cool to me! Such a second year teacher:)

Complete side-note, but I had 6 of my kids from last year come visit me on Friday and I almost teared up (sap that I am) because I realized how much I miss those goofballs. I know I'll come to feel the same way about my new group...it's just hard to imagine right now!

Back to the point-- on the other side of the parent pile is a note to each student and a pencil. Here is an example of my cheesiness (they were all a bit different, but each had a BEE pun of course):

She's in the middle of the alphabet...my handwriting was good on the first few...

The picture doesn't show it, but the pencil has bugs on it to match the garden theme.

The contact magnet was my favorite part of the ensemble, and it was a last minute project that I took on after my teammate showed me her business card magnet. Parents put it on their fridge for easy access. Genius! Here's my take on it (made it on Word, then had our parent help team laminate, cut them out, and put the magnet on the back--LOOVE parent help team, even if the edges aren't as straight as my perfectionist self would've done. Gotta let some things go when there is so much to do!):

Had to make it internet appropriate, but you get the idea

I also had cloud cut-outs set out for the students to decorate with their names.

I plan on punching a hole in the top and hanging these from our ceiling (the kids thought that sounded pretty neat). I originally planned this so they would have something to do besides linger, but it ended up being a great way to connect with them immediately and see their creativity. One boy drew skateboards and we had a great conversation about his favorite hobby. Another little boy drew a whole battleship story around his name (the "a" was a black hole..so imaginative:)

This post is already so long, but one last thing to share. I'm part of the Climate (Character Ed) Committee at my school, and I wanted to do something small for our staff on the first day. So here is what I came up with...

One of these will greet each person in their mailbox on Tuesday morning

Ah, cross that project off the to-do list! Only about 12312 more to go....goodbye summer!