The Bow Tie Teacher

A look at mentors

I have no issue saying that I don't know everything. This has been a HUGE turn around for me. I don't know everything. There are a few people I consider mentors. Some by design and others by default. 

One was a manager I had. I wouldn't consider him a mentor at the time, but his words were helpful. Granted I don't think he managed me to success, but that's neither here nor there.

After a sales meeting he pulled me aside. We discussed my progress and the last thing I remember him saying was, 

"Get out there and push somethings around. You're a young guy and you should push more and make things happen." Again, I didn't take it to heart when he said it, but later I thought about it. I really am not pushing stuff around like I could. I'm not forcing things to happen and seeing results. 

I'm teaching and organizing my class. I'm rocking and rolling, but I'm not seeing the results I expect. I need to push somethings around. There has to be a result that equals the kind of effort I'm putting into it. 

So this week I'm going to push and I'm going to push HARD. I have to get these babies excited about learning and exploring. They have to see that this is worth it. 

On to another topic. I've been practicing taking off from Friday evening to Saturday evening. It's some good ol' Jason time. Not sure why more people don't practice this self-regulated margin. I feel recharged and I'm ready for another great week of pushing and bow ties. 

The Longest days

The Longest days are those that the kids tend to grasp the least information. But also I'm teaching, grouping and talking a lot. I did not expect after this amount of time and practice my students would still be struggling with double digit addition with regrouping. It's tough. I just didn't think I wasn't reaching them that much! Wow! Got to moved on and start other skills, though. 

I'm amped up that we're doing a College and Career day in a few weeks. I've been gathering various college banners from friends. I'm decking out my classroom door to look like a huge Morehouse College application. I'm getting my Cricut ready for some grade A cutting. Got a lot to do in a few days. Pictures will follow. 

My foray into the 7 habits has been hit and miss. I'm not getting the students excited about anything. I've tried to review the 1st four habits a lot to no avail. I'm looking at me and my style to see why I'm not getting them on par. There are a ton of good, high quality excuses, but I have to find a better solution. We're just in November. 

How are you keeping the motovation high in your class? Are you? I'm putting up the SOS for new ideas and plans. 

Don't make threats if you can't keep the promise

For some odd reason I've slumped into the bad habit of threatening my students. You all know what I mean. 

"I'm going to call your XYZ."

"Next time I'm sending you to the office."

I don't need to say that these are idle threats. The day gets away from me and my well meaning threat goes nowhere. Thankfully my students haven't caught wind of my complete fail. Yet. 

Not really sure why I started doing that. I've always been cognisant of not doing this, but low and behold I stepped right into it. The big bugga boo x 2 is this Social Studies project due Wednesday. The other is my students reading for 5 minutes every night. So far neither of these have been progressing properly. 

In steps my new bad habit. 

I've told my students no fewer than 10 times this past week that if I don't see 1 book a week plus one extra that I'd be visiting some houses to find out what's going on. Yesterday, it hit me.

"I don't want to go over these rascals houses. Why in the world did I just say that?" I honestly have no idea what I was thinking when I started saying that. 

So how do I fix it? I have to get all those projects and readings done ASAP! So here's what I did. I called everyone of my students houses and told mom/dad/voice mail what needs to be done. I got a commitment from everyone that I spoke to that they'd do the best to get it done. 

Hopefully, they'll keep their word so I don't have to be challenged on mine. 

How do you deal with your own bad habits? Have you started any this year that you wished you hadn't? 

This week's flip books

This week I rolled out flip books on my class. We're using them in different ways. The math place value book below is being used really for notes. The kids followed along with me as I created this book. 

This is an example of one of the inside pages. The kids enjoyed making it. One thing I'd change is next time I'll stick to the same number throughout the entire book. Thekids didn't stumble over my change. I just think that some of them might have grasped better if I used the same number. 

Should've kept the same number through the whole book. 

I made this huge flip book from some "ruined" poster boards. So each page I had the students follow along in their own smaller books. See the smaller book on the left. On the back of the whole book I had the students write the vocabulary words that they keep missing. Since we're focusing on the various kinds of conversions, this has come in handy.  

This is a fun book we made for show. We're discussing the various interesting things about this wonderful state. So I made these books to help the kids see how big/small our world really is.  We're going to display them when we're finished. 

Next week we're going to make a flip book on the regions of Georgia. We'll see how it goes.  How was your week? What worked well for you? 

I might be Teacher of the Year!

That's right if I keep teaching like this I might as well prepare my acceptance speech.

What's that you say?

Oh, wait I have to have more than 5 good teaching days in a ROW to qualify?

Dang, a WHOLE year, you say, huh?

Wow. That's serious. Can I at least get Teacher of the 4th week in August? Thanks. 

I guess I'll just be Teacher of the Year in my classroom. I'd be a shoe in for BOW TIED Teacher of the Year! 

Anyway, this week's been outstanding. This group of kids are really special. I'm positive that they're going to change their family trees and re-shape their destinies. They make teaching fun and exciting. 

To be totally honest this year has been exactly what I expected. My mind has been on the good, pleasing and perfect will of God for me and my family. Needless to say I've not been disappointed. 

I will say that I've read the 7 habits of Successful People before. However, the kids version is serious. The simplicity of the truths really hit home in a new way. I will like I'm must more aware of when I'm being proactive as well as my goals. I know I could go a better job at goal setting, but I'll get better as the class keeps going over the Habits. The students are getting better. They've really embraced the Habits so we'll see when they've gone through all 7 a couple of times.

This is where I think I am as of today. I really wouldn't mind being a 5 in all areas, but all jokes aside I want to keep pushing myself as well as the kids to better results.  

• My classroom procedures, work (4.5 bow ties)
• Classroom routines are pretty special (4 bow ties)
• My basic filing system is ok (3 bow ties)
• Storage is pretty swift (3 bow ties) I need more hangers
• Teaching is in the neighborhood (3.5 bow ties)
• Centers (3.5 bow ties) Not as consistent as I'd like
• Communications (2.5 bow ties)
• Meetings (NO TIE!)
• Lesson planning (3 bow ties)
• Planning sessions with the students (3.5 bow ties)
• Time management (3.5 bow ties)
• Teacher lead instruction vs. Student lead (3 bow ties) 
• Having a system that is keeping me from wearing the same bow tie in the same week (5 bow ties) 

This school year has been rocking along like a well oiled machine. The major things are under control. The little fine tuning issues will be dealt with on a daily basis, but the important things are under wraps. 

Now, I'm not sure if my Libertarian brothers and sisters will accept me for this, but hey. I really like the Fresh Fruit and Veggie program our school is doing. Not sure if this is a part of FLOTUS initiative or what. Everyday our school gets a shipment of a fruit, veggies or both for our kids to taste. It's nothing super elaborate. The school serves it up  as a mid-morning snack. Yesterday was a Pluots and Bok Chow. The day before strawberries and muscadines. Today they had kiwis. The kids LOVE it! My class at least has been very receptive to the snack choices and give everything a good tasting. I like the idea. Seems like they're more receptive after snack time than they were pre-snack. Might make some kind of game or lesson out of it if the schools keeps doing it. I hope so. 

How's your year starting off? What do you do to communicate with parents who aren't as tech savy? You don't want to call after hours, because your time doesn't allow. So what do you do? 

 

Daily update

I have absolutely nothing to complain about. My students are great. My teammies and administration are outstanding. I don't feel behind on anything related to school. This year couldn't have started off better. Not sure why God has chosen to give me so much grace but I'm that guy there taking it all in and stuffing it all in my pockets. #GreddyforGrace

Now life outside school has been, so so. I mean the weeds won in my backyard. The caterpillars devoured my garden and CrossFit South Cobb kicks my backside everyday. Well, at least I have my ties! 

All jokes aside my wife and kids are doing well. We will give the garden another go this Spring. I did win the weed war in the front yard which is where it all begins. 

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to the new school year. No matter what go change a life for the better. Let me know if I can help in some way. 

A fidget solution

If you teach boys you know they have an extra battery that allows them to just do to much. Not sure why, but God chose this and it's just the way it is. 

 

I saw this somewhere and thought I'd give it a shot. 

I used some stretching bands from the gym. Shout to my coach at Crossfit South Cobb. I tied it up as a rope around the bottom of the chair and bang! It worked excellently. The Energizer Bunny has been tamed. I only did this to 1 chair and so far the kid was on point. Actually he was only off task when he wasn't in his chair. Hahahaha. 

 

I'm thinking I'll attempt it with another real mover and shaker. This one sadly, I think, will try to break the band more than anything else. I have two others that could use it so I'll fix their chairs in the AM. What I will do is make it a reward to those who get better at classdojo and the 7 habits. 

My other classroom fix the Anchor chart hanger has been outstanding. I just scored a few more hangers so I think I can hang every chart I have right now. I won't mention that I've made 4 charts since I did this video Tuesday!

 

This week has been good. We have some lofty goals, but we're ready for the challenge. How was your week of teaching and learning? 

Flash cards and recycled photo albums

 

This worked better than I thought. The kids loved it. I'll certainly be adding  a subtraction and maybe some phonics cards as soon as I get some more photo books.

Kids are LOVING the actions and movements that go along with 7 habits. We practice the movements in our AM meeting. I was able to order some of the books and materials for the program and we're reading them in class. 

   

This week we set goals (Habit #2) for ClassDojo points each wanted to have by the end of the day. Everyone just about hit their goal. We'll start planning other academic goals today. 

I have a good sense about our progress so far. I know the mountain is high, but they do want to do right. I've been able to roll out a lot of modifications that have helped me with my class management as well as over all stress. I don't feel my class is the BEST it could be, but it's certainly functional. That was my goal for this year. 

The Pencil demon has been excised

In years past I just couldn't find a solution to the pencil drama in my class. 

1. Let kids sharpen pencils at all. -13 bow ties!

2. Sharpen pencils only at key times. A little better idea, but still only 2 bow ties. 

3. I sharpen a glut of pencils and kids swap them out as needed. This worked, but it still resulted in a lot of pencils being used and kids destroying them. 4.5 bow ties. 

4. Let students use their own personal pencil sharpeners. Back to -4 bow ties. Plus the floor was a MESS!

This year I started the year off with a caddy on each table with all the supplies the kids might need for the day. In there are 5 good sharp pencils. So far this has been a great idea. The kids don't feel like they have to horde the pencils, becuase I gave them to them. No one sharpens pencils. No mess on the floor and most all all zero down time for pencil disputes. I have one little one ask to sharpen her pencil. I asked her why when there are 3 right in front of her. 

 

At the end of the day the Table Manager brings me all pencils and I swap them out for new ones. So far I've only had to do a mass pencil sharpening 1 time. That was mainly because I'm used to sharpening at the end of the day. I keep the dull ones in a cup for sharpening later. My table managers are reliable enough I may just let them do the swapping out at the end of the day themselves.  We'll see. 

A lot of credit has to go to going over the routines with the kids. They know what to do and usually they want to do right. So far, thankfully I've not lost much time with the pencil demon. Now if I could figure out how to improve the handwriting! I call it foot writing cause it looks like they write with their toes. What do you do to fix this problem? 

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I may have fixed a HUGE problem in my classroom

If you know me or follow my blog you know I'm not very organized. I want to be. However, BEING has alluded me to years. Last year I was buried in paper work. I honestly can't say I know what happened to it all, but I can tell you my inner tree hugger is silently crying. 

In order to save a tree or two and to keep my sanity I did something different this year. To my surprise so far it's been a 10 bow tie idea! I have the students keep the "Red Number Journal" for all class work and the "Blue Number Journal" for all their homework assignments that require them to write or what not.

• I'm not sure, but I certainly feel I've used a lot less paper. 
• I was able to check homework today in less than 3 minutes where as before I'd have to hunt down papers and the such. 
• The kids have a great note system whenever we go back over their journals and put a sticky for key info. 
• The kids can get to work quickly in the morning. No searching for paper or writing sheets. Just go to the next empty page, date and start. 
• Whenever I have parent conferences I know I can quickly put my hands on ALL the kids class and homework in less than a minute. 
• I feel as if the class moves better and flows easily. Translation...less stress. 

 

 Most teachers waste these composition books. During pre-planning I sent my helpers to find as many partially used comp books as they could. We neatly tore out the used pages and slapped a sticker over the name. I'm pretty sure I have almost 50+ recycled journals ready for duty. 

Not sure where I got this idea. I don't think it qualifies as a true interactive notebook,but I will give Pinterest credit either way. The teachers on my hall used to have 3 journals. 1 for Reading, Math, Social Studies and Science. That made me even crazier, cause I know most of the students didn't use them fully. Plus the kids didn't have a good place in my room to put their stuff so instant insanity. This year, thankfully I have a much better system and I see it working. 

One day I will report that I've found a great way to do my lessons in advance. Yeah, right. Anyone have any good suggestions on what to do with lesson planning so not to have to do them Sunday night? 

Tomorrow I must talk about what I did to defeat the ugly "Mr. Whitaker can I sharpen my pencil" monster. 

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The Bow Tie Teacher