Hello again!

This has been a wonderful but very busy start to the year! I have been working on my Capstone project for Grad school and getting my students ready for their busy year! We are 5 weeks into the year and I can tell you with great certainty that this is going to be a GREAT year! I have already begun collecting data in the classroom to show all progress my students are making and YOU can too! Below is a link to my newest creation. It's a student portfolio piece and it's completely FREE! You can pick and choose the portions that work best for your students needs. In my classroom we are only using the goal sheet, the parent letter, and the reflection sheet right now! I plan to introduce the tracking graphs after we have gotten accustomed to our routines during Guided Reading time. I hope your year is off to a great start just like mine!! Come back and visit soon!

Student Portfolio

This year I planned on hitting the ground running as we started the new school year! Each year I feel as though I've done everything I could to prepare myself, but always fall short. It's a "teacher thing" I'm sure. I wanted to get my students started off on the right foot this year with a little back to school puzzle. I purchased a pink eraser from the store, as they are fairly inexpensive. I wrapped each individual eraser in a small sheet of wax paper so that it looked like a piece of bubble gum. On the wax paper I wrote the idiom "Chew on this". The "gum" was placed on a note that was attached to a poster that stated "Mistakes are only proof that you are trying." The idea was for the students to start thinking about idioms, school, curriculum, and come to the conclusion that mistakes are truly okay to make in class because it demonstrates that we are trying to learn something new. It was a really cute way to get the students thinking!

Idiom Note home

Click the link below to start organizing your classroom ONE LOG AT A TIME!

Absent work log

Missing work log

Starting the new year off organized

Welcome back everyone! So far I have been burning the candle at both ends this summer. I am 3/4 of the way done with Grad school (YAY!), enjoying the tantrums and antics of a two year old, preparing my step-daughter for the trials and tribulations of FRESHMAN year, coaching my husband through this pivotal time in his daughter's life, and preparing for our big move next month! Needless to say, staying ORGANIZED is imperative if I'm going to survive all these changes and the heavy work load I've taken on.
While I am in the midst of enjoying the not so balmy weather, it hit me...the end of the summer will be here before we know it! Now, I don't know about you but I find that the more organized and prepared I am for the start of the year, the smoother things will "appear" to go. (We all know that no matter how hard we try things never seem to go the way I planned and we are always playing catch up, even from day one!)

Welcome!

Welcome and CONGRATULATIONS you made it to summer break! My name is Tracey and I am a Mother, a Stepmother, a Wife, a blogger, a student, a fifth grade teacher AND so much more! Most people who view our profession from the outside see a wonderful world of summer vacations, spring breaks, winter breaks, and afternoon release times. The behind the scenes story is far more realistic. I created this blog not because I claim to be the best at what I do, but BECAUSE I want to become better at what I do. My plan is to share some strategies and ideas that worked for me in the classroom as well as those that didn't. I invite you to share your experiences as well.

This fall I will be starting my fifth year of teaching and I could not be more ecstatic! Over the summer months, I am continuing to work towards obtaining my masters degree in curriculum and instruction through American College of Education AND enjoying time with my family. I decided to embark upon this journey last year with a few of my colleagues at work. The journey alone has turned us from coworkers into lifelong friends and from novice teachers to more experienced, reflective lifelong learners.

When I began my teaching career four short years ago, I wore the same enthusiastic expression that I still do today because my passion for teaching is what motivates me each day. I LOVE helping children reach their potential and beyond. I LOVE helping to make this world a little bit better to live in. I LOVE showing my own children that giving back to your community and others around you is the forefront of humanity. I LOVE the infectious smile a child wears when they solved a problem or reached a new goal!

Harriett Tubman was quoted saying "always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to REACH FOR THE STARS to change the world". Take these words with you as you set out into the world. Visit back often to check for free downloads that just may help you reach your teaching goals! 

Tracey