Hospitality Events

So...May is always the busiest month in a school, and then Hospitality goes and adds more to it.  So, just wanted to share some Hospitality events from the month of May...

So, first, we have 2 teachers who are pregnant (well, now only one because the teacher on the right had her baby the day after the last day of school...talk about good timing!).  The grade level of the pregnant teacher hosts the baby shower, and Hospitality provides the food for the shower.  Because we were running out of time, we combined the baby showers into one, and doubled our budget for food.  Yay!  :-P

Every other month we have a Birthday Club event.  We celebrate the birthdays of the staff for those two months.  Usually a grade level hosts it, and we have the event in one of their classrooms.  However, due to time, we combined BC with a faculty meeting, and just had it in the library.  Hospitality pays for the food for the event, and the hosting grade level gets to pick the menu.  Our fourth grade team hosted the event, and they picked strawberry shortcakes.  They were delicious!  Somehow I only got one photo though.

For our Second Annual Hello Summer Bash, we went to the house of one of our Pre-K teachers.  We did potluck and just hung out and had lots of fun.

We also texted this co-workers who didn't come to the party.  That's our music teacher, one of our 3rd grade teachers, and myself making a "where are you and why are you not here?!" face.

What kinds of things does your faculty do at the end of the year?

Teacher Appreciation Week

So...I know Teacher Appreciation Week has come and gone, but I did want to share a few things that Hospitality did this year for Teacher Appreciation Week.

These folders and construction paper packs were donated to the school from Office Depot.  Our AP asked if Hospitality would like to use them as giveaways, so, of course, we did.  :-)

One of our Pre-K teachers (who is on Hospitality Committee) decided to spend her hard-earned money to buy every teacher a carnation, and then have her Pre-K students deliver them throughout the day.  The only people at school who know she bought them are her, myself, and our music teacher.  She told everyone they came from Hospitality...isn't that nice of her?  I have the best people on my committee.

This was our biggest thing for TAW.  We stuffed goodie bags for every teacher and teacher assistant at my school.  One of our third grade teachers got her students to decorate the bags, and then I passed them out Wednesday morning.  Inside the bags were paper clips, binder clips, pencils, glue, sticky notes, pens...and I feel like something else, but I can't remember.  Haha.

Also, I just wanted to share this little plaque that my Teacher Assistant got me for TAW...

I just love it.

She knows me so well.

Currently June

It's that time again...

time to link up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade!

So here it is...

Listening: The wifey and I are rewatching Glee from the beginning.  We're currently in Season 2, on the episode where Sue's sister dies.  :-(

Loving: I have been trying to go to the beach for a while, but I have been crazy busy.  So I LOVE the fact that I finally got to go this past Saturday.

Thinking: I have a lot to do...ughh.

Wanting: Because I am the Resource ESE teacher, they are making me move.  :-(  I have to be out of my full-sized classroom and into an office-sized space.  I'm ok with the move (mostly), but I am stressing about getting moved out.  Anyone want to pack for me?

Needing: My first camp starts Monday...I just need one more day to pack up my room before getting ready for camp.

Summer Lovin: I think it's self-explanatory.  :-)

Can't wait to see what you all have going on Currently.  :-D

Things that I miss...

So, in case you were unaware, I left the classroom this school year to go back to my roots and become the 3-5 ESE teacher at my school.  I was excited, nervous, and ready.

Since we're down to the last 9 weeks, I thought I would take a moment to just reflect on this year.

I LOVE my job.  I love my position, I love the kiddos I work with, I love the teacher assistant for my hall and the other ESE teacher.  But there are some things I miss about being a classroom teacher.

1. Sometimes I feel very left out.  I don't have a set class...I pull kiddos throughout the day into my room for small groups.  I work with around 25 kiddos in 3 grade levels from 8 classes (we only have 9 classrooms in the 3-5 hallway).  So when flyers get sent home, I don't know about them (or sometimes, what is even on them).  I don't get included on emails about upcoming presentations.

For example, we recently had Wellness Night.  Students (and families) were invited back to the school at night to play different games and wellness activities.  Normally, this is our BIGGEST family fun night.  Not so much this year.  So I made a comment to someone on the committee who put it on about flyers and callouts (cause I didn't get either).  Apparently a few had been sent home...oops.  Definitely stuck my foot in my mouth there.  :-/

2. I don't really have a grade level.  I have one other ESE teacher (who is amazing) to run ideas by.  However, she is a 4th year teacher, and this is her first year in ESE.  I'm re-learning while she's learning.  Sometimes I just miss the feeling of other teachers who know exactly what I'm going through and can offer their insight.

3. I love that we as teachers have found ways to connect...TPT, blogging, Instagram, etc.  I just wish there were more resource ESE teachers out there.  I love reading what other teachers are doing...and it is VERY inspiring.  But I would love to see how other push-in/pull-out teachers are doing things.

4. Class picture day is coming up...enough said.

Now, even with all of that...I really do love my job.  In fact, I've already told my principal that if she wants me back (I'm annual contract), I would love to be ESE again.  I did tell her that there were things I missed about having my own room, and sometimes I think about going back.  But I'm not ready yet.

I do know, that as of right now (well, more like Monday, since I'm on spring break), I am going to try to show more of what my every day life is like.  It won't be the most interesting (I have a set curriculum for reading that is different from the gen ed curriculum).  But that's ok.  My kiddos and I have fun with it.  And who knows, maybe I can be the first voice (of many) that starts talking about resource teachers.  Maybe we can start that conversation.

What do you think?

April Currently

It's that time again...time for another Currently post!

Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade hosts these link-ups every month...and it is definitely my favorite one!

So, here goes:

Listening: We're re-watching Glee from the beginning.  Right now we're on the "Hello" episode (the one where we meet Jesse St. James).  I love this show.

Loving: Spring break isn't over yet...hallelujah.  Enough said.

Thinking: I planned for next week before we left for Spring Break (yay for me being productive for once).  But I still feel like I should be working on something, organizing something, or something!  I'm not sure.

Wanting: We went to the beach yesterday and got sunburned.  So we probably shouldn't go back, but I really want to.

Needing: I am wanting to grow my TPT store.  And to do that, I have to have products.  Funny, huh?  So, I NEED to be working on that...but I need to find the motivation and the idea for products.

Eggs-plain: My blogname is pretty self-explanatory.  I am a teacher who loves ALL things Disney.  So...don't have to explain that.

So, my first name is Ryan.  I am one of 4 boys, and all of us have 'R' names.  My name was chosen because my mom knew someone named Ryan when she was younger, and has always liked the name.

Anyway, enough about me.  I'd love to hear about some of you!

Donors Choose...

So, I just thought I would post this here to see if I could get a little bit more of a response.

I am trying to get another small group table for my classroom...so I created a donors choose project to get one.

Please, if you can, make a small donation to get us a small group table.  Or, share my info.

Thanks y'all!

Eye to Eye and Face to Face - Donors Choose

Tuesday Titles

I've noticed that I start a lot of my posts apologizing for not writing as frequently as I "should".  Well, today's the last day for that.  I don't know why we, as teachers, feel bad for being busy people.

I wish I was one of these bloggers who has it together and can post regularly and make amazing products for TPT and are great teachers/spouses/parents.  I truly don't know how they fit it all in.  I am in awe of these educators.  But I am not one...I know that.  So I'm going to stop apologizing for it.  I just gotta do me.  :-)

On that note, this week's Tuesday Title is a series, instead of just one title....How Do Dinosaurs (fill in the blank).

This book series has so many different titles...ranging from things like going to sleep, getting better, to counting and learning colors.

What I love about these books is that they teach social skills through REAL dinosaurs.  Yes, the dinosaurs have human parents/teachers/doctors/etc.  And yes, they are curling up in a bed.  But the dinos are real ones.  And in the front cover of every book it tells you what dinosaurs are in the book.

So, they are seeing that the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops are not the only dinosaurs out there!  Oh be still my heart!  (I love dinosaurs!)

So, the social skills aspect of the books...

the entire first half of each book gives bad examples for behavior.

(This is from How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?)

The second half of the book talks about how no, the dinosaurs don't do all that.  They do (blank) instead.  In this case, it would be take his medicine every day.

It's a great conversation starter for you and the kiddos about appropriate behavior.

Do you have a favorite How Do Dinosaurs book?  Have you used them in the classroom?

Please share!