Long Time No See

Wow, what a year?!?! I can't believe it has been so long since I posted in my blog. I am going to do better to keep this updated. I had a great year in my classroom last year. I absolutely love teaching fifth grade and enjoyed the students I had this past year. As I gear up for a new year, I am debating on leaving my current school for a few reasons but I love to reflect on the design of the classroom.

If you've been following the blog.....which how could you because I haven't been on.......I was a founding teacher at a charter school in Henderson, NV. The doors to the school opened the Wednesday before school started. All of us teachers hunkered down and got our classrooms ready. My theme last year was chevron and polka dots. I am doing this theme again. It was bright and lively without being gender specific or too matchy. The kids loved it and I got many compliments from parents throughout the year.


This was my classroom when I walked in. A complete blank canvas. Lots of middle school desks (even though I had my students all day) and file cabinets. Our days opened so late that I didn't even have my husband to help me move things, I just jumped right in and started moving things where I wanted them.



Another blank room shot



And another, lol. Love my Vera Bradley bag I got last year. It is a versatile hold everything type of bag!





Look at this board space!!! Two full size boards. You CANNOT beat this!



Here is one of my  boards. In my school, we have to display data, I used this as my data wall. I used cloth bought from Walmart to cover the walls. We did not have any cork boards so this added a splash of color.  If you go to Walmart and tell them you're a teacher, they will give a standard bulletin board size.

Another bulletin board shot. I LOVE the color pink but I realize this is torture for my fifth grade boys. I try to mix it up color-wise.

My ELA board. This year, I am either teaching only ELA or going to teach third grade so I would do the same. Having a wall for each subject is may way to put organization in the classroom.

Here is where I started my Social Studies wall. Realizing it was a bit bare, I opted to put a red background of butcher paper and then changed the theme monthly based on what we were learning.

My classroom libaray is something I am VERY proud of. I have spent countless hours designing an organized system for finding and checking out books as well as countless dollars on buying entertaining books for my students. My collection is amazing! I ended up moving the desk from the front of the room to the other side of the board. I like the desk upfront so I can sit my own things down while I'm teaching. I'm notorious for placing my papers down and forgetting where they are.

Here is my in progress desk corner. I love family pictures in my desk area as well as a clean area. 

This is my finished math board. I thought this year it was such a pop of color and I was able to take things down when necessary.

Another shot of my library. I use shoe boxes from Target to hold my chapter books and baskets for my picture books.

My finished desk, computer set up and all.

My view from the back of the room. I always put the schedule up at the beginning of the school year and a common board with my daily objective, standards, I Can statement, etc. 

The view in my room with desks in place. The sun is hitting the room but you seriously cannot beat the view!

What is your theme going to be this year?

Seating Chart and Design

In Nevada, people are preparing to start going back to work next week. This week, I have been helping some of my teacher friends with designing their classrooms and making the most out of what is sometimes awkward space. So I wanted to give some tips that may be useful to you as you enter your classroom for the first time or you decide to reorganize your space.

1. Make the most of your space!! I have been in all size rooms to mansion size rooms to cracker jack boxes,  the key to being successful is making the most of what you have.  It is okay to build up! My friend today is moving into a portal classroom. This limits her wall space a bit and she will be teaching first grade. Her idea was to make a space for students to enjoy carpet time, especially for phonics.  This was possible but she had to make the most of her space.

2. What about your seating? Depending on what grade you teach, you want to create seats that benefit the classroom.  It blows my mind how I see some teachers choose not to have all students facing the front. Whatever you do with your seating, all students MUST face the front of the room. If you plan do cooperative learning, it is smart to get your students use to this from the very start, they can sit in groups of 4 or 5.  Anymore than this can be somewhat distracting.  If you have older students, you can start with rows until they are finished diagnostic testing then put them in groups....can you tell I like groups?

3. Don't take everyone's advice! Another friend of mine came over today and was telling me all the stuff her assistant principal was telling her to put on the walls to make it effective.  The assistant principal suggested a math wall, a language arts wall, daily five centers tracker, concept board, and word wall.  Well, there are only 4 walls in a classroom, so how can you put this much stuff up?! It is important that your classroom is authentic to you. I like to put up vocabulary/spelling words in a focus board, I like to put reminder posters around the classroom and positive quote posters. I like a board that changes each week, I also like a data wall.  Finally I like to have a coach's corner.  I think of myself as the student's coach so the coach's corner is my all about me board and includes photos of me and my family so students feel like they are getting to know me through my pictures.

4. It does not have to cost a fortune. I am a huge hoarder when it comes to buying school supplies. I love buying borders, pencils, paper, glue sticks, rulers, tape dispensers, posters, and everything in between but you do not have to be like me.  Students will appreciate what you have to offer, not how much money you spend on decorating your class.  Teachers Pay Teachers is a great resource for design around the classroom.  The dollar store also has great resources and baskets. I am a great hunter of deals at Target as well.

Do you have an awkward shaped classroom that needs help? Let me know, I love to help organize classrooms.

Classroom Economy and Other Classroom Management Tips

Classroom management is a high priority in any classroom. I am a true believer that if a classroom does not have strong management, the class will be chaotic.  During the first few days of the school year we will be creating the culture of our classroom and this includes instilling great procedures as well as developing and implementing effective classroom management.

I have used several techniques but after a really tough year, I sought to find a management system that did not make me have to correct behavior all day.  After a google search I found the Classroom Economy website.  This website is AMAZING and it put a whole new spin on classroom management.

Last year (and this year) I taught fifth graders. I did not want to do a clip system or a color chart as I have done in the past so I worked with the material on this website.  The classroom economy assigns jobs to each student so that the management of the classroom becomes somewhat the responsibility of the students. Here is how I started:

I began during the summer researching.  Without research this program will fail. As with any management system you have to be clear, consistent, and show follow through. So after researching, I knew this was the program for me. I went through the jobs that I would want in my classroom. There are stock jobs listed on the website but I wanted to make them more tailored to what I would need. I developed the following jobs and descriptions along with the pay rate for each job.  This is important because students work to earn money to pay "rent" for their desks along with being able to earn bonuses and extra money for the student store.  See descriptions below:

Classroom Economy Classifieds

Job Descriptions

Jobs	Description	Monthly Salary
Banker (5)	Keep banking records for 4-6 students. Accept money for deposits. Pay out money for withdrawals. Keep some cash ready to meet requests. Deposit remaining cash in the Central Classroom Bank.	$700
Police Officer (5)	Check for violations of class rules. Hand out tickets to fine students who break the rules. Keep a record of fines and payments. Deposit money from fines in the Fine Folder.	$650
Clerk (3)	Hand out papers to students. Hand out materials such as art supplies. Collect papers or homework from students when asked. Organize the class supplies.	$600
Messenger (2)	Deliver written or spoken messages to people throughout the building. Answer the class phone.	$550
Custodian (4)	Keep the writing boards and countertops clean. Tidy up classroom area when they need it. Make sure recycling items are placed where they should be	$600
Librarian (2)	Keep a record of books checked out of the class library. Remind students to return the books if they are late. Keep the class library organized.	$550
Attendance Monitor (1)	Take daily attendance and record absences. Report absences to Mrs. Hill. Provide students with make-up materials when they return to class.	$600
Homework Monitor (2)	Keep daily record of students’ completed homework assignments. Inform Police Officers about incomplete or missing homework so they can write fine tickets.	$550
Substitute (2)	Perform the job of any absent student. Must know all jobs.	$400
Tech Supervisor (2)	Turn the lights and computers on or off at appropriate times. Assist with technology tasks such as setting up projectors, preparing cameras, or using audio equipment.	$550
Store Clerk (2)	Manage school store and treasure box. Keep record of inventory. Let Mrs. Hill know when items are low.	$500

 I only had about 19 students this year ( I know dream number) so I did not need as many people per job, but depending on the amount of students you have, you can adjust the numbers of people per job.  I set rent at $850, this is basically rent for their desk and chair and becomes the amount the need each month to continue to participate in the economy system.  As you can see, none of the jobs pay $850 so it is mandatory to include bonuses and incentives.  Here is the bonus system I used:

Rent, Fines, and Bonuses

Your obligation is to pay rent each month.  You are renting your desk and classroom supplies. Your monthly salary does not quite cover your rent, but you may earn bonus money. 

v  If you have money left over after paying rent, you may visit the student store.

v  Those who have not saved money do not get to participate in the student store and must forfeit the money they have earned that month for a good-faith payment of rent.

Monthly rent is: $850

Bonuses

Activity	Bonus Amount
Earn 100% on a small test or quiz	$50
Earn 100% on a major test	$200
Earn 90% to 99% on any assignment	$100
Complete an outside reading assignment	$100
Get a compliment from another teacher	$200
Show a positive character trait in or out of class	$100

Fines

Rule	Ticket Amount
Dishonesty	$250
Rudeness	$100
Messy desk	$50
Missing Homework	$100
Missing in-class assignment	$50
Off-Task Behavior/Interrupting learning	$100
Tardiness	$25

  

Students were able to earn and lose money based on their daily actions. The police officers were the people that kept track of the bad behavior and if I saw something that required a fine I would just say,  "Billy's police officer, he needs a fine for being dishonest" and boom it was noted by the police officer. Each week, the bankers would tally fines and bonuses for the week and sit down with their clients to do the banking.  At the end of the month, after $850 was taken out of their accounts, they were allowed to participate in the student store.  The student store always contained fun things along with academic fun stuff.  Fifth graders love mechanical pencils and notebooks.  The boys loved mechanical pencils as well but also they loved those Pokemon cards to trade.  Novelty items per season such as holiday erasers were always a hit as well.

This system was AMAZING. I did little to no constant reminders for students.  There was no clip down system or color chart system because in my opinion students become jaded by them.  This system stayed relevant all year.  One day my administrator came in my room in the morning while I stepped out.  When I was gone I guess a student came in tardy and would not give her the tardy slip because it is the police officer's job to take them. My administrator was amazed with the amount of dedication students had in the program and the buy-in that was present. If you have any questions on how to set up your classroom economy please contact me! I'm here to help: kortneyahill@gmail.com

I taught third grade for two years and the second year was one of THOSE groups.I thought I was going to go crazy and did not know how I was going to make it through. One of the lessons I learned from this group was that it is not fair to punish the whole group for one or 10 naughties :-) I have turned this around and now create levels of management:

1. Classroom Economy-This classroom economy is a way to track positive traits and consequences in students.  The students are responsible for their own money making and nothing anyone else does negatively can affect them.

2. Classroom Marbles- I started this after seeing it several times in schools but for fifth graders I was not sure how it would work.  I would give students marbles every time they were working as a group peacefully and doing what they needed to do. The marble jar had to be full to get a cupcake party.  I'll tell you, kids LOVED the cupcake parties and would actively work to gain marbles.  They would try to sit perfectly and participate and work together just to get marbles.  The good behavior at first was forced and then became second nature so when I dropped marbles in for something they should have been doing, they were surprised.  The cupcake incentive never got old.

3.  Finally, I did table points.  In my last post I showed how I name the tables.  Tables gain points each week for good behavior and fast transitions.  This was super important because my last classroom did not have desks just cubbies on the other side of the room, so fast transitions definitely earned table points  At the end of the week, the table with the most points went to the treasure box.  The treasure box had small items such as erasers, bracelets, pencils, pencil sharpeners, etc.

Moving forward, if you are teaching older than third grade-DO AWAY WITH THE COLOR CHART. It is not effective.  Children need to be a part of what they are doing and moving a card is not effective for older students. The economy system is great because is completely objective.  If I'm having a bad day, everyone could be clipped down or moved on red with other systems.  With this, it is simply having students following guidelines.  If they are not following guidelines, they must have a consequence.

What management system do you use? Have you found an effective way to use the color chart? Need more information? Email me: kortneyahill@gmail.com

Room Design

I am so excited to get my room set up this year.  The school I am moving to is being built as we speak so I have no idea of the layout or anything.  I thought I would look back at my room last year and see what I did, what I liked and what I did not like.  The school I was at last year was a converted daycare. The magic that all of us teachers had to do on those rooms was nothing short of a miracle! Here is what my class looked like last year:

 Here is my teacher desk and sort of behind the desk area. We had a large room but not a lot of usable wall space.  Behind my desk I put social studies and science resource information. I put the US map because fifth graders learn US history and a Solar System poster because we also study the Solar System.  The scientific method was also posted. These posters came down often and were moved to the front of the classroom when necessary.

On the left side of my desk there was my resource shelf. I had some books on top for decoration but all of my teacher books were on this shelf. I have books from every grade level for practice sheets. I do not throw these away because you  never know when they will come in handy.  I had a fifth grade student who read at a second grade level so having my fluency passages for second graders was useful. I also put on this self task cards that students could access when they were done with work early or during centers time.

 Next to my resource shelf, there was my Language Arts corner. I had my traits of writing on top of the bulletin board and then key items on the bulletin board such as descriptive words and the writing process. I would do this differently this year because some of the smaller texts could not be read from far away.  Also the writing process on the lower part of the wall was used partly to cover these horrific stains on the wall, but not useful as a resource for my students due to placement.

 Next came my  math wall.  This was the same concept as the Language Arts wall but with math material. This year I am going to create a math word wall so that students can have access to the weekly vocabulary.

 Then came the front of the room.  I had two movable white boards so I made the best of the space.  I always put a welcome message on my board for the first day so that students are not confused about what to do when they come in.  Behind the white board was the pledge of allegiance, Presidents poster, and the morning creed students said each morning.

 Next to the front of the room was the library. I bought a little carpet and pillows for the first time last year and found that fifth graders LOVED it. This year I will make either two library spaces or put more than one rug down.  There was always a race to "get cozy" for reading time. They really enjoyed it.  I do not have a picture of my library system but stay tuned.  I am very proud of my 1000+ book library. When I started teaching I had NO  books and had to get donated books from a donation center here in Henderson, but now I have one of the best library selections in most of the schools I've taught at.  I'm very possessive over the books and assign a librarian and watch books like a hawk....it's an obsession.

We had these HORRIBLE dingy cubbies in the building so I had an idea to use colorful duct tape to decorate the space. I divided the cubbies among girls and boys and decorated as such. I used the tp of the copies for in-bins as well as pencil boxes, games for Fun Friday, and other miscellanous items.

 We had only two computers in our classroom so technology was not high on the priority list. Above the computers I used the months to create a birthday board. On the first day of school I took pictures of each my students with others that had birthdays in the same month then developed the pictures and placed them under the month. Super cute idea but I did not make note of the day of the month birthdays were. Fifth graders do not want to be shouted out for their birthdays most of the time so I often would not know it was a child's birthday until their parents' came in with cupcakes! This year I will keep better track of the specific day. 

Welcome boards are still cute in fifth grade. This bulletin board was at the front of my classroom and changed monthly. 

 I always tell my students that we are getting ready for college and beyond so I name my tables by universities.  Students really begin buying into this and understanding the importance of colleges.  I will definitely do this again.

 Finally here is a center view of my desk. I did not have a traditional teacher desk but it worked. I stapled border around for decoration which ended up getting torn before Christmas break.  Which then left me with all of these staple ends that snagged all of my pants! Next time, I would use tape.  To the right of my desk, is my coach's corner where I put pictures up of me and my family.  Many people stated they had never seen this done before. I always put my family in my classroom.

So what do you think? I know there is a lot I will change for next year and hope to have more color and better places for resources posters. How do you set up your room? Any tips?

Planners-UNITE

We are sadly on the downside of summer and now is the time to prepare things for the Fall. I know that once school starts, I'm so hectic. There is my regular classroom duties plus my oldest is going into second grade so that means homework and practicing work with her.  Then my youngest being carted back and forth to daycare along with practice ABCs and 123s with her.  Oh then there are the wifely duties.....no not those, I mean cooking, cleaning, listening to my hubby's stories.  Did I mention I'm also getting my second Master's degree in administration?  Yes there's that homework oh and don't forget I want to lose weight and be healthy! So how do we squeeze all of this in? Get prepared and have a plan!

1. Every teacher is looking to lose wight and every year my co-teacher and I are always swapping diet tips.  So what really works? I LOVE 21 day fix by Beach Body. 

 No, I'm not a beachbody representative nor do I have one but I love this program.  I started it in April and lost 10lbs in the first round of the program.  This program works on portion control along with exercise.  There is a really easy way to get all the nutrients you need each day based on your weight without feeling hungry or unsatisfied.  I have been about the same size since my first child was born.  I may go up or down ten pounds but always the same pants size.  When I got pregnant with my second child, I only gained 11 pounds and quickly lost it, which still left me with the body I did not want. So the fact that with this program I dropped a pant size in 21 days was like a  miracle! The 21 day fix program is all over the internet with menus and you can even get the portion cups on Amazon.  For meal replacement shakes I go to Ideal Shape. These shakes are the best I have seen. Now, Beachbody does sell Shakeology but something in me refuses to pay $120/month for 30 servings of a shake.  Ideal Shape's shake is only $50 and curbs hunger for 3 hours.  I really liked it. So now that I am going back to work, I am back on 21 day fix and working to plan each meal so that I have healthy options! 



2. Balance is everything! Without balance and time management, everything falls apart.  As most women and mothers know, we carry the load of our families. Not because our husbands are not capable but because that's just what women do! So I work my team very carefully.  My school day starts at 8am, so I like to be at work by about 7:30. This gives me plenty of time to get my head in the game. I let my oldest daughter stay in my room in the morning so she can also relax and get ready for the day.  She is one of those kids that needs quiet think time before the day starts. During the day, I try to get everything done so that I do not take things home.  Unless I am taking on a special project I never take things home. Grading papers at home never happens despite my intentions so while my students are working independently and there are no questions, I get my other work done.  At the end of the day, I like to stay 30-45 minutes after school to set up for the next day.

After I leave school, I am done thinking about school....mostly. I do Edmodo with my students so if a student has a question regarding homework I am available to help answer their questions.  I go directly to pick my youngest and either head home or stop at the store if I need something for a project at school the next day or something for dinner.  Once we are home, I am at my second job. We run a pretty tight ship at home, first we come in and have a snack.  By 5pm, we are doing homework.  This year, I may allow my oldest to do homework in the classroom with me while I do my end of the day stuff. My husband gets off at 5:30 so while the girls are relaxing and doing homework I am cooking dinner.  Then we eat, baths by 6:45, calming show (mostly on Sprout) and my youngest is in bed by 7:30pm.  My oldest goes to bed about an hour later.

3. After bedtime, adults are free....sort of! My husband and I usually tag team dishes or relax with a show. Then we begin our homework stuff or enjoy hanging with each other.  As any teacher knows, bedtime during the school year is REALLY early, usually about 9:30 or 10 and then we start again!

My plan isn't perfect but it helps to stay organized ahead of time to get everything in one day.  The weekends are more hectic as my oldest plays violin and has lessons plus soccer and all of our errands, but it still gives us a chance to recharge and start again.

What is your routine? How do you get everything done in one day? 

Welcome to my  new blog, The Teacher's Way. My name is Kortney and I have been in education since 2008.  Although I am still relatively new to the teaching world, I love to share fun ideas that will benefit the classroom teacher. I had to learn the hard way on some things so if I can help other teachers, I feel like I am contributing to the success of all students.

I live in Henderson, Nv which is a suburb of Las Vegas. Despite what people may think, yes we have schools and yes we have committed teachers! I work at a charter school and teach fifth grade. I have taught every grade in elementary school expect fourth grade and this will be my second year in fifth grade. I LOVE fifth grade and have some great things I like to implement with the students at this age.

Today begins the back to school countdown. I begin school in exactly two weeks and I am weirdly excited. I have two gorgeous girls aged 7 and 2 and a great husband that I enjoy spending time with during the summer, but I am anxious to get back into the classroom.  This is the time where I feel like my summer is over because I am buying supplies, planning my classroom, and rereading some great reads to get prepared.

I found this book last year: The First Six Weeks of School and I was fascinated by the best ways to introduce the school year.  I am one of those teachers that does not want to waste time on the beginning of the year meet and greet and ice breakers, I want to get into the meat of teaching.  These beginning of the year small activities are absolutely essential to the growth of a classroom and creates a great school environment so I know I have to do them, well this book lays out everything for the first six weeks for all grade levels! It goes week by week, hour by hour and gives great suggestions on how to get your students accumulated to the classroom. I highly recommend this book. There is a new version but I'm sure you may be able to find the 2000 version at the local library. I also have an extra unused copy, maybe I should start a contest??

Aside from reading, today I am going to re-work my parent welcome letter as well as my procedures list. The procedures list is something I keep for myself but it is five pages of everything I want to convey to my students.  I am going to a new school this year so it is important to look over my parent letter to ensure it is all relevant for my new set of students.  Finally, as a grade level we compiled a list of supplies so I want to make a short list for parents that is class specific so that I can get everything needed for students to be successful. Who else is excited?

Be sure to comment below and tell me what more you want to hear? As I get into school I will be posting great lessons, classroom management tools, cooperative learning strategies, and how to buy the best stuff from TPT .