Wednesday, 11/28/12

Today MJ decided to go with the camouflage tactic. Pretty smart elf, if you ask me!!! With the current full moon happening, the energy in this room has been BEYOND, so I can only imagine what his conversations with the jolly man are like each night. Surely Santa is planning extra presents for the lovely lady who (attempts to) controls this brood. Of course, when Santa hears that I was going to give a math test today, that is until I realized I'd forgotten to get it in for copying----I may be moved over to the naughty teacher list. For shame, Ms. Mitchell, for shame!

Just in case you weren't convinced yet of what I complete dork I am----brace yourself, I have a story for you. Yesterday I mentioned I was running to Walgreens to stock up my anti-coughing arsenal. I got to the cough drop aisle and discovered that my cough drops, which are normally $2.59 (or as Walgreens always does---2/$5) were on sale for ................... drum roll please.....................................$1.29!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHATTTTTT??? I bought 4 bags. I love a deal and I get this post-nasal junk every fall and spring so I know that they won't go to waste. I did a little happy dance and then headed to the check out counter before they discovered this gold mine they'd left for me. So, there you go-------Queen of the Dorks, reporting for duty. ;)

Have a good night (and if you need cough drops.....you know what to do!! Go people GOOOOO!!!)

Tuesday, 11/27/12

Howdy!

Today's going to be a quickie. I'm behind schedule and I have to stop at Walgreens to restock my "I have an ANNOYING and NAGGING cough" stock. I get this every fall and spring. It's the whole (not-to-be-gross) post-nasal thing. The cough, the voice change, the whole nine. Today I had such a coughing fit I thought the kids would just up and leave the room (can't say I'd have blamed them), but they didn't. They just did their work and then asked if I was okay. How cute are they??? The good news is, there's nothing contagious or gross about it, just wicked annoying. Oh well, if that's my only cross to bear, I'll count myself as an incredibly lucky girl.

Today was the first of the music rehearsals with the entire second grade. The show is going to be soooooo cute. I hope that you're all planning to come next Thursday (the 6th). It is, by far, one of my favorite parts of the entire school year. The air is chilled, the kids come looking cuter than ever, the energy of the holidays is amped and there's always one song that gets me choked up (and plenty more that make me laugh). PLEASE do whatever you can to come and share this experience. You won't regret it, I promise!

Okay----I think that's all I've got for now. Gotta get this joint ready for tomorrow so I can get outta here tonight.  Love to you all!! Good night!

Monday, 11/26/12

Hi! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I was able to spend time with my parents, which is time that I always cherish, so for me it was perfect. I did some great indulging and some great shopping. What more could a girl ask for? ;)  As difficult as it was to hear that alarm go off this morning, it sure was nice to see the kids. I think this is the first time each year that we all realize how very much we really like each other. That old saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" seems to come true after having not seen each other for such a long time. My heart definitely grew fonder (and dare I say, by some of their actions, the kids' did too)!! <3

Like moths to fire, the kids came in to class this morning immediately noticing something that even I had not, despite that I'd been at school for over an hour. A little elf came to our classroom and it appears, will be with us through Christmas. He left a note saying that he will be in our classroom each day and then go to report to Santa each night. He warned that we are not to touch him or he'll be forced leave, and he asked that we give him a name before the day was over because that would be the first question he'd get upon returning to the North Pole tonight. The children suggested 35 various (and VERY different) names. The initial vote resulted in a four-way tie. The names were narrowed down to Elphie (my favorite due to my addiction to the musical "Wicked," if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about), Magic Man, Elfster and Mitchell Jr. We took a re-vote and Mitchell, Jr. won. I opted to call him M.J. for short. I figure the kids can have their homage to me, and I'll have mine to a basketball great. Love me some #23!!!!! =)

Here is M.J. and the note he left us. He was sitting on top of the Smartboard this morning. Tricky little elf!

Last Monday when I was here for parent/teacher conferences, I was able to get some work done in the classroom. One of the things I did was decorate our classroom for the holidays. It was fun for me to hear the kids discover the decos throughout the day today. I hope you'll hear about them, but if not, I'll post some pics over the next few weeks.

Lastly, how can I close without mentioning yesterday's Bears game? (and it will be the ONLY game I mention from over break.....ahem) I know that people are very harsh and critical of Jay Cutler. I am the Queen of the Underdogs, so I've always had faith in him-----and I hope that any of the fair-weather Cutler fans will be able to look back at the events of the past few weeks and see that he deserves some respect. I don't know the intricacies of football---only the big (obvious) stuff, so I can readily admit that someone could take me to task over stats, etc.  but here's what I know----when the guy is out, the team loses (and BIG), but when he's in and protected, I get to add to the WINS side of my classroom graph. I like adding wins, so I like it when he is healthy and plays.

Well, I think that's all of my rambling for one night. I have remote start on my car (greatest investment EVER), but I'm not in the habit of starting it yet, so I guess I have to go and face the cold leather. Wish me luck. (I'm so pathetic, eh?) LOL!!!!

Have a good night!

Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I didn't think I'd be posting over break, but I couldn't not write today. I hope everyone has a fantastic day! Enjoy the time you're spending with loved ones. Remember and pray for those who are less fortunate. Do your best to find humor in all situations, and enjoy the seemingly ordinary moments; those often become the most cherished memories. I have so very, very many things to be thankful for and my students and their families are a favorite part of that list. I am thinking of you all today today and thanking God for you. Have a reflective and humorous day (my two favorite parts of any holiday)and don't forget to break the wishbone. ;)

And, despite the fact I'm on the brink of being "weird" (reference to the commercial I've written about previously)----GGGGGOOOOOOOO BBBBEEEAAARRRRRRSSSSSS!

Friday, 11/16/12

Thank you to all of the parents and students who came out for parent/teacher/student conferences last night. It was great talking with you!! Again my apologies to those for whom I was running late. :/

This is probably the last post I'll write until after break. I hope that you all enjoy Thanksgiving. I know that for many this holiday brings mixed emotions. It's so fun to spend quality time with family and friends, especially if you don't get to see them often. However, it is a great deal of work, with all of the cooking and cleaning if you host the big day. It may also bring sadness for some who have the bitter sweetness from memories that seem to surface in abundance this time of year. I know that after a few days of having your kids home, there's a very slight chance that you may be feeling thankful that Monday is drawing closer and your kids will be returning to school. HAHA--I JOKE, I JOKE!! Despite all of that---here is what I hope for you-----I hope more than anything that you take a few moments to slow down the chaos of it all, look around and soak in the love that surrounds you. It can be a rough time of year, with the people and the rushing and the pressure and the fa la la, but when you take the time and force yourself to soak it all in, despite the rush of emotions that may surface, above all is love.

I am abundantly thankful that I have the job of my dreams. I have met the most amazing people along my journey, and I am blessed to be able to spend a close-knit year with some UNBELIEVABLE children and their families, many of whom I am in touch with to this day. <3

Lastly, I can't sign off without mentioning......I'm thankful to live in the best sports town in the world----------GOOOOO BEAAARRSSSS! Take care of business on MNF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Show the world what you've got Campbell!

XOXO Gobble Gobble

Wednesday, 11/14/12

I hate days when I have nothing to write about. Of course, those are usually the ones I wind up rambling on and on. I'll try not to do that today. Just a few thoughts to share:

* I have parent/teacher conferences with some more families tomorrow night. A reminder: if I'm conferencing with you---PLEASE BRING YOUR CHILD WITH YOU. Thank you =)

*  Please review the work that's coming home in your child's folder. Particularly the math. We're in some rocky waters right now, so any and all review done will be beneficial.

* Children who have speaking parts for our winter program brought home scripts today. Please help your child to memorize his/her lines. It makes all of the difference when the speakers are confident in their lines during our rehearsals.  All children brought home the music lyrics. Again---as much practice as possible would be good. The show will be cute no matter what, but with strong voices, it will be that much more amazing. And, please, let's face it, I'm banking on my class being the most dramatic and vocal....look at their leader!! ;)

* Finally, and this has nothing to do with school, but I know someone out there will be as excited as I am with this news----There's a brand-spanking-new KIRKLANDS open in Bloomingdale on Army Trail. I LOVE Kirklands. My whole house is pretty much their stuff, but I've always had to travel far and wide to get to one. Oh man am I excited!!!!!!!!! It could be dangerous...but soooooo soooooo fun!!! =)

See--nothing to say......

Tuesday, 11/13/12

It's a not-much-to-report Tuesday.

Instead, I will tell you about a "small" act of kindness that occurred in my world. Yesterday I started the day discovering that one of my students brought me a home-baked pumpkin bread. Needless to say, there was a happy dance, perhaps some small freaking out and a boat-load of gratitude. It was the first of many, many (many.....) cold mornings, but that act of thoughtfulness made me nothing but warm.  I would imagine, to the family who made this loaf of pumpkin-y goodness, that this was a token of gratitude for their child's teacher. I can reassure that family and all who are reading this, it was anything but small to me. First and foremost--the notion that I was thought of on a WEEKEND simply daunts me. Next, baking is no small feat. There's a lot of math, ingredients and time involved--not to mention, for those who do it well---some sprinkles of magic somewhere in there (mine had a ton of magic!!!). I really really cannot express how grateful I felt in receiving such a thoughtful (and YUMMY) gesture. It's definitely something that I will "pay forward."

Never ever ever underestimate the power of "small" gestures. It never fails that what may seem small to you, is GIGANTIC to someone else. And what may seem like random timing to you---may be the EXACT moment that the other person needed some inspiration of goodness and love in her (or his) heart.

Monday, 11/12/12

Happy Monday!

Bears game:  I hope that Jay Cutler is doing better. Concussions completely scare me.
In the words of Forrest Gump, "And that's all I have to say about that."

Today we had some of Itasca's Veterans come to school to lead "The Pledge of Allegiance" and demonstrate the color guard with the kids. Oh my gosh, I stream down tears every single year. I love seeing those sweet men and hearing about how they're served. I can't help but think of my grandfather who fought in World War II. The strength and bravery of all soldiers is almost beyond comprehension to me. I've had past students who have served as well as past students' parents, and today I learned of some present students' family members who have served. I send out nothing but love, respect and prayers of thanks for all of our military. Like I said, it's almost beyond my comprehension what they do for our country and every single one of us. (a bit of irony: Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" is playing on my iPod as I write this to you)





The kids singing patriotic songs. Tears!!!




How adorable are they? I would love to have coffee with every single one of them!!



Tears, respect, gratitude, patriotism, faith, pride=all the words I think of when looking at this picture.

Friday, 11/9/12

Thank you so very much to all who attended their parent/teacher conference with me last night. Thank you also for bringing your second grader with you. That time that we spend together is very valuable, and I appreciate the rapport that we develop. You are all such amazing parents. The saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" never becomes as true to me as parent/teacher conference time. Keep up that hard, but great, work of parenting. I know it's not easy, and sometimes not fun, but the humans that you are raising will be the better for it!!!

This Sunday is Veterans' Day, so before I go any further, please let me extend my most heart-felt, sincere THANK YOU to all who have served. I have family members, students' parents and even former students who have served, and I can't begin to tell you how amazing I think they are. It takes a special person to demonstrate the kind of heart, bravery, loyalty and patriotism that these men and women do (I don't believe that any of these end when their service ends). I carry all of those whom I mentioned in my heart each day and speak their names in my prayers. On Monday we will be paid a visit by some of Itasca's Veterans. They will demonstrate the color guard for the children. They've done this the past few years and it is always very moving. If you are available at 9:30, I highly recommend that you stop by Benson. The assembly isn't long, but the experience will stay with you after you've met these amazing service members.

And finally-----"It's only weird if it doesn't work" so GOOOOOOOOO BEAAARRRRRRSSSSSS!!! With one more win the classroom graph will officially cover one whole window in our classroom and begin inching toward the next. Go get it boys! =)

Enjoy the weekend!! It's supposed to be very warm. It's my hope to get my outdoor lights hung while it's warm, but I'm going to be a bit busy and it's supposed to be rainy. Wish me luck. Oh hey----if you love "The Wizard of Oz" and have never seen it on the big screen of a movie theater---you've got to check out www.atriptothemovies.com . It's a website for two local movie theaters that will be showing it this weekend. There are actual Munchkins (from the movie) at the showings and everything!!! I go every year and it's AMAZING!!! Added bonus--it's the kind of theater where you sit down, order food and drink and have lunch (or dinner or a snack) while watching the movie!!! If you're looking for something to do----trust me, you'll love this!

Okay--signing off now. XOXO

Thursday, 11/8/12

It's Parent/Teacher/Student conference day!!! I'll be meeting with 10 families tonight. Phew! I sure hope my mouth and brain are still cooperating with each other by the end of the night. =P

Today we finally finished up all of the reading assessments. I'm hoping to have something fun for the kids to do tomorrow to celebrate the conclusion of assessment week. I'll have the tests all graded and ready to send home either Monday or Tuesday of next week. It's always a good idea to review tests with your children when they come home. Future tests will be in a similar format, and it's never too early to start teaching test-taking skills. Here are some suggestions (I use these with the kids, so hearing them from you as well would be great!):

* "going through the backdoor"  That means reading the questions (or in some cases answer choices) before reading the story (or test question). I call it "getting your brain warmed up." You can demonstrate how test questions have specific key words that they can keep an eye out for while reading the story--making answering the question far easier.

* process of elimination:  Many tests have 1-2 answer choices which are not reasonable or logical at all. Cross those out and focus on what you have left to work with.

* draw a picture or write out number sentences (for math): Many times I think the kids think that they can only answer the question, not use the paper there to figure out the answer. I often encourage them and model for them how to use that extra space to solve the problem. Sometimes I see kids do it, but then erase their work, which makes me think that they think they shouldn't be doing that. I encourage them to not only use that space, but to leave it. No need to waste precious eraser on working out a problem.

*Above all: Review (and even redo) work/tests that comes home marked wrong. Whether that be a worksheet or test, reviewing the skill with a parent in a one-on-one environment can be very beneficial. You never know what's going to make that light switch turn on!! =)

As the year progresses, I'll give you more strategies, but these are great to start with.

Have a great night---see some of you later!!!

Wednesday, 11/7/12

Hi everyone!

I promised that I'd have more pics for you from yesterday. Turns out my camera may be toast, but if you know me at all, you know that won't stop me. Luckily I have friends in high places who were able to hook me up with a surrogate camera for my media card!! So---as promised, here you go. I'm so thankful that I have the pictures. This project was one of my favorites of my teaching career (so far) and the pictures bring back the feelings of how fun it was and how much the kids learned from it. In a word----dreamy!!!

I hope you enjoy...



First, we ventured out to our designated Polling Place.

Next, everyone cast her/her ballot and received an official "I Voted" sticker.

 I've known these voters' families for years---that should work in my favor, right????




The boys will have my back, right? Or did they connect more to what Duck was experiencing????

A few of the ladies voting. Would they go for Grace?? Could they relate to her more than me???

Dr. Turner voting. She seems to be putting an awful lot of thought into this. I thought she'd be quick.
(to put a check in MY box!!)

Mrs. Fricano and Mrs. Drummond (I hoped my friends had my back!).

To wrap it all up, we did some graphing, comparing and reflecting!!

I hope you got a good sense of how our day went (and hopefully heard all about it at home).  Have a good night!

Tuesday, 11/6/12

Oh my gosh--what a day! Our class's polling place (the music room) wasn't available to us until 2:10, so I did my best to campaign all day. There was one time when the campaign started to turn negative with Duck, but we nipped that in the bud. ;)  No negative campaigning here!!

Below are some images from our election day event:

Of course Penelope had to get in on the action. Note the campaign posters on the top and sides of the Smartboard.



The kids came in to see their campaign posters all around the room.

More campaign posters



They were EVERYWHERE!

I have some more super-cute pictures from the day, but for some reason the computer is suddenly not recognizing my camera. 

When the time finally came, we all grabbed our voter registration cards and headed to the polling place. The kids each went into a voting booth and marked his/her ballot. They then cast the ballot into the ballot box, received an official "I Voted" sticker and the rest was history. We even had some guest voters: Dr. Turner, Mrs. Fricano and Mrs. Riggio joined in for the fun. Of course Mrs. Drummond and I cast our votes as well. When we were done, we headed back to count the votes. The kids had a tally page to keep track. It came right down to the wire (I was getting quite nervous). I can proudly announce the final results:

Duck: 6

Grace: 8

Ms. Mitchell: 10

Luckily no one demanded a recount!! No hanging chads in Room 16!! ;) If only my stinking camera were cooperating--you could see how cute it all turned out. I'll have them up tomorrow, if it's the last thing I do!! 

Now I'm going to head off to my workout and then hunker down for a night of election results. Regardless of which way a person voted, isn't it just a glorious blessing to live in a country where you have the right to do so? There are people all across this planet who die for what we sometimes take for granted. I'll forever be eternally grateful to the trailblazers that made my voting ritual one of respect and humility. Regardless of results, let us never forget what it could be.

God Bless America!



Monday, 11/5/12



Looking better and better each week!!



51-20 Bears!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How awesome was that game???  Did any of you see the commercial with the song "Superstition"? I cracked up thinking about my blog and my "superstition" regarding blogging the Bears luck. I loved the end line: "It's only weird if it doesn't work!" So far (knock on wood), it's worked, so clearly it's not weird! ;)



Today I read the class My Teacher for President and the kids made their campaign posters for their chosen candidate (Duck, Grace, or yours truly). They did such a great job! This has been soooo much fun! I also had them fill out their voter registration cards so they are "official" when it comes time to vote tomorrow.



a campaign poster for Grace



a campaign poster for Ms. Mitchell





a campaign poster for Duck







Reminder: Parent/teacher/student conferences kick off this week. Please remember to BRING YOUR SECOND GRADER to our conference. I know that this is different than most other classes, but your child will play a role in our conference, so I'd like him/her to be there.







Friday, 11/2/12

How excited are you about the fact that we GAIN an hour this weekend? I'm soooo happy! I need an extra hour. I'm going to be taking down my Halloween decorations and getting ready for next week's parent/teacher/student conferences. Plus I have some serious DVR time to catch up on. This week completely got away from me. I need to have some brain-recovery, and how better to do that then vegging out for a little while? ;)

I must admit, I'm getting pretty excited for next week's election. I'm mostly looking forward to the commercials being a thing of the past, not to mention people's posts on Facebook, but mainly I just think it's such an honor that we have living in this country and exercising the RIGHT to vote. It's a RIGHT for Americans. Amazing!! I just recently saw an email about the heart-breaking circumstances that the suffragettes went through. Some were jailed, beaten, starved, and on and on. Horrible. So beyond looking forward to voting because it's my duty as an American, I look forward to saying a silent prayer of thanks to those women who made it possible for me to drive down the street, walk into my polling place without getting any flack from anyone and cast my ballot. This is an amazing country, and its stories can be as heartbreaking as they are empowering.

Today I read two books to the kids---one called Grace for President, the other--- Duck for President, and I have one more for them on Monday. If I can squeek out the time, I want to have them create campaign posters for their chosen candidate (from the books) and then cast a ballot on Tuesday. I got this idea off of Pinterest (the GREATEST website ever!!), and I just hope I can use it to make the election as meaningful as possible for second-graders. I can still remember when I was in fifth grade and we "voted" for the president. It was an impactful experience.

Anyhow--that's it from here. Don't forget--if your parent/teacher conference is scheduled with me for next Thursday, BRING YOUR SECOND-GRADER WITH YOU please. I really would like for him/her to be there.

And more important of all----GOOOOOO BEAAARRRRRSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!