Friday Favorites

My Friday has been exceptionally nice here this week!  We had a little bit of snow on the ground when we went to bed last night...and lo and behold: SNOW DAY today!!  The only thing better than a surprise snow day as a teacher was seeing my Kindergartner's face this morning.  He was up with the phone call (at 5:46 AM), way before he needed to be, but he was not tired at all.  His was the kind of happiness that only Santa, the Easter Bunny and...some good ol' snow can bring, and it was my favorite moment of the week. :)

This opportunity to have a lazy day with my boy leads me to my first favorite I'll be sharing today.  I happened to catch this craft project on The Chew today, and instantly thought how this would be awesome in a classroom.  It's a DIY Dry Erase Calendar that seems pretty easy to make, and looks pretty sweet!

Picture from The Chew @ ABC.com

Here's the link to materials and directions: Clinton's Craft Corner Coasters and Calendar. (The coasters are petty cute, too!  Scroll down the page.  The calendar is the 2nd project.)  I'll wait a day or two to see if a video clip of the project is added to their site and I'll post the link for that, too.

The second thing I want to share with you for my Friday Favorites this week is a video that has been making it's way around the world of social media.  It was actually brought to my attention recently by a person who posted it on my Facebook wall.  She also made a simple, touching and quite eloquent request.  She asked me to please "tell all of the teachers this. It is true. "Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you," is the biggest lie that parents and teachers tell. Those of us that survived being bullied, did it by believing the bullies were wrong. But we will spend the rest of our lives with the doubt. This is the best thing I have ever seen explaining what it feels like."

I was touched by her honesty and her desire to share something that was so personal in order to make sure that this moving video about the power of words continues to be seen. The To This Day Project is well worth the time to watch for both teens and adults. Containing an important message that is shared in a way that will undoubtedly get the attention of middle school students, this is a perfect catalyst for free-writes or discussions.  If you haven't come across it yet, please think about taking a few minutes to watch...and consider passing along.

  





Lastly, I just want to remind you that a fantastic giveaway is still going on at The Teacher's Chair!

There's still time to see if March 17th will be your lucky day!  If you haven't checked out all the great prizes (including a product from my store), take time to visit and enter to win!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Favorites, a Freebie AND a Big Sale? Good Times!

It's that time once again...Friday is here and there's much to celebrate!  (I'm hearing Kool and the Gang in my head right now..."Ce-le-brate good times, come on!")

First, I would love to share with you a couple of great finds that I made recently.  One of them is a video that was brought to my attention by a former student who thought it might be something "cool to share on my blog." (How much did I love that, by the why?  It made my day!)  He was so right, and I posted it to my Middle School Matters Blog FB page, not knowing who Kid President was but loving everything that he said in the short clip that is both inspirational and guaranteed to make you smile.  Wouldn't you know, I then saw Kid President was featured on the Today Show a few days after?  Social Media is amazing.  Who would've thought it possible that Matt Lauer would be taking cues from me? ;-)

In his "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You," this adorable 9 year old's  platform is simply that "it's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance."  It's one of the best pep talks I've heard, touching both my heart and my funny bone.  




In case, like me, this is the first you've heard of Kid President, there are other sweet video that your kiddos will love...even if they've seen them before.  They are great catalysts for discussion and/or writing prompts, for sure!

My second favorite I would like to share is a blog that I discovered through my first giveaway last week!


This is a great blog to visit to find TONS of creative ideas for your teaching and for your classroom.  Tina offers her own creations, but she also generously shares ideas she discovers from others so that her audience can easily find them, too.  Talk about "bloggy love!"  What better way to start February - the month of hearts, valentines and all things kind - then to bring your attention to a blog that shares the love all year round?!   Speaking of Valentine's Day, I also have a new FREEBIE that I would like to share.  The beginning of a new month means the introduction of a new theme for my Cooperative Learning Partners:

(Click on image for download)

This month, I decided to ignore the temptation to focus on the "lovey-dovey" theme that Valentine's Day brings immediately to mind and chose to focus on perfect pairings for food - a theme much more palatable for middle schoolers. :)  Be sure to click HERE to visit the first post about how I use Cooperative Learning Partners as a classroom management tool for cooperative learning.  By visiting my FREEBIES page, you'll be able to pick up previous months' themes as well. 

Lastly, I want to make sure that you are aware of two fantastic sales going on this weekend - as if the Super Bowl doesn't bring with it enough excitement!  Teachers Pay Teachers AND Teacher's Notebook are both offering amazing deals on their own...and I am also providing additional discounts at both of my stores.  MANY teacher sellers are taking part and making similar markdowns, so be sure to take time this weekend to visit all of your favorite stores and attack those wishlists!

Teacher's Notebook:  Sale Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) all products in my store will be will be 25% off!

Teachers Pay Teachers:  I will be running a sale for 20% off both Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) AND on Sunday, February 3rd, TpT will be contributing and ADDITIONAL 10% discount off my already discounted price! (That's 28% OFF! Sa-weet!)  Just enter promo code: SUPER at checkout on Sunday.

Check out the savings at all of your favorite stores.

Have a great weekend filled with  family, friends, football, fantastic food and FABULOUS SALES!

Good Students AND Good People - 10 Tips for Success

Yesterday was a bad weather day for us here, so I was able to spend some extra quality time with our son at home.  He just started Kindergarten this year, and even over the past few months, I can't get over how my little guy is changing; my baby is definitely not a baby any longer!  As we were making cookies, carefully measuring each ingredient scarfing down chocolate chips, my kiddo chattered away about school and friends.  Just a short time ago everything was new and intimidating.  Yesterday he was a confident, happy little person standing next to me in the kitchen, sharing the things he's learned about reading, writing, math...humanity...and life as a Kindergartner.  Hearing all he's learned so far made me think of a letter I wrote to him...for him...for me, as he began school in September.

The following is a post I wrote in another blog that I started at the same time as Middle School Matters.  (Being so new to this, I thought it would be easy to keep up with two blogs - one for teaching and one for simply recording our thoughts and experiences during our son's first year of school.  I was wrong.  Cra. Zy.)  I've decided to focus on Middle School Matters, but yesterday this particular post came immediately to mind.  It's advice to my son - as his mommy, but also as a teacher - to help him navigate through the maze that school can be.  As we are now at the half-way point of the year, heading to celebrating 100 days of school, I'm reflecting on what I thought he needed to know:

Even at five, our little man has been the recipient of many letters.  The first was written before he was born and included things I wanted him to know about how much he was loved from the moment we knew he was coming into our lives.  Then there was the one of thanks from our Bo-Bo Fairy, given to him when he was ready to give up his pacifier (Bo-Bo). It was time to have our Bo-Bo Fairy take it to a new baby who needed it, and she felt he needed to be congratulated.  Since then, letters from us on birthdays and from Santa at Christmas have become traditions in our family.  These letters hold words of love and the recognition of milestones that have been met along the way.  Little Man looks forward to these letters now.  In fact, this past Christmas, truly understanding what an undertaking it is to deliver toys to deserving boys and girls all over the world, he was concerned that Santa might not have time to write a letter since he was so busy.  I felt pretty confident that Santa would come through.

It has become easy to see, that even at a young age when his daddy and I still need to help him read these letters, the written words have had a great effect on him.  He knows we are proud.  He knows his actions are appreciated.  He knows he is loved.  As his mother, I know how important all of this is.  That being said, I'm also a middle school teacher.  After fourteen years with tweens and newly-turned teens, I've seen a lot.  In fact, I've often told my students that they are the subject of a book I've been writing. The working title is The Things I Never Thought I Would Have to Say, But Do In Middle School.  They think I'm so funny!  I'm not kidding.

As my little scholar begins his future in public school this week, I feel another letter needs to be written. This one, however, will not be filled with the warm fuzzies of the others.  This one has a need for practicality and a degree of bluntness that will allow some very important advice - not only for Kindergarten, but for life as he goes through school - to be gleaned.  It will include the following pieces of advice that, as his mother and a teacher, I know he needs to be made aware of and will help him to be successful:

1) Don't feel the need to be perfect.  No one is.

2) Not everything is going to be easy.  Whether it's learning to read, tackling math facts or climbing the rope in P.E. - just keep trying.

3) Please use a tissue.  Please do not use your hand, your sleeve or the paper you are giving to your friend or teacher.

4) You will come across bullies.  It will happen...and most likely it will be when an adult isn't right there to help.  I know this can be scary, but I don't want you to be an audience to this. Don't just let it happen. You don't have to say a thing to the bully.  In fact, I wish that you wouldn't.  He or she probably won't hear what you are saying anyway.  The person being bullied, however, will be straining to hear ANY kindness in that moment.  Be THAT voice.  Be his or her friend.  Will you be best friends from that moment on? Maybe not, but your kindness will be remembered - and on a day when you need it - maybe it will be returned.

5) Use your manners.  A simple "please" and "thank you" make more of an impression than you think.

6) Please revisit #3.  Seriously.

7) If someone asks you to do something that you know is wrong - whether it is unkind or unsafe - say, "No."  If you feel you need a reason, use me.  I'm happy to be the "mean mom" if it gets you out of an uncomfortable situation.

8) School is not a race.  You do not need to be the first person finished to show how smart you are.  Take your time and do things well.  Take the time to show what you know.

9) Part of growing up is realizing that you may not choose to be friends with everyone with whom you have to work.  From peers to adults, I know it can be difficult to work with people when you don't see things in the same way.  Yet, you need to be respectful and willing to work together when necessary.  Your future teachers and employers will find much value in this skill.

10) Mommy and Daddy have spent a small fortune on school supplies.  Please keep them out of your mouth.  Nothing is more gross than chewed up pens, pencils and marker caps that are covered in spit.  Nothing except...well, once again, please see #3.


As you can see, this is a different type of post than usually seen in this blog.  I'm not examining the Common Core or sharing resources for helping our kids be successful students.  I'm looking at my son, and our students, and thinking about the things they need to know to be, simply, successful humans.  How does my list fare?  Considering your children and the students that you see each day, what tidbits of wisdom would you share for their consideration during the rest of your time with them...and as they grow?

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