A Letter to My First Teacher

Dear Mrs. Werkheiser,

The end of the school year is a time for reflection. I find myself reflecting on not only the current school year, but my own school career as well. At 31 years of age, I have learned to read and write in elementary school, survived middle school, graduated high school, worked my way through graduate school, and now spend my days teaching children. You can just imagine how many teachers I have had! I can remember the name of every one of my teachers. Mrs. Miller was first grade. Mrs. Douglas was my kindergarten teacher. Mrs. DeVito was 4th. I could go on and on. I'm pretty lucky because I have always had teachers that cared and were kind. However, very few teachers made a lasting impact on me. I find that the teachers that shaped my future and lead me on my path to becoming a teacher, were ones that listened, understood me, and protected me.

You were my very first teacher! The picture attached is from preschool graduation in 1988. More specifically, it was taken on June 8, 1988. I remember that date because I felt like a rock star. It was my preschool graduation and it was my birthday! You may not believe me, but I actually remember a lot from preschool. Maybe it's the pictures that help refresh my memory, but I like to think it was the way you shaped that class and cared for all of us that made it so memorable. I remember we performed a version of The Night Before Christmas. I was a sugar plum fairy with Dorothy. I had to wear a pink leotard and a tutu. That tutu was extremely itchy and scratchy. I remember hating that costume. You sat up front with a microphone and narrated the entire play. I can only imagine how humorous it must have been to watch. Bobby was Rudolph. I remember a boy named Jesse had a crush on me and brought me flowers one day. I was mortified. I remember pinching Lindsey's fingers in the crack of the door. I remember Land of Make Believe...our field trip. I remember I was given an award on Preschool graduation night for Gym. It was a clear container filled with Hershey Kisses. However, what I remember most wasn't the activities or the events. I remember your blonde hair and your soft voice which made me feel safe. So many children are lucky and fortunate to have had you as a teacher.

I am positive there are many other former students that remember how you impacted their lives. Congratulations on your retirement!

Sincerely,

J. Stacey Ely
Good Shepard Nursery School
Class of 1988

**Mrs. Werkheiser and I currently work in the same school district. She is retiring at the end of the school year.

"We Are Your Symphony"

Today was the first day of in-service and I am not sure where to begin. The day was filled with inspiring, motivational, and encouraging words from professionals who, in my opinion, are oozing with the passion of teaching and learning. There is so much to reflect on and so much to share. Education is somewhat rocky right now. Type "articles about education" in google and see what pops up.

When I look at the top articles I see words like "madness", "blast away", "scandal", "data revolution", and "failure".  As a teacher, it can be very difficult to stay positive about what you have chosen to dedicate your life to. Not ONE...I repeat.....not ONE of the titles mentions the word "STUDENT". How do we stay motivated and eager as educators?  The answer is very simple....students. It is the thank you from a student, it is the smile from a student, it is the tears from a student, it is the high-five from a student that motivates us to grow, learn, love, and share. 

I haven't seen my students since June. But today, during the first in-service of the school year, I felt motivated and inspired because of other professionals. 

Have you every seen Mr. Hollands Opus?  Gosh, I saw this movie a long time ago when it first came out in 1995. "Glenn Holland is a passionate musician who dreams of composing one truly memorable piece of music. But reality intrudes when he reluctantly accepts a "day job" as a high school music teacher to support his family. In time, however, Mr. Holland realizes that his real passion is teaching, and his legacy is the generations of young people he inspires." -Amazon.com 

At the end of the movie, Holland is cleaning out his classroom after retiring. His wife and son surprise him with a large gathering of students both past and present. They celebrate the wonderfully amazing career he has had. The clip was shown to the staff today. It solidifies how many lives a teacher may touch without truly knowing the impact he/she has in the moment. Here is the clip:

Click here to watch the YouTube clip from Mr. Hollands Opus.

WARNING: It may cause tears (I struggled to hold them back today. I didn't want to have my mascara running down my face on my very first day with the new staff).  

As we approach a new school year, challenge yourself to think what will your legacy be as a teacher? What will you do this year to build your legacy?  What do you want your students to remember about you as an educator?  

Good luck!

Stages of Teaching.....No more floating!

So another year begins. Tomorrow is the first day of in-service for the school year. As I sit here and think about the upcoming year, a storm of emotions come over me. Tomorrow begins my 9th year as a teacher. I struggle wrapping my brain around this. I don't think I am considered a "new" teacher any more. I'm now a veteran.

What makes a teacher a "veteran"?  Years of service?  Number of graduate credits? Grade level taught?  Money made? Promotions given?

This year, I will begin my 4th placement in the educational field. I have taught 1st, third, ESL and now Read 180 and System 44 for 5th and 6th grade. I have worked under 5 principals and numerous vice principals and interim principals. I have decorated and made six different classrooms in five different buildings feel like home to students. I have worked in two different districts. Every experience I have had in each of these settings has been amazing. With each experience, I gain more tools in my backpack that help me be a better teacher for my students.

With all this being said, I think back to my 8 completed years of teaching and realize I am not even close to being a veteran.  I'll explain in a moment. This is how I would describe or categorize the teaching stage I was in.

Year 1 - Floating Stage.....Basically, my backpack was empty. I went into the classroom with this ideal picture in my mind of what teaching was and what Miss Ely's classroom would look like. That picture in my mind was based on what I was taught in college and my experiences as a student teacher. The children sat and listened. They raised their hands. They were all reading on grade level. It was perfect. In reality, my first year was far from perfect. My students did none of the things I pictured. Students ran my classroom. I was exhausted. I spent many late nights in the classroom. I rearranged my room a hundred times. I called on colleagues to help me manage the room. I had bronchitis and laryngitis twice. I refused to take off because that meant I had to plan for a sub.  I was sinking quickly that first year. I did whatever I could do to stay above the water.....I was in the floating stage.

Year 2-3 - Experimental Stage - These are the two years that I walked into my classroom and refused to let my first year happen all over again. I would implement a teaching strategy, realize it didn't work, drop it, and implement something else. I continued to spend late nights in the classroom. But I wasn't floating anymore. Students were responding to what I was implementing. But I knew it wasn't enough. I had to do more. These were the two years when I became brave enough to try new things. Some failed, some didn't. But I was willing to experiment.

Years 4-8 - Evolving Stage - I have gained confidence at this point in my career. While I have had many changes in leadership, schools, and positions, I have spent and will spend many years in this stage perfecting and revising the craft I love so much. My learning does not stop here. Every year is different, therefore, I have to modify how I teach. I do not pull out my lesson plans from the year before. I create new lesson plans each year. I might do the same activities, but I may change the way I use them. I may develop a better way that challenges the students more than before.  I continue to evolve as a teacher.

What stage comes next? I have no idea. I hope that I stay in this stage for a little while. Evolving means that I am changing with the times, the new initiatives, the new students, and the new communities. I am changing as my environment changes. That's a good thing in my opinion.

As for being a "veteran" teacher?  I hope I can call myself a veteran as I sit down to retire in 30 years, and use what I have learned and know to teacher other inspiring, young teachers.

Here is a picture of my new "evolving" classroom in my new building. It will continue to change throughout the year to meet the students needs, just as I will.

Told Them So

Today was a day that I was reminded how magical it is to be a teacher. Maybe I should say, I was reminded how we, as teachers, can make our students feel like they are the most important person in the world. This is so crucial in educating children. 

You know those people. In your group of friends and family, there is usually one of them. The person that you converse with and somehow you feel like you are the most important person. You are the only one that matters....your thoughts...your feelings.....you are special. They hear every word you say.

Every child should have this moment in your classroom. It’s the moment where you connect with your student. I’ve seen it.  I’ve been a part of it. I’ve listened to many students go on about pets, stuffed animals, annoying siblings, boring weekends, pokemon cards, etc. It’s sometimes hard to listen to. If you’re a teacher, you might be smiling right now because you have heard these same stories. You have a hundred things to do, a million things on your mind, and Johnny wants to tell you about this super cool video game that he played, his invasion of Mars, and interaction with aliens with super lasers.  The caring, effective teacher will stop and listen.  The teacher will make comments, ask questions, and get excited when Johnny says he beat the video game after a short 12 hours. It’s not easy, but we have to do it. We should want to do it.  The caring teacher would. 

EVERY STUDENT should feel like they are the most important student in your classroom, most important child in the world. 

Today was a reminder of this. I stopped by the school that I taught third grade at last year. I needed to drop some things off to another teacher. I didn’t want to disrupt any classes so I tried to sneak in and out without any students noticing.  But then it happened.  I was spotted by a student. How can you not feel overjoyed when a student erupts in a song and dance when they see you? The P.E. teacher, Mr. J invited me to pop my head in class and say hello to my former students.  All I needed was the invitation, and I was all about disrupting the class!  

After googling over how tall and how mature each one had gotten, I said my goodbyes and waved as I left. I heard one of my students say that he thought he would never see me again. That’s when I turned and said. “I told you that I would always check up and look out for you.” The class gasped.  Eyes popped. I’m not sure if they didn’t remember or didn’t believe me when I said that I will always be their teacher. They will only ever have one third grade teacher (so we hope) and that was me.

Yup, I think I got them.  Told them so.... 

A Binder Costs What?!?!?

I know that I have been blogging a lot about binders lately. However, it's only appropriate since I am trying to organize all of my papers for the beginning of the year.  Smart organization in the beginning, saves time, energy, and frustration later.  Do it right the first time......that's my motto.

When I walk into Staples to buy a new binder, I feel like I'm in teacher heaven!  The entire back wall of Staples is filled from floor to ceiling with colorful, interesting, and organized binders.  It's like a dream.

Today I went to Staples to purchase a new binder to match the color scheme of my assessment binder.  I know, it may be a bit extreme, but it's what I do.  It's what helps me sleep at night.  I stood in the middle of Staples staring at this huge wall of color.  Staring....staring....staring......and my mind started to wonder.  I started thinking about all the binders I could purchase and what they could be used for.  I could get one for student papers, another one for home organization, and what about a purple one for professional development resources.  I started pulling binders off the shelves.  Then I froze.  I was paralyzed, eyes staring blankly, mouth hanging wide open. Panic started to fill my entire body.

These are the next couple of thoughts I had during this moment.

• "You want me to pay what?"  
• "$10 for a plastic 2 inch binder?"
• "This binder better perform magic for $10."

While I was having these thoughts, two women who were mothers were having these same thoughts.  Except, their thoughts were out loud.  The first mother had her 10-year old son with her.  Poor kid. He wanted the fancy blue binder.  She said, "I'm not buying you a $10 binder."  The second mother was looking over a blue brochure trying to identify which binders her son, who was not with her, would need and in what colors.  I'm the person who talks to anyone in a store.  I've had numerous conversations with the grocery store checkout lady about how great greek yogurt is.  Well, when I heard these two women making comments, I couldn't help myself.  First I made the "I know, I can't believe how ridiculously overpriced these binders are" comment to the first mother.  With the second mother, we had a conversation about her blue brochure.  She showed it to me. Inside was a list of all the materials her son would need to start the school year.  He would need four different binders, but not just any binders.  He needed a blue binder, an orange binder, a purple binder, and a red binder.  If those colors could not be purchased than a white binder could be substituted.  She had already ran to Wal-mart and purchased the blue and purple binder.  She couldn't find the other colors, so she stopped at Staples.  She found all the colors she needed, but the problem came when she had to decide what size binder.  See, the school did not specify the size....just the color.  I couldn't help myself and told her I was a teacher and I though the brochure was a little much.  I mean, a binder is a binder.  If you want the binders to match the color you assigned to the subject, place a piece of colored duct tape on it.  That works just as well and is less expensive. She was so stressed. There were so many options.  How could she decide what the teacher wanted.  Note to self: As a teacher, always put yourself in the parents shoes!

Anyway, I felt bad that I couldn't help this mother.  Have you ever realized how many binders there are?  Check it out some time.  There are Durable View, Better View, Economy View, Simply View, and Heavy Duty View binders.  There are EZ-turn, D-Ring, Round Ring, EZD Ring, and Slant-D binders.  There are binders classified by their durability such as Light Use, Frequent Use, and Max Performance.  There are Eco-Conscious and Recycled binders.  There are .5 inch, 1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 5 inch binders.  Every one of those binders are offered in numerous colors. You can imagine the panic in the mother who found an orange binder in just about every one of the choices listed above.  

I went with the 2-inch Heavy Duty, EZD-Ring Binder in Periwinkle.  $10.99 later, I was a happy teacher ready to put together my assessment binder.  See pictures below.  You can download the binder pages at my TPT store.

Assessment Binder Cover Page

Assessment Binder Spine Labels and Divider Labels

Happy teaching and good luck on your search for a great binder!

How Do You Connect With Children?

Dr. Steve Perry is my hero.  He is an educational leader, a principal.  Yes, an educator is my hero.  I have many heros including certain baseball players. And Marilyn Monroe.  Dr. Perry wrote a book called Push Has Come to Shove, Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve. I read it in a day, and may read it again tomorrow.  In his book, Dr. Perry writes about what makes a good teacher.  Plain and simple, good teachers must love children. They must be able to connect to children.

This had me thinking about my favorite teacher.  We all have one.  We can all think of that one teacher that made us feel loved and cared for.  I have been very lucky. I have had some great teachers in my life who have made me feel like I was on top of the world.  Mrs. Miller, my first grade teacher, came to my home to deliver Get Well cards the students had made me when I missed a lot of school due to pneumonia. Mrs. Cseazer, my high school word processing teacher, believed that I had what it took as an FBLA member to attend a state competition. Mrs. Skutches, my middle school PE teacher, believed I should have been a J Crew model.

However, there was one teacher who made a huge impact and difference in my life. My favorite teacher was Mr. Evans.  He was an incredible third grade teacher. I can remember a lot from his class.  He had a big, old, yellow piano.  I sing the National Anthem at every baseball game I attend because of him. He had a large rocket ship made from felt that reached from the floor to the ceiling.  Reading in the rocket was a privilege we had to earn.  I learned that 6 x 5 is 30 because he quizzed me every week and was sure I was going to learn them.  My clearest memory, however, was when I missed a week of school for vacation. When I returned, Mr. Evans allowed me to show a video of my vacation. I vacationed in North Carolina and was going to teach my classmates about the Wright Brothers because I had been there. I was so excited to show off what my vacation was like while the rest of my classmates sat in school.  It was exciting as an 8 year-old child. Yes, he connected with children.

Mr. Evans never stopped influencing my life. When I was in college, I was given an assignment. The assignment was to write your "favorite"teacher a letter explaining how they had impacted your life.  So I wrote to him all about how he was great and fantastic. I told him how I couldn't wait to get into the classroom to be like him. I told him about how I remembered all of those specific things.  I ended the letter by asking him if he still had that old Tweety Bird Poster.  It was a cut out of Tweety Bird and on it, he had written "Tweet Others the Way You Want to Be Tweeted".  I do not know how I remember this.  I can't remember what I did after dinner last night, but I can remember faces and specific memories from long ago.  Our last assignment of the class was to send the letter to that teacher.  So I did.

Cut to my third year of teaching. I was just finishing up the year in first grade. I was getting prepared to leave a school I loved to move back to my hometown. I didn't know if I would get a job or where I would be living. My youngest nephew, Nathan, had Mr. Evans as a teacher that year.  Mr. Evans was finishing up his long career as a teacher and retiring. Nathan came home from school one afternoon and handed me a large brown envelope.  I opened it up and inside was Tweety Bird.  The original one that had been hanging in my third grade classroom 16 years prior.  Inside he wrote a note encouraging me to become the best teacher I could be. Even as he was walking out the door, Mr. Evans continued to make connections with former students.

It hangs in my classroom today.  It's old.  Very old.  Older than me. Whoever says you shouldn't invest in laminating is wrong!  It's the reason Tweety is still here today.

I tell my story on the very first day of school every year. I show off Tweety and display him in a place where I am reminded that true teachers connect to children.  I am not sure that my third grade students understand the deeper meaning of that story, but I get joy from telling it.

In thirty years, I picture myself packing up my classroom for one last time. I am older and wiser. The years of teaching show in the wrinkles on my face. However, I'm still smiling!  I walk to the office one last time to gather my mail. I scan through the items and stop when I see a familiar name written in the return address. I open the letter from one of my former students asking me if I still have Tweety hanging in my classroom.

I often find myself wondering which one of my former students will be able give Tweety a new home when the time comes.  So as you read this, ask yourselves....How do you connect with children?

What Did I Get Myself Into?

Do you ever find yourself asking this question after you volunteer to do something?  I do. A lot.  Let me explain.

This was my school building three years ago just before the first day of school.  It was closed the previous year for renovations. All students and staff were placed in a temporary building for that year.  This would be the first year back in the newly renovated and beautiful building. It was also the 95th Anniversary of the school.

F.A. March Elementary School

I am the teacher who has her entire room set up and ready to go for the first day of school the very first day we are allowed back into our classrooms.  I'll be the first one there and the last one to leave just to get it ready in that one day.  If your patient, you will spread out the work over the week.  Not me. I'm not patient.  I then spend the rest of the week getting ready for Open House and the first month of school.  Nope, I'm not super teacher.  I'm just ridiculous.

Since I was already finished setting up my room and just putting the finishing touches on it, when my principal asked for a volunteer to help her prepare some special things for the first day of school, I eagerly jumped at the chance.  I mean, it was only my second year in the building and I was trying to make a good impression. But, who am I kidding?  I would have volunteered even if my room was filled with boxes and looked like it was not even close to being ready for the students in a week.

Challenge #1: My principal never specified what she needed done.....just that it was something special.  This was the first clue I should have asked more questions before signing up.

After I signed up, I was then told my volunteer assignment.  It was to create a banner to hang outside of the school on the first day of school that said March School Extreme Renovations. Ever see the show Extreme Home Renovations?  It was playing off of that show.  All the students would pull up in their buses and see this banner.  The principal would cut the banner, and we would all file into our new home for the next 180 days.

Challenge #2: The banner was to be the entire length of the school.  Do you see how long our school is?  It's an entire neighborhood block!  Here is where I ask myself the question.  What did I get myself into?

So, she hands me the paint and brushes, leads me to the paper, and tells me good luck.

Challenge #3: No way am I ever going to find a space large enough to lay out this banner and paint on it.  It's also a BRAND NEW building.  I will not be the first person to get paint on the floor.  Leave that to the students.

Outside I go with my large roll of paper (its heavy), paintbrushes, and paint.

Challenge #4: It's August.  I'm in Easton, PA.  If you know anything about Pennsylvania summers....it's hot and humid!  I'm on the blacktop in the beating sun.  It's the only place large enough to stretch out the roll of paper.  I'm sweating.  A lot.

I again, ask myself the question.  What did I get myself into?  I decide to separate the banner into three different sections.  One section will say March School.  The second banner will say Extreme.  The third will say Renovation.

Challenge #5: It's breezy. Now while this might be a good thing since I'm in the beating sun, it's not so great when I am trying to lay out huge lengths of banner paper.  Yup, you guessed it.  It starts to blow around.  But of course, not before I start painting.  I paint the "M" in March and the entire thing blows around and there is gravel stuck in the paint on my "M".  Maybe nobody will notice.

Then it happens.  I am about to ask myself that question again, when Mrs. M comes to save me!  She helps me hold the banner down while I paint.  I don't know that I ever formally thanked Mrs. M.  But I should.  The banner could have been an entire mess of paint mixed with chunks of gravel.  You know those projects that first graders do for symmetry where they paint one side of a paper, fold it in half and magically their design is on the other side.  That would have been my banner but with the wonderful texture of gravel.  Maybe I would say that I was trying to take a multi-sensory approach.

The end result? (I had to piece together three pictures for you to get the idea.)

Not my best work, but I have to say it all started with a pretty good idea.  Hanging the banners?  Well that's a whole other blog entry.

The students were extremely excited as our principal cut through the banner and they were able to enter.  It made a statement!  I would suggest that this could be done at your school.  You don't need a new building or a 95th anniversary to make students excited about entering through the doors on the first day of school.

What did I learn through this experience?  I have never regretted volunteering for something that puts a smile on the faces of students even if I find myself asking, "What did I get myself into?"