Friday, August 31, 2012

Open House

Our district has gone Google! We are excited for all the possibilities and working through the kinks that come up.  I decided to try something different for open house.  This year I had my parents fill out their "Get to Know You" sheet via a Google form.  It will sure be easier for me to organize and keep track of the data that I get from it.

It's always exciting to meet a new batch of students.  They are so shy and nervous (for the only time for some of them!).  It's definitely different to be back with a baby now, but great all the same!

Here's the form I used.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Here I go....

I have been following blogs for years.  I have followed personal ones to read about loved ones, new recipes, crafting ideas and more.  I have followed professional ones to learn about new teaching ideas and trends in technology.  And now, finally, I am about to embark on one myself!  I've wanted to blog for years but it's always something I've put on the back burner.

First, I was getting established in my teaching career when blogging was the "new" thing.  Then I was changing jobs, coaching two seasons at the high school,  getting a masters degree building a house, getting married, having a baby.  Basically, the crazy demands of life that we all know happened.  This was something easy to put on the back burner because it was an optional part of my life.

I had also been inconsistent with my classroom blog.  We'd start off every year STRONG and then it would be something that was updated less and less as time ran out each week in our room.

So this year now that I am feeling more at ease in my sixth year in third grade (even though we change one subject area at least every year - this year we have Common Core, Daily 5, Math Expressions, new keyboarding, new report cards....) and I'm not taking graduate classes (for once in the past 4 years), I am making it my personal and professional goal that I will keep both blogs faithfully!

This is my personal blog that relates to my profession. :)  I won't be sharing baby stories (too much anyway).  It is my intention that I am able to share successes and failures of things we try in our third grade classroom.  I do keep a blog just for the parents and students in my classroom and some of those things will be shared here as well.

I hope this is a great outlet for me to share and I hope someone is able to gain an idea because of it!  I look forward to any feedback as this whole blogging thing is finally happening!

Stephanie