A Good Problem To Have

I am reading a lot of professional books, blogs and articles this summer to prepare for next year. But with all this reading, I feel like my head is going to explode! I have so many ideas in my head and it is hard to figure out which ones will work for me. So many great ideas are out there and there is no way to do them all. And there are so many differing and sometimes conflicting theories about what works best, so it is hard to determine which direction to take. I want to figure out what works for me and my students and combine different elements of these different ideas so that my teaching is the most effective. One website that I have been looking at since last year but wanted to really dig deep in this summer is WritingFix. It has a wealth of information and I LOVE all the free resources but I don't even know where to begin when I look at the home page! But I guess having too much information is a good thing and better than not having enough. I can't imagine if we didn't have the internet to help with our lesson planning. Can you?



So Many Apps...

There are so many apps out there for educators. Some of them are great, some not so great. However, I came across one today that could really be a time saver...if it works the way I envision. I downloaded two different versions. One was free. The other was only 99 cents. The apps are to help you with your classroom library. If it works like it says it can, all you would have to do is scan your books and then they are automatically loaded into your iPhone, levels and all! We use Accelerated Reader at my school and I love that it would have the AR level AND the AR points!! You can also use it as a check out system. If this works...it is a teacher's dream!

Here are the two apps I downloaded:

Book Retriever- 99 cents

Classroom Organizer-free but you also have to create a free account on the Classroom Organizer website.

**I've messed around a little with both of them. So far with the books I have at home, neither application has recognized any of them so I would have to input the data instead of being able to just scan it. The Book Retriever main page seems easier to use and understand than Classroom Organizer but using the Classroom Organizer app along with the website seems to have potential.

If you know of any other apps like this, especially ones that you have used and like, please share!! I would love to find the best application of this type!

Teachers Are Lucky, They Have Summers Off!

Haven't we all heard that before? Well today, I, along with two fellow teachers, spent about three hours meeting together at school to begin planning for next year. We made plans to meet once a week this summer. Such dedication! :D But yes, teaching does take a high level of commitment and dedication. If we only put in work during the hours of 8-3, our students would not be getting the best education. We have to use our "time off" to make sure we are ready for the new group of students we will be meeting in August. So today began our busman's holiday. (I'm showing off the new vocabulary I learned from Gretchen Rubin's book called The Happiness Project.)

In addition to meeting with my colleagues, I began working on the virtual writing camp I mentioned in my last post. I was supposed to start yesterday, but I forgot! I'm excited about participating and working on my writing. I began Monday's assignment and will tackle Tuesday's a little later today.

On a final note, I ordered a book from Amazon that a fellow teacher and friend recommended. It is called Teach Like a Champion by Doug LeMov. It looks great! I can't wait to read it.

Schools Out for Summer!

First let me welcome you to my blog. Thank you for stopping by! I am Tricia and I teach 5th grade language arts in a small town in Oklahoma. Next year will be my third year teaching. I found it difficult to come up with a name for my blog but love the one I finally decided on. The TLC part is a play on my initials. ;o)

Yes, school is out and let me tell you it is a glorious feeling! I love my job. I love my students. But after putting so much of myself into my career all school year long, the summer is always a welcome break to relax, rejuvenate, reconnect and of course, start preparing for next year. By the time summer is coming to a close, I am always ready to get back into the classroom and meet my new student family that will be with me for the next nine months. But I truly love my summer breaks. One reason I love them so much is because I can slow down and really delve into blogs, books, websites, magazines and anything else that I can get my hands on that will help me be a better teacher. I love learning new and better ways to do things. I also love developing my own original ideas to use in my classroom. Summer gives me the time to do these things.

I'm looking forward to my summer and spending time with my husband and my kids, relaxing and of course discovering all things teaching. I will share my favorite things here.

Happy Summer!