May 22, 2013

The Cutest Digital Paper Master is HERE at my blog today!!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to have Janet here today!!! I am in love with her digital paper. You SERIOUSLY need to check it out. I hope you enjoy getting to know Janet as much as I did!

Hello!  I'm Janet from  Mrs. D's FirstiesI'm super excited to be "borrowing" Tina's awesome blog space for the day!  :)

Where do you teach and what do you teach?
I teach at a charter school in Ohio.  I teach 1st grade! :)

How long have you been teaching?
This is my 7th year of teaching.  I taught one year in 2nd grade but I've been in 1st since then.  1st grade has my heart.  :)

What is the hardest part of your job and what do you do to get through those hard times?
The hardest part of my job is keeping up with everything!  I feel like it's a constant cycle of grading, entering grades, and passing papers pack.  It's rough because our school always has a lot of absent students... I think I may have had one day where all of my students were at school and on time.  :(  I'm constantly grading late/absent work.  Yuck!

What is your favorite thing about teaching?
My favorite part of my job is when I see that a struggling student has made progress.  It makes me so happy when they are excited because they understand.

Why did you become a teacher?
I became a teacher for the markers, stickers, and other school supplies!  No, just kidding.  I've always wanted to be a teacher.  I don't remember when I decided that I wanted to go into education... it was always just something that I felt like I was supposed to do with my life.  I had really good teachers growing up, too.  That probably helped a little.  :)

What grades have you taught?
I've taught 2nd and 1st.  I was also an instructional aide for 6th, 7th, and 8th.  Never again!  I love my little babies way too much!

Which grade/subject is your favorite?
My favorite grade is 1st and I love teaching Math!

Does your state use the Common Core?
Ohio is using the Common Core and my school started using it this year.

What are your thoughts on the Common Core?
I like that topics are studied more in depth.  But, it seems like we've cut out a lot of things that I feel first graders should be introduced to.  I also feel like the Math has been babied just a tad.

What are some of your “go to” blogs?
There are so many!  I love:  Croft's Classroom (of course!), A Teeny Tiny Teacher, The Inspired Apple, The First Grade Parade .... and tons of others!

Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging to document the things I do in my class, share ideas, and advertise my TpT and TN things! :)

Do you sale/buy on TpT or another site?
Yep!  I sell on TpT and Teachers Notebook.


Who are some of your favorite sellers on TpT or another site?
I love Krista Wallden's things!

How many students are in your class?
I have 20 beautiful, little first graders this year.  It is the perfect number.  I usually have 30, so this year has been a breeze!

How many teachers are on your grade level/subject team?
There is one other first grade teacher.

Do you do PLC’s?
I had no idea what PLCs were, but I looked it up...!  We do something similar but call them Teacher Based Teams.  :)

How does your school run PLC’s?
We meet weekly (anytime we can get) and do a little planning.  We document our mastery levels for the week and write our objectives for the following week.  It also gives us a chance to talk about other things - events, field trips, modifications, title groups, etc.

What is your schedule like for your classroom?
It's a jam-packet day!  The students arrive at 9 but school officially begins at 9:30.  We start off with journals/morning work and Reading instruction.  Then, we move on to Math.   We go to recess at 12:00 (we watch our students at recess) and then to lunch at 12:30.  When the students come back, we have Spelling, ELA, and Science/Social Studies.  Our specials are at 3:00.  The kids come back at 3:45, we have a quick silent reading time, and then it's dismissal at 4:00.  By 4:30, I'm on my way home.  :)

Thanks for reading!  Come on by my blog sometime!

Mrs Ds Firsties

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