Five for Friday.... Except it's late

Thanks readers for not lighting torches and picking up your pitchforks.  It's been an incredibly busy 2 weeks for this poor teacher.  Most of my post has to do with my chaperoning duties, but I'll include some fun stuff too.  Head on over to Doodlebugsteaching to participate in the Linky Party!

http://www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.ca/2013/04/five-for-friday-linky-partyapril-19th.html

1.  TESTING IS FINISHED!  Thank the Lord!!! I took this great photo on the last day of testing when I promised my kids we'd play with art tools.  I absolutely love bringing art into the classroom, because sometimes I think our kids are just TOO inundated with technology and jsut neeed to practice using their imaginations and creating something of their own.  

 2.  I took a high school student into Anchorage for a Future Educators of Alaska conference.  It's a conference held for high school students that are interested in going into the education field and specifically geared towards getting these students to stay and teach in their home state.  It was an amazing opportnity for my high school student to meet other high school student from different areas!  And... she got to experience some of the little things city people take for granted.

3.  I got some cute things in Anchorage, because I'm a total girlie girl and LOVE shopping as much as the next person.  Say hello to my new favorite top.  I've been soo afraid to jump on the mint bandwagon, but after I bought this top and matching heels.... I'm a lover for life.

4.  I also managed to have my high school student help me make a "Yupik Eskimo Polar Bear" for my little sister's bundle of joy.  Yes... my little sister is expecting and due in August.  I'm just now getting used to the news myself! :)

 5.  My mentor visited me for the last time this week.  :(  So sad to not get to see her again, unless I'm lucky enough to come visit her during a holiday.   But her visits were nothing but amazing.  She helped me prep for intereviews, moving, and even videotaped a lesson or two.  With all of her love and support I think I'm a blessed 2nd year teacher. I wish I would've gotten a photo with this amazing woman, but it has been quite the busy week.

Now I'll leave everyone with my ABSOLUTE favorite slam poet telling it like it is about teaching.

Five For Friday... Better Late Than Never

Isn't there a saying about how it's ok to arrive "fashionably late"?  Can that go for the blogging world too?  Apologies for posting about 4 days later than I'm supposed to for a linky party.  It's just been crazy with the whole moving back to Indiana, Easter, and state testing.  This post has a bit of cultural explanations.  So... here goes.

1.  This week has been spent in preparation for testing.  The state of Alaska begins standardized testing in 3rd grade, much like many other states.  Normally I wouldn't be so concerned with testing, but I'm the first year of all English instruction and the first year of standardized testing.  Thankfully with the help of lots of practicing test format, language, and math skills I think this group is going to do awesome.

2.  Moving.  I HATE PACKING!  It's stressful and kind of sad... especially when you're not sure where exactly you're making the move to.  But I have faith in the Lord.  Because as my life verse says:  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord.  "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

3. Visiting friends between villages makes time go by even faster than it already is.  Mr. B and I hopped on a snowmachine and made our way over to a neighboring village.  I had a girls night with a a fellow lady teacher and we all met up for darts and chilli the next morning. Yay!


4.  There was a death in the village earlier this month and  the body has finally been laid to rest this Saturday.  The person was a very kind and caring community member and cared a great deal for the school.  It broke my heart to hear the sad news.  When there is a death in the village there are some cultural events that happen, feasting, sitting with the body, and there are certain things people can't do during the mourning period.  There is to be no ball playing and no clothing out on the lines.  I was fortunate enough to meet with the family members and pay my respects the day before the funeral and took a few photos.

5.  Easter is a big deal here in my village.  Our school actually puts on an egg hunt for the grades K-12.  Throughout the week the kids decorate eggs and on Friday class by class the kids are sent out to find eggs around the outside of the school.  It was so cute and fun to see my kids searching for the eggs they'd spent time decorating.  I even got a chance to decorate 2 of my own.  ;)

Can you tell I miss my boyfriend back home in Indiana???

Five for Friday Link Up/ "Last Friday Night"

It's official people... I'm addicted to blogging.  I mean I think I've always been a little bit obsessed with reading other teacher blogs, but now I've discovered the possibilities of linking up to other teachers and the addiction has taken over.

But seriously people I'm linking up to doodlebugsteaching Five for Friday Linky Party for the first time, so I hope I'm doing this correctly.  I've seen other teachers post freebies on their Five for Friday, but I've yet to do make freebies worthy of posting. One of my teaching goals for next year is to get better at making my teaching creations worthy of TPT. :)

Alright now for the Five For Friday part of my post.... I tried to make them more about fun than frustrations and fears.

1.   Fun:  This week my third graders showed me how grown up they've become since they showed up in my classroom so many months ago.  When I first got these kiddos they didn't know how to "help a friend" without taking a pencil and giving answers.  Now I've got a group of teachers all about helping one another...  I couldn't help but take pictures of how cute they are when they're being "teachers".

 

2.  Fear:  I literally have put off cleaning and packing for my big move back home to Indiana.  I will do one priority box at a time and then stop because I'm so tired.  (I'll write more about that later.)  Here's what my poor classroom looks like...

Yes, I'm one of those barefoot teachers.  ;)

3.  Frustration:  Behavior.  Dear goodness!  Behavior is probably the biggest problem most 1-2 year teachers have anywhere, but it's REALLY hard out here in rural Alaska.  I use every trick in the book, all the time!  My class is much better than they were at the beginning of the year with getting along with one another and working independently, but we've definitely hit the post Spring Break slump.  I guess that this weekend will have to be spent reinventing the behavior wheel. *Big Teacher Sigh*

4.  Fun:  My class loves reading.  *VICTORY DANCE*  I have a range of Pre-K to 3rd grade readers in my classroom, but every single one of them begs me for more independent reading time EVERY day.

• "Please please please Miss Wilson, just 5 more minutes for DEAR time."  
• "This is a really good AR book!"
• Turns to another student, "Want to read this one with me?"  

We read to our Preschool buddies yesterday!

5.   Fun:  This weekend one my teaching friends out here is coming to visit me and Mr. B in our village.  That's a big deal since he has to take 2 little planes just to visit us for one day.  But, such is the life out here.  The plan is for him to fly from his village, to Bethel, then take another little plane to a neighboring village to see other guys from "The Crew" (my guy friends out here), on Saturday he will snowmachine back to Atmautluak with our NYO team and Mr. B.  After that we'll give him the tour of the village (aka: a trip to the two stores) and then cook dinner and watch a movie.  Then feed him breakfast in the morning before  putting him back on the plane.  Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it and I'm not even the one traveling.  I don't know how he'll do it!  I'll be posting pictures of the weekend if you're interested.

OOOPS. I had to include one more for the cute factor!

6.  Fun:  We have something here that kids with good behavior and perfect attendance get to do.  It's called "Open Gym Thursday".  The kids K-12 who have come to school on time and had good behavior through the week get to come in after school has let out and play in the gym.  Take a look at how cute this kindergartener is!

It's hard to take an action shot and this was cuter in person!

Ok, my post was all over the place!  But, in the words of all 90s kids everywhere, "TGIF!"

*Side note*:  I try to use song lyrics as my post titles, so excuse the strange title in your dashboard. ;)