Aug 23, 2013

Cute Clip Art Alert!!!

So, many of you know how much I ADORE cute clip art!!!  Well, I have such a wonderful announcement to make!  There is the MOST PRECIOUS CLIP ART SHOP that has opened at Teacher's Notebook!  A true artist!!!  I have been fortunate to know about this little gem...named Jen...for several years now!  During my "pixel days", she was the go-to for MANY of us!!!  Her pixel graphics are THE BEST...so precise...so incredibly awesome...just so darn CUTE!!!  I am SO HAPPY to announce that she is now doing clip art...and has opened a shop at Teacher's Notebook...and the name of her shop says it all... BUBBLY CUTE!!! 
Ok, so RUN...and I do mean RUN on over to check out her precious shop!  She is working on much more to add...so be sure to check back often...you will be SO HAPPY that you did!

So, I'm going to end this post here so you can RUN RIGHT OVER NOW to her most precious shop...and she has some cute FREEBIES too!!!

Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,
***REVISION***  I have just learned..and I'm happy to add...that Jen has extended her clip art to TpT now!  Visit her there too!  Yipppeee!!!  She IS the BEST!!!  :)

Aug 12, 2013

Teacher Week '13...Let's Talk About Me Monday!

I am super excited to join in on this awesome Blog Hop!  You really need to make sure you swing by there!
So, the first day is to talk about me....not something I really like to do a lot...but here goes!
I'm going to share ten things about me so you can get to know me better...
1.  FAMILY
My family is so important to me!  My dear hubby, of almost 27 years, and I have two incredibly, awesome, talented sons...Brandon, age 31 and Blake, age 25.  We have a lovely daughter-in-love, Carrie and the most precious grangirl, Kennedy Grace, age 3, EVER!  I adore my kids, but WOW!  
There is just something different about being a Gramma!  It is THE BEST!!!
Our oldest son isn't married yet, but has a girlfriend, who we adore!  We also have the smartest yellow lab, Maggie Bleu!
2.  GOD
Our God is an awesome God, who we look to for daily guidance.  He knows what we need, and what He wants for our lives, and we are so blessed to know Him on a most personal level!
3.  PINK
OMG, I  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE PINK!  I don't decorate in pink...except for our grangirl's room so she can have the princess room that she deserves when she comes to visit.  However, I dress in PINK...A LOT!!!!!!!!!  :)
4.  SHABBY CHIC
I LOVE anything time-worn...or at least looks like it is...anything chippy or shabby has a good chance of coming home with me!
5.  CREATING
Since we have an empty nest now, I spend much more time now {as if I didn't spend enough before} creating things for my classroom!!!
6.  GRAPHICS
I adore cute clip art and graphics, so I draw a lot of my own!

7.  WINE
Well, that should be enough said, but yeah....I love a good glass or two or three of wine!
8.  LONDON
Since I visited London for ten days in 2003, I have become even more captivated with England...especially London, and the English countryside.  
I would LOVE to live in a cottage somewhere in the English countryside some day!!!
9.  MEXICAN...CHINESE...
My favorite foods EVAH!!!
10.  IMPRACTICAL JOKERS
OMG!  These guys are hilarious!  Since I saw them in person at Zanies nightclub in Nashville, I adore these guys even more!  I look forward to Thursday nights when I can get my laugh on!  
I LOVE SAL, Q, JOE, and MURR!!!
Ok, so there you go...these are 10 things that I adore in addition to teaching...which is my PASSION...my CALLING in life!
Want to know more about other teachers...head on over to the linky party HERE!
Check back tomorrow for... my CLASSROOM DIGS...I'll give you a tour of my 2nd grade classroom!
Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,

Aug 4, 2013

Tattle Tail, Tattle Tail...FREEBIE

...or in this case, Tattle Tongue!
I just love this book!  
You have to ask yourself...Why do kids tattle?  
I don't think there is one answer to this question.  
I think several things come into play.
1.  Some tattlers want to be in charge.  Tattling makes them feel important, especially for the child that has a strong-willed personality.
2.  Some tattlers do it for attention.  They don't want to be left out and they feel this will make them look better.
3.  Some tattlers are just out for revenge.  They tattle because they are trying to get back at someone that they feel wronged them at some point.
4.  For some tattlers it is about following set rules.  They have come to a point to where they understand the rules, and they expect everyone to follow them.  They see the rules as inflexible.
5.  And lastly, many tattlers just lack the skills to problem solve.  We, as educators, need to spend time with our students to help them learn these skills, instead of dismissing them to "go work it out" on their own.
I just found this book this year {thanks to my cohort over at Juggling Genres}and the kiddos love it!  I like the way that "tattling" and "warning" is defined.  However, I like using "reporting" instead of "warning".  I made a cut and paste activity for my kiddos to do after we shared the book, and made a "tattler rules" page for their C.A.N.O.E. notebook.  
You can download it here if you'd like it!
Waving from The Teacher's Chatterbox,

Building A Classroom Community

Classrooms are actually communities...after all, educators and students spend a lot of time there together....at least seven hours, five...