During the summer, a lot of teachers have taken at least one training. When you return to work this upcoming school year, it's a great time to share what you've learned with your fellow co-workers. Contact your principal soon and ask if you can share what you've learned at an upcoming faculty meeting or during Pre-Planning week.
If you're not a teacher, you can share any ideas that will help your company be more effective with your supervisor. Maybe he/she will allow you to share the ideas with your entire team or department.
Hopefully, this simple idea will set you apart and get you on your way to being a LEADER!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
School's Starting Soon!!
I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer. From the cookouts, vacations, swimming, to just plain relaxing, summer is a good thing. But, as the old cliche says, "All good things must come to an end." School starts for Hillsborough County students in about 3 weeks. We do a great job as parents to prepare our children for success, but what about us? Are we prepared for school? Often, we send our children off to school not knowing exactly what to expect during that school year. We sit back and wait for the teacher to contact us. Why not be proactive? Most schools have an Open House and during that time, it's a great opportunity to get the scoop on what will be happening in your child's classroom. If you can't find the time to ask some probing questions during Open House, you can always e-mail your teacher. This allows her/him to answer your questions when they have free time without feeling rushed. A lot of these questions may be answered during Open House, but just in case, here are a few questions to ask your child's teacher before the start of the school year.
1. What is your disciple plan? It's important to know that your child's teacher will be fair and consistent in her/his management system.
2. How often will your child receive homework? This will give you a heads up as to how to plan your after school schedule. You want to make sure your child has supervision with their homework.
3. How will the teacher communicate with you? Knowing what's happening in the classroom is important. Usually, this type of communication can be done via classroom newsletters or web pages. Also, agendas (student planners) are another great method for communication.
4. What's the teacher's philosophy on delivering lessons? This will give you an idea of whether your child will doing a lot of group activities, individual activities, or a combination of both. If you child is ESE, ask about the services that your child will be receiving (will the ESE teacher be in the classroom or will your child be pulled out).
5. How can you volunteer? What better way to know what's going on than by being apart of what's going on! Teachers really do need to support of parents.
The internet boasts a lot more questions to ask teachers during the start of each school year. Hopefully, these will be of some help to get you and your child off to another great school year!
1. What is your disciple plan? It's important to know that your child's teacher will be fair and consistent in her/his management system.
2. How often will your child receive homework? This will give you a heads up as to how to plan your after school schedule. You want to make sure your child has supervision with their homework.
3. How will the teacher communicate with you? Knowing what's happening in the classroom is important. Usually, this type of communication can be done via classroom newsletters or web pages. Also, agendas (student planners) are another great method for communication.
4. What's the teacher's philosophy on delivering lessons? This will give you an idea of whether your child will doing a lot of group activities, individual activities, or a combination of both. If you child is ESE, ask about the services that your child will be receiving (will the ESE teacher be in the classroom or will your child be pulled out).
5. How can you volunteer? What better way to know what's going on than by being apart of what's going on! Teachers really do need to support of parents.
The internet boasts a lot more questions to ask teachers during the start of each school year. Hopefully, these will be of some help to get you and your child off to another great school year!
Yummy in my Tummy!!
I love cooking. It's one of the few things that relaxes me and makes me happy. I also enjoy seeing the end results and the expressions on my family's face when they taste my creations-whether good or bad.
I know we are in a recession and we all could use a little help. But, often we forget our problems when we focus on others. What better way to focus on someone else than to invite them over for dinner. You can invite an entire family, a newly married or engaged couple, or a college student; it really doesn't matter. So, I encourage you to make a little extra for dinner this upcoming week and share your blessings with someone else! Who knows, you may like it so much, this may become a once a month thing. Happy Eating.
Sunday--Shepard's Pie
Monday--Oven fried chicken wings, brown rice, green beans
Tuesday--Baked Penne
Wednesday--Left overs
Thursday--Tilapia with roasted corn, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli
Friday--Easy baked rice casserole, grilled chicken
Saturday--Left overs
I know we are in a recession and we all could use a little help. But, often we forget our problems when we focus on others. What better way to focus on someone else than to invite them over for dinner. You can invite an entire family, a newly married or engaged couple, or a college student; it really doesn't matter. So, I encourage you to make a little extra for dinner this upcoming week and share your blessings with someone else! Who knows, you may like it so much, this may become a once a month thing. Happy Eating.
Sunday--Shepard's Pie
Monday--Oven fried chicken wings, brown rice, green beans
Tuesday--Baked Penne
Wednesday--Left overs
Thursday--Tilapia with roasted corn, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli
Friday--Easy baked rice casserole, grilled chicken
Saturday--Left overs
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Stepping Up and Leading! Part 1
Let me be very clear "YOU DON'T NEED A TITLE TO BE A LEADER". That quote is actually the title of a wonderful highly recommended book written by Mark Sanborn.
A lot of people think that if supervisor, lead teacher, principal, resource teacher or any other fancy title isn't next to their name, they can't be a leader....hogwash! Allow me to offer a simple tip to get you on your way to becoming a leader, right where you are!!
FRIENDLY
In any school or work environment it's really easy to stay to yourself and get your job done without getting to know the people you work with. I have seen co-workers walk right pass each other without saying a word, not even a quick hello! That bothers me! I make it a priority to speak to everyone. Not only that, I try to see how the people I work with are doing. This doesn't just end with teachers, I also reach out to the custodial, lunchroom, and office staff. I realized a long time ago that "a kind word goes a long way!"
Simply put, make an effort to smile, say hello, and ask a fellow colleague about their day-make small talk. Leaders reach out to others. Your challenge is to reach out to someone or multiple someones! I know it may be hard for some of you, but try it, you won't regret it!!
A lot of people think that if supervisor, lead teacher, principal, resource teacher or any other fancy title isn't next to their name, they can't be a leader....hogwash! Allow me to offer a simple tip to get you on your way to becoming a leader, right where you are!!
FRIENDLY
In any school or work environment it's really easy to stay to yourself and get your job done without getting to know the people you work with. I have seen co-workers walk right pass each other without saying a word, not even a quick hello! That bothers me! I make it a priority to speak to everyone. Not only that, I try to see how the people I work with are doing. This doesn't just end with teachers, I also reach out to the custodial, lunchroom, and office staff. I realized a long time ago that "a kind word goes a long way!"
Simply put, make an effort to smile, say hello, and ask a fellow colleague about their day-make small talk. Leaders reach out to others. Your challenge is to reach out to someone or multiple someones! I know it may be hard for some of you, but try it, you won't regret it!!
Grocery Store Elementary Lesson 2
As time passes and your child becomes familiar with the grocery store learning, you'll notice that they will start to enjoy it and remember previous lessons and start recalling information without being prompted. Here are a couple of quick and easy math and color lesson ideas. For some lessons, your child may need a piece of scratch paper and pencil.
Meat Math: Multiplication
Unless you are a vegetarian, meat is purchased at just about every trip to the grocery store. A typical package of meat always list two things, the price per pound and the weight. This is a great multiplication opportunity. Ask your intermediate child to calculate the total cost of the package of meat. For example, ground beef may be $1.50 per pound and the meat you chose weighs 2 1/2 lbs. ($1.50 x 2.5 = $3.75). Your child can compute more than one package of meat. Give him or her until you get to the check out counter to finish. You can check your child's answers for accuracy.
Container Colors: Colors
This activity is simple. When you pick up a package of cereal, rice, cookies, etc. have your primary child identify each colors shown on the package. How easy is that?!?
Meat Math: Multiplication
Unless you are a vegetarian, meat is purchased at just about every trip to the grocery store. A typical package of meat always list two things, the price per pound and the weight. This is a great multiplication opportunity. Ask your intermediate child to calculate the total cost of the package of meat. For example, ground beef may be $1.50 per pound and the meat you chose weighs 2 1/2 lbs. ($1.50 x 2.5 = $3.75). Your child can compute more than one package of meat. Give him or her until you get to the check out counter to finish. You can check your child's answers for accuracy.
Container Colors: Colors
This activity is simple. When you pick up a package of cereal, rice, cookies, etc. have your primary child identify each colors shown on the package. How easy is that?!?
Tummy Goodness!!
This week started somewhat busy. My son turned 1 and had a party. We had a blast and a lot of food let over. I decided instead of throwing it away, I'd use it to create some meals for the week. So, my menu was developed with leftover turkey burgers and baked beans in mind.
Sunday--Widson's Party--hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, chips
Monday--Sweet and Sour chopped turkey burger strips, jasmine rice, baked beans
Tuesday--Baked Ziti with chopped turkey burgers
Wednesday--Left overs
Thursday--Chili made with chopped turkey burgers, brown rice
Friday--Left overs
Saturday--Yellow rice with chicken chucks
Sunday--Widson's Party--hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, chips
Monday--Sweet and Sour chopped turkey burger strips, jasmine rice, baked beans
Tuesday--Baked Ziti with chopped turkey burgers
Wednesday--Left overs
Thursday--Chili made with chopped turkey burgers, brown rice
Friday--Left overs
Saturday--Yellow rice with chicken chucks
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Grocery Store Elementary
Many parents who are not teachers assume that teachers have this hidden secret to teaching their children. Some may find it hard to believe, but you don't have to have a B.S. in Education to effectively teach your child. Learning doesn't have to only take place in the classroom or at home, children can pick up fun educational facts anywhere!
When I take Hannah to the grocery store, I make it a point to explain everything, well almost everything to her. Now I do understand that sometimes we all get in a hurry and don't have time to do a lot of teaching in the store. During these times, you can limit your "lessons" to only one concept. I've found that a lot of the learning that's done in the grocery store falls into the Math and Language Arts category. There are a plethora of ways to learn in the store. I will be updating my site with different Grocery Store learning tips, so keep checking for more post. In the meantime, here are a couple:
Math-Estimating
When picking out produce, most everyone has to use the scale. For the younger kids, have them hold two pieces of produce and determine which one weighs more. After your clever child has chosen, weigh each one to find the answer. For older kids, gather your produce and have your child estimate how much the produce weighs without holding the pieces. Once your child has estimated, weigh the produce to find the answer. Simple, yet a very good way to reinforce estimating.
Language Arts-Adjectives
Advertisers alike try to use a host of adjectives to grab your attention. Briefly share the definition of an adjective with your child (even if you think they are too young, explain it anyway). For younger kids, when an adjective is spotted, point it out, say the word, and have your child repeat it. For older children, have them point out the adjectives when they are spotted. This activity could last the whole time in the store. You can also turn it into a game by setting a target number of adjectives to find. If you have more than one child, have them compete! Another simple, yet effective way to reinforce Parts of Speech!
Remember, keep checking for more Grocery Store Elementary tips!
When I take Hannah to the grocery store, I make it a point to explain everything, well almost everything to her. Now I do understand that sometimes we all get in a hurry and don't have time to do a lot of teaching in the store. During these times, you can limit your "lessons" to only one concept. I've found that a lot of the learning that's done in the grocery store falls into the Math and Language Arts category. There are a plethora of ways to learn in the store. I will be updating my site with different Grocery Store learning tips, so keep checking for more post. In the meantime, here are a couple:
Math-Estimating
When picking out produce, most everyone has to use the scale. For the younger kids, have them hold two pieces of produce and determine which one weighs more. After your clever child has chosen, weigh each one to find the answer. For older kids, gather your produce and have your child estimate how much the produce weighs without holding the pieces. Once your child has estimated, weigh the produce to find the answer. Simple, yet a very good way to reinforce estimating.
Language Arts-Adjectives
Advertisers alike try to use a host of adjectives to grab your attention. Briefly share the definition of an adjective with your child (even if you think they are too young, explain it anyway). For younger kids, when an adjective is spotted, point it out, say the word, and have your child repeat it. For older children, have them point out the adjectives when they are spotted. This activity could last the whole time in the store. You can also turn it into a game by setting a target number of adjectives to find. If you have more than one child, have them compete! Another simple, yet effective way to reinforce Parts of Speech!
Remember, keep checking for more Grocery Store Elementary tips!
Tummy Goodness!
For this week's menu, I decided to use a magazine for recipe ideas. I brought an old issue of Rachael Ray's Magazine for $1.00...yes, $1.00 and found some easy eats! So, some of this week's finds can be found on Rachael Ray's website. Happy Eating!
Sunday--Italian Style chicken and rice
Monday-Talapia with Roasted corn with sour cream potatoes and green beans
Tuesday-Asian Inspired wings, jasmine rice, broccoli
Wednesday-Peruvian Roasted chicken, yellow rice, black beans
Thursday-Left overs
Friday--Creamy baked ziti
Saturday--Left overs
Sunday--Italian Style chicken and rice
Monday-Talapia with Roasted corn with sour cream potatoes and green beans
Tuesday-Asian Inspired wings, jasmine rice, broccoli
Wednesday-Peruvian Roasted chicken, yellow rice, black beans
Thursday-Left overs
Friday--Creamy baked ziti
Saturday--Left overs
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Trade Off!!
We've all had our share of potlucks. You know, meals that are filled with an array of ceramic dishes provided by a variety of people. Potlucks are always successful,takes the burden off of one individual and involves sharing the responsibilities. Since this type of sharing is so successful, why not allow it to carry over into other areas of your life?
In today's economy, everyone is trying to save a buck or two or even three! And if you have children, it's even more important that you do the best you can to preserve your cash! My suggestion....Clothing Potlucks for kids!!! This type of potluck works great when you include a lot of other families. I've created some simple steps to get you started with hosting your own Clothing Potluck.
1. Make a list of all your friends who have children. It's important to make sure your list includes children that are around the same age and/or size or a size smaller or larger (clothes fit differently on each child).
2. Contact your friends to see if the Clothing Potluck would be something they would be interested in doing. Make sure you explain the details, which includes, bringing about 5-10 pieces of children clothing and/or shoes that are in good condition that they would like to trade.
3. Set a time and date. Then, create invitations or do an e-vite (e-vite is free)!
4. Plan a simple meal, offer snacks, or have everyone bring a dish--a potluck right?!?
5. Once your guest arrive, have them lay all of their pieces in a location that is easily accessible. You may need extra tables to lay the items on.
6. Have Fun, Eat and Trade Off!! Each family will leave with some "new" threads and possibly some matching shoes!
Although this type of potluck is tailored to clothing, there's no reason why you can't have a potluck to trade anything you choose. Here are a few other suggestions.
*books
*window treatments
*accessories
*adult clothing
*tools
*home decor
It's all about saving money and what better way to do it than with some close friends and family. These cost effective potlucks can be done quarterly or twice a year. However frequently, it will hopefully benefit everyone involved and keep the cash where we all want it....in our pockets!
In today's economy, everyone is trying to save a buck or two or even three! And if you have children, it's even more important that you do the best you can to preserve your cash! My suggestion....Clothing Potlucks for kids!!! This type of potluck works great when you include a lot of other families. I've created some simple steps to get you started with hosting your own Clothing Potluck.
1. Make a list of all your friends who have children. It's important to make sure your list includes children that are around the same age and/or size or a size smaller or larger (clothes fit differently on each child).
2. Contact your friends to see if the Clothing Potluck would be something they would be interested in doing. Make sure you explain the details, which includes, bringing about 5-10 pieces of children clothing and/or shoes that are in good condition that they would like to trade.
3. Set a time and date. Then, create invitations or do an e-vite (e-vite is free)!
4. Plan a simple meal, offer snacks, or have everyone bring a dish--a potluck right?!?
5. Once your guest arrive, have them lay all of their pieces in a location that is easily accessible. You may need extra tables to lay the items on.
6. Have Fun, Eat and Trade Off!! Each family will leave with some "new" threads and possibly some matching shoes!
Although this type of potluck is tailored to clothing, there's no reason why you can't have a potluck to trade anything you choose. Here are a few other suggestions.
*books
*window treatments
*accessories
*adult clothing
*tools
*home decor
It's all about saving money and what better way to do it than with some close friends and family. These cost effective potlucks can be done quarterly or twice a year. However frequently, it will hopefully benefit everyone involved and keep the cash where we all want it....in our pockets!
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