Wow! It has been a long time since I last posted. It was a really busy year for me at school…my first year, in a long time, of teaching all the subjects! It took a lot of my time to create lessons for all subjects. I teach 5th grade and it was the first year in a long time that my grade level did not block! I had to play catch up in math, especially, as it had been many years since I had taught it. There have been many changes in the years, and then North Carolina adopted Common Core!

Much to my surprise, after a few stuttered starts, I found that I was enjoying math! I had always considered myself a reading teacher and to find enjoyment in math was a nice plus. Fast forward to today and I have just gotten the word that my grade level will be blocking once again, and I will be the MATH teacher for all three classrooms!

I have agreed to step out of my comfort zone of reading and science and jump into math. I have a trio of resource teachers who have shared with me that they will help me set up my lessons. I am going to be teaching my math class using small group instruction and differentiation. I am very excited as I begin this new adventure!

Before I finish this blog, I want to share with you a book I have been reading this summer…”Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids” by Chris Biffle. If you have experienced classroom management issues (and who among us has not?), this book is AMAZING! This summer, several of my colleagues and I have been reading and discussing this wonderful book. We are going to be implementing Chris’ideas into our classes. I’ll keep you posted on our progress!