Ideas for Making Your Class Newsletter More Interactive

We've all been there! The big field trip has been on your newsletter for 6 weeks at least, but the day before you are still getting emails, texts, phone calls, and notes about when the field trip is taking place. Even though all of the details are available in the newsletter in their child's folder. It can be frustrating! You are left wondering if anyone even reads the information you painstakingly type, print, copy, and send home every week without fail.

If this has ever happened to you, too, here are a few quick and easy and often free suggestions for increasing family engagement with your newsletter. Hopefully, you will find a trick or two that might work for your classroom.  Nothing is one size fits all!

I am old school. I like to send (and receive) a paper copy of newsletters. I see so many classrooms with far more technology options than are available where I live. Some homes don't even have cell reception or internet access. I think it is good to have options for parents. So, here are a few you might want to consider:
-Send an old school style paper copy.
-Email a .pdf file and request receipts for when it has been read.
-Set up a private blog for your classroom and post it there.
-Post it in a private Facebook group.
-Use remind.com to text message families when an updated newsletter has gone home.
-Upload it to edmodo.com
-Send it as an attachment via Class Dojo.

So, what do they do with it once it's in their hands? How can you know if they read it, or at least perused the parts that you NEED them to see?  Here are few ideas for getting a response from families once the newsletter has gone home.

-Add a puzzle, riddle, or math word problem for them to solve as a family, sign, and return to you.

-Add a neat trivia question (possibly related to something you are currently studying). They can research the answer and send you their response.

-Put a conversation starter at the bottom. (As the mother of a boy who always says school was "fine" until I ask him very specific questions, this would come in handy at home.) Some examples could be: Ask your child to tell you about our science lab experiment, our new class pet, today's assembly, our upcoming field trip, etc..

-Ask the families a question about pertinent information contained within the newsletter. (i.e. What time does Field Day begin on Friday?) Maybe you can head off some of those calls/emails/texts at the pass. 

Once they have completed the engagement part, they can submit it for a bribe reward/incentive. You will probably want to switch out your bribes incentives regularly.  If you keep it new and fresh, they will stay more responsive. Sometimes you may want to offer everyone the same prize. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

-Earn Class Dojo points

-Give out small treats (bubble gum, erasers, suckers, etc.)

-One Night Homework Free passes

-Eat lunch in the classroom

-Extra computer lab time

-Extra recess

-Stuffed Animal Day

-Sit with your friend

-Special snack 

-STEM time

-GoNoodle Dance Party

There are other times when you might want to go for a big individual reward. Anyone who completes the newsletter interaction piece gets their name entered in a drawing for:

-Sit at the teacher's desk all day

-Write with special supplies

-Be the teacher's assistant

-Raffle style drawing for a larger prize: toy, game, school supplies

-Lab assistant during STEM

-First Choice Award: the owner gets first choice during flexible seating, indoor recess, weekly job selection, etc.

**It might be fun to put rewards in envelopes for kids to choose as a surprise.  Throwing in a few zonks could be fun, too.  I have a freebie with picture cards you could print and use {HERE} in my Let's Make a Deal blog post. 

In this struggle, remember that kids are your greatest allies. I have tried every format I knew to reach certain parents with no response. Then, in desperation, I enlisted the child's help. All I had to do was sit with them at lunch or buy them ice cream and those critical forms magically came back! Lesson learned! 

Kids are naturally curious! If you tell them that they won't believe how awesome this week's treat is, they will jump through flaming hoops to find out what it will be. 

During MOST of the year, small incentives will work. However, there are times during the year when families tend to disengage because they are so busy. For me, even my most engaged parents got overwhelmed at the beginning of fall and spring sports season, the winter holiday season, and the end of the year. You may want to "up the ante" with some larger scale incentives during these periods of time. 

Then, there's the elephant in the room. What about those precious ones who are NEVER going to get someone to interact with their newsletter? Here are few suggestions for dealing with those in challenging situations. 

-I am required to submit my newsletter to someone in administration as a part of the communication part of my evaluation. Why not have a "specially selected" messenger or team of messengers? They can share the newsletter and complete the engagement piece with a great role model. Double win! 

-Assign a child to a co-worker, parent volunteer, or school mentor.

-Give select children full credit for completing items that were on the newsletter even if they are taking the responsibility on their own little shoulders: homework done for the week (check), permission slip returned (check), wore class t-shirt to school program (check). NEVER exclude a child from participation in incentives because of circumstances out of their control! Give them credit for stepping up and doing the things within their control. 

I hope some of these ideas are useful to you! If you would like to print these out to keep handy or share with a friend. You can download a printable copy {HERE}. 

How to Use Clip Art to Create Bulletin Board Sized Art

Well, I am back at school and prepping my room for Open House. I shared this picture on Instagram today and some of my followers asked me to share directions and the letters. Ask and ye shall receive, folks! :) 

At the bottom of this post, you will find a downloadable link for these welcome letters. You can print them as is, or you can enlarge them to any size you choose. If you want to make them (or any other image) MUCH larger, here is a quick picture tutorial for how to make that happen. Enjoy! 

I love sharing with you all! Hope you have a great start to your year! Grab your own WELCOME letters {HERE}! 

Documenting Small Group Observations with Ease

As a Title I/RTI teacher, one of my main responsibilities is progress monitoring. Keeping up with all of that data can be overwhelming. In fact, sometimes little things that are just as important go undocumented. This year, one of my goals is to implement a system for documenting observations during small groups. 

Too many times, I have left a meeting about a student, and thought, "Crud muffins! I forgot to ask his mom to remember to send his eyeglasses each day!" or "I forgot to mention that Kaitlyn may have sensory needs. She's been chewing on pencils or buttons." The main reasons I forget are that:

1. I was too busy just sharing the data and the more minor issues get swept under the rug.

2. I didn't write it down when it happened. 

It is my goal this year to write down one observation on each student one time a week. I think that is attainable. If it works out, I will have 4 - 6 observations to contribute at the next RTI meeting on that child. Now, I am not planning to write down full out anecdotal records. I am not required to write those, and I will keep those of you who are in my thoughts and prayers. :)   I am just planning to jot down one quick thought about one student at the end of each session. 

Ideas for documentation:

-child specific improvements

-child specific struggles

-behavior issues

-changes in social behavior

-possible side effects from meds

-anything that the counselor/psychologist/classroom teacher/parent may need to know

Here is a quick demo that I whipped up. There is a space for writing in the names of the students in your small group. The weekly dates for the 2016-2017 school year are already filled in. All you have to do is jot down your notes. 

I made a full color and a b/w edition. If this would be useful to you, click {HERE} to download your copy. 

6 Steps to Creating and Scheduling Your R.T.I. Groups

When I was first assigned to teach 2nd Grade R.T.I., I was given free reign over my schedule. I literally sat and stared at a table filled with the master schedule, class rosters, and papers covered in scribbled out thoughts for more time than I would care to admit. How could I possibly make this all work? I would plan one schedule and then find a conflict with a lunch time, or too many tier 2 students, or the two classes combined would be over my limit. I wanted to pull my hair out! At the end of the day, I threw it all in a tote bag and took it home. That night, a system was born that has worked for me ever since! I know that your program will not be identical to mine, but maybe one or two of these ideas can save you two handfuls of hair! :) 

Before you get started, you MUST be sure that you fully understand your program's requirements. Are their max numbers of students who can served at one time? Are there minimum time requirements for reading and/or math? Are students seen daily? For me, I see my students daily in one hour blocks of time. Originally, I split it 30/30. Then, I decided to devote more time to reading. So, I have a 40 minute block for reading and a 20 minute block for math.

I will not lie to you. This step will take a while to get right, but it is the most important part of your planning. Remember you are setting up how your room will run for the next 180 days. Make sure you can live with it. 

I started by giving myself a planning time first thing in the morning. My students are not at school, settled in, and ready for services until 8:30 anyway. So, I blocked that out for planning and set up. Next, I started making one hour blocks. I made sure to pad them with 5 minute transitions wherever I could. After all, I do need to go to the restroom or answer an email here and there. I filled up every possible minute with instructional time other than that. Take a look at this schedule from last year as an example. I pull from 2 classrooms at a time for one hour. There is only one exception. One group comes for reading, leaves for lunch, and returns for math. 

I identify my current roster and potential students in three ways.

1. The first grade RTI teacher keeps all of the data on her students in an Excel file. At the end of her school year, she emails the file to me. I can easily see who is currently served in RTI and also who exited or withdrew from school at some point during the school year. 
2. I attend all of first grade's end of the year RTI meetings. This gives me a chance to listen to the information shared on each child. I also use this opportunity to ask each first grade teacher for the names of students who are NOT currently in RTI, but they have concerns about. Maybe there was not a slot available or they are concerned about the dreaded "summer slide". I keep a list of the names given to me by the classroom teachers.
3. Our administration is very empowering. They give all of the RTI teachers administrative access to data. So, I can log in and evaluate MAP data, STAR data, AR records, and more. I look for students who are not being served, but could potentially need services based on low data. 

Our administration also releases class rosters to us before they are given to classroom teachers. I use my 3 lists (current RTI, exited RTI, teacher concern/low data) to add this vital information to each roster. I created this roster for Mrs. Sample's class to give you an idea of how it looks to the classroom teacher. We can easily see which children are already qualified for services. Exited children need to be monitored carefully as they may need to return to RTI. The "monitor for need" category helps because teachers know who to watch out. My team has been wonderful about contacting me and saying, "Yes, I agree with the first grade teacher's concern. Opal Buloni is struggling in second grade. I am sending you her current data. Can we see about adding her to tier 2?"

I use each roster when I create this schedule template. I list the teachers in alphabetical order. Next to their name, I put their # of current tier 2 kids/# of current tier 3 kids/# of exited + monitor kids. This figure is vital! My aide and I are not allowed to serve more than 14 students at one time. I also don't like to have more than 7 at each tier level either. Last, I create a column for each session block.

My next step makes my head spin a little, but again it is necessary work. I take the master schedule for the school which includes each teacher's specials time, lunch time, and recess time and begin right clicking and filling the space with gray to shade out times when that class is unavailable for RTI services. 

For example, on the chart below, Mrs. Frizzle's class had a busy afternoon. They had specials from 11:20 - 11:50 which knocked them out of my 10:40 - 11:40 and 11:40 - 12:20 sessions. They had lunch from 12:50 - 1:15 followed by recess from 1:15 - 1:30. Therefore, they could only attend RTI from 8:30 - 9:30 or 9:35 - 10:35.  

Once all of the conflicts are eliminated, I start looking for pairs of teachers who are free at the same time while keeping a close watch on my student totals. I start with the MUST HAVE slots. Look at the purple and green sections for an example. The purple teacher was the ONLY one available during those blocks. So, she automatically took that slot. There were only three classes available during the last slot. Falker and Snape took the green slots because the other choice could have put me over my limit if a new student enrolled who needed services. Planning the other three was easier. I examined the numbers and whenever possible I asked the teachers for their personal preference. 

When I get the schedule to this point, I am ready to type it up and share it with administration and my team. I usually given them their time slot and roster at the same time. 

Well, I hope this has been useful. I pray it's not as clear as mud. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help! Also, if you have suggestions for making it easier, I would love to hear them! 

Let's Make a Deal Game Freebie

My sister and I grew up watching Monty Hall on Let's Make a Deal. We loved all of the crazy costumes that the people wore, the fabulous prizes, and we especially loved the ZONKS! We laughed and laughed when we heard the whomp, whomp, whomp and saw the zany gag prize that the contestant had won. We even invented our own version of the game to play with our cousins!

Now, I play it at home with my own kids. It is one of their favorite things for us to do! {We are a little crazy! That's just how we roll!} Here is how we play at home. The Hubs is the emcee/host and I am his lovely assistant. The kids are given a few minutes to scavenge their rooms and create a costume. While they are doing that, we select the prizes/zonks. Some of them are placed in gift wrapped boxes. Some we tape to the window behind the curtains. Some we put in sealed envelopes in the Hubs's pants pockets.

Then, the fun begins! In order to earn a chance to choose a prize, they have to do what we ask. Sometimes we ask them questions related to what they are reading or studying in school. Sometimes we ask them to recite their scripture memory verses or answer catechism questions. Sometimes they have to pass parts of a clean room inspection. If they do, they can choose from the prizes offered by the emcee. He may say, "You can have what is in this box OR you can choose what's behind curtain #2!" We all shout out what we think they should choose. It could be a tangible reward (cash, candy, etc.), an activity/event like inviting a friend over to play, or a ZONK! Here is a sample reward and ZONK page:

I also added in 12 classroom rewards because this would be SO MUCH FUN to play in class! 

So, if you would like to play, you can snag 18 home reward cards, 12 school reward cards, and 12 ZONKS {HERE!} I would love to hear from you if you play! 

Prepping for a Week in Advance

I posted this picture on Instagram on Friday. I asked if I was the only one who had to have everything prepped for the next week before leaving school. Some of you are just as weird as I am about having absolutely everything ready to roll. :) Others asked me how this could possibly be accomplished. So, since you asked, I will tell you how I prep for a week in advance. I have used this same system for years. I will tell you that the only thing I ever bring home is laminating to be cut out, new activities I want to make, and some last minute papers to grade on Friday nights. 

Monday: On Mondays, I check out any books or materials I will need from the media center next week. I also pull masters or files for things I know I need: the next week's morning work, Saxon phonics folders, or SRA reading lessons. 

Tuesday:  I start doing a rough sketch of the coming week's math plans. I pull my files, shop around on TPT, and see which interactive notebooking lessons I want to copy for the next week. 

Wednesday:  I finalize my math plans, make any copies that I need, and laminate any new centers I will be using. I also pull any manipulatives I will need. If time allows, I start sketching out my ELA plans for the next week. 

Thursday:  I finish the sketch for ELA and copy/laminate any needed materials.

Friday: I type up and email out my plans to admin/2nd grade team. When I had my own room, I also made sure that Monday's newsletter was ready to roll. Then, before I leave, I use my plans to sort everything into its bin. These Lakeshore bins have been with me for a long time! I love being able to just grab that day's items and go!

This also comes in handy when you have to be out unexpectedly. It was always so nice to be able to call my teacher buddy across the hall and say, "My schedule is posted. The bin is ready to go!" 

Here is a little peek at my week's plans. I have heard that some of you have to write plans that are PAGES long! Bless your hearts! We do have some incredible units that our grade level wrote and use. Admin gives the support staff a lot of leeway in what we teach and how we plan. This rough sketch works for me.

So, how do you plan for the days ahead? I would love to hear from you! 

Behavior Management Tips {Freebie}

So, I went to a Professional Learning course last week and actually picked up a few new strategies to add to my bag of tricks. I also wanted to share my new small groups engagement strategy with you all. It is working out so well! 

In our class, we spent some time exploring the differences between praise and encouragement. Praise is vague and non-specific. "This looks great!", "You did that so well!", and "I love your work!" are all examples of praise. We often interject our own feelings into praise statements. If you have students who are in a power struggle with you, praise is likely to backfire. Encouragement,  however, is extremely effective. It describes the student's efforts. For example, "You finished the whole paper!", "You stayed in your seat all during math today!", or ""You scored 8 out of ten correct. You are really improving!". So, I am working on being more specific in my comments to my students. 

A very wise teacher once advised me to incorporate as much choice and chance as possible into my instruction. Kids LOVE choice or chance! For example, I might say to a student, "Drew, your finger and eyes never left the page as we were reading. I appreciate your attention. You may choose the highlighter color for the group today." Kids also love it when their choice impacts others. I may also say, "We are going to read both of these passages this week, but today, Sarah is going to roll this die. If it lands on an even number, we will read the one about apples today. If it lands on an odd number, we will read the one about Johnny Appleseed first."

We are also implementing a new behavior management tool during our RtI reading sessions. I am really pleased with how it is going so far. Very often, these struggling students also have behavior related issues, too. They can be inattentive, overactive, withdrawn, or argumentative. I needed something that would work for specific behavior goals. I don't expect my students to be perfect right off the bat. We are still getting to know each other. I do, however, expect them to work hard and be respectful to me and the other students in our group. So, I am targeting key behaviors with them using a punch card system. I bought these sets from Pink Cat Studio. You can check them out {HERE} in her store.

The very first thing I do during our small group time is distribute their punch cards. They keep them right at the top of their work space.  They know their target behaviors. If Harry starts getting up out of his seat, I just put my finger on his card, and he sits back down. If I have not gotten much voluntary participation out of Carrie today, I may scoot her card towards her and say, "The next question is for you, sweet one. Go ahead and read it now and be thinking about your answer."  If they met our expectations and goals for that session, they earn one punch. 10 sessions should equal 10 punches. 

This little darling is on her way to cashing in her punch card tomorrow!

We decided to come up with some incentives that were quick, easy, and free/inexpensive. I have seen treats like these on other blogs and on Pinterest, but I only have my reading students for 40 minutes. I needed something that I could use just during that time and still get their group work for the day accomplished. I think that the kids will enjoy spending their tickets on a treat! I am planning to staple their punch card and ticket to their work so that they can share it with their classroom teacher and family. If you would like to use these blackline masters for treats for your kiddos, you can download them by clicking {HERE} or on the picture below. 

I would love to hear any ideas you have for other free rewards! 

Building Community in the Classroom

They were going to be the class of my dreams! I read over my new class list once more and beamed. They were all sweet pumpkin pies with glorious test scores and supportive parents! And then...something happened that would change everything! The principal asked to see me. She said that she needed to add another inclusion classroom to 2nd grade and I had been selected for that assignment. This would require some significant changes to my class roster. Neither one of us knew at the time just how many changes this decision would bring. Word travels fast in a small, rural community. Soon, parents were calling and asking to have their child transferred out of my room. They had heard that my room would include kids with special needs and they wanted their sweet pumpkin pie away from that kind of environment. It's ugly, but it's true, friends. My revised list looked nothing like how I had envisioned this year's group, but they would become my favorite class of all time.

Even before I met any of my students, the meetings started. I had meetings with advocates, DFACS, IEP teams, psychologists, and medical teams. My special needs students were well represented. Their every need was covered, but there weren't any meetings about how to prepare the rest of my class. How was I supposed to really "include" everyone in my inclusion class? How was I supposed to train them to react to medical issues, violent outbursts, or frustrating behaviors when they occurred? Well, I would like to share some of my discoveries with you. Some of them, I stumbled upon in a crisis. Others the kids themselves taught me. You may not be an inclusion teacher, but I would be willing to bet that you will have at least one child with special needs of some kind in your upcoming class. 

1. Heads Down/Eyes on Books  I didn't have to use this one much, but it worked when I needed it. The class and I talked briefly about how you would not want to have someone staring at you if you were having a seizure or were crying. We used this strategy for those times when a quiet, respectful environment was needed, but they weren't in any danger. We practiced it a few times when our special friends were out of the room. Then, one day, a child in our room with leukemia felt faint and could not walk to the clinic. All I said was, "Heads down. Eyes on Books." The kids grabbed their independent reading books from their desks, put their heads down on their desks, and silently focused all of their attention onto the books. Administration and the medical team arrived and were able to remove the child from class in a manner that protected his dignity. The team returned later to brag on how well the class behaved during a crisis. The students absolutely beamed!

2. Emergency Exit There were a couple of times when the classroom was no longer a safe environment. Again, this is occasionally the reality of  life with special needs children. An exit plan should be put in place. We had rehearsed this scenario in advance, too. So, one day, out of the blue, when a typically docile autistic student suddenly threw a chair. I only said to the class, "Emergency exit, please". They immediately lined up at the door farthest from the upset child, filed into the hall, and sat against the wall outside of our room. A designated student alerted the teacher across the hall. She called for back up and monitored my class until help could arrive. Things returned to normal quickly and no one was in harm's way. 

3. The Buddy System  This was one was a huge help with children with medical issues! For their protection, they could not go anywhere (media center, clinic, even the restroom) unaccompanied. The nurse met with a few other students and enlisted their help. She taught them how to tell if these students needed help and to how to find an adult if they saw any reason for alarm. To protect the students' feelings, they were not aware of our buddy system. David thought it was just a coincidence that Jacob needed to use the restroom, see the nurse, or return a library book at the same time that he did. Jacob, however, felt like a superhero with a secret identity! 

4. Our Secret Signal This one may be the best idea I ever had! While I did not violate any student's confidentiality or rights, we did have some frank discussions about possible disruptive behaviors they may observe and how to handle them. If this wasn't addressed, the classroom environment could quickly deteriorate and tattling could reach epidemic proportions. So, we instituted a secret signal. Our signal had three parts. I held up my finger to form the number one, placed it over my heart, and then lifted it up to my lips. Our signal meant, "This is one of those things that he/she cannot control. Act with love from your heart. Keep quiet." Here is a quick example that happened in my room that year. 

Child 1: We need to start work on this center now.

Child 2 (with Tourette Syndrome and OCD): I can't start until I do 25 jumping jacks.

Child 1: What? I'm going to tell...

Me: secret signal

Child 1 (winks and nods at me): Never mind. I understand. I will get us set up while you finish your jumping jacks.

That is the extent of the training that I gave them. The rest of the lessons were ones that they taught me. You may have heard people say, "Children can be so cruel." That is true. They can. So can adults. Like adults, they can also be remarkably kind! Here are just three of the many stories from that revolutionary year that will forever warm my heart! 

David had leukemia. All of his hair had fallen out and he had to wear a toboggan when his head got cold. I hadn't noticed his embarrassment about being the only one in class wearing a hat, but the little girl seated across from him did. So, one day, when he slid his hat over his head, he looked up and smiled because Megan was wearing a toboggan, too. No words were exchanged-- just smiles. The next day, their whole table was wearing toboggans. Soon, everyone in class was sporting toboggans. It just took the kindness of one observant little girl to bring about a dramatic change to our classroom. 

Andy had a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Due to his large, electric wheelchair, need for a high table, and space for additional staff, he had to sit in the back of the classroom. One day, I was approached by Tim (w/ ADHD) who wanted a favor. He said, "Can I maybe move to the back of the room with Andy? I think I could concentrate better back there and I could keep him company." I agreed to give it a try. They created such a bond with each other. Andy helped to keep Tim on task. Tim picked up anything Andy dropped and turned in his work for him. It was almost a symbiotic relationship. Then, Andy had to have surgery. He would not return for at least six weeks. I offered to let Tim return to a table closer to the front. He thought about it for a moment and declined. He said, "I would feel better staying back here. I am just going to save his seat until he comes back." I wish you could have seen Andy's face when he rolled back into class and Tim said, "You're back, buddy! I've been waiting for you!"

Tristen was autistic. He would only talk about Transformers. He never made eye contact with others. He talked to himself at lunch. The other children tended to avoid him. Then, thanks to a boy named Henry something miraculous happened. Henry was an amazing athlete. He was one of my top students. He wore the latest styles. He even had cool hair. The girls stared at him. The boys wanted to be like him. One day at lunch, Tristen put his hands over his ears and started rocking back and forth. That's when Henry noticed that some kids from another class were laughing at Tristen. Henry picked up his lunchbox and moved right next to Tristen. They didn't speak to each other. They just sat together and ate their lunches in silence. The next day, Henry sat next to Tristen again. This time, Henry's best friend tagged along. Before the end of the week, the entire "cool" table had relocated to Tristen's table. Henry sought out every opportunity to act in kindness towards Tristen. At field day that year, our class was finishing up our turn at the jump rope event. All of the other students had had their turn except for one--Tristen. The parents and their children were starting to move on to the next event. Then, they heard one solitary voice cheering, "Come on, Tristen! You can do it, buddy! Keep going!" Of course, it was Henry. The kids all dropped their water bottles and came running back to help. Seventeen children cheered while Tristen smiled and awkwardly jumped rope. I looked up and saw tears streaming down Tristen's mom's face. Henry's mom cried and walked over to hug her.  That is the moment that solidified their standing as my favorite class of all time. Were they what I expected? NO! Were there hard days? More than a few! I may have learned more from them than they learned from me that year. The lessons of friendship and community last. Community can't be forced. It reminds me of tending a flower garden. You have to provide the right environment. Model patience and acceptance. Put safety procedures in place. Then, watch it flourish. You may find extraordinary blooms in unexpected places. 

At the close of this past school year, I attended my daughter's awards ceremony at the middle school. Tristen's name was called out for an award. He walked to the center of the gym floor and proceeded to bow multiple times. Some students and adults ignorantly snickered, but above their attempts to suppress  their giggles, I heard loud clapping and a voice I would know anywhere call out, "WAY TO GO, TRISTEN!"  My eyes welled with tears and I whispered, "You tell 'em, Henry!" 

File Drawer Label Freebie

I HATE STACKS! There, I said it! I cannot abide stacks of papers, memos, folders, and other junk! One of my summer to do lists was to snag some small file drawers and make some labels for my desk at school. I have seen lots of super cute versions of these on Pinterest, but none of them matched my room decor. (Sadsville!) So, I just had to make my own. By the way, that is easier said than done, people! Whew, I am glad this task is over!

These were made to fit the Sterilite 3 drawer boxes that hold 8 1/2 x 11 papers. I went with the black drawers because I have had the white ones and after a couple of weeks of pencil lead, dry erase marker dust, and plain old dust, they looked grungy! I had to wipe them down at least once a week with a Mr. Clean sponge. This is especially true if little hands are going to be opening and closing them. 

After printing the labels on card stock and trimming them, I just applied mod podge to the front of the drawer with a foam brush, added the label, mod podged it from the back to seal it, and let them sit to dry overnight. At least that part was easy, right!?! :)

I made labels for Copy, Grade, File, Groups 1 - 6, Extras, Reading, ELA, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. If you can use these, you can download a set of them for free, {HERE}. 

EDITED 9/5/15: I have had several requests for days of the week labels and a homework label. You can now grab those for free {HERE}! 

Enjoy! I hope these work for you! I tested them out, but every printer is different. Please let me know if there is an issue. Thanks!!

Tips for a Successful School Year FREEBIE

As teachers, we often assume that families know how to help their child succeed in school. That is true for many families, but not for all families. I have been stunned several times in conferences or RtI meetings when parents needed advice on setting reasonable bedtimes, steps to prevent tardiness, or designating a place for their child's backpack so that they aren't searching for it every morning while the school bus is waiting outside. I have found that once parents know these tips, they generally will implement them. Knowing is half the battle as G.I. Joe used to say!

Now, my church is planning a back to school bash for Vacation Bible School this year. One of my tasks was to create a PowerPoint on tips for a successful school year as a part of the community outreach program for attending families. I need it at school. I need it for church. Hey, you might could use it, too, right?!?

I uploaded this freebie to my Teachers Pay Teachers store as a PowerPoint file. While you cannot edit the text or pictures, you are free to delete slides you don't need, rearrange the order, or customize it as a slideshow.

I have used PowerPoints like this one during Open House. I have it set up on a timer and it looped continuously on my SMARTboard. Parents could view the tips while they waited to speak with me or filled out paperwork. It was a big hit!

I have also manually clicked through slide by slide and discussed each one with families as a quick intro during curriculum night, too.

I hope that these will be useful to you! Please leave feedback or a comment if you download. Here are a few sample pictures from the presentation. Click {HERE} or on any of the pics to visit my TPT store for your free download.

A.P.D. The Silent Struggle

I am doing something extraordinary! I am about to be transparent and vulnerable with you. That is NOT one of my strengths! I am normally a very guarded person, but I feel that it is necessary to let you in on a behind-the-scenes look at our life with Auditory Processing Disorder.  My hope is that by sharing my experiences and struggles with you that you would be better equipped to help identify and serve your students or even family members who may have Auditory Processing Disorder. 

My daughter looked just like the girl in the image above when we first found out about her A.P.D.. Following directions was never easy for her. She desperately wanted to do what we said. Obedience was not the barrier. She simply didn't understand what we were asking her to do.  I can still hear her little voice asking, "What you said, Mommy?" over and over again. We did our best to be patient and give her one direction at a time.  Then, she started preschool. She began to really struggle with following directions. One day, we sat down to look at her papers together. Across the top of many sheets the teacher had written in all caps, "DID NOT LISTEN!". My daughter had clearly not followed directions. I asked her what she thought the teacher had written on her work. She said, "I think it says 'You're dumb.' because that is what the teacher said when she gave me back my papers."  That BROKE-MY-HEART, y'all! She was not dumb! She was exceptionally bright! So, why couldn't she follow simple directions?!? 

In Kindergarten, her teacher wondered if it was a hearing issue. So, we had her hearing tested by the nurse. She passed!  They brought in an audiologist.  Again, she passed! However, the audiologist also asked her some questions and gave her a set of directions to follow. She failed- BIG TIME! Finally, we were onto something. The audiologist did some further testing and gave us the answer that had been eluding us: Auditory Processing Disorder.

Life with A.P.D. is NOT easy! Furthermore, research has shown that it is largely genetic.  So, from this point on, I will give you examples of A.P.D involving my husband, my daughter, and my son. All three of them have A.P.D. in various forms. Some days are better than others. This morning was rough. Therefore, I am blogging about it as therapy for myself. :) 

What is A.P.D. and how can you identify it?  We hear with more than just our ears. Our brains have to process or interpret what we heard, too.  That is where this neurological defect kicks in.  A.P.D. is not ADD or ADHD. People with those disorders cannot focus well enough to listen. A.P.D. is not autism. Their language issues are unique to that disorder. This is a specific auditory issue. It affects people of all I.Q. levels. I have RtI students with A.P.D. My own kids are gifted and have A.P.D.. Their brains just have a minor malfunction when it comes to understanding what they heard.

There are some obvious symptoms.  Here's a quick list of some red flags to watch out for. 

Here are some scenarios involving my family that may help illustrate these symptoms.

• Anxiety reigns in my home! Imagine how you would feel if you were in a constant state of confusion. You would always be wondering, "Did I hear my teacher, right? What if I do this wrong and the kids laugh at me? What if I ask her what to do AGAIN and she gets angry AGAIN?" 
• Difficulty remembering things: Oh, boy, I could write a book about this one! Life sometimes feels like a constant game of 20 questions. I am always trying to figure out the meaning of that lady, that man, that thing, that place we went, etc. 
• They need directions over and over again. Often, I give them one task, have them repeat it to me, and then come back for the next step when it's done. 
• My husband and I call this one "the deer in the headlights look". We ask a question or give directions and the kids just stare at us wide-eyed in panic and confusion. 
• Incomplete or incorrect task completion is abundant. They will often do part of what we said (usually the last part) or do the opposite of what we said. For example, if I said, "Son, that toilet is not working correctly. Someone filled it with too much toilet paper. Please do not use this stall." This otherwise brilliant boy will stare at me and walk directly into that stall! When I ask, "Where are you going?" He will look confused and say, "You said, 'Use this stall'." True! I did. Those were my last three words and that was all he was able to process quickly.
• Difficulty summarizing: Wow, again, this one is super tricky! Mentally organizing information for a summary of a long conversation or a book report is extremely challenging. Guiding questions definitely help!

• Exhaustion: Do you remember how you felt during a job interview? Trying to listen carefully to the questions, interpret them, and answer coherently is draining! Now, imagine feeling that way for 7 hours a day! That is how school feels for kids with A.P.D.. Every moment is taxing as you try to make sense of what is expected of you. My kids cannot participate in sports or other extracurricular activities because they are simply worn out from thinking at school. We have tried several activities, but it overwhelmed them.  So, we use our evenings as a time of rejuvenation at home.
• Reluctance to go first or watching what others are doing is a MAJOR indicator of A.P.D. and it is SO EASY to miss! My son tried taking classes in Parkour. He would stand right next to the coach, stare intently at his face, and listen as the coach explained the five obstacles he wanted them to run. The boys would line up for the obstacle course and my son would quickly run to the end of the line so that he could watch to see what the other boys were doing before it was his turn. Even after hearing the directions, he needed to SEE what the coach expected him to do.
• Maybe you like playing music in your classroom or allow kids to talk among themselves as they work. This can be a terrible distraction to students with A.P.D. These students are working hard enough to filter out what is important in what you are saying. Crowded places, noisy restaurants, and loud conversations are a definite no-no for us, too. 

So, what can you do to help in your classroom or even in your home?  Here is a little advice that I have found to be tried and true.

Most of these are self-explanatory, but I would like to emphasize the importance of visuals and gestures. Please take the time to write down the page number, the due date of the project, make an exemplar of the finished art project, anything that will make the directions more visual than auditory. Please do not underestimate the power of gestures. Sometimes I feel like one of those workers at the airport who guide planes in with those orange light stick thingies, but it does help.  Move your fingers like scissors if they are expected to cut something out. Shake your head and hands back and forth if they are NOT supposed to do something. Every little visual cue helps!

Above all, please avoid doing the following things. These students should never be made to feel inferior or even stupid for something that they cannot help!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope that this information is helpful to you. I love my family! Overall, my home is a joyful place filled with the three most compassionate, intelligent, and hilarious people I know. However, I am tired of feeling like we are hiding a secret. My kids aren't perfect. (GASP!) I am not perfect. (BIGGER GASP!) But no matter what we face, we love each other and we're here to help each other on this wonderful, crazy journey! 

Do you know anyone with A.P.D.? Got any tips to share? I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.