New School, New Beginnings

Wow! It has been over a year since I have posted and a lot has happened! I hope to post a lot more this upcoming school year!

First- I got my Level 1 ORFF certification last summer and it was amazing (even though recorder terrified me!)- Get ready for more Orff-y things to be incorporated into my ideas here.

Second- we welcomed our 2nd child- Hazel- in March.  We love being a family of four!

Photo Credit: Chasing Love Photography

Third-  I have accepted a new job to be closer to family.  I will miss my school so much, having been there for the first 9 years of my career, but it is time to move on and I am so excited to be a Liberty Union Lion this fall!

So what am I doing this summer?  Catching up on summer reading and getting ready to feel like a first year teacher all over again with my new students.  I have been focusing a lot on relationship building in my summer PD so that I can start off on the right foot with these new, awesome, kiddos. My first few lessons will not only be about setting expectations, but getting to know my students and helping them get to know me. I plan on sharing my favorite things and having students tell me all about themselves through the use of FLIPGRID- it is now FREE for all educators (More on that in another post)! Below I will share a few books I have read (or am planning to read soon) and some easy tips to start to build relationships right off the bat!

1. Kids Deserve It-  Before I went on maternity leave this past school year, my former principal bought the entire staff this book. It is a quick read and so fun.  It really got me thinking about my relationships with students and how I can make each child feel special.  After reading, I started sending out Postcards to kids to share good news.  Parents and students loved this snail mail and I loved writing them, too.  I already bought a few lion cards to start off my new year.  With teaching music, there is no way I will be able to send a card to every single child I teach, but my goal will be to send one to a kid in each class once a month.   I also started asking students for book recommendations and it was so neat to get to know more about my students through the books they read.  One student even lent me his favorite (1 week before the baby came!) and I loved it! I will have a "What I'm Reading" sign in my new room.  Download the freebie in here.  There are 4 versions in the editable Power Point file!

2. Leader In Me-  My new school is a Leader In Me school which focuses on the Seven Habits of Successful People. See more on the Seven Habits here. I still have a lot to learn about Leader in Me and the Seven Habits, but I am excited to implement a lot of the ideas I already have into my music room- focusing first on "What am I doing, that a student could be doing?"  I plan on having jobs in each room that a student will have all year.  From paper passer-outers, to technology gurus, to sub helpers I want the music room to be a place where all students can find an opportunity to be a leader.

3. The Pepper Effect and Unleash Talent - These are both books that I have purchased and plan on reading soon.  Both focus on being creative and innovative in your teaching and helping students to be empowered to embrace their own passions and talents. I am so excited to read them both. More to come on these books later. 

What are YOU doing this summer? It doesn't have to be school related either- rest and relaxation are SO important!