Top 10 List: What We Love About Teaching!

It’s become our tradition on this blog to write a Valentine’s Day Top 10 List, and we look forward to writing it each year. We feel so blessed each and every day to do what we do- teach. We are classroom teachers. We teach students, not curriculum, and we know that each year will be different, each class will be different, and each lesson will be different. We look forward to the successes and challenges each school year brings, and we can’t imagine doing anything else.

Here is our Top 10 List of what we love about teaching. #1 is our absolute favorite part!

10. Little notes like this one, left anonymously on the white board.

9.  Handmade cards and artwork proudly offered as gifts.

8. A student racing into class in the morning to debrief the novel she just finished.

7. The moment when students squeal and scream with delight because the box from Scholastic or Amazon arrives with new books.

6. The terribly corny jokes told that are somehow ridiculously hilarious!

5. Hearing about the playdates, visits with family, sports games and important moments of students lives outside of school.

4. The smell of fresh, new chart paper.

3. When a student writes a “drop the mic” introduction to an essay…and knows it!

2. Post-its! Honestly, how did anyone ever survive without them?

1. Sitting together as a class, reading a picture book or chapter book. The most joyful moments of teaching are the simple ones. The one where we are all together, sharing an experience together.

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Head Over Heels for Teaching

Last year, we launched this blog with a post about the Joys of Teaching! As we’ve looked back over our posts, it is still one of our favorites. We love teaching and cannot imagine our lives in different professions. Here’s our Top 10 List of what we love about teaching:

1) Driving into the school parking lot in the morning and being happy. Every time.

2) Conferencing with students. These one-on-one times are the ties that bond!

3) Getting so excited about tomorrow’s lesson that it’s hard to sleep at night. Yes, that still happens!

4) Birthday treats! Who doesn’t love a cupcake?

5) Sitting on the floor in the library with students, pouring over new books.

6) Writing celebrations where each student is proud to share.

7) The joy of snow days!  Not just for kids!

8) Morning meetings. Hearing about weekend activities and family excursions helps me know my students better and helps them conquer the “I don’t know what to write about” dilemma.

9) Reading aloud. Love the funny voices. Love the books! Love the expressions on my students’ faces as they listen. Love, love, love everything about it!

10) The chorus of “See you tomorrow’s” at the end of the day that symbolize the continuation of our journey together.

Here’s to 2015 and all new LOVES!

Joys of Teaching!

 

For this Valentine’s Day post, we wanted to celebrate ten simple, everyday joys of being teachers.

We are still head over heels in love with teaching.

1. Having a window into the lives of my students and seeing what makes them glow. From getting a new puppy to winning a basketball tournament to celebrating a grandparent’s birthday. I love hearing about their special moments both inside and outside school. ~Sonja

2. When they can’t wait to tell me about a book they read and loved and plead for me to read it too. ~Sonja

3. Flipping the chart paper to a new, fresh piece. There is nothing better than new chart paper. Sorry ipad and document camera, I love you both too, but I love my chart paper most of all. ~Dana

4. When my students take ownership of a vocabulary word they learned months ago, like macabre, and use it accurately and authentically. ~Sonja

5. Changing the numbers on our “New Book Releases Countdowns.” Do you do this in your classroom? It’s a really fun way to get kids excited about books. ~Dana

6. After years of teaching, reading picture books or poems, to students who have never heard it before, is the BEST! Seeing their eyes light up at the good parts is why I love reading aloud. (Reading favorites is awesome too!) ~Dana

7. To the Turbo Pencil Sharpener that has lasted far longer than its warrantee and is quick and quiet, XOXO ~Dana

8. Being thought of over the weekend and receiving baked goods (yes…they’re mostly cupcakes) they’ve made at home and brought in just for me 🙂 ~Sonja

9. The moment a student receives a letter in the mail from a beloved author. To all authors, your reply letters mean the world to students. It can be life changing for a reader. Thank you so much for your time! ~Dana

10. The confident, dazzling smiles on their faces when they know they’re on to something big in their writing. Love! Love! Love! ~Sonja