My Very Own Linky Party!

After writing my New Year Resolution post, I realized I really need help with my fourth goal:  "4. I resolve to cook lunches rather than relying on premade frozen dinners."  Then I thought, "What a great idea for a linky party!"  Now you all can help me out - what better group of people to ask!

I try to spend at least part of my Sunday preparing for the week.  Unfortunately for me, I only know about two recipes.  One of my go-to recipes is tuna noodle casserole.  It's not really a recipe; I just dump, stir, and bake.

Ingredients:
Noodles - cooked slightly underdone
Tuna - I use the packets that you don't have to drain.
Vegetables - I add frozen peas, water chestnuts, and mushrooms, but I'm sure you can add whatever you like.
A can of Cream of Mushroom soup - I use the fat free kind
1/2 cup of lite sour cream
Shredded cheese - about a cup or so?  I use Cheddar or Mexican Blend (Weight Watchers)
Seasoning - I add garlic powder and onion powder.

Mix in a giant bowl and pour into an oil sprayed casserole.  Top it with a mixture of bread crumbs, butter, and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Delicious!


So now I need your help.  Link up with your favorite or go-to recipes that are

1. easy or
2. slow cooker friendly or
3. just plain delicious!

I can't wait to read some of your Sunday {make ahead}Suppers!

New Year Resolutions

I am linking up with Amanda at Teaching Maddeness.  I need to put my resolutions out in the world.  I'm hoping by writing it and posting it publicly, I'll be more inclined to keep them.  *fingers crossed*

1. I resolve to get to school earlier than last year.  School starts at 8:40 and teachers must be in the building by 8:30.  Last year I rolled into the parking lot about 8:32 every day.  Needless to say there wasn't much time to get a lot done before the kids showed up.  This year I will get to school by 8:10. 


2. I resolve to spend my planning periods planning instead of visiting.  I cannot tell you how often I get to the end of my planning period and have nothing to show for it!  The schedule is going to be different, so I won't have breaks at the same time as my friends this year, but that has never stopped me before; I can talk to anyone!

3. I resolve to prepare for my morning before bed every night.  When I decide what to wear in the morning and pack my lunch before I go to bed, my morning is that much smoother.  I do manage to do this sometimes, but this year, every night!  This goal will also help me meet resolution #1!  Bonus!

4. I resolve to cook lunches rather than relying on premade frozen dinners.  I must have hot food for lunch, but I don't like to cook.  This year, I will cook casseroles for the week.  Geez, this one's hard to even write!  OK, maybe I'll aim for at least 3 days a week of home cooked somethings.  *fingers super crossed on this one*   If anyone has any suggestions, I could use the help with this one!

August Currently

It's that time again.  Time to link up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade.   As much as I look forward to the Currently every month, this one is bittersweet.  I've had a great summer and am looking forward to going back to school, but really - who doesn't wish summer was just a little bit longer?  Anyway... here you go:

Now it's your turn!  Don't forget to link up; I can't wait to see what everyone is doing currently!

Picture Book Picks #2 ~ Science Rocks!

For this part of the series, I wanted to focus on Science books.  This year will be only the second year I have ever taught Science, so I'm still learning about great books to use in my classroom.  Here's what I've found so far:

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? is a great book about adaptations.  This one was recommended by The Science Penguin.  If you have not seen this fantastic blog, go now!  It is chock full of great ideas for Science teachers.

This book is fairly simple in its layout.  On every other double spread there are, for example, five noses.  The following page shows the animal who belong to each nose and what it's used for.  I know last year, it was difficult for students to understand the difference between an adaptation and speciation.  This will be a great reference to refer back to again and again as we continue through the chapter.  Love it!

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I found this next book indirectly through Nikki over @ An Uncommon to the Core Teacher.  She had mentioned a (super stinking cute) book called 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore.  Well, right next to it was another book by the same author that I cannot wait to use in my science class.

11 Experiments That Failed is hysterical!  The little girl who narrates has performed many experiments that are just plain silly.  Some of my favorites: "Can a washing machine wash the dishes?" & "Can a kid make it through the winter eating only snow and ketchup?"

Even though her experiments are ridiculous, the young scientist uses all the steps in the Scientific Method.  From hypothesis to question to materials to procedure to conclusion, she doesn't stray from solid science.  I think this would be a great book to include when students are asked to create their own experiments.  I'm going to recommend it to the 4th and 7th grade teachers as they begin to organize their Science Fairs this year. 

As always, click the book covers to buy from Barnes & Noble.

Give Me an H!!

I have been super busy this week!  My niece is visiting for a few days, I'm trying to get a handle on my classroom, and I'm working part time and tutoring on the side.  Needless to say, I haven't had much time to catch up on blogging stuff.  (My Google Reader has over 700 unread posts!)  I am not complaining; I love to be busy!!

Anyway... my tutoring session for this evening was cancelled, so I thought I'd get in a really quick post.  I was going to write up a new Picture Book Post for a later date, but then I read this post by Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6, and as I was commenting there, I thought my comment would be a great post of my own!  Then I realized it was a Linky Party hosted by the ah-mazing Laura Candler, and I knew picture books could wait!

Click the picture to link up!

Two school years ago, I was coming off one of my worst professional years of my life.  It was the first time I was self -contained, I had almost 30 kids in my room, and most of the boys were extremely type A personalities.  In addition there was a LOT of bullying going on and nothing I said was getting through.

Anyway, that summer I really struggled with whether I was going to, or even should, continue teaching.  After a lot of soul searching, I came to the conclusion that everyone has a rough class; I couldn't let this one class define the rest of my career.

Fast forward to the beginning of one of the BEST years of my career!  I started the year with a new rule in place (and the reason for this post (finally!!)):  Give Me an H.

I had each student "Give me an H" before they left the classroom. They had a choice of "H:" handshake, high-five, or hug.  As they left the first few weeks of school, I stood by the door and initiated the H. After that, the students would search me out. One of them even went out of his way to Give me an H at the grocery store! :)

I told my class that this was my way of saying, "Even if we had a rotten day today, I still care about you and can't wait to see you again tomorrow."  I noticed a shift in the classroom that year, too.  By the end of September, they said goodbye or high-fived each other as they left - not just me!

I didn't do it last year for various reasons, but I am looking forward to implementing it again this year.