It Takes Two to Plan

Mrs. Wongtastic and I are trying out a new planning method this year with www.planbook.com
Now, I must give her all the credit because she is the one who found this wonderful website back in September when we were racking our brains for a system or a program to be able to plan together.

Here is what the website looks like.

We tried the physical planbook (the free one from Lakeshore that every teacher has) but it was too time consuming for us to copy down the same plans twice (since we're co-teachers sharing a room) and hard to know when one of us added or changed plans.

We ALSO tried google calendar. We created a separate calendar for
our classroom plans and shared it with one another. The perks of google calendar was that we could add, drop, and modify plans and both have access to it. It worked great for a year then we wanted more options than google calendar was giving us on their basic calendar format.

That's when Mrs. Wongtastic went on a internet search journey to find an existing online planning program for teachers that would allow us to have one account and both have access to add, drop, and modify one set of plans. I guess we aren't the first ones who wanted such a program because it already existed!

We have been using planbook since September and I must say that it is pretty amazing and makes our lives as co-teachers so much easier! I love the simplicity of it and how it really is like those physical planbooks you write your week's plans in except, it's online, it's able to be shared with a co-teacher, anddd it's cheap! Only $12 for a year.
If you split it with your co-teacher that's only $6 which is around the price of a physical planbook, anyways.

So if physical planbooks are not working for you, check out www.planbook.com!
Your first month is FREE! :)

Keep Calm and...

Third Grade On!!!

I just wanted to write a quick post to share with you the cutest t-shirts we semi designed and ordered for the entire third grade. I say semi designed because although the slogan was my idea, it was Elisa from T-House Inc who put it on a t-shirt template and added a cute pencil on top! T-House Inc is located in Philadelphia. The cost was VERY reasonable and the tees arrived at our school in a very timely manner!

Every year in June, the whole school participates in Field Day where each grade wears the same color T-shirts and get to play various outdoor games and sports.
These t-shirts will be PERFECT for field day and we also decided to wear these shirts on all the third grade field trips this year!

We are really happy with how our t-shirts came out so I just wanted give Elisa a shout out here. If you're interested in ordering some t-shirts for your class... organization... etc, shoot Elisa an email at elisa@teehouseprint.com. 

I hope that our t-shirts this year inspires you to make some too!

Feel free to use our slogan as well. I thought it was pretty genius until I googled it and realized others have already come up with the slogan....

Keeping calm....
Ms. Kimpop

Co-Teaching Marriage Do's

As many of you know, I am happily married to a co-teacher, Mrs. Wongtastic (formally referred to as Ms. Phantastic). This school year is our 4th year together and I can say that our co-teaching marriage is one that continues to grow and prosper with every school year! I think the reason why we work so well together is one, our personalities seem to be naturally very compatible with one another. In every sense, we are like a married couple. Mrs. Wongtastic is stronger in a lot of my weaker areas and we truly do respect one another in our classroom or shall I say marriage? Haha. 

Not sure how many of my readers are co-teachers or know someone who is co-teaching but here are some do's in a co-teaching marriage (all based on my own experience and relationship of course!).

Do's

1) Do respect the other person.

Mrs. Wongtastic and I do get along but a lot of the getting along happens as we mutually respect one another and see each other as professionals. I completely respect my co-teacher and see her as an individual always growing and trying to better herself as an educator. A lot of my own inspiration comes from her!

2) Do share the workload!

Mrs. Wongtastic and I completely share everything we have to do in our classroom from grading, organizing, preparing, and teaching. I don't think one has MORE responsibilities over the other. We make sure that we share all responsibilities and it makes our life so much easier. For example, if we have tons of papers to grade we might split it in half. If I have to write up an I.E.P. (an individualized educational plan) for one of our students receiving special education services, Mrs. Wong will do something else that I had to do like booking a trip. 

3) Do refer to everything as "OURS" instead of "MINE"

Whenever one of us is leading a lesson, we make sure that we ALWAYS address everything as OURS and include the other person. For example, I rarely use "I was thinking..." instead I always say, "Mrs. Wong and I were thinking", instead of saying "I am really happy about the writing assignments" I will say, "We are so happy about the writing assignments". It's something so small but it makes a HUGE difference in creating a collaborative atmosphere in our classroom. 

4) Do show your appreciation for the other person

In our busy schedules, Mrs. Wongtastic and I will find little ways to show each other that we're appreciative of the other person from buying the other person a cup of coffee or something sweet to eat, or doing something the other was suppose to do as a surprise of even just bringing in something to share to eat at lunch. 

5) Do find humor in the classroom

Mrs. Wongtastic and I are often laughing in the room whether it's because of something ridiculous that has occurred or an inside joke that we share. Sometimes there is nothing else you can do but just simply laugh. 

This entry is pretty similar to one of my earliest entries on my blog,

HOW TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN A HAPPY CO-TEACHING MARRIAGE

if you're interested in reading some more on co-teaching marriages. :)

I'll be back with some DON'TS in the near future!

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

XOXO,

Ms. Kimpop

Surviving Testing Season 101

If you are a parent or a teacher of a child in grade 3 or above, you know what season it is...
that's right.... it's officially TESTING season.

My kiddies will be taking their New York State English Language Arts exam this week.
April 16th,17th, and 18th to be exact and the following week,
they will take the New York State Math exam.
These tests are designed to measure student progress from this school year. The exams are long and especially challenging this year because it will follow the new common core state standards.

Testing season can be stressful for teachers, parents, and students a like.
Today, I'd like to share some helpful tips on easing test anxiety.

If you or your child is anxious or nervous about the upcoming tests, here are a few pointers to help you (& your child) feel at ease.

Testing Survival Tips 101

1) If you're a parent, please try to calm your own worries before you try to help your child. If you look or act worried, the child will pick up on it and become worried as well. 

2) Remind your child that he/she has been doing a great job so far and this test is no different than the other test they have taken this year. 

3) Remind the students to just simply try their best because that's what counts!

4) The day before the test, have your child do something outdoors or do a  fun arts and crafts activity at home with you. Please don't try to cram in any last minute studying!

5) On the day of the test, make sure your child eats breakfast! Carbs & protein! 

Lastly, remember that although these are state exams it's just a test.
Most students do just fine on these exams.
If there was anything to worry about, your child's teacher would have let you know early on so that remedial help could be offered to your child.

I hope that these tips give you some peace of mind.
Now, let us be CALM & SURVIVE on~!

Love,
Ms. Kimpop