SMART Parent Night was AWESOME!

Here is just a tidbit of what we shared with parents about our collaboration...

The benefits of a collaborative teaching team:

Collaboration in teaching is an up and coming practice that encourages teachers to work together to provide students extra support as they learn. It is the idea that “two is better than one”. Many educators “plan” together which typically means they teach the same themes or curriculum around the same time. Mrs. Weyher and Mrs. Parrott have done that for years but in all honesty, that is surface collaboration. How does that help a teacher to change and grow or evaluate his/her practice? True collaboration is working together for a common goal. Deep collaboration is a step beyond that, where teachers challenge each other to improve how they teach through a combined effort. J

How do students benefit?

~ They have two teachers who work together to support students in both classes.

~ They become flexible learners because they are taught by more than one person, sometimes using different methods or approaches.

~ They establish and build friendships that support them now and in the future.

~ They learn how to work in collaborative groups to complete projects throughout the year.

~ They have two teachers who love them and if one of us is absent, they know their “other” teacher is just down the hall.

~ They become comfortable speaking in front of a large group (40+) of students which boosts their self-confidence in all areas!

~ They will be placed in a small “flexible” groups according to their specific reading skill level where they will receive direct instruction. *Flexible meaning as the skill level changes, they will move to another group. J

When you collaborate with another teacher who you trust and respect beyond words, the result is student success beyond your wildest dreams... and teaching growth that surpasses all expectations! We are blessed to do life together as teachers and friends!

SMART Parent Night...coming soon!

Kelly and I are excited to offer the first ever "SMART Parent Night" on September 29th. It will begin at 5:45pm and last until 6:25pm. We are looking forward to sharing our vision for education and our combined love for teaching with the parents of both classes. We will demonstrate our morning message, used daily. We will have clips of students from last year and this year, involved in various literacy learning activities. Our field trip video (5 mins long) from last year will be shown to show collaboration across the curriculum and how we use vocabulary to teach all subjects. We plan to discuss our plans for Our SMART Community and answer any questions parents have regarding our approach to teaching in tandem. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present our ideas to parents to further involve them in their child's education!

We teach to inspire... children, parents, our peers and each other.

I can't imagine doing anything else!

Back To Kindergarten... SMART Community is in full swing!

Kindergarten is in full swing! We began our SMART Community on the first day of school this year. Our students are AMAZING! They are already reading several sight words and using them in oral sentences. It is so cool! Today, we started Word Wall Necklaces and Vocabulary of the Day. Kelly and I are so excited to see what this year will bring with our new students. Teaching together is the most natural thing we have ever done and our students are benefiting in so many ways already! We are currently in the middle of Literacy First Assessments  and then we are going to flex group our students in small groups. It is going to be a whole new type of community intervention and collaboration! WOOT!!!!!

Where did Felix go in France!?

We traveled in the Chunnel on the Euro Star and Felix thought it was REALLY cool!

Felix came with us on the Big Bus Tour of Paris! He was very hot so he stayed in the shade!

Felix saw the Eiffel Tower!

Felix went with us to the top of the Arc de Triomphe! We saw the Eiffel Tower from there!

Felix saw Notre Dome!

Felix went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa!

Felix visited the Eiffel Tower!

Felix went to the Palace of Versailles!

 

Felix went everywhere in Paris with us!

There is so much to reflect on...

It would be impossible to sit, reflect and write about the entire trip in just one entry. Guess what? I am not even going to try... I think I will begin with all the things I learned during our adventure. :0)

It is funny, really, but it is hard to plan just what you will gain, learn and understand from an experience you have never had. Most people ask, "What was your favorite part?" It is the hardest question of all because it is hard to pick just one thing. The truth is, I embraced the culture... from the people, to the language to the food. It isn't America and you can't expect it to be. That is the true beauty of foreign travel...learning to live and appreciate somewhere besides your own home.

So, what did I learn...

~Less is more... in relation to luggage, clothes, stuff, etc but not in relation to $... you will need a lot of $$ if you travel in Europe. I am beyond thankful that I only took a backpack and a carry on. I would never have made it otherwise. Thanks Marla for REQUIRING that of me! :)

~You need to REALLY live in the moment, embrace all of the differences instead of trying to "fix" them or work around them. I am one crazy ironing woman (for those folks who don't know me well) and we had access to an iron for 4 of 17 days. Guess what? IT WAS ALL GOOD!!!! I truly just went with it! You smile and spray some wrinkle release...Life is GOOD! Why spend time complaining about it... it is so not important.

~England is tidy, BUSY, SO much traffic, beautiful, full of history, it is a mix of old and new, loved the pubs with fish and chips (I had that 3 times), Harrod's is huge, afternoon tea was a dream come true for me, the underground is overwhelming at first but really not so bad, loved the open bus tour, Big Ben is not by the Tower Bridge... I so thought it was, everything is "brilliant"... this word is used often to describe everything wonderful, you should try hot tea with milk... it is very British! Most of all, I learned that there is so much to see in 5 days in England that you can't possibly see it all so choose carefully. Go to Windsor Castle...it is so beautiful and I loved watching Changing of the Guard without the HUGE crowds. Travel the English countryside... it is like a storybook and so peaceful. If you have an extra day, visit Bath. It looks like a postcard. It is neat to see the Roman Bath and there are many cute little shops to enjoy. England really is BRILLIANT! :)

~France is full of amazing monuments, churches and experiences. Look past the dirty streets and find the beauty of the city! I can't lie... the Metro (subway) scared me silly. The people are not as posh as you think so just be yourself and they are really quite charming. Be sure to stop at a cafe`... my favorite was right across from Sainte Chapelle. We did the Open Bus Tour in Paris too... so worth it and a GREAT way to see all the highlights. The Louvre is totally huge... which I had heard but no really... IT IS HUGE! Pick your favorites and see those or you will spend 5 days there! The Eiffel Tower is beautiful... I think even more magical from far away. Don't hesitate to try as many sweet treats as you can... you will walk off the calories! My favorite treat was a waffle with dark chocolate on top AND chocolate mousse. Both were amazing! My highlight of Paris was hands down, the Arc de Triomphe. I climbed all 284 stairs without complaining... um, that is why I trained for this trip by walking at least 12 miles a week before going. GREAT plan and I highly recommend it! :)

~Germany is a breath of fresh air. It is incredibly beautiful, pristine, friendly and welcoming. The people are precious and helpful. We did 3 tours while in Germany and all were wonderful! We did the Dachau Memorial Tour... very heavy but so meaningful and educational. I learned a ton and I thought I already knew a lot. Castle tour was fabulous! We met a fun travel buddy named Jon who made our day a lot of fun! :) The scenery on the way was just amazing... mountains, huge trees and postcard cottages! It was breath-taking! We traveled on the Autobahn which was a complete surprise and it was TOTALLY AWESOME! I think I need my own BMW to drive next time! On our final day, we traveled by train to Salzburg, Austria. It is a beautiful place as well. We learned about history from our witty tour guide, Ian. We had lunch at Demel... a fabulous chocolate cafe`! I tried several German dishes, including pork sausages in sauerkraut. I am not a sausage girl but what Mom always said is TRUE... you don't know if you like or don't until you try it! I loved it!!! Lots of pretzels... of many shapes, sizes and a variety of different toppings can be found all over Germany. We visited a German school while there and learned so much about their approach to education... so different from the US. PS... in first grade, students still have and hour and a half of recess!!!! Hum... I would take just a third of that for my students! :)

So... what was my favorite thing? This is really not such a tough question after all. Annette Langen... meeting my favorite author and creating a lifetime friendship with her was, without question, the most meaningful part of my journey. It was a magical day, full of delightful and heartfelt conversation. I loved it! :)

I am so thankful for all of the learning experiences, personal experiences and eye-opening moments of this adventure. Fund For Teachers made all of this possible and I will always be so grateful.

Our last moments in Germany...

Just to give you perspective, it is right now, 11:00PM in Tulsa. It is 6:00am in Munich and we are up preparing for our longest travel day in history! We will arrive home tonight at about 7pm Tulsa time. It will be a long 20 hours but so worth it! I have so many more blogs to write about this trip. Our last few days have been filled with incredible adventures to a Kinderhaus and Primary School in Munich, an 11 hour journey across Germany to see 2 beautiful castles and a day trip to Salzburg yesterday.

I can say, without question, that we have met some of the most amazing people on this adventure which adds character and joy to all of our memories. I have huge plans for all we have learned... lots of new and engaging curriculum for students and a new sense of where we live as compared to where we have visited. Our experiences across Europe will not be forgotten and I will have several more blogs about specifics like our visit to the school, etc.

Just to hold to you over... here are a few of the things we captured over the last 3 days.

Some things are the same, even across the world. :)

Germany is beautiful!!!!! :)

See you ALL soon!!!!!!!

Heavy day... but one I wouldn't trade.

We have arrived in Germany! What a BEAUTIFUL country it is! It is clean, feels very safe and there are so many kind people here. Yesterday was a travel day. They are exhausting so we don't plan much on those days. We did spend some time in "Old Town" and ate traditional German food, well... I did. Kelly had penne pasta with tomato sauce! :)

Today, we did something I have always wanted to do. We took an in-depth tour of the memorial site at Dachau Concentration Camp. It was so heavy, deep, horrifying, sad, overwhelming, disturbing and a day of learning. I am so glad I went. If we choose to forget or pretend this part of history did not exist then we disregard the memory of so many people who died in these camps. We have to remember so we ensure this type of terror NEVER happens again. Our tour guide was simply amazing. I HIGHLY recommend going with a tour if you ever have the opportunity because they have more information than you could imagine. They present the information in a direct and informative way. I did take many pictures but I will not post them here. I do not feel it is appropriate but if you want to see them, I would be glad to show you personally and talk to you about our experience. I was so moved today and deeply disturbed at the disregard for human life. It was a day I will never forget. It made me see so many things through a different lens. You might think you couldn't handle it or would never want to go but think for a minute of the people who survived this horror and those who did not. Think of all they endured as humans, shouldn't we learn about this time and the people who suffered so we will not allow this to happen in the future? My worse day doesn't even compare to one minute experienced by the victims at Dachau or any camp. That is all I've got for now... a lighter blog will soon be on the way!