Teaching

                                                          I love teaching.
                                                    I specifically love teaching 2nd grade.

The year I spent in Kindergarten is still to be recalled only when I am wrapped up in a comfy blanket and I have a hot drink in my hand. And all the doors are locked. And my own children are in bed. It was that scary.

But 2nd grade is just right. It is perfect. The students are oh-so-sweet and so ready to learn. I fall in love with them and believe they are mine for a whole year. I cried on the last day of school the first two years that I taught. Now I only sniffle since I'm more prepared.

There are so many things to love about teaching that it would take at least 572 more blog posts to describe them all. The fact that I'm someone's hero. The way I can see the "lightbulb" go off when they understand something. The way they react when they see me in public - like I'm a movie star.

The hugs. 2nd Grade hugs are the best.

Before teaching I would have never considered myself a "techy" person at all. In fact, I still don't. But I have come to use and LOVE so many things in my classroom that are considered "techy" that I have to share them. My job is becoming less and less a job and more and more just a place I go to in order to hang out with some cool 2nd graders and have fun.

Meet my laptop and document camera. Her name is Looloo and His name is Elmo. Together they make me very, very happy. I have only had Elmo for 2 years and I still sometimes pet him and whisper sweet things to him. You may mock me now but just wait until you have one of your own!

This is a projector. Not a glamorous job but an essential one nonetheless. Without Eppie here, my life is very dull and gray. If her light doesn't come on, the students and I just slump in our chairs and twiddle our thumbs because we have no life without Eppie.

Now this, this is my Promethean Board and I still sing in the shower songs of praise to my bff Cindy who included me in her grant so that I could have one of my very own. She doesn't know this, but I have pledged myself to her for eternity because of this board. You should see the things the students and I do with this bad Larry. It would take your mind to places it has never gone before. Seriously - that's why I named it Bad Larry. You don't say it like Bad (meaning bad) Larry. You drag it out a little and nod your head slowly saying bad (meaning the coolest thing ever) Larry. He's pleased to meet you.

Some plain old boring computers in the back. (just kidding they're not plain or boring but you all know what those are!).

Now this I-Touch (and one other) are on loan to me right now. My students are having a ball with them. I give them passages to practice reading and then they read with the I-Touch. It records them with that little white magic thing on the bottom of the I-Touch and then it allows them to listen to how fluently they are reading. They love it, I love it and they can't get enough reading time in. I am working on getting them to write class news and things of interest for our school so we can branch out into podcasting. How fun is that!

(P.S. Couldn't I totally be a hand model? I mean, look at those fingertips!)

On each desk in my room, there is a little handheld thingy-majiggy called an ActivExpression. These work with LooLoo and Bad Larry to create such an interactive classroom that it would boggle the president's mind if he ever chose to visit. These things don't just do multiple choice, they do everything.

We can use these to text spelling words and share ideas, answer math questions and put numbers in order. They can instantly show me who answered what and create a graph that allows me to see if the majority of the students have answered the question correctlly. They are sheer awesomeness.

Now this cute little etch-a-sketch looking thing just came to me today. It is something a friend told me to try out (my students love him because he brings the best "toys" they say. I have to agree). It is a slate that works with Bad Larry and it allows me to control the Promethean Board from wherever I am at in the classroom. I can walk around and talk to the students and move things on the board at the same time.

Can you see why teaching is the best job on the planet? I didn't even get into the students and how awesome they are!! That post would blow your pants right off and I would really hate for that to happen, so I'll save student awesomeness for a warmer day!