Story Map Freebie

On my campus we are using story maps to better align with the STARR testing so I created a map introduced to me. There is also a really great video on Brain Pop Jr. under plot that elaborates more on the idea of the story map. Hope you enjoy!

Limeades for Learning

It's that time of year again. If you could please go to Limeades for Learning and vote for my Donor's Choose project. Search by keyword and enter my name "Amber Dumond". I would appreciate any votes that I can get!

Thank you!!!

Help! Calling all Student Behavior Experts!

Ladies (and the occasional gentleman), I need some help. I have spent the last week in hell. There is really no better words for what this week has been.

I feel that a critical problem in my school district is the follow through of discipline. I have just transferred from 1st grade to 3rd grade this year after 3 years on the primary campus. I have grown used to a principal who does not believe in corporal punishment and we have gone through 4 different mash-ups of school wide discipline/management programs. I have watched as year after year the students become rougher and more violent. They are prone to outbursts and are physically harmful to themselves, teachers and other students.

There is one student in particular who I am "blessed" enough to have in my 3rd grade class this year. I have watched him year after year get away with being coddled. The school implemented a behavior improvement plan in the hopes to aspire him to be a better student and to give the teachers some guidelines to follow. So far within the first week of school, I have been screamed at, my personal belongings have been thrown across the classroom and I fear for myself as well as the other students around us. I have gone to the principal and assistant principal every day, sometimes more than once. I have already had one parent conference with another scheduled for Monday and I have already discussed classroom evacuation plans with my other students. The student was sent home from school on the third day of school due to being sent to the office 3 different times throughout the day.

My question is, When is it enough? Is there a point that you just give up on educating a child? How can you teach the other 20 students in my classroom when we are terrified and drowned out by the voice of one student? Is there a classroom management system that works? How enabled is this child by the parent and as a public school district what can we do to protect the other students and teachers from being harmed?

I wonder as educators, what would you recommend in the situation and at what point would you say that enough is enough. I have already asked to have this student removed from my room but none of my requests or suggested changes have been implemented.

What do you suggest? Do you have experience with defiant and belligerent children? What can we do to work on some problems?

Day 1

So Day 1 is now down in the books. You know I have to say it DAY 1 is in all caps. :)

Out of 22 students, only 13 of my student showed up for the first day. That means, they all show up tomorrow or I get all of the new registers tomorrow. Either way tomorrow get to be DAY 1 again for me. :(

I have a decent group this year and not sure what is going to come out of some of them.

We did a student interest survey so I decided to share some answers with you for a first day laugh.

                  In the future, I would like to be....
                                "a Babby"
                                "a Suprehole"       -----no clue what that is?
                                "a mushean that looks like a person"
                                "a roebat"
                                "nothing"
                                "a fire fire"
                                "a superhero"          ----my favorite  :)

                Things I dislike....
                            "chores"
                            "playing"      ----not sure what's up with that kid
                            "june bugs"
                            "sitting"
                            "the Devll"            ----hahahahaha   what kid really puts this
                            "carets"          --------I happen to love these carets. :)

One kid even put that her favorite sport was golf.   What kid really likes golf?

O well maybe I can have some more jewels tomorrow. Hope everyone else had a great day!

Pets in the Classroom Grant (cont.)

So I know I posted about this grant before but I wanted to let everyone know that I did qualify and receive the grant. I received an email last week letting me know that I was approved and I would be getting my coupons in the mail. Very exciting!! So I have to get it cleared with my principal on what kind of pet we are going to get and really talk it up with the kids about responsibility, pet care and all the excitement that comes with it!
I am thinking that a guinea pig would be really cool or maybe some hamsters like that crazy chick from the Target commercial. If nothing else, we will be getting fish, Nemo fish probably since they are my favorite. I did see this really cool one that glowed in the dark though.......this is going to require some serious thought. :)

Any way...check them out if you have not applied yet.

The Quiet Before the Storm

Ahhhhh.....I am ready to take tomorrow as a breath of fresh air before all of the kids come back on Monday. We had open house yesterday and sadly only 7 out of 21 of my new students showed up so we are going to have lots of new faces.......and tons of school supplies to put up Monday morning.

Headed out to stimulate the economy a little bit tomorrow to help celebrate tax free weekend in Texas and to get me some new school clothes. It is too hot to pull out the slacks so I am going to have to find some dressy capris tomorrow. It was still 102 degrees when I was headed home at 7:00 tonight. It is TOO HOT!!

Hope the beginning of the year goes great for everyone. If I find some great deals tomorrow I will give everyone a post but if not.....see you on the first day of school!!

And the Winner is.............

Vintage Teacher!!

Vintage Teacher said...

I follow your blog.


❤Vintage Teacher
Vintage Teacher

August 13, 2011 2:53 PM 

So please email me at adumond@ymail.com with your email address to claim your prize and I will send you your e-gift card!

Giveaway ends tonight!!

Tonight at 9PM central time, my giveaway for a back to school $10 Amazon gift card will end. To enter you can:
1) Follow my blog
2) Post about my giveaway.
3) Check out my wiki.

Leave a comment for each that you do and good luck!

Last Day for my Giveaway!! as well as some more Giveaway info....

The last day for my giveaway of a $10 back to school Amazon.com gift card is tomorrow. I will pick the winner @ 9PM tomorrow night! Please make sure you enter. You have 3 chances. Follow my blog, blog about my giveaway or check out my wiki. Leave a separate comment for everything you do. Hope to get lots of entries tonight and tomorrow.

Also check out Third Grade Meanderings who is giving away a copy of Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind     AND a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Who doesn't need that?

Make sure you check it all out!

Sound Sleeping

Sound Sleeping is a great website that I just discovered. It is supposedly to help you relax and sleep but I am loving it for classroom background noise. You can pick several different sounds with background music or just the relaxing sounds themselves. I can just imagine now setting the scene at the ocean, when camping or during a thunder storm. This has me really excited!