Blog – Page 20

My Favorite Olympic Moment

July 28, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 2 Comments

Who watched the Opening Ceremonies last night? Oh my word. I know it was a bit quirky (which is why I loved it so much) so it might not have been everyone’s cup of tea — but the lighting of the Olympic flame took my breath away. It also might have caused a minor rainstorm on my face, but we’ve covered my propensity to cry at such things previously!

Every two years the Olympics rolls around and for two weeks I am on cloud nine. Really, it’s true! There is something about the coming together of hundreds of nations for a common event — largely without any negativity — that moves me in ways I’m ill-equipped to express. While I know not everyone is as dedicated as I am to the Olympics, I know that we all very likely have one (or two or five) Olympic moments that stand out in our minds and truly touch us!

For me, this is it.

I was ten years old during the 1996 games, and believe it or not, I had Olympic aspirations of my own. I was a competitive swimmer, and the early morning workouts in the pool often had me day-dreaming about my own gold medal moment during those tedious laps. I didn’t have the “swimmer body” and I had an ankle injury that plagued me (and even still does), but I had the heart.

I watched the Magnificent Seven in complete awe of their grace and composure. In many ways, they were the first peer role models that I had. They represented the best of us, and Kerri Strug did so especially. I’ll never forget how my heart sank when she injured herself on vault, and then the rapid beat of my heart as she did another one — only to land on one foot and secure the gold.

That moment has always stuck with me, and honestly, when I feel like I’m “down for the count” in any aspect of my life, the image of Kerri sticking that landing against all odds pops into my head. I definitely thought of it as I was limping along mile 12 of my half-marathon, wondering if I could possibly make it another mile and a tenth to the finish — and finish I did!

I plan on sharing this and other inspiring Olympic moments with my students, as they are powerful real-world reminders of what happens when you believe in yourself and your ability to succeed and never, ever give up!

With the London Olympics upon us, I thought it would be awesome to reflect on our favorite Olympic moments! Grab the button below and link up! I look forward to reading (and hopefully seeing) your favorite Olympic moments!

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Check!

July 26, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 17 Comments

Another project off my “to-do” list! I’m steadily making some progress, which is good, because I have less than a month to go!

I had pinned this a million years ago from Mel D. at Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations and kept coming back to it. As I would go on my “errands” and see things that would be perfect for a traditional treasure box in the Dollar Spot or bargain aisle, I kept trying to decide what I wanted to do in terms of rewards in my classroom.

During my student teaching, I tried both approaches. I used a treasure box in one placement, and rewards like these in the other. The kids responded the most positively to the rewards that, I felt, meant something. That’s not to say treasure boxes aren’t valuable or important if that’s what works for your classroom — I think it’s important to do what works for you and your students! These kiddos, however, really liked the additional classroom privileges and duties that they could earn.

I’ve been brainstorming for a few weeks now — off and on — what rewards I could possibly implement. I came up with 12 to start with, knowing that I’ll likely tweak them once I get to know my kiddos and what they value the most:

The reward I’m most excited about my students earning and redeeming is definitely the “be an expert” reward. I look forward to collaborating with students on a mini-lesson that they’ll teach to their peers… I definitely think that will be a big hit and something valued by all my kiddos!

This system is within my “Be Oz-Some” behavior plan, so of course I had to make a label to that effect! I’m planning on creating a quick log for me to check off what reward a student chooses, and then write when they redeem it — that way I have some data about what’s working and what isn’t.

I would love for you to head on over and pick these up for FREE in my TPT store if you think they would be useful in your classroom! Not every reward will fit your style or classroom system, but I hope that a few will — and of course, there’s two labels to choose from too. (When I create my reward log, I’ll post that as a Google Doc freebie as well.)

All You Ever Need to Know!

July 26, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 15 Comments

I have absolutely loved reading everyone’s posts from Amy Lemon’s linky party this week — it’s a window into your world and what makes you the person (and thus teacher!) you are. With several projects in the pipeline but still incomplete, I thought it would be fun to participate!

The setup of our living room on election night, 2008 — it was a big deal!

1. I did not set out to become a teacher — I actually set out to work in politics and the world of international diplomacy. Yep, quite a different world indeed! I’ve been a political/government/law nerd since I can remember; as a kid, I used to write mock speeches that I thought the current President or House Speaker should give. No, really. That’s just how much of a nerd I was (and let’s face it, still am)!

The National Zoo is one of my favorite places to take my camera.

2. Even after straying from politics/international relations, I still didn’t follow that little nagging voice that told me I needed to teach. Instead, I went to art school in New York City for photography. Like politics, I’ve always had a love of art — especially photography. There’s something about catching a single moment in time and freezing it forever that just sticks with you.

I was so exhausted — all I wanted was a banana and some Gatorade!

3. Despite struggling with a debilitating ankle injury my entire life (as well as being overweight), I decided to embrace life as if I didn’t have any limitations. And something really amazing happened — I became a runner. I run very, very very slowly, but I do it nonetheless. Last November, I completed my first half-marathon… despite a completely reconstructed ankle and every doctor I’ve ever had telling me it’d be impossible! What gave me confidence that I could do the marathon was this, which leads me to number four:

Underneath all that mud were some pretty cut-up feet and legs!

4. I love being barefoot. I own a pair of Vibrams, and live in them when I’m not totally barefoot. The picture above is what was the result of me completing a Marine Corps mudrace — only the second event I ever did as a runner. I started out wearing shoes but lost them in the second mudpit, which left me with 2+ miles on rocky terrain with the most difficult obstacles to overcome. I either had to do it barefoot, or I had to DNF the race, which I just could not bring myself to do! It’s a really good thing my feet are tough from all the years of me being barefoot willingly!

William was Woody this past Halloween! Thank goodness for play pajamas!

5. I love all things Disney, and cannot wait for us to be able to take William to Disney World! Both Mr. Plum and I will willingly watch most any Disney movie — especially Pixar. Our little guy has taken after us, so much so that if you quote most of the movies he’ll tell you which one you’re quoting! His current favorite is Monster’s Inc., but that rotates between Up!, Finding Nemo, and Incredibles quite regularly. (He’s also very, very into the Muppets.)

So there’s a few fun facts about me! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a “Discovery” poster — I picked up mine from Costco this afternoon and will hopefully be sharing it tomorrow!