family

Five for Friday (And it’s actually Friday!)

February 20, 2015 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 2 Comments

Y’all… can you believe I’m actually posting, and I’m posting a Five for Friday ON Friday no less?! The stars have aligned! Or I was gifted a “cold” day today. Either works as an explanation.

Henry, enjoying a bowl full of snow!

Many of you have been on winter break, which initially I was jealous about. Mother Nature apparently does not like to disappoint me, as she gave us enough snow and a cold front so that we only went to school for 4.5 hours this week! I love love love winter — but only when there is snow on the ground and I can curl up in front of the fire with my family. This week was especially a blessing because…

While I’m exhausted, I know he won’t want to snuggle me forever! *sniff sniff*

Our entire house has been a walking pharmacy for two weeks. It all started with William (my Kindergartener) and his second stomach bug in a month. THEN I started getting sick, which turned out to be double ear infections (apparently I need tubes) and a sinus infection. Then the littlest, Henry, started getting VERY sick with every symptom under the sun. We’re talking irritability, refusing food and drink, etc. Now he has an ear infection, hives, and he got Mr. Plum sick. So if it weren’t for Mother Nature, Mama would have no sick leave left and a lot less sanity! We are all on the mend now, PTL. Seriously.

Not my picture, but totally making my mouth water right now.

Despite the sickies invading every space in our house, I managed to have an AWESOME day yesterday. I’ve been teaching our PEP – Parents as Educational Partners class to about half a dozen Hispanic parents for the past two months. After school yesterday we held our graduation and had our feast! The parents were SO sweet and brought in some of my favorite foods, including pupusas! If you have never had pupusas you must find a reputable place to purchase them immediately. Do not forget the curtido on top, it’s the best part! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out pupusas here.)

Right after our feast, several colleagues and I drove a half-hour north to the Kennedy Center. I know, right?! On a school night?! Well, luckily in mid-feast we were notified school was called off for today so we DEFINITELY got to enjoy ourselves! We saw Matthias Pintscher conduct the National Symphony Orchestra and perform the North American debut of his concerto, Mar’eh. It was incredible. Seriously, y’all, this was life-changing. It has inspired me BIG TIME to find ways to enrich my students’ lives even further with the arts — I can’t wait to share with you how I’m planning to do that!

Please don’t tell the Kennedy Center that I broke the rules and took a picture. 😛

Now that I’m feeling better I’m catching up on blog posts, e-mails, and my VERY long to-do list for products. I’ve been meaning to play catch-up and get my next word problem pack out LONG before the 1st of the month, so look for March’s “Word Problem for Success” sometime in the next few days… It’s going to be a SUPER fun one, with lots of leprechauns, rainbows, and LOTS of springtime things to get you ready to say bye-bye to old man winter! {You can download February’s sampler, which includes the above pictured visualizing mini-lesson for FREE! Still plenty of time left to celebrate Chinese New Year in your classroom!}

If you made it through ALL of that, I’d love for you to leave a comment with your favorite snow or “cold” day activity and your e-mail — I’ll pick a winner Sunday night to win my March Word Problems for Success pack. You’ll get it before I post it! 🙂

Five for Friday! {RAWR!}

August 8, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 10 Comments

It’s Friday! We’re one week closer to Back-to-School… which the mere mention of gives me anxiety! I’m not ready! I want to soak up more time with my boys, get more things made for my classroom… but that’s how it always is, isn’t it?

How about that Back-to-School sale?! I hope you guys got as great a haul as I did! I have to say that my favorite purchase were Krista Wallden’s dinosaurs… I mean, seriously. Stop. the. world. I bought them not knowing what I was going to use them for and then I heard my two boys “RAWR!”ing at each other. It was then I knew… and this was born!

I am totally on a place value kick right now and I love it. It’s a skill that kiddos need all the time, and I know they are going to beg to place this regularly. I differentiated it so if your kids are working with two-digit numbers but you have some ready for three-digit numbers both needs are met in one game. It’s 50% until tomorrow, which makes it only $1.50! {Leave me a comment with your favorite dinosaur and I’ll pick a winner on Sunday night to get this game!}

My little guy had his Kindergarten screening yesterday and got to meet his prospective teachers. He was so nervous before we went, but then he turned into a totally different kid. We’re talking saying hi to others, using his full name, playing tag, and calling his Nana in New York after we left and speaking to her for almost 10 minutes! I nearly cried because it’s like some little switch was flipped in him. It was SUCH a blessing.

Yesterday I also did my least favorite thing: I went to the dentist. I had to get my first-ever filling {not bad for 28 years old!}. Luckily it wasn’t too painful, but there’s still just something about going to the dentist that is the worst. Here’s to hoping there isn’t another filling in my future!

On Tuesday I went to a fabulous 1/2 day training presented by Yvonne and David Freeman on academic language. I teach almost-exclusively students that speak a language other than English {and next year will have a 100% ESOL class}, so I’m very much immersed in strategies and thinking about teaching through that context. At the training there was a HUGE piece of food for thought that I really think applies to more than just students that come from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Why don’t we make sure our terminology and “labels” highlight what students have rather than what they lack? We do that when we use person-first language, i.e. “student with autism” rather than “autistic student” — but we don’t do it with students from a diverse linguistic background. Instead we frame it as they lack English.

Discussed was the idea that any student that speaks one language and is in process of learning another should be called an “emerging bilingual.” I love this as it places value on what they come with, rather than what they lack (English). This is especially important in settings where two languages are used, because it truly reflects what’s happening! English-speakers are learning another language, speakers of another language are learning English — both are emerging as bilingual students.

Ugh. This is what I’m bracing for as I’m going to bite the bullet and finally head into my room on Monday to start setting up. I’ve put it off long enough. This meme is also totally relevant because before I start living in my classroom again my husband and I are going to finish binge-watching season 4 of Game of Thrones. We’ve watched ALL four seasons of it this summer. We’re totally behind on all TV shows, but that’s life with a 4.5 year old with special needs and a 15-month old!

Five For Friday and a TpT Gift Certificate Giveaway!

August 1, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 5 Comments

Whew — that is a LOOOOOONG title. And I’m going to take a wild guess and say that your favorite part is that teensy-weensy little word “giveaway.” Yes, that’s right, there’s a TpT gift certificate to be had, just in time for the HUGE Back-to-School sale.

But first, it’s Friday, and I’m linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

I have been working like a mad woman this week to finally fulfill all the requests from last school year and get more products up in my TpT store. Let me tell you, PowerPoint has never gotten such a workout! I’m still working on a few, including the debut of my year-long bundle of place value centers {Place Value Through the Year}. Be sure and follow my TpT store because there’s going to be a fan-exclusive freebie released through the “note to followers.”

My sweet, sweet cousin left on Tuesday. {Insert super sad face here.} I had such a wonderful time catching up with her, and I am so so SO happy she finally got to spend some quality time with my boys — including a mini-photo shoot by the river. Family time truly is important, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to soak it up during the summer months.

Speaking of family… my INCREDIBLE {seriously, y’all, they are the best} in-laws have invited us to come to the beach with them and some of our other NY family. The best part about this — other than seeing them after 8 months! — is that the beach is Ocean City, MD! You might remember me talking about it before, but if you don’t, my heart belongs to Ocean City in ways that are hard to express! I look forward to spending my last few days off {we get back and then I immediately have inservice days} in such a beautiful place with those that I love.

I have decided to get rid of my clip-chart! Stop. the. world. I’ve never been a huge fan {for me, personally; I know they work for others and that’s totally okay} of using them in my classroom, but I have had to as a part of grade-level collaboration. This year I’m trying something different, and I cannot wait to share with you what it is. I’m so excited I almost want to spill the beans now… almost. 😉

I am SO excited to be giving away a $10 TpT gift certificate for you to use during the big sale, as well as the first installment of {Place Value Through the Year}, the Back-to-School edition. Enter using the options below, and be sure to share with your friends — that way they can enter, and you can earn more entries for spreading the word! I so look forward to giving one lucky winner some extra spending money to buy those awesome items on their TpT wishlist! Hurry and enter, it’s a quick one — the giveaway ends when the clock strikes 12 on Sunday night!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What Lies in the Middle

July 31, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 3 Comments

I’ve talked before on my blog about my family — my two beautiful boys.

My role as a mother is the most important role I have. It always comes first — day or night, sleep or no sleep. I know that many of you can relate.

But I’m also a teacher. That role is important, too {oh-so important}. It seems to be such a close second to my role as a mother that sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between the two — but it’s there.

This is the year where they both meet. They meet in the middle of that Venn diagram.

Last year, when William turned 4, I remember thinking to myself — “this is it. The countdown to Kindergarten.” Since then, the apprehension and anxiety has slowly built.

How do I let him go? How do I learn to balance Mom and teacher in this new way? How do I live in that tiny space in the middle of that Venn diagram?

In some ways, I already live in that space.

William has some challenges. We are still working to discover what to call those challenges {a diagnosis}, but they’re there. Difficulty relating to others, frequent physical outbursts, difficulty communicating emotions or needs, difficulty transitioning, difficulty focusing on tasks outside of narrow interest areas, difficulty with sensory experiences — including writing and drawing.

Those challenges are where I live in that space now — half feeling the sting of those difficulties as a mother, half trying to lessen them as a teacher.

But soon I’ll share that job with someone else.

And that… that’s going to be hard.

If you’re a parent and you’ve already sent your firstborn off to school, you understand that challenge. If you’re a parent and you’re about to send your firstborn to school or will in the coming years, you may be feeling some anxiety about it, like me.

As a Mom, I don’t have all of the answers. I don’t have a magic piece of advice to help you ease the transition into the space where you share your child so greatly with another human being and relinquish some of that control.

But as a teacher, as a teacher who has been the other half of that equation for 20+ mothers {and fathers, and grandmothers and grandfathers} each year… I can give myself, the mother — now Teacher Mom — a piece of advice.

Trust.

Trust that he/she will love and care for your child when you are not there. Trust that he/she will want the best for them; that they will hurt when he/she hurts, that they will laugh when he/she laughs, that they will feel a deep desire to see your child succeed no matter what.

Trust that whatever difficulties or exceptionalities your child may have he/she will work tirelessly for them. Even, and especially when they are separating themselves from others, or having an outburst; even, and especially when they don’t have words for how they’re feeling; even, and especially when they’re still two tasks behind; even, and especially when they haven’t started.

Trust that they will be there for your child.

It is a leap of faith.

But it’s one worth taking. For you, for your child, for the man or woman that will teach them.

This is the space I am choosing to live in as Rich, William, and I embark on this new experience together. I trust. I trust you, the teacher that will teach him this year. I trust you, the teacher that will teach him next year. And the year after. And the year after.

I trust you.

{I would love for you to share your experiences — as teachers, as mothers and fathers, or both — with trust.}