Sarah Plum

K-5 Resources for Diverse Classrooms

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Let’s talk about…

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1. I make cute kids. I may not be cute, but my kids sure as heck are! See the photographic evidence above.
2. I met my husband (pictured above, with our boys) through a mutual online friend online — in 2004! Before online dating was cool! In true “I’m totally ashamed of how we met” fashion, I hid his existence from my parents for months. But my Mom? She totally knew. Hmph, mothers.
3. I’m a wee bit obsessed with the Wizard of Oz (in case you couldn’t tell). I’m not even sure why, because I didn’t see the move in its entirety until I was adult — I was too afraid of the flying monkeys when I was a kid.
4. I have a touch of OCD (see above “hole-punch guide”) when it comes to organization and decor. My teammates will tell you that I’m not one to farm out my copying, printing, or laminating because everything has to be just so. Like rounded corners, for instance. I have to have them.
5. My youngest son and I were the same number of weeks premature (just about four) and he is totally my  (skinner, because I was a fat-fat-fatty) doppleganger.
6. Bacon. That says it all.
7. I have trouble being on time, even when I leave early. For instance, it’s 1am. “Meet the Teacher” was Monday. It is now Tuesday. Oops!
8. I love laminating. The act of doing it. The act of cutting it. And all the pretty laminated things. Including borders (because I’m just that crazy).
9. I’m pretty sure I could teach second grade forever, as in I have no desire to check out the “greener pastures” in other grades. I love the standards for second grade, and the age is such a good fit for me. I’m pretty sure this means I’ve just sealed my fate of moving at some point, but we’ll see…
10. I refuse to hit “mark all as read” on BlogLovin’. REFUSE. I will read those 500 backlogged posts someday, right? Right? Again, this should be marked under “OCD tendencies.”
I’m not so sure that these were exactly “fun” things about me, but it’s 1am and this is what I got!
Now head on over and link up for Teacher Week at Blog Hoppin’!

My Favorite Olympic Moment

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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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All You Ever Need to Know!

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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!

The Post With the Most Bullet Points

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I need to buy stock in:
  • printer ink
  • lamination pouches
  • cardstock
  • and raisinets (seriously, why are they so delicious?!)
I’ve been a busy-bee around these parts! I’m juggling about a dozen different projects all at once, including one that will be the freebie for all of those that entered my giveaway, as well as my Monday Made It for next week (what? you know you’re doing it too!).
Some of the decor-related items I’m working on:
  • cutting out all of the laminated bulletin board trim (It is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r!)
  • mock-ups of bulletin boards (I’m using my empty classroom photos + photoshop!)
  • nameplates, labels, and other misc. organizational items
Some of the curriculum/management-related items I’m working on:
  • my teacher organizer (I opted to make my own, even though I *really* wanted an Erin Condren planner!)
  • long-rage thematic calendar (Themes! Oh, the themes!)
  • first day of school activities (I’m already nervous!)
  • classroom procedures + implementation w/modeling
  • positive behavior rewards
  • rough-planning of the first three weeks
Some of the books/websites I’m wading through:
  • Daily Five
  • CAFE
  • The Next Step in Guided Reading
  • Whole Brain Teaching
Whew. I’m totally beat just listing all of that! I’ve totally been neglecting Pinterest too, so I have to catch-up on all of my pinning and figure out what my next project is going to be!
I do have a few areas where I could use some support and advice, so:

If anyone could share some good morning meeting resources, or talk about their experience with morning meeting, I would love that! Same goes for experiences with whole brain teaching and how you began implementing that in your classroom!

I’ll leave you with the graduation portrait that just came in of Mr. Plum and I! This was taken within a minute after we were handed our (empty) diplomas; I’m still a bit in shock this moment happened!

(wo)Man Behind The Curtain + FREEBIE!

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Let me start out by saying I am totally and completely floored by the amount of support and interest that’s been generated since I started out this little old blog. I’ve gotten such positive feedback, and cannot overstate how much useful advice has been dispensed to me (FOR FREE! Y’all know I love free!).
Part of that support has come in the support of these three awards:

The rules are pretty much the same for all of them, but the Versatile Blogger Award requires that I give y’all 7 random facts about myself. So, without further delay:
  1. My husband and I both completed the same five-year Bachelor/Master program… together. Yep, we even sat next to each other during our graduation ceremony (talk about emotional) and took our official picture together!
  2. I’m gluten intolerant… which can be a real bummer sometimes! I’m trying to gauge how to deal with this in my own classroom — as far as treats for my kiddos — so we’ll see how it goes. Any fellow gluten-free teachers?
  3. I’m a terrible dancer but I love to dance. It’s really the best, and something I came to love when it was the only thing that would calm my fussy baby-turned-toddler down.
  4. I can trace my roots on my mother’s side back to the Mayflower, and on my father’s side back to Mary Queen of Scots. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.
  5. I’m mildly obsessed with fonts. And by mildly, I mean I can pretty much identify any font by name in under 30 seconds. (Just ask Ginger!)
  6. I’m probably the only elementary teacher that’s not a fan of Skippyjon Jones. At all. (I’m ducking all the rotten tomatoes right now!)
  7. Shopping for school supplies and organizing things is my version of zen. Big-time.
SO — Instead of nominating individual blogs myself, I’d like to have everyone leave a comment linking back to your blog! I love finding new blogs, and I know others do too — so this is a perfect way to put yourself out there and to also find some new bloggers to follow!
I also wanted to share one piece of decor I finished for the classroom today:

This will hang in my classroom during the first week of school (and then outside our door after that). I am so excited to have it finished — it was actually super easy to do!
I know an Oz-themed room is pretty out-of-the-norm, but I know that many teachers utilize it as a book study, or party-theme, etc., and so I’m offering the pennant in my TPT store (in three sizes; the size I chose is the 7.5″ size) for FREE! So head on over and pick it up!
And just another reminder — if you haven’t already — my giveaway closes at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday! Make sure you are entered!