Stop Bullying! A Bug and a Wish

Bullying and teasing...both words just bring dread.  Unfortunately, it seems that students have to deal with both more than anyone should have to.  I always begin my year by discussing both of these topics with my students.

As teachers, we all want to put a stop to bullying and teasing before they even begin.

This book deals with both of these topics.

Karen Scheuer is a 2nd grade teacher who knows firsthand how bullying and teasing have been increasing over the last several years.  She decided to write a book to address both of these.

In this wonderfully illustrated tale, a little boy named Tyler is teased by the other boys. His good friend Danae encourages him to give the boys a bug and a wish. What could she possibly mean? When Tyler finds a ladybug and a dandelion seed, he thinks that this is what Danae was talking about. As Danae helps Tyler learn the true meaning of her advice, Tyler finally understands the solution to his problem and hopes that  there will be NO MORE BULLYING!

This book is great to have in your classroom to use in your classroom to read to your students.

 Get your own copy here.

Please help spread the word about this book by pinning, sharing the Facebook post, and tagging your friends.  Let's help get the word out about this book.  It's time to stop bullying and teasing.  

Helping do my part to make school a fun and safe place for our students is just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Settling into a NEW (and I Mean EVERYTHING NEW) School Year!!!

It is just the beginning of September, and we have already finished 4 1/2 weeks of school.  That's CRAZY, isn't it???  Midterm progress reports will be sent out this week... WHEW!!!!

It has been a busy, stressful, and overwhelming beginning this year.  In fact, in 27 years of teaching, I don't believe I have ever felt this bad.  

We have new math and new reading series.  Those are the only 2 subjects I teach, so I have been spending 12-14 hours A DAY teaching and preparing.  Thank goodness that I'm finally feeling like I'm getting the feel of how it's working and what I need to tweak and add for my students. Things are (hopefully) falling into place.

In addition, we have a brand-new teacher evaluation system in the state of Georgia.  It no longer matters if you are a teacher of 27 years or a brand-new first-year teacher; the evaluation process is the same and is MASSIVE.  I just "might" be one of those overachiever teachers, so this is adding to my stress level, too!

Just know that if you are out there feeling like the beginning of the year is stressing you to the max, you are NOT alone!  It happens to the best of us!!!  :-)

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's move on to bigger and better things.

Did you know that I have started a new monthly newsletter?

It's filled with pictures, samples, ideas for your classroom, a freebie, and much more!

I am really excited about it.  It's the only way I could think of to make sure that I'm connecting with the people who read my blog, follow me on Facebook, and/or follow me on TPT.  If you are interested in receiving this and haven't signed up, just send an email to cvautrot26@gmail.com, and I'll add you to the mailing list.

Here's a little part of what I included for the month of September:

I have a review section each month to show you how I use one of my products in my own classroom.  This month highlights my daily math spirals for 2nd and 4th grades.  I even include a sample month for you to try it out for FREE!

I mentioned above about our new reading series and also the new teacher evaluation system.  Our new reading series is Wonders by McGraw Hill, and I am LOVING it!  It's massive and a little overwhelming (especially when there has been NO training), but I am beginning to get it figured out and finding what works best for my class. 

Part of the evaluation system is having our standards and other evidence of what we are learning posted.  I made this focus wall to highlight the weekly skills and strategies.  The "I Wonder..." is my little play on words of the name of the series.

It doesn't matter what reading series you use. If you would like these headers, click here to download them for FREE.

I enjoy learning; I really do.  I strive to be a lifelong learner and love learning new things.  However, more than I enjoy learning, I LOVE sharing what I've learned with others.  That's what I'm all about.

That's just...