What's not wrong Wednesday!

Ok so I had another crazy busy week and I think the is the perfect opportunity for me to have a positive afternoon.  So here it goes.

Here's what you do...

Right click, save, and repost the above image.  

Think of FIVE fabulous and fantastic things that aren't wrong right now.  

Post on your bloggity blog.  

Link up below!  Simple as that! :) 

Here's my list of what's not wrong...

 

1-Today is my Friday!We have our mid winter break for the rest of the week. Hooray for two days of relaxation of some sort.

2-I got to wear my pajamas to school. I know people are always excited to wear their jeans to school (sorry gals and guys I wear jeans nearly everyday... very relaxed school). For me excitement is getting to wear my pajamas. 

3-We had a half day and it was read across america day. Can you say relaxed! We read, colored, watched a video, had music, read some more, did a little writing, had lunch, read some more, packed up and went home. Oh and throw in a few minutes of turning our tables into one giant fort :) I forgot my camera and was not happy about it. The kiddos all looked so cute! And they had so much fun!

4-I came home and was already in my pajamas to watch the bachelor. My mom stopped by and called me lazy until she realized that this is what I got to wear to school :)

5-I only had 3 minor behavior issues to deal with today! If you knew my class you would know this is a small miracle. (People I send home 6 behavior contracts each day! It's a bit insane.) 

So there you have it. I have had a lovely day and I hope you did too! Now on to blog stalking and maybe some CSI watching. I am not even minding the nasty weather here so much. One of the neighboring districts even had a 1 hour delay today due to snow. Does mother nature not realize that it is nearly March?!

Happy Wednesday!

back from my more than a week hiatus...

I have been gone too long! This last week just got away from me. It was all kinds of crazy.
There was a lot going on and honestly I can't remember what half of it was at this point. I know there was one morning where I had no sub for my full time aid where I was trying to get assessments done with me and 24 students in the classroom (yes they chose that day to ALL come to school...). We had a half day on Wednesday-thank goodness. The school district provided lunch for all staff members-but not until 1pm...which meant that I ate lunch in the staff room all alone because this stomach can't wait 2 hours past it's regular lunch time. Not at all. So I spent the 1pm lunchtime with the staff just chatting. It was lovely. Then I went and cleaned my classroom-and I may have watched the bachelor using my projector in my classroom... Ben is not better looking on that screen just so you know.

Then Friday I went to my hometown (you should know that my hometown is closer to my school than the town I live in now...I know this doesn't make sense but I just really don't want to live in my hometown anymore). Why did I go? To spend my weekend watching Pageants. Yes pageants-like the small town version of Miss America and Miss America's Outstanding Teen. So I spent my Friday night watching girls ages 13-17 perform talents, answer questions, walk around in sparkly dresses and earn money. Let me tell you some of the talent was great but some was AWFUL not so good. The right girl won though. She will be a good representative of the area.
Saturday night was spent watching my younger sister do the same thing except you need to add in some extra dancing and a swimsuit competition. (I could NEVER walk around the stage in a bikini just saying.) My sister placed first runner up! She did awesome and in many peoples minds she should have won. But if we are just talking scholarships and not crowns she actually did win. She did awesome and I was so so proud of her! Last week she was on the radio and I made had the kids listen to her. (they know her since she comes in and helps periodically) Their biggest question- "How did she get into the radio?" Let me tell you this is NOT easy to explain!

Yesterday was all about hanging out with my sister and dad. It was great to just hang out with them and relax for the day.

Today was Science fair/Grandparents day at school. Yes I actually did science in my classroom last week. ( I have seriously been slacking in this department all year-which is embarrassing since my dad is a HS science teacher and my sister teaches at environmental education camps.)I made our class poster this morning before school. It was simple but got the point across. Grandparents day included an hour long musical performance about the alaskan gold rush. I know my kids were bored after about 20 minutes (and honestly so was I and my foot was asleep because I have a little one who refused to sit anywhere besides my lap. Oh and there were so many people packed into our tiny little gym that I wasn't actually sitting on the bleachers I was sitting on the stairs of the bleachers.) When the little girl next to me said, "I can't sit anymore." my response was "why not?" She actually said, "my butt hurts from sitting here." I actually said, "mine does too. It should be over soon though."

And of course I got the, "Miss Bruncke when are you getting married?" question today. I need a more creative answer to this question besides, "I don't know." Any suggestions?

How was your weekend? 

Oh and I have another You know you're a teacher when... You use the term "Bossy E" in everyday conversation when helping someone to spell something.

Have you ever been to a Miss America preliminary pageant?

I have missed you all! 
~Allyce~

A very busy week...

I will keep this post short. It was one super crazy busy week. I mean so busy that I didn't even get to watch the bachelor until yesterday! There was the 100th day, valentines day, a very late night of watching hs basketball, an evening with a friend, and then a night spent on the couch ready for bed at 7:30 (yes friday night).
So with all the love in the air this week my students very favorite new question to ask me is "miss Bruncke when are you going to get married?" the first time it caught me completely off
Guard. We were just sitting on the rug doing a little sharing when sweet little girl decided she really needed to know the answer. (my sister who was there to help for the day found this hilarious especially since this is her favorite question to ask me as well.) my answer was "I don't know." well apparently that wasn't good enough because she asked me again a couple hours later-when my 2high school aids were in the room as well. This time it went like this.
Little one, "when are you going to get married?!"
Me, "I don't know.i answered that question earlier."
Little one, "it's taking you too long to decide!!!"
Me, "sorry."
LO, "well then when are you going to have kids?!?!"
Me (taken completely by surprise):"well that will take even longer."
LO, "well decide already!!!!"

End of conversation. Then they have been taking turns asking the marriage question each day since.

More on my week later just had to share that. Happy 3 day weekend everyone!!!

14 years have flown by...

It has been 14 years today since my grandma passed away. So much has happened in that time yet it seems like yesterday that she was here. I have grown up, graduated high school,went to and graduated college, gotten my first job, moved, made new friends, strengthened friendships I already had, stayed on track to become a teacher just like I said I would, I have watched my sisters grow up, got that puppy I always wanted, bought my first car, and so many other things. I miss my grandma "Woo-Woo" everyday. When I asked the other day where you go to think/relax I was thinking of her. My relaxation/thinking place is the Jetty here on the peninsula-this is where we sprinkled her ashes. I go there to think and to relax and to just sit when I get the chance. So I thought I would share a few pictures.

2 years ago-remembering grandma

My thinking place.

College graduation

Sisters and I last spring.

My grandma (far right) with her sisters...in the same place that the picture of me was taken.

My grandmas. Woo-Woo on the left.

So this post has nothing to do with teaching but I felt like sharing. This is where my mind is-and where it will be. I might have to eat some spaghetti-o's today just for old times sake.

I really can't believe it's been this long.

Hey girl...

I really need to be productive today but so far all I have gotten done is 1/2 a load of laundry (still need to go switch it), almost finished cleaning my bedroom, took a lovely walk along the beach and spent too much time online. So here are some great hey girls that made me feel better today. Hope they make your day just that much better.

You know you are a teacher when...

So I know it's 2 posts in one day but I just had to link up. So here it goes. Jeannie at Kindergarten Lifestyle is hosting a linky party all about the things that only teachers truly understand. I loved reading everyone elses. And I kept coming up with more. So here are a few...sorry had to pause and go make one more.

I just love a good linky party! 
Hope you enjoy this linky party as much as I did!  
Now I think I need to go find the pinterest board that they turned it into.
~Allyce~
 

what a crazy week!

So life has been a bit crazy here this week I don't feel like I had a chance to slow down, until now.
Monday I taught all day then came back to town only to go to the high school basketball game and run the concession stand. (It's a small town-high school basketball is our entertainment.) I got home and watched some very funny youtube videos. Oh and read some HILARIOUS autocorrects online.
Tuesday I had so much to do before I could be gone on Wednesday. My room was a disaster and so were my kids. I thought just maybe that if I told them I was going to be gone then the sub wouldn't have tears on Wednesday-well instead I got tears from one little guy ALL DAY on Tuesday! It was AWFUL!
Wednesday was AMAZING! I had the opportunity to go back to the school where I did my student teaching to observe their Kindergarten teachers. They teach half day-I teach full day. But they get so much done in that time! And they don't have that hour of afternoon time when the kids are too tired and canky to get anything done. I brought back some awesome ideas for Valentine's day. Which I did! and my kiddos loved it. While at the school on Wednesday I got to visit with my mentor teacher from my student teaching which was FANTASTIC! She was talking about her new behavior system that she had started on Monday and that she had found it on TPT. She was talking about how much it was helping. (Note: I have been SO SO SO frustrated with the color thing and it not working with my kids.) Then after leaving the school I went back to college to talk to this years seniors in the program I graduated from in May. It was great! I got to tell them that getting a job was possible and even got to mention that there are going to be openings in my district :) And it was FABULOUS to get to visit a little bit with 7 of my friends from my cohort that have also gotten jobs. Talking teaching is always fun for me!

Thursday I got to school-and the kids walked in the door tattling, running, pushing, not following directions. (I had already planned to start the new behavior system on Monday-and I had already printed it out) Before recess I sat them all down and said, "Don't talk, just sit on the rug close your eyes and imagine the things that you are hearing in this story." And I proceeded to read the story that came with the download. (if you want to find the download visit Kathleen at http://growingkinders.blogspot.com/ ) They got the story they helped me sort the monster behavior cards to above, below and bottom line. And I took down the color chart and replaced it with our monsters and lines.

THEY ARE SO MUCH BETTER! This system is so much easier to use! I LOVE IT! All I have to say to the kids is "That is below the line." or "What great above the line behavior!" And they get it! If they can't fix their behavior after 2 warnings they have to go sit somewhere else to think about how to put their behavior back above the line.
Did I mention that I LOVE THIS SYSTEM! I did add that if a student can go 5 days with absolutely NO below the line behaviors they are going to get a "self-manager" badge. This means that they will get to head to recess without waiting in line, go to the bathroom when they need to without having to wait, help me when I need things to be taken to the office, etc. I talked about this yesterday afternoon and one of my little lovelies (who was actually the one that put me over the edge and got me to start this on Thursday) said, "YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! I would have been good!" My response, "Well ______ now you know and you can try next week."

Friday went great with kids trying hard to stay above the line.

I am just going to say that my professional day of observations DEFINITELY paid off!

Here is my question for this post: What kind of behavior system do you have in place in your classroom? Are you happy with it?

Enjoy your weekend! I will be spending my sunday cleaning, making valentines for my kiddos, planning my 100th day and valentines day activities (they fall on Monday and Tuesday-UGH).

~Allyce~

currently and loving!

Ok no extra notes tonight. I am just going to go for it and post my two linky's. I did Farley's Currently for February and Kimberly's Loving. So without further ado here they are.

Have a great week!
For the record I did finally go to the Dr yesterday after waking up with an ear infection. Should be interesting to teach tomorrow with one clogged up ear and an uncooperative voice...
Have a Marvelous Monday!

~Allyce~

I gave in...

I sent my principal a text at 2:45am requesting a sub for today. I then spent the next hour writing sub plans. I hope that they make sense to whoever the sub is...
I am now sitting here watching the bachelor. Why do I do this? Because I now have to see how it turns out-darn it!

I also need to come up with something to do for groundhogs day tomorrow while I am sitting on the couch today...

Oh and sorry for all the typos in my previous post! I usually catch those but not this time. I even had a discussion with my principal yesterday about typos after she had to reprint the weekly parent newsletter after putting the wrong date for our snow makeup day.

Question for you all: Do you do anything in your classroom to celebrate Presidents Day?

Question 2: What is the process in your district to request a sub? Since I know most of you don't just send the principal a text in the middle of the night.