I Know It's Been A While...but How About A Five 4 Friday??

Time to link up for my favorite linky: Five 4 Friday with Doodle Bugs.

I guess I have been on a small blogging hiatus.  I have no excuses.  But I'm back!!  Since it has been a few weeks, I will have to take some steps back and choose 5 things from the weeks I went MIA. So here we go.

What is this you ask?  Well, my friends, this is how TX does summer professional development.  This teacher's conference is from CAMT (Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching).  And guess who's been invited to go this summer?  THIS GIRL, that's who!!  Last week, our K-2 Curriculum Specialist popped her head in my room and asked me to join her this summer for a 3 day conference held up in Ft. Worth.  She said the district allowed her to pick someone to join her and she thought of little ole' me!!  I am so excited and can't wait to learn some great Math stuff to share with my team and probably my district.   Yikes!  Me in front of a group of adults does not work the same way me in front of 7 year olds.  Check out the video to find out why I'm so excited.

Hmmm...what are we about to do??

 Last week, Mrs. Newton & I planned another fun activity that took us out into the beautiful TX Spring weather.  We were working on telling time to the minute and the kiddos seemed to be struggling so this was just what some of them needed to create that episodic lesson.

We made a human clock!!  It was such a blast watching them really think about how to count the minutes.

Beautiful sunshine, Spring weather, outdoor activities.  What do these mean for our yearly favorite classroom visitors?  They are here!!

These 5 beauties were delivered on Wednesday.  Just in time to focus our Science lessons on the life cycle of an insect.  Now take a look at what has happened in just 1 week:

This week the yearly visitor we do NOT look forward to made it's appearance: STAAR test.  That would be the "great and powerful" way TX tests it's students.  This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to administer this beast to a very special friend that had a few modifications.  Oh-em-gee!!  I did not know how broken my heart would be when I walked out of the building that day.  I posted on FB that I would like to challenge any government official assigned to state testing to sit in that "cracker box" of a room like I did and repeat over and over and over these words: "I cannot help you with that answer, just do your best" to a screaming child that was just asking for an explanation of an unfamiliar term.  He cried and screamed and I could not do a thing!! Ugh.  Some day our schools will get away from that ugly monster.  At least I hope and dream of that day.

And finally ---- I saved the best for last!   I was asked to be the Team Leader for my grade level in the upcoming year!!  I love, love, love the ladies I work with and our current team leader is a wonderful role model.  I am so honored to have been asked to try and fill her shoes.  I have been in this position in my previous schools and am excited to work with a new team of inspirational teachers.  We are going to be so awesome!!

Unfortunately, this change means a move to another classroom so I guess I'll be spending some extra time during the summer setting up a new room.  It's still so exciting!!

Well -- that should catch ya up a little bit.  Be sure to head on over to link up and read some other great blogs.