Welcome to the Ordinary to Extraordinary Classroom. Sit back, strap on your seat belt and join me on my roller coaster ride of ups and downs as a Special Education Teacher. Although I teach special education, my ideas and activities accommodate grades Pre-K through 1st/2nd. As we adventure together, I plan to share printables, stimulating activities, and hopefully fresh ideas with you.
Pimp my pumpkin is one of MY favorite fall classroom activities. The students enjoy pumpkin pimping as well. Most, if not all of the students stand around waiting for their turn as they watch their classmates create a whimsical face for the pumpkin.
I purchased these pumpkin pimping accessories from Walmart a few years ago. This build-a-pumpkin set came with a variety of noses, eyes, ears, and mouths. I have yet to see Walmart offer this pimp-my-pumpkin set again. I wish I would have purchased 2 sets because some of the pieces weren't as durable as others.
After the students design their pumpkin...
The printable the student is using was created by Deanna Jump.
So, last week no one linked up. LOL. It's all good. I said it before and I will say it again...
Even if I have to link up with myself, Meet the Teacher Monday is here to stay. This week's topic features some Halloween fun. Real quick, let me lay down the law.
MEET THE TEACHER MONDAY is a weekly linky celebration, dedicated to making and culminating friendships among our tribe of fellow teachers.
Snag the MTTM graphic. Respond to the this week's questions or prompt.
Post your response on your blog.
Return to my blog and link your post.
Visit one or two bloggers ahead of you in the linky, and leave a comment in response to their Meet the Teacher Monday post.
Visit one or two bloggers after you in the linky line-up and leave a comment as well.
And because it's so hard to find time to blog, feel free to post any day of the week, not just Monday.
Well, let's get to it! This or That?
I edited the graphic in Power Point. To indicate my responses I used INSERT SHAPES to create the ovals around my choices
Insert Shapes
Choose oval and then create the shape
Select shape options.
Choose no fill & solid line
Customize the outline to your specifications
Now...you!
Don't forget to link up BELOW. CLICK the small blue button with the frog.
It's baaaaaaaaack! About a year ago, I attempted to start a Meet the Teacher Monday, weekly linky. The linky never caught on. But you know what, even if I have to link up with myself, Meet The Teacher Monday is here to stay.
So what is Meet The Teacher Monday (#MTTM)?
MEET THE TEACHER MONDAY is a weekly linky celebration, dedicated to making and culminating friendships among our tribe of fellow teachers. Here's the skinny:
Snag the MTTM graphic. On your blog, please respond to this week's questions or prompt provided.
Return to my blog and link your post.
Visit one or two bloggers ahead of you in the linky, and leave a comment in response to their Meet the Teacher Monday post.
Visit one or two bloggers after you in the linky line-up and leave a comment as well.
And because it's so hard to find time to blog, feel free to post any day of the week, not just Monday.
Well, let's get to it! This week, share your 5 favorite things about FALL!
Time to keep it real. I wrote the following update on my Facebook page today:
"I'm impatient with my teacherpreneurial journey. I am watching many teachers on Blab and Periscope with the same goals as myself and some havereached Celebriteacher status.
Everyone's teacherpreneurial journey is different and today I gained some insight that can be applied to my struggle.
I don't have to HOPE everyone likes me. You either do or you don't. And truth be told, Blab and Periscope feel like high school... (Be honest.)
I don't have to HOPE that someone gives me a break. I am not going to brown-nose or d-ride to catch a break.
I'm going to get my HOPES up instead of HOPING on others.
After I posted, I received a few comments about teachers who felt the same way. I wish more teachers kept it "real" and spoke their minds. But most probably do not for fear of alienation or retaliation. Me, on the other hand, I proudly wear my "Scarlet T."
Three Things You Shouldn't Forget
Now That You're A Celebriteacher
1. "Started from the bottom now were here"
To quote the immortal words of Drake, "Started from the bottom now we're here..." You should never forget you once started from the bottom. And from the bottom...a struggle ensued as you clawed your way to the top of the mountain to...SUCCESS. Despite your hoards of followers gained, awards garnered, or the many nations inspired by your teachepreneurial genius, don't forget...you once struggled too. And the struggle for some of us...is real. For me, the long, arduous road to "success" has been/is paved with few victories & many obstacles. Success eludes me, but I refuse to give up. My failures only serve as motivation to keep hustling. Like my friend, Aunties Sweet Life says, "Hugs to the hustlers who get sh*t done." And everyday, I wake up and ask myself, "What sh*t needs to get done today...to get me closer to completing my goals?" Celebriteachers, unless you started from the top, YOU stood in our shoes and experienced the struggle of the "climb" and you know what it takes to get sh*t done. And with that being said,
"Don't forget where you come from."
Be honest, how many of us have achieved success in other areas of our life, and "forgot where we came from?" Perfect example. When I lost my 57 lbs., I also lost my mind and forgot that I once struggled to complete tasks as simple as walking up a flight of stairs and buckling my shoe. After a few reality checks, I reminded myself of my battle to lose the bulge. After reminding myself, I in turn began helping others in need of weight loss inspiration. Saying all that to say...
"Don't forget where you come from."
My weight loss example, me turning my success into an opportunity to help others, is the perfect segway (segue, for the grammar police) to my next point. 2. "You Got By With A Little Help From Your Friends" Read more about my next point in part two of my three-part series, Three Things You Shouldn't Forget Now That You're a Celebriteacher. As always, make the ordinary...EXTRAORDINARY!
I recently entered Astrobrights'
Colorize Your Classroom Challenge. The challenge was an opportunity for
teachers to display their creative talents in the areas of organization, decor,
instruction and memorization.
As you can see, Lunar Blue and
Martian Green are the NEW BLACK! Since I spend the majority of my day confined
to my classroom, I decided to make my learning space functional as well as
aesthetically pleasing. Institutional, classroom chic no longer worked for me.
It was time to jazz things up and live life in color...TECHNICOLOR!
To enhance my new classroom makeover I created pennants. The pennants
were the cherry on top of a chic chevron cake. Say what you want, Chevron is
not dead!
If you are need of a learning space makeover, snag my EDITABLE pennant
product. For those of you over chevron, other patterns are available.
If you read the title and said, "PeriWHAT," you've either just returned from vacation on another planet OR you've been cut off from civilization. For those not familiar, the Periscope phenomenon exploded onto the scene during the TPT Vegas conference and teachers embraced the new technology with open arms.
So, What is Periscope?
Periscope allows users to live stream from smartphones anywhere at anytime. So, what's the big deal you ask? Basically, Periscope changed the face of professional development. In other words, thanks to educational Periscope broadcasters from across the globe, you can receive professional development in the comfort of your own home, sporting yoga pants and no bra, while sipping a bottle glass of wine and eating peanut butter from the jar. Sounds like a plan! Sign me up!
My Decent Into Periscope Madness
For the past three days Periscope mesmerized me to the point of forming an addiction and needing an intervention. Every time the birdies chirped, I dropped everything and watched.
BUT then...the novelty wore off. I finally hit rock bottom. My scope binge watching took its toll in the form of me neglecting life. Although Periscope holds many beneficial qualities, today I ended the madness. I silenced my Periscope notifications and reminded myself of the old adage, "Everything in moderation."
Upon reclaiming my life back, I contacted a few colleagues to inquire if they plunged into the Periscope vortex as well. During our discussion of Periscope's pros and cons, we arrived at several of the same conclusions. And those conclusions included reasons why viewers abandon broadcasters, mid-broadcast.
3 REASONS Viewers ABANDON Broadcasts
3. Broadcasting Long-Winded Lengthy Scopes
Quality, not quantity. Some subject matter requires discussion at length. However, if you choose to take the verbose route, viewers expect quality content pertaining to the title you provided to lure us in. If the title stated, "Transition Ideas," then one should not expect to be taken on a tour of your laundry room. That may seem like a far-fetched example, but believe me when I say write, it happens.
Quick Tip: Unsure of when to pull the plug on a broadcast...look for the Peribuddy on the bottom, right-hand side of your smartphone for your viewers count. If your interaction or viewership starts sinking like the Titanic, jump ship.
Do you remember the "wrap it up" music played at the Oscars when acceptance speeches run too long? Perhaps Periscope should add a "wrap it up" feature. Ha ha :-D For those of you with a sense of humor, I found a web based "wrap it up" app (pictured below). When conversations in real life run a tad too long...CUE MUSIC! Ha ha!
Just keep in mind, Periscope calls for short broadcast, not a live 2 hour show. Some viewers, including myself, have the attention span of a goldfish.
2. Heart Hustling
A guaranteed way to run viewers off...hustle for hearts. So, what's the deal with the rainbow heart explosion? Glad you asked. Viewers tap the screen to release hearts as a means of providing feedback and showing broadcasters some love.
More specifically, the hearts measure popularity. Broadcasters who garner the most hearts land on the illustrious "Most Loved List." As Mark Shaw, Twitter expert would say, "This is social media, not selfish media." In other words, please stop broadcasting "heart hustling" scopes. It's not about you, its about connecting and engaging with viewers. Viewers showed up to glean information, not help you fulfill your dream of making the "Most Loved List." If you think that sounds harsh, you must listen Mark Shaw's take on the subject of social media v. selfish media. Side note: You will meet Mark Shaw further down in this post.
Quick Tip: Instead of constantly hustling viewers for hearts, engage viewers by asking question or making statements encouraging feedback and interaction. For instance:
"If you agree with what I just said, tap the screen."
"Tap the screen if you use (insert product name) in your classroom."
"Anytime you hear valuable information you can use, tap the screen."
Just keep in mind, if you provide quality content the hearts will ascend.
1. PLAYING THE WAITING GAME
The number one reason why viewers abandon a live feed, broadcasters who make viewers WAIT! When you hit the broadcast button...LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Nothing frustrates viewers more than a broadcaster "waiting for the room to fill up." As Mark Shaw would say,
"Don't wait for the room to fill up. That's rude. Work with those viewers that showed up." (Start at 20:00)
Quick tip: Get started. Meet & Greet. Get to the point. For those that join late, provide a recap during your broadcast.
Just keep in mind, viewers can watch the replay to catch what they missed.
Game Changer Have you jumped on the Periscope bandwagon? If so, what are your thoughts. Earlier today I shared my thoughts on Facebook:
"It is addicting and I spend way too much time watching. And with that being said, broadcasters should respect our time by providing quality content. I've left some broadcasts with valuable information to help me take ownership of my future. And I've left some broadcasts feeling slighted because my time was misused. Have I scoped before? No. But I have been a public speaker at various early childhood conferences; so, I know it takes nerve to speak publicly."
Periscope is a game changer and I cannot wait to see how the world of teaching will be transformed.
A couple of recent events spawned this freebie etiquette blog post.
Your first question may be, who died and made you the freebie etiquette aficionado? Well, after reading a few surely and inconsiderate comments, I dubbed myself the "Freebie Etiquette Aficionado."
There seems to be a disconnect in regards to the meaning of the word flash; so, allow me to define flash.
flash
/flaSH/
noun
1. a thing that occurs suddenly and within a brief period of time
You see what I did there? I know. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.
Herein lies the problem. If a seller posts a freebie status at 5:00 PM, and the seller states the freebie duration lasts for 15 minutes...at 5:17 PM prepare yourself for disappointment. You missed the opportunity. Such is life, and you must move on. If the opportunity did indeed pass you by, what you mustn't do is post the following:
"Awww man I missed it!"
"Are you kidding, 15 minutes?!"
"It wasn't free!"
Yes, followers post uncouth comments like the examples above. But, never fear sellers, your girl is here to provide assistance on how to handle discourteous comments. If you run into the following comments, take heed.
"Awww man I missed it!"
WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY
"That is not my problem."
WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY Say nothing. Most people generally tend to post this comment. Me...personally, I recommend you ignore it. As the seller, you stated the stipulations. Once the time expires, it is what it is.
"Are you kidding, 15 minutes!?"
WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY
"No, are YOU kidding ME?! Oh I'm sorry, I forgot the world revolved around you. Let me make this product free again... just for you. GIRL BYE!"
WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY
"It's that time of year. Time for Back To School sales. You can find this product in my store at a discounted price."
"It's not free!!"
WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY
Like the young folk say, "Obvi. You totes missed it. The post stated 15-minute freebie. Actually, I extended the time 10 additional minutes for a total of 25 minutes. You're welcome. Life's not fair."
WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY
"There's a sample of this product available in my store."
"I'm a teacher. I don't make a lot of money."
WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY
"I can't speak for anyone else, but welcome to my world. We are all balling on a budget boo boo. Take a seat and hush."
WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY
Say nothing. I would not justify this comment with a response.
To the sellers:
For the most part, if you run into rude comments, choose to take the high road and resist commenting.
To the buyers:
If I miss a freebie, I just keep scrolling and stay tuned for the next opportunity. One last word of advice...
