Mrs. Frogster, Firsthand

We have reached the end of the school year!  Our grand finale came much more quickly than I anticipated!  Despite my super excited face in the picture above, I was actually a little sad for this year to be over already.  I have really enjoyed my group of students this year.  Still, summer is here!  I am greatly looking forward to warm days spent with my own kids reading and riding bikes and exploring and making a million crafts and eating s'mores by the fire pit. The last day of school is always chaotic.  I feel like I have so many things I want to do, and then I turn around and it's dismissal time already!  This year, I had a memory activity for the students to work on that ended up taking up most of our morning.  I have seen ideas for making memory books for the school year on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers; so I figured I could take the general idea and make some simple books for the kids.  To make the books, I used a sharpie a...

Summer break is really just around the corner.  Here in Oregon, the dismal rains have disappeared, and warm temperatures and intense sunshine has happily filled the void.  Here's a math problem for you:  take these full days of sunshine, add distinct knowledge that we are almost in the last month of school, and multiply by 12 hyper students whose energy and general motivation are compounded by the throes of puberty, and what do you get?  Well, I'll tell you.  Children whose minds are anywhere but learning and whose feet are quick in running to mischief! (bonus points if you know what Scripture verse that reference comes from!)  Yes, students that once actually listened in class and completed their assignments in a timely manner are suddenly off in la-la land without a clue as to what their assignments even are.  Cries of "Do we have to?" and "Couldn't we just go outside for this class?" fill the air.  And even though you've been drilling your ...

I thought it might be fun for you all to take a short virtual tour of my classroom!  I just changed the theme to "Cactus Makes Perfect," and there are adorable bulletin boards and growth-mindset posters throughout the room to carry out this theme.  I filmed this on a Wednesday morning before school started.  Since it is already halfway through April, we are getting close to the end of the school year.  I have tried various set-ups along the way; we have finally hit a desk arrangement and classroom set-up that makes sense and works for my particular class. So enjoy the tour!  Here is the link to the Cactus and Succulents Growth Mindset Posters.   Also, the math cards for the ratios and proportions can be found here.    The idea for the desk towers came from this blog. And seriously, hit up Dollar Tree for the best containers and trays and baskets!  It is such an inexpensive way to organize the classroom.

My nine-year-old has been attending classes at an American Ninja Warrior gym for the past three months.  His class focuses on safety, strength, and skill as they work through parkour moves, flips, core exercises, dead hangs, rock wall climbing, jumps, etc.  It is the perfect environment for my constantly-moving, constantly-risking child.  He has a ninja belt made of sturdy white rope to indicate that he is a beginner.  As he accomplishes different skills taught in the class, he earns colored stripes to put on his belt.  Naturally athletic and a quick learner, Mikey earned his first two stripes without much difficulty. It must be noted that the coaches do not readily hand out these stripes.  They must be earned through a lot of hard work and discipline.   A month or so ago, he began trying to obtain his climbing stripe.  It was a struggle from the beginning.  When following the colored strips of tape all the way up to the top of ...

My fifth-grade math class just finished a unit on multiplying and dividing fractions.  The multiplying fractions part was, in the students' words, "too easy."  It was not difficult for them to catch on that when we multiply 1/4 by 6, for example, that we were really counting six quarters.  Both the concept and the execution (multiply numerator by numerator and denominator by denominator) seemed like a no-brainer to them. However, when we reached the fraction division, the learning screeched to a halt.  The concept of taking one fraction and dividing it by another fraction was as foreign to the students as making a mix tape by recording songs off the radio. (You did that, too, right??)  Anyway, I tried drawing pictures on the board, using a number line, and even making paper strips of various lengths to make this concept more visual for my students. And while these approaches may have worked for other students, mine simply weren't getting it.  Frustrated,...

Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, is almost upon us.  Usually, this is a jam-packed time of year in which I remember at the last minute to frantically hard boil some eggs and then dye them with the kids. (We must make memories, after all!)  This year, however, we are blessed to have our week of spring break right before Easter; so I technically have no excuses.  And while dying eggs is fun and hunting for said eggs is always an anticipated adventure, I try to make them just a small part of our celebration. Easter is, after all, not about candy or colorful eggs or fun activities.  It marks the most important event in world history - world-changing on a global scale and life-changing on a personal scale. On this day, Jesus Christ conquered death by rising from the grave and ascending to Heaven to be at the right hand of the Father.  "Oh death, where is thy sting?  Oh grave, where is thy victory?"  Through this superhuman act, Jesus Christ was able to do ...

I have the privilege of teaching at a most unique school.  It's hard to explain the concept of this school that has benefited my life and the lives of my own children.  Basically, our school takes students who are behind in their academics/social skills, students who are right on par with their peers, and students who are gifted in one or more areas of study and works with them one-on-one to help them achieve their highest potential.  Many of our students do not do well in a traditional, large-classroom setting; so our school offers them a sanctuary from their anxieties and fears and gives them a place where they are able to progress at their own rate without fear of comparison or judgment. If that sounds amazing and fantastic, it is!  It is also a lot of hard work.  This year, I teach twelve students who have various skills and abilities.  Some of these students are all over the board academically.  For example, one of my students is in 6th grade re...