The first thing you need to know is that I'm a closet Big Brother fan. It's my summer guilty pleasure, I admit it. Anyone else? Well, even if you don't watch the show, you'll understand my extreme reaction to, and subsequent dislike for one of the houseguests. Twenty-something Danielle is a nurse from Alabama whose incredibly offending strategy is, "I don't want anyone to know I'm in the medical field or that I'm working on three different degrees including a Masters," she confides. "I plan to lie and say I'm someone not that smart like . . . oh . . . maybe a kindergarten teacher. I mean, how can someone who works with Play-Doh all day and reads The Bernstein [sic] Bears be that much of a threat, right?"
I don't even know where to start! I could go on for hours about how incredibly insulting and misguided this
- Play-doh all day, really? With increasing curriculum standards and heightened accountability, when was the last time you broke out the play-doh for an all-day fiesta?
- Most teachers also have multiple degrees, with many states requiring a Masters within the first few years of teaching. It's something we do as teachers to hone our craft and become better at what we do, not to wear as a badge or to announce to the world on reality TV.
- Ummm. . . It's Berenstain Bears, not Bernstein Bears. If you're going to insult us, at least get it right.
- On Sunday's episode, when the houseguest cooking dinner said he was making halibut, Danielle asked, "What's halibut?" Now, I might not be a nurse, but at least I know what halibut is! (No offense meant toward nurses, I know that they are as hardworking and dedicated as teachers are!)
- Lastly, I'd bet my left arm that the love of learning that propelled Danielle to pursue her many degrees was first cultivated by her kindergarten teacher. I'm just saying. . .
Back to school time means teaching and re-teaching rules and procedures to set the expectations for the whole year. Looking back at the tough year I had with last year's bunch, I'm finding myself wondering if I spent enough time in the beginning of year doing this. I'm going in guns blazing this year, and I'm going to spend a lot more time really focusing on making good choices. If you're a regular follower, you know that writing my own emergent readers has become quite
One thing I want to focus on right away is hallway expectations. Using the well known "Marshmallow Toes" gimmick, I came up with a cute emergent reader to share with my class as we practice walking quietly in the hallway. I also made a matching pocket chart sort and classroom poster to support what we'll learn from the book. Then, I made a matching take home version so the parents can reinforce the expectations at home. (You can grab this freebie down below.) Finally, since we can't play with play-doh all day but we still need a little fun, I created a craftivity (that uses real marshmallows!) to go with it. I'm excited to use this mini-unit when school starts, and I think it will really help set the tone for the year. You can check it out in my TPT store (here) if you think you'd like to have a fun little boot camp of your own.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this really long post. Now for a quick "Halibut and Marshmallows" Give-Away. I'll send a copy of the Marshmallow Toes packet to the first five people who can name a Big Brother houseguest that I would like to see take Danielle out of the game (any houseguest will do). Make sure you leave your email and no fair repeating a name that someone already answered with!
Have a great day!
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