I need a break... a brain break!

I have recently started incorporating Brain Breaks in my classroom whenever I can tell my students are losing focus, getting sleepy, or the opposite... getting antsy. My students LOVE these breaks, and they know that if we take a quick break, we have to immediately get back to work. After our break, I immediately get back into what we are doing, so there is no time for distraction. I really think it helps keeps my kiddos engaged and I wish I would have started it sooner. 

Today I wanted to share my kiddos current favorite brain break. 

It is a dance from Ice Age called the Continental Drift.

The dance is super cute and I catch myself and my kids humming the song 

and dancing the dance at completely random moments.

Because I am new to the idea of brain breaks my supply is limited.

What do you do for brain breaks?

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE some new ideas!

On a side note, 7 days until Spring Break AND our final 9 weeks started Monday.

Where in the world has this year gone? It has FLOWN!

True Life: I Survived Year One

I thought it would be fun to write a post about my first year of teaching.

I wanted to take some time to reflect, and I figured why not share with you.

I also wanted to share the handout I made and gave to the interns at my school because I know there are a lot of interns and student teachers out there in blog world too. =)

First off,

TEN things I learned this year:

1) Always be prepared.... in every aspect. (This is something as simple as setting up the classroom for Monday on Friday afternoon. This involves changing jobs, setting up new centers, everything.) I know on some days the LAST thing I wanted to do was to be at school until 6, but the next day ran so much smoother if I had taken the time to prepare beforehand.

2) Don't be afraid to ask questions! As a first year teacher, I didn't want to be a nuisance to the other teachers at my school, but I learned all of them WANTED to help me. And, it is also better to ask a silly question then make a silly mistake!

3) You don't have to "recreate the wheel" during your first year. Use the ideas you find on blogs and pinterest during your first year! Trying to make up everything can be overwhelming for a first year teacher!

4) Always make time for read alouds. I love reading to my students and I believe there are some great advantages of taking the time to read to your students. I like reading the first book in a series so that students get excited and want to read the rest of the books. =)

5) Don't forget to drink water and take some restroom breaks! HAH. I know, this one is silly, but it is the truth! 

6) Each student learns differently and achieves at a different level. Work to find how each of your students learn best, and adjust your classroom to meet the needs of each individual student.

7) Structure is SO important...(in my classroom it was anyways!)

8) Be flexible! If an assembly pops up and you have to skip math, don't stress out! Just adjust the best you can! 

9) Come up with and TEACH procedures at the beginning of the year. It will make the rest of the year go much smoother.

10) Never forget why you got into teaching!

If you are a soon to be teacher, or a new teacher... you can click here to check out the handout I gave to the interns at my school. It's nothing special, but it has several things I learned during my first year AND it talks about what I placed in my teaching portfolio for interviews (It also includes a picture of Ryan Gosling! Hah - Tried to give the interns something to laugh about!)

Any veteran teachers out there (because I am FAR from veteran) have any advice for newbies?
I still consider myself a newbie (I haven't even had a first day of school yet!) so I would love to hear your tips and advice. =)