CATCH MY WORDS to find help with teaching strategies, resources, or to enjoy a laugh or music. Blog connected to Catch My Products, the gifted department store with resources for K - 12.
Catch My Products
Click on the image to visit Catch My Products.
My humorous thoughts about life.
"My Humorous and Helpful Thoughts About Teaching / Educational Resources for Your
Classroom / Music and Random Fun"
It’s been a long school year and it’s time for a Gift Cards for
Teachers MEGA Giveaway. We are ready to reward five LUCKY teachers by
giving away five $100 gift cards. You could win a $100 Gift Card to
Target, Amazon, Erin Condren, or Teachers Pay Teachers.
Details for
entering our Gift Card Giveaway:
1. Love, like, or wow this post!
2. Click the link below.
3. The more actions you complete in the Rafflecopter, the better your
chances are of winning!
4. TAG and SHARE our Gift Cards for Teachers MEGA Giveaway
opportunity with as many of your teaching friends as you can!
5. The giveaway ends Tuesday, May 23rd at 11:59 PM EST and our
-->
FIVE lucky winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 24th.
6.Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom and like Catch My Products!
Also, since it's time for Monday Music Moves Me, here's a song. This is the opening to one of my favorite movies about a contest. If you haven't seen Rat Race, you MUST check it out!
First up, from the wild and turbulent 1968, comes a Beatles song that tells it all, Helter Skelter.
"I've got blisters on my fingers!"
Next up are the Rolling Stones. I had a tough time choosing one song because Mick Jagger was and is that good. He was so young in the sixties, but in 2017, he still has the moves!
As I watch the concert game spin across Facebook, I thought about adding this band at the bottom of my list of those I've seen in concert to see if the young people even know they're a band--that I haven't had the pleasure of seeing.
Guess Who?
Okay. I cheated a little with that one. Although the band has some good songs from the 60s, I wanted this one, which was released in 1970. Back in college, I went to a bar where they had just finished playing American Woman. A foreign looking man with his shirt unbuttoned and huge gold bling hanging around his neck approached me with his arms spread out and his hips shaking. He sang, "Amereecan Wooman." All I could do was sing, "Get away from me."
I am just beside myself thrilled with all of the chances you have to win money to spend at Teachers Pay Teachers. Check out this additional contest that I'm helping to sponsor! There is a lot of money to be won.
Teachers GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY***** We have teamed up with other great teacher authors to give away 2 AMAZING prizes to 2 LUCKY teachers! Each teacher will win $60.00 in TpT Gift Cards!!! Details for entering our Teacher Appreciation Gift Card Giveaway:
1. LIKE this post! 2. SHARE our Giveaway with teacher friends by writing all your teacher’s friends names in the comment area below. 3. SHARE THIS LINK by hitting your share button to post on your page. 4. CLICK the link provided below to enter! ********The more actions you complete in the Rafflecopter, the better your chances are of winning!***********
This giveaway ends Wednesday, May 10th at 10:00 PM EST and our TWO lucky winners will be announced on Thursday, May 11th.
Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter. Giveaway ends 5/13/17 and is open worldwide.
Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!
My kids are participating in an Einstein Unit that involves chemistry experiments, Hands on Equations, and reading Who was Albert Einstein? I admit I'm pushing it a bit since Einstein was not a chemist, but we've had too much fun mixing vinegar and baking soda and watching bubbles or using pH paper to decide what chemical spilled from a toy truck. Next up is a mock digestion lesson from ECHEM (Environment, Chemicals, and Me). As for the math, Hands on Equations teaches elementary school kids how to solve algebra problems by moving cubes and pawns. With one month left of school, I'm trying to squeeze in as much as I can. Our book study, Who Was Albert Einstein?, is a fascinating book. It's from that popular biography series that all the kids are reading these days. I don't know about the kids, but I've learned a lot. For example, I had no clue that Einstein was expelled in high school. He was quite a strong willed person who followed his beliefs no matter the consequences. Pretty cool guy. If you want to read this book with your kids, you don't have to go it alone. I've done the work by making a Promethean Board flipchart and Power Point to accompany Who was Albert Einstein? When reading a novel, I like to have a plan about how to teach it. It's good to know what to ask the kids and when. I also like having an occasional project or activity, too. Inside this home made Einstein bundle, one will find the following: ➢Introduction to Novel with Visible Thinking Routines ➢Information about the Author and other Who Was . . . Books ➢Discussion of Quotes from Einstein ➢Text dependent questions ➢Venn Diagrams to Compare and Contrast ➢Questions to Relate Book to Student ➢Writing Prompts ➢What if Questions ➢Opinion Questions ➢Interview Einstein Challenge ➢Teacher Notes
I bet you thought I was done blogging. Well, I'm not. I've just been preoccupied with other things. I'm glad to be hopping on the Monday Music Moves Me train with TRAVELING songs. This is the first one that comes to mind. I love The Allman Brothers and Ramblin' Man is a great song!
Next up is Arlo Gurthrie singing The City of New Orleans.
And finally, here are my favorite excellent travelers of all times, Bill and Ted.
I posted a new product that will make a teacher's life easier when reading The Magic School Bus book, The Truth About Bats. In this complete literature unit, I've included a skill lesson or practice in every chapter.
How many times have we heard, "Get a life," addressed to one who has nothing better to do than whine about everything? Let's face it. Complaining takes time. A few weeks ago, we went to a restaurant where we received horrible service and a worse manager. They told us they'd take $10 off the meal, but instead, they upped the price and took $10 off. We kept our receipt and were ready to write Applebees to complain about our bad dining experience, but life caught up with us, and we just never got around to it. Ironically, about two days after the experience, we passed the restaurant and saw a big "Out of Business" sign on the door. So, karma took a huge bite out of them, and she didn't need our intervention.
However, having a life can sometimes interfere with the things we want to do, such as blogging. Between teaching, Teachers Pay Teachers, and other life situations, I am saddened to say, I haven't had much time to drop a blog post and say, "Hey! I'm still alive and kicking."
So, here's a run down of where I've been and why I've been (MIA) missing in action. . . if you care to find out.
The day job:
I am still teaching full time and these kids wear me out! Don't get me wrong, I teach good little
I've done 30 years, what's another two months?
people, but they have a lot more energy than I do. Spring is in the air, and as every teacher knows, we've got to lay down the boom to keep these kids in line. I get to work early, come home late, and by the end of the day, I am absolutely exhausted.
Furthermore, I am a Special Education teacher. Did you know that gifted is under the Special Ed umbrella in the state of Tennessee? That's right! I must write IEPs for each of my third and fourth graders and meet with every parent individually, each year. All of our paperwork is due by mid-April, plus I have test results coming in for new kids that also demands attention, so I am doing everything in my power to keep up with the paperwork, while providing fun and engaging lessons for my kids.
To top it off, our school has a fun but time consuming adventure this week called, Immersion. Each year, the school takes a topic and decorates the halls and minds of the kids with great activities. Our current theme is literature. The kids will love it, but we lose a lot of planning time when Immersion rolls around.
Realizing that I am worn out and knowing that I don't want to be that teacher who hangs around long after she should have retired, I filed for retirement, and this new life is official. With two kids deeply in love (possibly billing us with future weddings), this brings me to my next project, which unfortunately has taken a back burner, preparing for next year.
Monkeys are my favorites!
Job Search:
Retirement means I get to keep half of my salary and all of my benefits. Although my husband has a successful law practice, I still feel the need to make up for the other half of my pay. My TpT business is a nice supplement, but it isn't enough to pay for two weddings. So, I need to revise my resume, write a cover letter, and apply for my dream job. I want something fun, so I'm looking at the zoo. I love animals and the outdoors, and I have a creative edge that would make me a great asset to the zoo family. Ideally, I want to teach educational classes and lead groups throughout the facility. I've noticed two part time openings to drive the train, so all I can think of is, Wooooo! Wooooo! All aboard! I wonder how many train drivers go home and stress about the job while bring tons of paperwork with them? Unfortunately, I have yet to apply for anything because my resume still is not right, and I haven't written that cover letter.
Teachers Pay Teachers
As my long time readers know, I have a business. I sell teaching products on a site called Teachers
Pay Teachers. I love to create interesting products, and if you don't mind my admission to arrogance, I'm good at it. However, running this business takes time. In fact, last week when I had Spring Break, I spent the lion's share of my time, working on my business. That is actually okay because I love doing it. I posted three new products this weekend, alone. My first product teaches dialogue writing, and I saw amazing writing samples when I taught it to my kids. Plus, I love its visuals.
I also wrote a logic problem that connects April Fools Day to Christmas. It's a fact, the fat man is always watching, so kids need to know that April Fools Day CAN get them on the naughty list.
I often reduce new products by 50% off for the first 24 hours. It's about time for my Writing Dialogue That Rocks lesson to return to $3.
If this were enough, I'd say, "Dayenu." For those of you who don't know, dayenu is a Hebrew word that means, "It would have been enough," which is recited and sung around the Passover table, another time suck that will soon be upon me, as I must prepare for this holiday by cleaning out the refrigerator and every scrap of kitchen I have. But that is not where I was going with this as I mention another item on my plate.
Weight Watchers
Like the alcoholic anonymous meeting, I have come to admit, "I am fat." But, I am doing something about this. Joining Weight Watchers has meant having to take the time to shop for and prepare healthy foods, as well as attend meetings and weigh in every Saturday morning. Dieting also means I'm supposed to be exercising, which relates back to section one of my post -- these kids are wearing me out! But, I'm down six pounds after just two weeks.
So, in conclusion, I have focused my time on a "this is me" blog post. Perhaps I'll find more time to put down the Jodi Picoult novel (Did I tell you I'm deep into a novel when I should be sleeping?) and spend some time on my dying blog. If you read all this, thank you.
Since it is Music Monday Moves Me, I'll end this with my songs. The theme is Sci Fi movies or TV shows. Here's one of my favorite tunes from a sci fi movie.
And I guess I need to post a science fiction song from a television show, too. Here's one of my old favorite science fiction TV shows. ;)
