Tell All Tuesday: Summer Flashback

It's time for another Tell all Tuesday with Jayme from Teach Talk Inspire and Diana from My Day in K! Todays Tell all Tuesday is a summer flashback to way back when...

Each summer my family would travel down to Duck, North Carolina for a week at the beach. It was a summer tradition that lasted throughout my high school years. 

When I was little my Dad was always working so I quickly learned that a week at the beach was a guaranteed week of Daddy time, without him leaving for work! I loved stroller rides and time at the beach but there was one thing I didn't like...sand!  

Headed to the beach with Dad!

I hated the sand so much that my parents had to put a boogie board down just to give their arms a break from holding me. Once I was on that boogie board I wouldn't move, I would stand there the whole time and just look around. My parents didn't have to worry about me running away when we were down by the water, thats for sure! 

A few years later I got over my fear the sand but to this day I still hate the feeling of sand in my bathing suit. I mean..does anyone really like that feeling?!? I am not one to sit on the shore and let the waves rush over me unless I am in a chair (and a good book in my hands). 

Anyone else with me?

Thanks for check out my summer flashback true confession!

Tell All Tuesday: Summer Snapshot

It's Tuesday which means it is time for Tell all Tuesday. I am linking up with Teach Talk Inspire and My Day in K again and this weeks topic is Summer Snapshot.  

This is the last week of school for my school district and summer is so close you can almost taste it!  This summer we are taking more of a stay-cation with the baby being so little. So, I am going to be dreaming about our summer trip from last year. 

We went down to South Carolina and boy do I LOVE IT THERE! While down in the Carolina's we traveled to downtown Charleston, Boone Hall Plantation, and Isle of Palms. 

South Carolina

We love the historic feel and architecture of Charleston, not to mention the amazing restaurants that are down there. Our favorite two restaurants were Poogan's Porch and 82 Queen. 

Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC

We also went to Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant. We had a great time touring the home, not to mention I love the live oak trees that line the entrance of the plantation. 

Boone Hall Plantation where part of the The Notebook was filmed

We also spent a lot of time on the beach and enjoying this great view from the condo we rented for the week! 

Isle of Palms, SC

I would love to hear your favorite places to visit when in the Charleston area! We are going to be headed there early next spring for a wedding and would love to check out any of your suggestions!

Make sure to check out these great bloggers summer snapshot too:

An InLinkz Link-up

Tell All Tuesday: Fib Reveal

On Tuesday I linked up with Teach Talk Inspire and My Day in K for a fun game of "Two Truths and a Lie". I am back today to reveal my fib and also share a freebie with you!

1. (TRUE) I spent a week in Walt Disney World one summer to attend a conference all about Kagan structures. We looked at different intelligences and practicing structures. The structures help students become engaged in curriculum while learning to collaborate with their peers. 
2. (FALSE) I looped from 2nd Grade to 3rd Grade with my students. I love looping and think that it is very beneficial. Looping with a class can increase learning time because the class can spend less time learning routines at the beginning of the second school year and students gain a sense of stability and constancy.  
3. (TRUE) I still keep in touch with my favorite elementary school teacher from 4th Grade. Her passion for teaching was so radiating that she inspired me to become a teacher myself.

Number 2 is almost TRUE except for the fact that I didn't loop with my second graders to third...I looped with my first graders to second! Looping with my class was an AWESOME experience and I recommend it to any teacher who has thought about trying out a new grade level. 

Looping with a class has many benefits for both the teacher and the students. Just to name a few:

• The teacher has fewer students and parents with whom to relate over a longer period of time, allowing for more in depth knowledge about the students and their needs 
• Learning time increases as the students are already familiar with the teacher and routines during the second year
• The sense of community in the classroom is stronger; greater support for children who look to school as a stabilizing influence in their lives

Personally, the best part of looping was continuing to build a strong relationship with my students. The year that I looped I didn't have the same butterflies in my stomach because I knew my students strengths and areas for growth right away. From the start of the second year I was able to start differentiating to help my students transition smoothly into second grade. 

Another big difference was my students excitement as they started the second year with me. They came in the first day ready to share all about their summer. Instead of a quiet first day of school when students are still shy, my students were talking up a storm. We still spent some time playing a few fun ice breaker/get to know you games because who doesn't love a fun ice breaker?!?! But then it was right to work! We were able to get started on the curriculum much sooner then all of the other classes. They say to spend the first six weeks working on routines but I would say that we cut that time in half the second year because so many routines my students were able to recall. We didn't have to spend a whole week learning how and where we put away supplies or how I like papers collected.  

I have added the letter, to my TPT store, that I sent to my student's families last year to communicate with them that I would be looping. My principal and I worked together to allow parents input, so with the letter I have also included a parent looping preference form. 

If you ever get the chance to loop...DO IT! I promise you won't regret it! :)

Thank you for stopping by to find out my fib!

Tell All Tuesday: Two Truths and a Lie

I am linking up with Jayme from Teach Talk Inspire and Diana from My Day in K today for their first Tell All Tuesday Link Up! This week we are getting to know other teachers and bloggers with a great beginning of the school year game: "Two Truths and a Lie!" 

If you haven't played "Two Truths and a Lie" before here is how it works: give three "facts" about yourself making two of them true and one of them untrue. 

Let's see if you can guess my fib:

1. I spent a week in Walt Disney World one summer to attend a conference all about Kagan structures. We looked at different intelligences and practicing structures. The structures help students become engaged in curriculum while learning to collaborate with their peers. 
2. I looped from 2nd Grade to 3rd Grade with my students. I love looping and think that it is very beneficial. Looping with a class can increase learning time because the class can spend less time learning routines at the beginning of the second school year and students gain a sense of stability and constancy.  
3. I still keep in touch with my favorite elementary school teacher from 4th Grade. Her passion for teaching was so radiating that she inspired me to become a teacher myself.   

Thanks for stopping by and spending a little time getting to know me! Leave a comment below to tell me which number you think is my fib. I'll be sharing which one was the lie by Friday. Don't forget to also stop by others in this link up to get to know them too! 

An InLinkz Link-up