Have you tried Versatiles in your classroom?

I know - an oldie, but a goodie!

I first used Versatiles probably 12 years ago in my first fourth grade classroom. (You heard that right, my first fourth grade classroom. I have had 3 fourth grade classrooms over the years and literally moved my classroom more times than I can count.)

Versatiles are numbered plastic tiles that fit into plastic cases that lock. They come with workbooks or question cards. In the photo below, my daughter is using them for beginning reader practice. She places the plastic case on top of the questions (top of the page) and answers (bottom of the page). We line up the tiles in number order on the carpet (Also good practice for 1:1 correspondence, counting, and identifying numbers, for our littlest ones). As she answers each question and finds the correct answer, she puts the corresponding tile on the correct answer. When she finishes the page, she locks the plastic case, flips it over, and checks the answer key on the bottom of the page. If she's right, there is a pretty design on the reverse side. If she's wrong, she will notice that he picture does not match the answer key and need to fix something.

I love that Versatiles are self-checking, easy to use, and easy to implement at any age. In my third and fourth grade classrooms, I had a station with Versatiles and question cards relating to whatever we were currently working on. Nowadays, living the instructional coach life, I am using them with my two-year old and loving it. :)

Allow me to reintroduce myself...

Hi everyone!

I have taken a little break from blogging. Now I am back! I actually have been pretty darn busy these past few years. I had a baby who is now two years old, Violet. Then I had another baby in July 2020, Braxton. Life is a whirlwind, but I wanted to get back to blogging - It's fun and it helps me connect with other teachers and moms. 

Speaking of which, my teaching life has changed, too! I am still working at the same school, but I am now an instructional coach. I work with grades 2-6 on a daily basis, helping transform their teaching. It is SO different from being a general education classroom teacher, but really rewarding, too. Before I felt like I made a huge positive impact on my class of 20 students. Now I feel like my impact can extend even further through the teachers I work with. So, less kiddos are running up to hug me, but these days I'm okay with that. I don't know if it is my forever job, but I love working with teachers, creating curriculum, and being part of the decision-making process for how our school runs. But I will never be administration. Noway. Not me. 

A peek into our lives recently:

Welcome back!

Summer is over...for most of us!

Hi everyone!

Just an update from my life. Yes, it is time to go back to school, but I am taking child rearing leave during September and October this year. I had my second child, a son named Braxton Wilder, in July. He was 10 days late, so we didn't start off on the best foot. (Just kidding, but being 41 weeks pregnant was not cool in summer!) Anyway, I worked my butt off this summer, more than I ever have in my life, even after having Braxton, just so I could take a little extra time with him this fall. With a pandemic, I felt that it would be nice to let my school work out the kinks of scheduling and cleaning before I came back...plus I just needed more baby snuggles!

So, here I am, home with a toddler (Violet Harper is 2 and the best, most independent, smartest kid I've ever met) and a newborn. I'll also try to get back to blogging. But for now, some baby pictures to leave you with all the feels:

Just living the quarantine life...

Hi everyone,

We've been teaching from home since March 16 and just found out that New York schools will be closed the remainder of this year. While that's tough news to hear, being eight months pregnant with a two year old at home, I was a little relieved. I was nervous to go back to school and feel vulnerable or like I could be the person in my family to bring something home. So, I'm okay being sequestered away in my house for a few months, as long as we're all safe.

It is crazy though, being home all the time but still feeling like I have no time to do anything! I guess that's because I'm taking care of a two year old, going to doctor appointments, still doing my main job, which is instructional coaching, but also filling in as a maternity sub for a fourth grade teacher. There's a lot going on every day!

I hope everyone else is juggling all of their hats, too!

Why does my baby prefer dog toys?

Poor Lucy. My sweet bulldog puggle has this little human invading her territory. Although Violet has a sea of toys, she's started to prefer Lucy's toys, especially now that she can crawl all over. Violet will actually crawl over to where Lucy is chewing on a bone and take it! And Lucy just watches sadly! Lucy is SO patient and sweet with Violet! 

Maybe she's more tolerant now that Violet eats solids and tends to share with Lucy...

Does anyone else have sweet and funny baby-pet interactions to share?