We Love Gifted!

This is a new post from my wonderful students!!! Here are their thoughts.

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Hello our name is FirzHaster.Dufinsmirt and Kesterler. WE LOVE GIFTED!~!!!!!!!!! it is so much fun. it is so challenging. Too us gifted is a class for students with high acdimic excellence. we have challenging projects and they are very fun but hard. We have third ,fourth and fifth graders in gifted. We do acorstic poems, essays, and even projects. In gifted we are educated to behave and to act as collage students. today we be a essay on the diffrent iv league.

You Can Help My Students!

As of Wednesday last week, I have a new position in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. I am back in the gifted program, teaching full-time at Lenora B Smith! Yeah! I'm teaching Kindergarten-5th Grade Reading/Language Arts. It is great to give these high students a challenge and to push them past where they could normally go in a general classroom!

I have to admit though that I dearly miss my 3rd graders. They were such a joyous, challenging group of kids. LBS got lucky and was able to hire a Teach for America teacher to fill my position though! Yeah! So, I have a really good teacher in my old 3rd grade classroom, which has helped ease the transition.

So...here's where you can help! I applied for a grant with DonorsChoose.org to help my gifted students. Please check it out and contribute if you can! You can contribute ANY amount!

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My Students Need You!

I teach a gifted class in a high-need community in the inner-city. My students are free-and-reduced lunch students and live in neighborhoods with crime, drugs, violence, and poverty. My kids are grades 1 through 5, and they reside in a high-risk neighborhood, but have high-potential to succeed and make a difference in their communities and families.

I teach elementary school in a neighborhood where students are not given opportunities to be exposed to technology. Our school lost a huge sum of funding this year, and technology is more than a luxury for my students. Because of a money-gap, my students are not exposed to technology. I work with bright students who I BELIEVE will be able to rise above the cycle of poverty, but this climb begins with EXPOSURE. Technology is one component of my teaching philosophy of exposure!

I would love for my students to see a LCD projector, learn from creative presentations, and most importantly, have an opportunity to explore their own creative technological skills. I want my gifted students to use the LCD projector for projects, presentations, and creative reading and writing showcases. My gifted students are incredibly talented, and they will be completely ecstatic to have technology in our classroom!

YOU CAN HELP THESE STUDENTS! My students have big ambitions...they want to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, and scientists. With YOUR HELP, they can begin to be exposed to technology that high-income schools have! My students live in poor communities where it takes a lot of inspiration and hard work to succeed. This inspiration can start with your help in funding technology in the classroom! Thank you!

My students need a LCD projector, two projector carts, and a ceiling mounting plate to expose them to technology in the classroom! The cost of this proposal is $1,849, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment.

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=222139#

Lyrics I'm Humming

Regina Spektor's Fidelity

2009 Books!

We will read 2009 books by June 2009!

This is my classes' reading goal for the year! Together, myself and 40 students will read a combined 2009 books by the end of the school year. The schoolhouse below is how we're tracking our progress. Each square on the house represents 10 books, and the 9 boxes on top represent 1 book. We're already at 20 books! : ) The 2009 number breaks down to each of us reading 1-2 books a week. I think we can do it!




I have a morning class, which I call my "Peace Makers." They each put the peace symbol on their papers and assignments. These students are my ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages), ESE (students who have special ed needs), and Gifted (above grade level).

I have an afternoon class, which I call my "Superstars". They put a star on their work. These students are the 2nd Tier Retainees (meaning they have been retained a school grade)

The peace and star symbol are how I organize all of the paper work and supplies for each class. : ) It's keeping me sane this year.

Well, the honeymoon period is definitely over in my classroom. Today finalized the end. Please read your email if you want to hear more about what happened...or, if you want to be on my email list, leave a comment.

Lots of prayer needed for my students. They are very low and in need of a lot of love and teaching this year. I cannot do it on my own this year.

Lyrics I'm Humming:

INDEPENDENT-Do you know what that means?

First Day is Done!

Woah.... the storm has passed! School was canceled yesterday to the somewhat lame Fay. Although, I have to say that I am very glad that the storm was not damaging as I don't know how Miami would handle a tropical disaster.

Today was my first day with my new students, and I am ready. I think. : ) The kids are very unique, special individuals, and I need to definitely tighten up my plans.

Well, for many reasons, that's all I can say about my students. : ) I would love an email/call if you want more info!

But for now, I have 40 new students who are hopefully ready to learn!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"August" (a song one of my students wrote and sang. very funny)

The Storm's Coming

So much about the opening of this school feels different from last year.

I am teaching 3rd Grade Reading, Writing, Language Arts to the Special Ed Students, the English as a Second Language Students, the Gifted Students, and the Retainee Students. I am working at Lenora B Smith (the same school I started at last year), and I am very anxious.

I feel more prepared, but I know that a storm is coming. It's just a matter of if I am prepared enough for it!

I feel much calmer, and I am finding humor in the situations that stressed me out like crazy last year!

Tomorrow is the first day of school; HOWEVER, a real storm... Hurricane Fay is on a path toward Miami, so school is canceled. Tuesday will be the first day...hopefully.


I'll keep you posted!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

You Go Banging On by The Go