Please don't throw arrows...

Hi friends!  It's been a couple weeks and I've now completed 4 weeks with my new 2nd grade friends - we are almost halfway through the first nine weeks!  A lot has happened in the past 4 weeks - both in my classroom and my school - but I made a big change this week...I went back to traditional seating in my classroom.

Now, please don't throw the arrows and rotten tomatoes at me!  Let me explain!

Back in January 2016, the flexible seating trend starting sweeping the education world.  It seemed like everyone was doing it.  Many at my school threw out the tables and chairs and brought in couches, wobble stools, and more...me included.  I believed all the research that said this was better for kids and I, like any teacher, want to do whats best for my kids - so I followed suit.

I didn't get rid of all of my tables - but I did have different height tables, 3 Hokki stools, some barstools I brought from home, and this past spring I even got 2 yoga ball chairs.

Now, I have to admit, I am a person that runs on structure and so as much of a step out of my comfort zone as this was, the kids did okay with it.  They knew how to sit on the seats appropriately and we did pretty well with it.  I also have to admit, that I never saw that it affected my kids attention and helped those that struggled to focus.  I wanted to see that it worked, and I told others that I did - but in my heart of hearts - I just didn't see it.

But, I forged forward and this year I had lots of seating options for my students and I was going to keep going with it.  If anything, I didn't have to stack and unstack their chairs each afternoon and every morning - there were far fewer seats and they were easier to handle - haha!

After meeting my new group of kiddos, I knew I had to do something different.  Every group of kiddos is different, and my group this year needed structure.  I could sense it day in and day out.  The yoga ball chairs were being bounced on constantly.  The paint bucket seats were being rolled around on all the time.  I had kids spinning circles on the Hokki stools - and those that weren't sitting on the Hokki stools were finding them unoccupied and spinning them like they were spin toys.  I felt like I had no control in my classroom.

So, over the past two weeks, I have gradually phased out all the "fun" seats and brought in chairs and even swapped tables with an awesome teacher friend so I could have normal tables for all my children to sit at.

Now - I say all of this to say...flexible seating is not for everyone and please don't feel bad when you don't want to do it in your classroom!

It's okay to not want to do the latest education trends - because like most trends - it may come and go.  I'm sure some are fuming steam right now reading this and please let's just agree to disagree.  I enjoyed flexible seating while I used it, but it was just not working for me and my group of kiddos.  I wholeheartedly agree that not everyone works best sitting in a hard chair at a table - but I also know at some point, they are going to have to learn to do that very thing.
It might be that you, like me, run on structure and organization - so you yourself can't handle flexible seating.  Please don't let someone make you feel bad because of it you are doing something because of you rather than "because it what's best for kids".  What is best for kids is having a happy, less-stressed teacher that has control of her classroom - that is what is best for them.  
It might be, that also, like me, your group of kiddos can't handle the flexibility.  Even though my kiddos have assigned seats and I moved the special sets around the room so they could have the opportunity to sit on different seating options, it was just too much choice and opportunity to make a poor choice for them to handle, at least at this point in the year.  
Do I allow my kids to sit on the floor while working?  Yes!  They don't sit in their chair all day.  My kids get to move around during Reading and Math Workshop and have some choice - I have done this since I started teaching in 2011.  That is also a version of flexible seating!
Did I keep most of my flexible seating options or have a teacher friend that will give them back if I ask for them - yes!!  My Hokki Stools are stored in our (unused) classroom bathroom turned closet.  I wasn't letting those bad boys get out of my classroom - they were from Donor's Choose!  But other things I have let other teachers have and I know they'll let me have them back if I ever ask for them.
Flexible seating is not a bad thing.  That is NOT what I'm trying to say and it can look different in many different classrooms.  I have just seen, in many different Facebook groups this summer, teachers that are feeling pressured to do flexible seating.  Everyone is running to find scoop rockers and yoga balls for their classrooms.  It's okay if you don't want to do it, or are even starting out and don't have the funds to purchase or make these options available to your students.
So, please don't beat yourself up if you don't want to jump on the flexible seating bandwagon, you've fallen (or jumped) off like me, or you never understood it to start with.  If you are comfortable in your classroom, then your kiddos will be comfortable as well - they will feed of your energy.  Do what YOU think is best  for YOU and YOUR classroom full of students. Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Organizing Math Centers

Hey everyone!  Whew - I'm about to finish up my 2nd week of school and my kiddos have loved starting math centers this week!  This past summer I spent a few days updating my math centers and giving them a totally new look.  

With that, meant I had to update how I organize my math centers - just a little bit!  So I wanted to hop on here with a quick post about how to storage your math centers - making it easy for you and your kiddos!

I store all of my task cards in plastic ziplock bags.  The entire month of task cards goes into a gallon sized bag.  I love plastic ziplock bags because in the rare event we have a spill - everything can wipe clean.  I know many love the small plastic boxes and photo cases - but I just don't have that much storage space or money to spend on all the boxes - so ziplock bags it is!

Each set of task cards is stored in a quart sized bag.  Sandwich size would work, but quart sized - even just regular storage bags - will hold up longer than sandwich bags.

New this year, I have decided to print my directions page and put on the front of the bag.  When printing my centers, I selected only the directions pages (on a Mac use Command and then select each page; on a Windows use Control and then select each page).  After selecting the pages, I use the Multiple print option and select 4 to a page.  This will print just the pages I selected and will print them smaller because there will be 4 to a page - save ink and paper!

I do laminate these pages and then just tape to the bag.  In the past, I just had labels with the names of the centers on the front and my kids relied more on the look of the center cards to remember what each center was.  This will help them if they have to go back at a later time to finish a center because they will have the "image" to more easily find the center they need.

I have revised all the directions pages so that the directions are written "to the kids" rather than to the teacher.  I have tried to make them easy to understand for the kids.  So if my kiddos don't listen...and you know that never happens...ha right...they can read the directions to complete the center.

This is also great because if you have adult helpers, or even if your admin walks in, they can see what your kids are up to just by reading the front of the bag.  The directions have been taken off of the recording sheets and put on the bag instead.

I store all of my answer keys and master to copy in a 3-ring binder.  I have 2 sheet protectors for each month - one with the answer keys and one with the masters to copy.  When I'm ready to copy, I pull out the masters, copy them, and then return them when I'm done - easy peasy!

I staple all of my answer keys with the cover page on the front so that I can easily pull my answer keys when I'm checking math centers.  

Below are links to my updated math centers - August through December!  I'll be updating January through May in the coming months!