Wednesday's Featured Teacher and Freebie.... Meet Dr. Erica Warren

Meet Dr. Erica Warren over at 

Learning Specialist Materials

Check out her blog:Learning Specialist Materials Check out her TpT Store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erica-Warren

What do you teach? And where? 

I'm a learnings specialist and educational therapist in New York. I have a private practice called, Learning to Learn. I work with students after school and help them to review difficult concepts, develop compensatory learning strategies, and I also give students cognitive exercises to strengthen areas of weakness. I call myself a personal trainer for the brain. I also love to take difficult topics and create multisensory and mindful classroom materials and games.

What is one of your favorite memories in the classroom?

Creating materials that transform discouraged learners into encouraged learners. I love to help students find the joy in learning. When this happens, it's magical!

What was your hardest experience while teaching? How did you overcome it.

My greatest challenge has been addressing the needs of kinesthetic learners. I overcame this by integrating a lot of movement into my lessons.

What advice would you give a new teacher or someone switching grade levels?

Go multisensory and make your lessons fun. Get rid of home work and class work and replace it with home fun and class fun. Integrate games as much as possible, give all assignments fun names and present your students creative options.

Dr. Erica Warren would like to offer all followers a 

Freebie!!

Puppy Party

Follow Me on Blog Lovin'

I am one hundred percent sure that almost everyone has heard that Google Reader is going away and you will not be able to follow blog through Google anymore. There is a new website that you can go to that will transfer all your blogs your follow to their website. You have until today to transfer all of them to Blog Lovin'. Click here and you will see a post by Jessica over at A Turn to Learn on how to switch over. Please don't forget to follow me @It's a Jungle Out There

Wednesday's Featured Teacher and Freebie....Meet Chrissy Beltran

Meet Chrissy Beltran over at 

Buzzing with Ms. B!

Check out her blog:Buzzing with Ms. B

Check out her TpT Store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Chrissy-Beltran

What do you teach? And where? 

I'm a Literacy Leader for a K-5 Elementary School in West Texas!

What is one of your favorite memories in the classroom?

One year, my kids went to a baseball game with the PE department as a reward for excellence in PE. It was an AAA game at our local ballpark. They bought me a baseball and each of the kids signed it. On the front it said, "To Beltran." I guess Ms. was too much to add lol. I still have it in my classroom!

What was your hardest experience while teaching? How did you overcome it.

I think working with parents who were disinterested in their kids' education is always difficult. Find support through the school for these kids can help. One of my colleagues told me, "Parents who only have complaints and no support are still offering their best. That's the best they have to give their child: they think they're fighting for him by complaining." That helped me deal a little bit better with some especially difficult parents.

What advice would you give a new teacher or someone switching grade levels?

Find a buddy! Buddies can help you with every part of being a successful teacher. Also, be patient. If something doesn't work for you, don't hesitate to roll out something new that would work better. Once you find it, be consistent!

Chrissy would like to offer all followers a 

Freebie!!

Guided Reading Materials Freebie Pack

Please Help Out Some Local Teachers Publish Their First Book :)

 Meet Rachael Adams and Rachel Lackey

They need your help! 

Please take the time to read about their dream of getting their

L&W Detective Agency 

 Math books illustrated and published.

L&W Detective Agency is a series of math books for children. The series focuses on two birds, Layla and Wilson, who fly around the world helping students with Math problems. This series is aligned with the new Common Core Standards in Math.

We began our teaching journey together at a small urban school in Winston-Salem, NC teaching third grade. It was a unique experience because Rachael Adams taught a class of all girls and Rachel Lackey taught a class of all boys. We developed a professional friendship that blossomed into a personal one as well. Because it was such a small school, we relied on each others' talents to help create a successful year for our students. Since then Rachel Lackey got married and moved to another town to teach fourth grade, while Rachael Adams continued to teach at the small urban school.

Over our years of experience teaching, we have noticed a great need for interest-grabbing picture books that explain difficult math concepts to students. With the release of the Common Core Standards to North Carolina, we see an even larger need to provide teachers, parents, and students with grade-appropriate picture books centered on math.

We are also bird lovers. Rachel Lackey owns a cockatiel named Wilson and a parakeet named Bonnie, while Rachael Adams owns an Indian Ringneck named Layla and a parakeet named Aussie.

Since becoming personal friends, we still continue to meet and enjoy each others' company. One afternoon we were discussing school issues, and Rachel Lackey mentioned a gap she noticed in regards to mathematic-themed picture books. We began to brainstorm ideas and came up with the L&W Detective Agency using our birds, Layla and Wilson.

From there, the idea "took flight", and we have been creating children's stories for kindergarten. The dream is that we will eventually have math stories for grades K-5 that align to the Common Core Standards.

We have recently started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the illustrations and publication costs for the first book. To see our project, go to our Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/ZYs7k0

Click on the link to donate to their project!

http://kck.st/ZYs7k0

Watch the video to learn more about their book. 

Wednesday's Featured Teacher and Freebie.... Meet Brian Hopkins

I would like you to meet Brian Hopkins.

Check out his blog: Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings
Check out his TpT Store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brian-Hopkins

What do you teach? And where? 

I am currently a substitute teacher for grades Pre-K through 6th grade in Florida. I am looking for a teaching position. I taught for 8 years in Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and a short term in 5th.

What is one of your favorite memories in the classroom?

One of my favorites that stands out the most happened while subbing for a 3rd/4th grade combo class. One of the 3rd grade girls came up to me the 3rd to last day I was in the class and said I have something private to tell you. She said she didn't want me to go, wrapped her arms around me and cried and cried. She missed her teacher, but didn't want me to go either. Then the last day I was at the school subbing for another class she ran to find me as the bus bell rang and said one more hug and last goodbye. Knowing that I touched a child's life in just a month is a really good feeling.

What was your hardest experience while teaching? How did you overcome it.

It was right before I started with my first class. I had the chance to observe the teacher I was taking over for, for 3 days. On the 3rd day, the principal called me into the office and told me a parent in the class started a rumor that I was gay because I did not give his wife a strong handshake (use to shaking kids hands). The principal told me to let her know if anyone said that to me, wouldn't leave when class began, or gave me a hard time and she would be there immediately. She then said you must have a perfect day and win those kids over. I was told that I won over all the parents (other than the 1) the very first day and they received a ton of compliments about me in the front office. This was Kindergarten.

What advice would you give a new teacher or someone switching grade levels?

Know that if a lesson doesn't go perfectly or if children understand it one day and forget it the next it is not you, it is not the end of the world. Do the lesson a different way the next day and keep at it, children will get it!

Brian would like to offer all followers a 

Freebie!!

Cell Phone/Smart Phone Vowel Pair Ai and Ay Centers

What Amazing Parents I had this year :)

Look at this adorable book that two parents put together for me! 

I was totally surprised.

While I was at the Mclass meeting they had the students write about me. 

Brandy and Erin took the time to take all of the students writing and make this amazing book. I carried it home and cried as I read through all of the students writing. I am going to miss those kids so much. This will be something I cherish for a lifetime :) I am so honored these two ladies were parents in my class. They have went over and beyond to help the class in any activity or event. I don't know what I would have done without them!!

End of Year Gifts To The Students :)

Wow! I can not believe this year is coming to an end so fast.  Every year I feel like the year keeps flying by faster and faster. I look at the students in my class and I am amazed at how far they have grown in one year. At the beginning of the year I had students that didn't even know how to hold a pencil or write a letter. I look at them now and they are independent grown little kids. They can write stories, they can read, they can count, they can add and subtract, they can find the missing number in a problem, and much more. I believe in kindergarten you can see the most growth in one year than any other grade level.  I believe that is why I LOVE kindergarten!!! At the end of every year I always put together a bag for each of my students to take home. This year I bought these awesome hibiscus tote bags from Oriental Trading. (My students loved all the bright colors) I put a fun beach name tag on each bag.

I bought each student a book to take home. Inside of the book I wrote a little note to each child along with their picture. I also placed a hand written note that I wrote to the class inside the book.