Crafty Files #1: Christmas in July

Confession: I almost ALWAYS have to be creating something.

My most recent interest include Copic Markers, 

Digital/Rubber Stamps....and Cardmaking.

Spoiler Alert: My two worlds are colliding!

Anyway, one of the stamp companies I am digging on lately is called The Greeting Farm. Every Friday or so they host a Challenge on their blog. I am pretty new, so I have been watching from afar.

Until this week- CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Farm Fresh Friday: Christmas in July

I usually use digital stamps, so this was my 

VERY FIRST time even stamping an image....

It was also MY FIRST TIME...using my Greeting Farm Stamps.

I think it came out pretty cute, though cutting out those images with an EXACTO was not my idea of a good time. 

I definitely see cut files in my future.

Any of you guys crafty?

Wordless Wednesday: Draw-A-Story

Happy Wednesday!

It is ESY Week 4. 

That means there is ONLY ONE week to go!!

 And one day until my "weekend"!!

*does happy dance*

Today one of my students showed a little "creative" expression.

And it included little ol' me.

Just in case you're wondering, it says: 

"Ms. Tidwell, my brother and me are at the pool. Ms. Tidwell was sitting by the pool. I came by and pushed her in the water. My brother and I started laughing. Ms. Tidwell started swimming."

So on this Wordless Wednesday, I pose the following question:

Have you ever made a debut into your student's work? Comment about it below!

For those interested in this assignment, it is from a website called

To save you some time, I loaded it up on my Google Drive.

Make sure you link up this Wordless Wednesday and the next!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Techie Resources

As you may have read, I am teaching Extended School Year (ESY), which is summer school that focuses specifically on student's Individualized Education Programs (IEP).

Jargon dump? Yeah, I did.

So today, I was thinking about student learning, and how we can use the technology that all of us MOST learners, young and old, are so engulfed in. 

Of course, this is "Wordless Wednesday", the day I always have SO MUCH to say so, I HAD to link up so that I could #takeit2thablog and pose the question to you guys....

How do you use technology to reinforce Reading and Math Intervention?

Comment your resources below!!

I  also wanted to leave a list of links to a few of my faves and resources I have used in the past. Sorry to say, that NONE of them are free. If you work at a Title 1 school like me, you may can work your magic and get it granted or something, or get your school to try...etc.

1. First In Math 

2. I- Station (RELA)

3. Accelerated Math and Reading

4. myOn (Reading)

5. I-Ready (Math, Reading)

Of course I couldn't not leave a random meme at the end.

It's kinda my thing.

Now it's your turn! 

Link up with Wordless Wednesday's over at Sugar and Spice.

E..S...WHY-OH-WHY :-/

Before I jump into it..........

Is anyone watching the 

Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family? 

I am the BIGGEST Harry Potter geek. EVER

Man, I have been glued to the telly (lol, yeah I said telly) on and off since friday afternoon watching ALL of the HP films. 

It is 8:30 EST and they are now on the last film.

What's sad hilarious is I own all of the movies and books already.

*shakes head*

Anyway, while I have been watching....

I was creating ESY progress reports (movie screams).

What's ESY?

Extended School Year (ESY), for those who do not know, is summer school for students with special needs. The program focuses on IEP goals that the team feels are crucial skills the students need to work on year round.

Or so they say....

My rant is for "click happy" teachers/ case managers.

ESY is FIVE WEEKS.

FIVE WEEKS!!!!

So why leave me a IEP with 9 goals- with multiple objectives per goal ...AND MAKE THEM ALL FRICKIN ESY REQUIRED!!!

So basically you are making me retype the IEP and stress on the heck I would try to cover all those goals with the stack of worksheets you printed off super teacher worksheets dot com.

Even further, how come all the students on your load in my class have the same critical goals? And working with them for 2 weeks only so far I see otherwise.

C'mon, you gotta do better people.

Some people get lazy and forget an IEP is a legal document.

Oh, and I am working on the assumption that everyone 

knows what an IEP is that has gotten this far. 

So, what have I been doing for the last 3 hours?

Inputting 7 student goals into word to "proactively" 

prep for progress reports. 

I am not one of those teachers that likes to 

perform under pressure, so I am glad I decided

to sprinkle a little Potter over top of this

busy work.

Now that I am all done I can get back to the magic.

Now if only there was a spell to finish my 

laundry and cook my dinner.

It's Currently the 4th of July!

Happy 4th EVERYONE!

I had to take time to link up with 

Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for CURRENTLY.

It is my favorite linky-duh.

Anyway, here goes....

In attempts to keep this "short and sweet", 

I'm not going to say much here. I bet everyone

 is out stuffing their faces, watching fireworks 

or laying on their bed too tired from eating 

their weight in hotdogs.

 With that being said I am going 

to pick one important blurb about

 each statement above and try to keep 

my rabbling in check.

LISTENING: It NEVER turns off. Always on to the

next thing to do, see, read, make etc.

LOVING: Now that I going into my 2nd year 

with this school district, I am able too relax some

and get involved in volunteering and my art again.

THINKING: My hair is a hot mess. I need to think of 

something AND FAST. My house looks great-yay! 

Just a few things are out of order, like hanging up some

clothes and laundry.

WANTING: One of my new passions- Copic Markers. There 

is a technique to coloring/shading/blending skin and 

hair and this blogger created online classes. I am 

so ready to sign-up!

NEEDING: BECAUE I AM THE CURRENTLY

 SPONSOR FOR AUGUST!

4th plans: I had a good time at the cookout :-)

I just hope I will be able to tear myself

away from Netflix. I am only on Season 1.

Okay that is it! 

Make sure you link up with Oh Boy 4th Grade!

I would love to hear how great your July is starting out.

Miss Tidwell is....... MISSING!

Hey, remember me? Viola Swamp ( tee hee- hee!)

Actually....

I'm the one who has totally and completely neglected

 my blog for the last hundred 2 or so weeks.

I can explain.

I went on vacation, boycotted social media 

and never came back.

Not really, but I did take a week to relax....

AND I DID NOTHING.

The funny thing is, relaxing is my "de-motivator".

Wait- Is that a word? I don't care its summer! 

I have to always be doing something.

Is that a teaching style?

Anywho....

But it was brought to my attention that I have 

been out of the bloggy loop. 

So I wanted to pop in and let you know that 

July will bring many many posts.

Starting tomorrow.

I just need one more day.

I use to leave this book with my substitute 

when I taught 5th grade a few years back. 

My very 1st year teaching.

It was totally necessary.

And my kiddos loved it, because their names 

are added inside.

Holy Cannoli!

......is EXACTLY what I said when I opened my May 

SLANT box from Amanda over at Third Grade Fabulous.

I know June us 1/2 way over, and I am "revealing" 

a May SLANT but a.) my EOY is still happening and b.) this

box has taken a journey from NC to MD to NC to MD.

Because I forgot my own address I will not be explaining why.

Anyways.....I present:

SLANT BOX FABULOUSNESS!!!

May was all about getting to know your matches, 

and building a SLANTER/SLANTEE bond. 

Amanda and I did just that. And the proof is in her

ABSOLUTELY "nailing it" with the awesome box "innards".

Yes, I sometimes overuse quotations.

What made the box extra special were the bazillion post-it

notes she added in. Okay not a bazillion, but....

Here are two examples:

Isn't that so press?

<----------------

I absolutely loved my box! Thank you Amanda!!!

Make sure you guys go check out her blog!!

And if you are interested in the Summer SLANT 

box or information on SLANT

go blog stalk browse the wonderful 

Jameson, from Lessons with Coffee

  


Summer SLANT sign-ups do not close until the 22nd of June!!!