(Day 3 of Scholastic Trip #2)

Okay, so Day 3 wasn't really a full day.  Actually, it wasn't even part of the original plan for the trip, but one of the members of the editorial team asked if any of us would be available Thursday morning to talk about the focus of publishing from the standpoint of the teacher. 

I got up and showered, ordered and ate breakfast, finished packing for the trip home, checked my bag at the front desk and ordered my cab to the train station to be ready when I got back from the meeting, and met the three remaining advisors for our trip over to Scholastic.

Breakfast.  Fuel for the day.

We met with a member of the editorial team who talked with us for about an hour.  We talked about how well the books fit into the curriculum, what areas and levels still need materials, how to address the needs when state standards are so different (although the new Common Core Standards may help with that issue), and how test preparation materials fit into the grand picture of things.  There should be more materials in social studies and science coming for the lower grades; one of my complaints was that the materials offered for the lower grades are either too simplistic or too far above grade level for the students to understand.  We'll see what happens.   We also found out how to submit our own material if we so choose.  There's no guarantee we'll be published, but it's nice to know the option is there.

After our meeting, I went back to the hotel, picked up my bag, and got into the cab.  My cab ride to Penn Station was just as harrowing as the one I took the night I arrived. I was glad to get out of the taxi!  An hour later, after a purchase of a french toast bagel with cream cheese (and a drink), I was on my way home. 

Ahh.  Home.  

(Day 2 of Scholastic Trip #2)

Day 2 began much the same as the first: meeting Carol in the lobby, walking to Scholastic headquarters, and having breakfast.  The meetings for the day covered changes to the teacher reward (bonus point) program, back-to-school promotions, some new web applications, and a preview of the new bonus catalog.  Lots of exciting things in store!

One of the things I am excited about is the change to the bonus point system.  We had complained in the February meeting that sometimes it was hard to reach that minimum requirement to get the 5X bonus points for that month (or whatever the promotion was in any particular month).  Many of us stated that we were guilty of padding our classroom orders just to reach the minimum dollar amount threshold.  (I suspect many of you do the same thing.)  Well, there is good news:  Beginning this fall, all bonus points will be lumped together, no matter which book club/flier you use.  No more minimum dollar amounts!  Your bonus points will be awarded based on the total number of dollars for your order.  (There will be a chart explaining how the new system works in the teacher portion of the flier.)  I don't know about you, but I use my bonus points A LOT.  And to know that I won't have to pad orders anymore and still get the benefit, well, that's just icing.

Another exciting aspect is this year's back-to-school promotion to get children excited about reading.  I can't tell you all of the details, but I can tell you it has something to do with a partnership with Wal-Mart and Kellogg's.  Just keep your eyes peeled!

Some of the new web applications being put into place (besides easier navigation of the company site and book order links) include a link where teachers and parents can rate books according to specified criteria.  The idea behind this application is sort of like Pandora Radio;  readers can rate books and move books into categories by title, author, series, skill sets, illustrations, message, age group, etc.  There would also be a place to solicit feedback or leave a comment about a book.  You know as well as I do that sometimes books can be used for more purposes than the publishing company thinks of or lists on the description/book jacket.  Sometimes just a snippet of a book is perfect for supplementing a lesson or a series of similar stories is just right for a concept study.  This new site would allow people that are using the books add to the details and description of the book.  An example would be the Junie B. Jones series.  One of the other advisors uses snippets of the books to do grammar studies.  I would never have thought of using the series that way.  Through the site, those ideas would be available to whoever clicks on the link.

For those of you who are fans of Book Talk, there are plans to have five new titles from the book clubs highlighted each month.  There would be book highlights from preschool to high school.  Scholastic plans to have some of the editors and writers do short videos about the highlighted books.  Teachers would also have the ability to link to those videos through their personal, class, or school web pages.  The book videos would also be archived for later reference.

Regarding the book club fliers themselves, our meeting with the design team revealed quite a few changes. The team has reworked the fliers so that they are going to be less cluttered, a larger section will be available for your class online ordering code, there will be a highlight page featuring authors or series in each, there will be a section for book reviews from the teacher advisors (much like those we do for the Scholastic Facebook page), the layout of the order form on the last page will be MUCH easier to read, and there will be a section with preview pages from different book levels to help parents and children choose "Just Right" books.

I know it's a lot to take in, but it was a busy day.  So busy that we had a "working lunch" that day; lunch was brought to the room and we continued on.  Our day of meetings ended at 5:30.  We had about half an hour to freshen up and/or walk around Soho before we left for dinner.

Dinner that night was held at the Mercer Kitchen.  The restaurant had little menus made up for us to choose our three courses.  I had the fried calamari with spicy mayo for my appetizer, the Mercer burger for my entree (delicious, and I'm not a burger person), and the sour cream cheesecake with cherries for dessert. 
Just. So. Good.


Sorry about the flash.  This is one of the windows out front.



Our menu cover.

Our menu options for dinner.

During dinner I sat near the guru of the bonus catalog, Tanya.  I just have to tell you; when you get the catalog in the fall with your beginning-of-the-year Scholastic materials, HANG ON TO IT!  There are SO many good things in there!  (And I'm not saying so because I helped choose some of the items, but because there are a lot of neat things in there.  My bonus points are already spent for this year!)

After dinner we said goodbye to those folks who were heading out early the next morning.  Several of us were going to hang around the next morning before our departures to have an informal meeting with one of the editors from the book club division.  More on that to come.

Stay tuned.

(Day 1 of Scholastic Trip #2)

The first day of Scholastic meetings started off with us meeting Carol in the lobby of the hotel, getting our clearance badges for the next few days, and a walk from the hotel to the Scholastic headquarters. (The walk took about 10 minutes.  You would be amazed at how relatively quiet Soho is at 8:30 a.m.)

We arrived at the building and were taken upstairs to have breakfast and meet with another Carol; this Carol is the VP of the eCommerce department.  She and her assistant Sean walked us through the new website design and further picked our brains for improvements to the book club ordering sites for teachers and parents. 

Some of the new changes coming this fall are: a searchable index of all book being offered by the Scholastic clubs, in Club Shop, or teacher materials.  (This is one of my favorite new features!)  You will now be able to search for titles by author, subject, grade level, genre, skill set, or title.  I believe they will be adding a feature that will allow teachers and parents to keep a snapshot of students that will allow recommendations to be made based on the child's grade level, age, and/or reading level.  (They were still working on the details for that one.)

Another feature coming this fall (and is already in place in some areas of the country through test markets) is the e-reader feature.  Scholastic will be offering e-books for sale through the website to be downloaded to the Scholastic e-reader software, which is free.  The software can be downloaded onto a computer, tablet, or smartphone; I think you can download up to five per household.  Anyhow, once books are purchased, they go to the device of your choice.  Each child has his or her own "bookshelf" where they can store their digital books.  The program itself reminds me of a LeapPad combined with an e-book.  The students have the ability to look up words, take notes, highlight, play games, and do comprehension activities throughout the books.  (This was the one I tested out this past spring; I couldn't tell you the details until it went live.) I can't wait to start adding books for my kiddos.

After the discussions about the above, we stopped for lunch around 12:30.  We went to Miro Cafe for lunch and had a few minutes to walk around before we went back.  The afternoon was filled with the actual preview of the websites.  My take: much easier navigation, especially if you have coupons to enter with your order.  The whole ordering process has been streamlined for ease.  There will also be a change to the form letter available on the site for parent online ordering. 

We also talked about how to get parents interested in book clubs and online ordering.  Some of the things the other teachers use are: a Smartboard presentation showing parents how to get on the site during parent nights (if you have a Smartboard.  I don't.), an "All About Me" letter indicating student reading preferences, adding a link to your class web page, and providing the "How Book Clubs Work" link to parents. 

At 5:30 we ended the day with a little shopping at the Scholastic store.  I bought my kiddos some new books: Fairest for my oldest and a Ricky Ricotta book and activity book for my youngest.  Here are some new pictures from this trip:


The entrance to the lobby.



With the last installment of the movie series coming out, I thought it only fitting to take this.



Just thought this was really cute.

 At 6 we went to dinner at Bar 89. 



Dinner was delicious, but I'm not going to talk about that.  The thing to talk about once you've been to Bar 89 is the BATHROOMS!  Yes, the bathrooms.  There is only one word to describe them: Freaky.  Let me show you what I mean.

This is my pic from inside the stall.  I am standing in the corner. 



Totally fogged.  I can see out, but no one can see in!



When you go into the stall, the door is all glass.  Once you shut the door, the stall glass fogs up so no one can see you and a lighted "Occupied" sign appears on the door.  When you are finished, you open the door and the fog clears.  A shock at first. 

Once dinner was over, we went back to the hotel to prepare for Day 2.

Stay tuned.



(Day 181: Last Teacher Day and Scholastic Trip #2 Travel Day)

This is my room at the beginning of the school year before the children came in on the first day:

Notice how shiny everything is and how bare bones the room was?  Throughout the year I've added games and projects and papers and all the other things you accumulate over the course of the year.  (Where does it all come from anyway?)
 
This is the room on the last teacher day of the year, looking sort of the same, but not really.

All of my stuff has been cleaned, sorted, thrown out, or filed away for use next year.  Any furniture that does not belong to the school had to be moved into the coat area so the floors are clear for the cleaning crew. (The crew will move all the deks and tables.)  The counters all needed to be cleared, too, so the coat area is filled with my mailboxes, centers organizers, my desk chair, fans, file bins, book bins, etc.  My posters get to stay because they aren't doing anything with the walls this year.  The other picture I took didn't come out clearly, but there is nothing on the counters by the windows.  My desk is (gasp!) totally clear, too.

After cleaning, sorting, filing, and moving, I left about half an hour early so I could dash home and get a shower before hopping on the train to travel to New York for a special (read: not a usual occurrence) set of meetings with Scholastic.  The company asked any advisors who were able to make it to come back and see the updates and changes before the print deadlines for the fall.  (These would be the updates and changes we talked about during our February meetings.  Read Day 111, Part 1 and Part 2, and the Saturday Meetings links.) I made it to the station with about half an hour to spare before departure.

I made it to Penn Station (which is in the same building as Madison Square Garden) around 9 p.m., took a nerve-wracking taxi ride to the Tribeca Grand Hotel, checked in, took another shower (even riding in the train felt gross), and prepared for a day of meetings. FYI: I slept much better this time; no construction going on outside my window!

More to come on the meetings; you are going to be so happy this fall!

Day 169: Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who's the fairest of them all?

No, I am not reading Snow White to my class.  I am, however, reading Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer for another Scholastic review.  This review will not be on the Scholastic Facebook page, however.  This review will actually appear in the Lucky book order forms this fall!  Exciting!

And...

A little daunting.

The book was reviewed once by another Teacher Advisor for the Scholastic page.  I guess they want a new perspective.  Anyhow, I need to write a review that doesn't cover the same things the other teacher wrote. 

We'll see what I come up with.

Anyone have a fairy godmother I can borrow?

Day 164: Decisions and Dilemmas

Monday, May 16, was Day 164.  A day full of decisions and dilemmas. Why, you ask?  What was going on?

Well, Scholastic decided to bring back the Advisors for the Lucky and Arrow book clubs for a few more meetings.  This is not a usual practice, but there are some things they are still working on.  Anyhow, I received an email saying they want us there June 13 through June 16.  Wonderful!  Except...

1. My last teacher day is June 13.  (The students get out the 10th, but the teachers aren't.) I wasn't approved to take the day as a personal day as I was permitted to do back in February.  So I will need to do my traveling after work.
2. I had two inservices (previously) scheduled for June 15 and June 16.
3. I had to figure out child care.  Two days a week is one thing, but those two days turned into eight.  Why? Because I had to reschedule my two inservices for the following week, which means I will have four inservice days in a row.  (I had them previously scheduled for two days one week and two days the next.)  Also, I had to schedule for the four days I will be traveling to and from New York, and the two days of meetings while I'm there. 

So now I have everything figured out.
1. I will take the late train into New York on the 13th to be ready for meetings early on the 14th.
2. I was able (with my principal's permission) to cancel the inservices I had registered for and reschedule them for the following week.
3. My mother-in-law has agreed to watch my kiddos not only during my Scholastic trip, but also the days I have my inservices.

Disaster averted!

Day 143: First Scholastic Book Review!

Well, well, well.

It hardly seems real.  I actually have a book review published.  Part of my role as Scholastic Teacher Advisor is to preview new books through Scholastic and write reviews for their Facebook page.  I review the books for student interest and classroom connections.  I showed the review to my son after it was published.  He thought I was famous!

I'm in the middle of my next review (due at the end of the month for May's reviews).  Check back on the Facebook page and see what's coming up!  You just might find something to use...and your students will thank you for it!

Day 128: More Testing and Reading (For Me)

Day 128 was a regular school day.  My students worked on grammar, read a little, worked on drafts of their reports, learned about pioneers, and discussed how to find the perimeter of a shape.

I guided them through the day, worked on sub plans for Friday afternoon (out of town for my brother-in-law's wedding), and prepared to take on some duties for Scholastic.

Once I got home, I tried a new product for Scholastic.  (Sorry, can't tell you.  I mean, I could, but then I'd have to erase your memory Men In Black style.  Trust me, this is better.) I also began perusing one of two books for book reviews to be submitted for the Scholastic Book Clubs Facebook Page.  Those two done in between dinner and evening activities for my church. 

And speaking of Scholastic, I am going to have another visit by members of the staff.  This time they are going to be talking to the first- and second-grade teachers about what areas we feel there are gaps in regarding our curriculum.  For example, I know my grade struggles with finding grade-level appropriate books on landforms, bodies of water, and map skills.  Most of the books are geared toward older readers or are watered down too much.  I'm not sure when the visit is yet; we are still trying to coordinate schedules. 

How about you? Do any of you first- and second-grade teachers have any areas you would like to see addressed?  Leave a comment and I'll put the topics on my list.

Saturday: Day Two of Scholastic Meetings

Saturday, February 26, I awoke around 6:45 to be dressed and ready for room service, scheduled to arrive somewhere between 7:15 and 7:30.  Breakfast was prearranged by Scholastic; all we had to do was call down to guest services, tell what time we wanted breakfast, and present a coupon to room service when they came to the door.

This is the coupon we had to present...

...and this is what came to my door.
Oh. My. Stars.

 

After breakfast I met Carol in the lobby again, along with the other teachers.  We went back to the Scholastic building for the second round of meetings.  The walk was much better than the previous day; it poured on Friday!  Saturday was just windy.

We got back to the building where we posed for a group picture, then got to business.  We talked about what books we use in class, how we incorporate books into lessons, what types of skills we cover, and what reading intervention programs are used.  We also had a chance to meet with the editorial teams in small groups to talk about what topics we would like to see covered in book offerings.  (I have a hard time finding books that cover map skills and geography on a second-grade level to supplement my Social Studies geography unit.  And guess what?  They are planning to create a series on just that!)  The last thing we did before breaking for lunch was meet with the design teams in small groups to talk about the design of the book club fliers themselves.  Be on the lookout for some changes come this fall...

After the meetings, we were treated to lunch upstairs in the Greenhouse.  The Greenhouse is on the top floor and it is like a sunroom where you can have meals al fresco.  It was actually too cold to dine al fresco, but the sunlight coming in was warm.

When lunch was over, we were taken to a room where we got to rate and help choose offerings for the new Teacher Bonus catalog.  FYI: There are some really neat things coming your way!

Once we finished with the Bonus catalog items, we were given some time to be on our own.  So I went along with four other teachers who are also self-professed foodies.  We went on a mini food tour, in the manner of Food Network/The Cooking Channel.  We started right at the end of the block with Baked by Melissa, a place that specializes in mini cupcakes.

These are my tasties: S'more, Coconut Cream, and Cinnamon.  They were moist and fluffy.  Delicious!

You literally walk up to the window, place your order, and walk away with goodness in your hands.

From there we hopped on the subway and trekked up to Union Square.  There we hit the Shake Shack for burgers, fries, and shakes.  Actually, I only had the fries.  I just can't do burgers out!  (For a self-professed foodie, I know that's akin to sacrilege. Sorry. Just can't do it.)  But, the fries were SO GOOD!  I could eat them all day.  And you can get them with toppings.  Be still my heart!

The Shake Shack.

It was about 40 degrees that day, but we were toasty thanks to the outdoor torches above the tables.

When we finished, we went across the street to Eataly, an Italian market.  There were so many people, they actually had security at each entrance letting people in a few at a time.  We were fortunate to get in at the same time.  And once we got in...! Wow.  There were restaurants and stalls of everything.  Chocolate (which was yummy), wine, pastry, cheese, sausages, bread, spices, cooking utensils, cookbooks, fruits, veggies, etc.  I could have stayed there all day. But we had more places to go.

So crowded.  But worth it!

After Eataly we traveled on to Crumbs Bake Shop, where we sampled more cupcakes.  I split a carrot cake cupcake with one of my colleagues, while the others split a S'mores cupcake--complete with a giant marshmallow baked right in the center. Heavenly.

Yum!

From Crumbs, we had to hustle into a taxi and get back to the hotel for dinner with everyone else.  I know what you're thinking: How are you going to eat dinner after you ate all afternoon?  The trick is to order one thing and share it with everyone so you only have a taste.  Then you still have room for dinner!

We made it to the hotel with two minutes to spare--literally.  We hopped on a chartered bus that took us from the hotel down into the Times Square area where we had dinner at Carmine's.  Ah, Carmine's. We were shown to a private dining area thanks to heavy velvet curtains dividing up the dining room.  The food was out of this world.  Everything is served family style, from the bread to dessert.  I tried a little of everything that came to to table: fried calamari with spicy sauce, chicken marsala, penne with vodka sauce, cappelini with tomato sauce, Caesar salad, steamed seasoned broccoli, and eggplant parmesan.  The eggplant parmesan was my favorite.  It was layered like a lasagna and melted in your mouth.  When the main course was over we were served dessert: tiramisu, cannoli, an ice cream concoction, and something like a chocolate cake.  I tried a bit of all and they were equally delicious.

After dinner we were treated to the show Jersey Boys in the August Wilson Theater.  The show was unbelievable, I think in part to the intimate setting of the theater.  I definitely recommend this show.  GO!

The marquee as we walked to the theater.

The program.

Once the show was over and we got back to the hotel, we said our goodbyes/goodnights because some of us (like me) were leaving early the next morning.  Some of the other folks went on to a place called Please Don't Tell, but I was tired. And coming down with something, I think.  (By the time I got to bed I was dealing with a blocked ear and sinus issues.)

I went to bed full of ideas and high hopes for the year to come.  Stay tuned!

Just a Little Nervous (Day 111, Part Two)

Sorry for the hiatus.  Since my last post, I worked at my other job over the weekend and battled with a stomach bug I caught from who knows where.  I'm home today, regaining my strength for tomorrow.  I feel MUCH better than I had. AND my computer is behaving again.  Things are good.

Anyhow, let's continue.  So after we get into the boardroom and everyone gets settled, the meeting begins.  We went around and introduced ourselves to everyone with the aid of a short video on each of us.  (Remember I told you the Scholastic staff took pictures when they came to visit my classroom?  That's where the pictures went.)  After our introductions, the "folks in charge" introduced themselves.  We were introduced to the VPs of different departments as well as key players in each department.  We were also introduced to the owner of Scholastic, who sat in on every minute of the meetings.  (No pressure, right? No seriously, he was great.  Very personable and interested in what we had to say.)

Throughout the course of the day, we were asked our opinions on everything from online ordering vs. paper orders, ease of use of the Scholastic website and its features*, how we get our students interested in reading, what types of books we should offer to help students who speak other languages, how to help new teachers be aware of the resources Scholastic offers, and even packaging/sending of orders.

*Speaking of features, did you know that Scholastic has the following items:

• A Facebook page? There are links/pages for teachers, parents, Read 180, etc.  There are even pages for specific reading series.
• A blog that highlights favorite books, recommended books, and upcoming titles/subjects?  There are book summaries, teacher reviews, author interviews, and links to books by topic.  There's also a link about the meeting with the Scholastic Advisors. (Check out the February 28 post on the site.)
• Many, many resources for us teachers to use in the classroom, from lesson plans to printables, teaching resource guides to activities?

When the meetings were over, we were surprised with gift cards to the Scholastic store, located on the bottom level of the building.  So of course, we went shopping!  If you've never been there, the place was unbelievable.  I took some pictures with my class in mind, but even they don't show the true scope of the store.  You just have to go.

This is on the wall to your right just before you enter the store.

This is the entrance from the lobby.

The Magic School Bus houses most of the science section, along with sofas and a television showing videos for the little ones.

Would you like a ride on the Magic School Bus?

All of the walls are decorated with different characters from different reading series.  I took this section of the wall because these are characters my students would recognize. 

This was huge!  I'd say he was at least 8 feet tall.

One of the MANY mini displays throughout the store.

After sitting in the meetings all day (and a little shopping!), we were treated to dinner at O'Nieals in Soho.  There were probably about 50 or so folks who went to dinner.  Not just the teachers, but some of the folks on the staff at Scholastic.  I was seated next to one of the ladies that visited my classroom who works on the BookTalk blog, a designer/artist, and one of the other folks that works on the blog.  The place was amazing...be sure to look at the link above to see what I mean.  Dinner was very tasty.  I would definitely go back again.

By the time dinner was over, it was about 9:30, 10:00.  I went back to the hotel and called my two back home to wish them goodnight.  Then I showered and hit the sack.  I was just a bit tired!

Saturday's adventures up next... 

Just a Little Nervous (Day 111, Part One)

Friday, February 25 was Day 111.  While my students went through their usual Friday routine, I met with the person in charge of the Advisor program, met the teachers I hadn't met the night before at dinner, trekked to the Scholastic headquarters, and began a series of meetings on all sorts of topics relating to how teachers can use Scholastic more efficiently. 

Where do I start? 

I woke up that morning around 6:15.  I hadn't slept well because I was a bit nervous about meeting everyone, and it took a bit for me to get used to the noise in the city.  You know, sirens, horns, and...a jackhammer.  Yes, a jackhammer.  At 10, 11:00 at night.  (I remember griping to my husband that morning, saying, "Who on earth jackhammers at NIGHT?"  He, being the one of sound mind, politely reminded me that the traffic during the day is probably pretty busy, so the construction is done at night.  Sort of like when the crews are repaving a road or something.)  Oh well, I was still a bit cranky and sleep-deprived.  (If you haven't guessed, I'm a light sleeper.) 

So anyway, I got up, took a shower, and got dressed.  I didn't eat the yummy room service breakfast; I wasn't hungry.  (Nerves, I guess.  And about the breakfast, I'll post more on that later.  Just one word now: scrumptious!)

I went downstairs to meet CAROL, the person in charge of the Advisors.  I've tried to think of a way to describe her, and what I came up with when I talked to my husband was this:  "She's like an old friend you've never met."  Seriously.  When I got downstairs, she was sitting in a chair talking away to some of the other folks.  Whenever someone new came into the lobby, she would ask their name and give them their name tag, along with a hug you would expect from a long-lost friend.  No airs here, people.  She was genuinely pleased to see each and every one of us.  I don't know how else to describe her, except maybe to add in that she was sort of like a mother or grandmother.  She had something nice to say to everyone and constantly checked in on us throughout the weekend to make sure we weren't overwhelmed or tired or hungry or anything else.  She's funny, quick-witted, and a snappy dresser.  (She likes crazy socks just like I do, too.)

So after we met Carol, we trekked on to the Scholastic headquarters, which was a few blocks away.  It always amazes me when New Yorkers say "Oh, it's just a few blocks."  To me, a few blocks is like one or two.  This was a bit more, but worth it!

This is the Scholastic building from across the street.  (Sorry about the corner being cut off; I thought it was all in the frame.)  This is where the magic happens.

This is the view as you walk up the 550 block of West Broadway.  You can't miss it.

Here is the Scholastic mascot, Clifford.  The window was the size of a true shop window; I was nearly on the curb to catch this shot.

We walked in through security in the lobby and went straight up to the second floor, where we were greeted with various members of the Scholastic company and Clifford. 

The welcoming committee.

We were then shown into a conference room where we were greeted by even more Scholastic staff.  The room was huge. (Cue my nerves again.)  In the middle was a U-shaped series of tables where we sat, 11 on one side, 11 on the other, and various VIPs in between.  Behind the tables were several (three, I think) rows of chairs on all sides, from one set of walls to another.  Those were for the Scholastic staff who were going to be sitting in.  By the time everyone was in, there wasn't enough room for all the staff and quite a few ended up sitting on the floor wherever a spot could be found.

This is the view from the door, looking straight ahead.

View from the door, pointing into the room.  You can only see the beginning of the first of three rows on the right.  I was sitting in the seat with the giraffe bag hanging from it.  

Upon entering the room, we were greeted with a slideshow showing all of the Advisors from this year.  We were also greeted with an official Scholastic workbag, filled with goodies.

This is a map showing where the Advisors came from.  The little dots on the map were actually stars that kept flickering in and out, so I tried to get a shot with all of them lit.  There should be 22 little dots from the West Coast to the East Coast, North to South.



New workbag.  Snazzy!



Contents of the new workbag.  Very generous of Scholastic.  I especially like the blue bag in the middle.  It is a reusable bag that has the "Reader's Bill of Rights" on the reverse side.  Really neat.

More on Day 111 later; seems my computer has had enough tonight! Stay tuned!



Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy! (Day 110)

I am very pleased to announce that I was able to get the problem with my phone fixed by a nice man from Verizon, who was able to direct me to the exact link to get my driver downloaded for my phone.  I spent about an hour doing what should have taken about 10 minutes, thanks to the oh-so-clear directions on the Verizon link.  Really, who writes these things anyway?  Is it really so hard to write clear directions? (Actually, it must be.  I spent a summer rewriting technical manuals for some companies that will go unnamed, and let me tell you, it was T-O-R-T-U-R-E.  Don't even get me started on that!)

ANYHOW, I was able to move ALL of my pictures onto my computer and put them into files, burn a disc to show my students, and put some in a file to share with you.  (Enter my happy dance!  Really, more like a chair dance, but excited/happy/delirious dancing all the same.  Honestly, I think my children thought I was having a fit!)

So where to begin?  How about the beginning?  If you've been following, you know I have been in communication with Scholastic Publishing Company because I was chosen as a Teacher Advisor.  (Check the 'Scholastic' tags to the right.)  Last week, I spent several fantastic days with the powers that be and the other 21 Advisors.  I have decided to post by what we did each day, mostly to save your eyes and my fingers. (That of course, means this week's posts regarding my class will probably be sort of mushed into combined posts.)

With that said, away-ee we go!

Thursday, February 24, 2011 was Day 110.  On this day, while my students were reading about ants and creating fact sheets, I was preparing for the plane ride to New York (via Newark Airport).  While they went through first recess, lunch, special, and social studies, I went through security at one airport, got on a plane, traveled, got off the plane, met one of the other advisors, and traveled into New York City.  We traveled to SoHo, where we checked in at the SOHO Grand Hotel.  The place was unbelievable. My room was on the 7th floor, diagonally across from the building where they hold the Tribeca Film Festival.  Here are some pics of the view from my window, from left to right.  (The window was so big, I had to take three pictures to get everything in.)

The intersection in the last picture is Broadway and Canal.  The hotel is very close to both Chinatown and Little Italy.

That evening, all of the advisors met together for dinner at a place called Puglia's.  The dinner was good.  They served us family style at the beginning of our visit: two types of salad, bread, and wine.  I don't drink, so I don't know how the wine was, but the salads and bread were very tasty!  Then the waiters took our orders.  I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan, which was good, but the sauce was a little thin for my taste.  (I like my sauce THICK!) After the entree, we were served coffee and dessert (again family style, on a huge platter).  Oh. My. Goodness.  I had a bite of the cheesecake and a cannoli.  They were de-licious! Oh, and did I mention we were treated to live entertainment during dinner?  Our meal was accompanied by a keyboardist and two singers who proceeded to belt out tune after tune of Italian favorites.  They even got us in on it!  It was loud, but it was fun!

After dinner we went back to the hotel to get ready for Day 111 (Friday).  That's when we would meet all of the folks from Scholastic and the other teachers who hadn't come to dinner with us.  I could hardly wait!

More tomorrow...

UPDATE: Days 110 and 111

I'm baaaack!

I just want to say that Days 110, 111, and that subsequent Saturday were whirlwinds of activity.  I got back home yesterday afternoon, took a nap, ate dinner, watched TV for a hot minute and went back to bed.  I am still tired today.  (Of course, I did go in and teach today, so that could be a factor.)  Anyhow, there is SO MUCH to share with you all that I don't even know where to begin.  So I decided that I will start the next few days with my Scholastic adventures, followed by happenings from my classroom.  Be forewarned, however, that you will be reading about said adventures for several days this week.  Seriously.  When I say "whirlwinds of activity," I mean it.  Be also forewarned, that I will begin those postings tomorrow, partly because I need to finish downloading all of the pictures from this weekend.  I really didn't know I took so much!

So stay tuned; more is on the way.  

Day 109: T-Minus...

One day until I blow this Popsicle stand! 

Okay, okay, maybe I'm a LITTLE excited about being in New York for a few days with the Scholastic folks.  I am really looking forward to everything this weekend has to offer.  I will try to update each night, but if I don't I'll be sure to take notes for each day so I can get it all down for you!  I'll also take some pics and post for your viewing pleasure.

My plans are out for the substitute, along with all writing project samples, models of projects, game materials, notes regarding students, picture day information and schedules, overheads, workbook pages, emergency plans, folders, read aloud information, etc.  (When I plan, I PLAN!) 

I am ready.  Bring it on.

Day 88: So...How'd It Go?

So...how'd it go?  I'm sure some of you are wondering how my observation with the Scholastic representatives went today.  If you've been following me, you know I've been a little nervous about it.  Not like a "my-principal's-coming-TODAY!" nervousness, but an "I-don't-know-these-people-and-they-don't-know-me-gee-I-hope-they-don't-think-I'm-a-nut" sort of nervousness.  That said, here it is:

8:00 a.m.: I get a buzz from the office telling me that my guests are here.  Gulp, deep breath.  Up the hallway to get them.
8:00-8:45 a.m.: I show them my room.  They take pictures.  They look over my class library, the "extra" book bins, and my personal library. (You remember that discussion from an earlier post.)  They ask questions about what kinds of books would supplement the curriculum (mainly social studies, like types of government and things like geography skills--landforms, map skills, etc.), what the children enjoy reading, and how my ordering has changed this year (I have several more boys than girls this year!).  I also tell them about my schedule, and how today is not a normal Thursday because we are usually reviewing for a comprehension quiz and doing other activities.  (If you've been reading, we are still catching up from three delays/snow days in three weeks.)  So I explain that we will be finishing the first of two comparison stories for the end of our reading theme, doing our mid-year review of grammar skills, completing Daily Edit, having read aloud (during snack time), finishing writing projects (you know, the one that should have been done LAST WEEK!), and centers for those who are finished with the writing projects.  There were no skills groups this week because the data wasn't compiled yet (We just got that this afternoon.).  I also explained the independent reading program, which they really seemed to like.
8:45-11:00 a.m.: The students come in, get unpacked, and begin morning work. After announcements at 9:00, we are off and running. See above list of things that I planned to do with the class.  We did them all, except for the Independent Reading; that's after first recess.
11:00-11:15 a.m.: Recess
11:15-11:45 a.m.: Independent Reading--The students' routine after recess is to put their things away, get their book, find a spot, and get reading.  They did that.  I put on the music (We are currently listening to Duke Ellington's "Far East Suite".), grabbed my Kindle, and got reading. About 10 minutes before the end of the period, I call students to their seats to fill out their independent reading logs and response sheet for today.  Then we get ready for lunch.
11:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Lunch.  The representatives eat with us in the lounge and talk to the other teachers who join us over the staggered lunch times (Grades K-3).  We are treated to Atlanta Bread Company, which is along the same lines as Panera Bread.  (I think they are owned by the same company.  There are just too many similarities.)
12:20-12:35 p.m.: The children open a package that contain what I think was every book from the most recent Scholastic catalog.  (When the box was delivered--and hidden until today--the packing label said it weighed 31 pounds.)  There are sets of things and books on every topic: 39 Clues, Junie B., Geronimo Stilton, National Geographic readers, the Black Lagoon, Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, Babysitter's club, Music Fairies, and Flat Stanley. There are BFF books, animal books, sports books, reference books, classic stories, math stories, grammar/phonics books, and so many others.  (After school I had to rearrange my bins in the class library because I couldn't fit everything with the old configuration.  And I still have books left over to give to my students.)

These are the books that were in the box.  I tried to spread them out, but I ran out of room on the table.

These are the extra books.  I already have these in the library, so I told the children I would take out the duplicates and pass them out for the students to keep.

My bins are now turned to fit in the new sets of books.  Those that weren't in sets are in the blue bins here, in the green "extras" bins on the shelves, on the shelf waiting rotation, or in my personal library waiting for the corresponding unit to be introduced.

12:35-1:15 p.m.: I drop my students off at library, then go back and finish up with the reps, answering any extra questions and such.

Throughout the day, they took notes on what I was doing and took pictures of the students working.  They are going to take this information and create a video to be shared with the other staff members at Scholastic.  Some of the same pictures will be used in a slideshow of all of the new members this year to be shown when we are in New York next month.  (I just hope my hair wasn't sticking up too badly from the static in the air today!  I also secretly pray that they didn't get back on the road and think they made a mistake!)  You know what I mean:  You have so many neat things you do that you can't possible do all in one day (or one subject, necessarily), so you worry that you haven't done "enough" to show how brilliant a teacher you are.  Or maybe that's just my neuroses speaking right now!

Overall, they said they enjoyed my classroom organization and decorations, my students were organized and well-mannered (and no, I didn't bribe them or threaten them before the reps came), and thought I was creative.  That's good, right?  Right?

So now I'm one step closer to New York. 

Breathe...