BJU Press Blog

Christmas in August

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I think orientation week for teachers is somewhat like the week before Christmas. Everyone is excited. There are so many things you need to do before the big day comes. You purchase new items. You decorate your classroom. You sit in what seems like endless meetings thinking of events to come. You want everything to be just right.

You think you will never get everything done—but somehow you do. The week finally culminates with one of my favorite nights of the year—Back to School Night.  This is when those names on a list finally become reality.

This year, I had some different things ready for my kids—like a welcome sign on my door where I asked them to sign their names.  I simply hung markers from the door knob for them to use.

Since I have a few iPads® in my classroom—and I am so excited about that!—I wanted to use them. My husband and I took a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary trip to the Bahamas this year, and I brought back a shell for each of my students.  So I created a video about that trip using Animoto.

image of sea shells on a table

I shared some of my photos and told the kids in a message at the end that they could keep one of the shells. I had the video playing on two of the iPads. (See the video of my trip to Long Island, Bahamas.)

We also have a MimioBoard™ interactive whiteboard in our classroom.  Using the Tellagami™ app, I made a message to the students explaining how they could use the whiteboard. That was displayed on a third iPad.

I always try to have something the kids can take home with them.  This year my classroom theme is popcorn. So I popped some popcorn and put it in cute popcorn bags I found at the local dollar store.  All of my students had one waiting in their cubby.

image of popcorn bags in school cubbies

I had a great time meeting all my students, and I think, from all the smiles, that they were pretty happy too.

What special things do you do for Back to School Night?

iPads® Have Been Eye-Opening

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How many times have you sat in a convention and thought, “I would do that in my classroom, if I had an iPad®“? Well, I am so excited that I have been blessed with the opportunity to use four iPads in my classroom this year.

I found out about this opportunity the week after attending a technology conference, so my brain has been on overload with great ideas. I was as excited as a kid on her birthday when I went down to the Apple Store to pick them up.  The gentleman there was happy to help me set up a linked account for the four devices and also made sure that any app I uploaded on one would automatically upload on all four.

So I set up email accounts for them; I even got different colored cases with matching headphones to keep them organized. I thought I was on top of everything—that I had it all worked out. Was I wrong!  I never thought about where I was going to keep them.

tablets stored in plastic caddies

After browsing through a couple of stores, I finally settled on using plastic shower caddies from Walmart.  The first thing I loved about them was the price. They were only $4.98 each! And they can each hold two iPads. I also love the fact that I can plug the iPads in even while they are stored. The caddies are also easy for the kids to access, and they have separate compartments for the headphones and chargers. So far it has worked out great!

Do you have iPads in your classroom?  How have you chosen to store them?  I would love to know.

Welcome to my 3C World

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Twenty-five years ago when I first stepped into my classroom, there was no Praxis™ exam, no interactive whiteboard, no whole brain teaching, and no personal devices. Cell phones, iPads®, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest did not exist. If you wanted to connect with someone, you simply had them over for dinner on Saturday night.

I taught for a while and then decided to take some time off when my kids were born. Five years ago, I made the decision to go back to teaching full time. Boy, had my classroom world changed! My grades were no longer calculated with a little paper wheel. I didn’t have to meticulously write them down in the standard red book. Now a computer takes care of all that. Every outlet in my classroom has a power strip attached to it to accommodate all the “new” technology.

But one thing hasn’t changed. Twenty five years ago, I had eighteen little image bearers of Christ walk through my door. They were my responsibility to teach, to empower, to grow, to point to their Creator. This year I have twenty-four image bearers. They are still my responsibility, but they are from a different world than the one I first started teaching in. Join me on my journey as I work on incorporating technology into Classroom 3C this year. If I can do it, any teacher can do it. I think it’s going to be fun. Right now I’m just keeping my head above water, but boy, I sure do love to swim!

August activities

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August is here, and, for many of you, that means the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching. Although you might not be teaching yet, here are a few August-related ideas that you can use in your classroom throughout the year.

forsterite-olivine
Forsterite, Olivine by Rob Lavinsky/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0

Science:  August’s birthstone is the peridot, which is gemstone-quality olivine. If you’re studying gemstones in science class, you may want to have your students look up the color, crystal system, cleavage, fracture, luster, hardness, specific gravity, and streak of their birthstones. Before you begin, ask students the simple question, “Where do minerals (such as olivine) come from?” Christian students will likely answer, “God made them,” and that is certainly true. However, as the following text from Earth Science explains, the Flood had a huge impact on the location and variety of minerals in the earth:

The Flood completely transformed the earth’s surface. The catastrophic processes of the Flood broke apart the original materials that God had made during the creation week, both physically and chemically. New minerals and ores formed in different places. Though the Flood is a testimony of God’s judgment in the devastation of the earth, it is also a testimony of His grace in providing new minerals for man to use.

—Earth Science (4th ed.),  p. 194

Literature: August 6 is Alfred Lord Tennyson’s birthday. Elements of Literature includes one of his poems entitled “Lady Clare.” The poem explores the nature of true love. Encourage critical thinking in your students by asking them questions related to the poem’s theme. Below are some examples of critical-thinking questions from the Teacher’s Edition of Elements of Literature.

What does it mean to truly love someone? How does one demonstrate true love? What does true love look like in a person’s daily life? How does it manifest itself in the midst of difficult situations or obstacles? What does true love value most in a person?

—Elements of Literature Teacher’s Edition (2nd ed.), p. 311

Heritage Studies: August 6 is also the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima near the end of World War II. Help your students understand the devastation this bomb caused to the city by showing them pictures of the aftermath. Or search history.com for video footage of the atomic bomb being assembled, the Manhattan project, and more.

Do you know of any other teaching resources related to August? Let me know in a comment!

Welcome to Our Blog!

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In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, we’re starting the 2013-14 school year with a blog! Here you’ll find ideas, free resources, and encouragement for educators—moms, dads, classroom teachers, and administrators.

We’ve also partnered with a Christian school teacher who will be sharing ideas from her third grade class throughout the school year. Get to know Mrs. D by reading her first post.

Help us fill this place with two-way conversations about Christian education. Before commenting, please check out our conversation guidelines. Feel free to add your own suggestions or experiences. You may also share when you really like something too—we like feedback! As a side note, your comments won’t appear right away; each one will be reviewed.

You’ll probably see some slight changes on our blog over the next couple of months. We might not reply to every comment within 24 hours, but we’ll try. To be honest, we’re new to this blog thing. But we’re excited to create a place where educators can gather and share ideas.

So jump in and enjoy the fun! And don’t forget to invite your friends to join in too.

Thanks for your participation and patience.

~The BJU Press Blog Team

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