A big THANK YOU! ! ! !

We are out of school tomorrow for Veterans Day, so today I used the opportunity to share with my students about a holiday that's close to my heart.
See, my nephew is currently serving a second tour in Iraq and I really don't think before his involvement, I really understood just how important this day is. I think a common misconception / misunderstanding is that Veterans Day and Memorial Day are about the same, but they're not. Memorial Day is more for remembering those who have died serving our country or in a war. Veterans Day is a day to honor those deceased and living who have served or continue to serve our country.
I explained to them in detail how we are so lucky to have so many freedoms here in our country. They could not believe that some countries don't have the freedom to go to the church of their choice, own a cell phone, or even have internet access! It really opened their eyes.
Well, to make the point more "close to home", I had my students decorate a medal for a member of their family or someone they know who is or was in the military.
Boy, was I surprised! I had no idea there were so many, just in my two classes!


THANK YOU, veterans! We are so appreciative of the job you do everyday to keep us safe and free! ! ! !

Red Ribbon Fun!

Red Ribbon Week was last week, too! Which means it's door-decorating-time at our school!!! Here's our door:

My creative partner next door found the idea (and hers, too, below. . . ) on Pinterest and even though we didn't win this year, we got TONS of compliments on them!!! :) The "skeletons" on my door are actually the students' names written in cursive on a folded piece of paper and then cut out around the name, making the symmetrical curves! :)



RRW also included a "Team Up Against Drugs" day, and my partner and I are on opposite sides of the Clemson/Carolina fence, so that was a lot of fun! Our students got into it as well, and I have a cute pic of all of us in our "gear" but couldn't figure out how to blur the faces, and wasn't sure if I should post it. . . but never fear, my partner and I have orchestrated a "Clemson/Carolina Pet Food Drive" for next week leading up to the big game. I'm SURE there will be some pics to post from that, since the whole school will participate! :)

A busy week or two...

So, I've been a little MIA lately. Yes, I know, a lot... but I'm here now, so there!
We have been very busy lately with LOTS of creative ideas I've gotten from some of the AMAZING blogs that I follow!
First of all, we started our own chapter of the Super Speller Slipper Club that I got from

Here are some pics from our class:

This is our display, where we keep track of who meets their goals. I gave them all a sticker to begin, and this photo is 2 weeks behind, so that's why there's not more! :)




And of course, Mrs. Riddle had to bring her slippers, too!

Then, we have also been working on our "Haunted House For Sale" writing projects from Clutter Free Classroom:

Let me just say... my kids LOVED this!!!! They were begging me each day to work on them!







And of course, we didn't exactly finish them until Halloween Day, so I was left to figure out how to display them when the holiday was basically over...
So I came up with this title:

The Tattle Box

A colleague of mine suggested a "Bug Box" or "Tattle Box" for my students, due to the HUGE amount of tattling during class that was not quite the emergency they thought it was. Our guidance counselor gave us a great lesson on "Tattling Vs. Telling" and so after going through that lesson, I unveiled the box.
Within an hour there were no less than 20 notes.
Granted, 5 of them were by one student. . . signed with other students' names . . . one of whom had not been to school for two days . . .
Anywho, today was day two and there were even more.
Most of them were simple, harmless tattles like "So-in-so said my shirt was ugly" or "So-in-so stepped on my shoe". And of course there were the expected notes from some trying to get others in trouble just because. They were testing their limits, as 8 year olds do.
But then there was this:

Wow. Now, I know that you're gonna say, "There are grammar and spelling mistakes all in that note!" But that's the joy of the box... there's no grading! :)
But that note couldn't have come at a better time!
And then I found this one:

Proof that some of them just don't pay attention when you're giving directions. No matter what you're giving directions for. . .

Getting Sidetracked

Sooooo I didn't get to use the Smart Slate today, mainly because I'm gonna need a quick tutorial first! :)
But I did get this done: (among other random organizing things)

I had this grand plan to stay after today and organize all of my "stuff" for the next 2 weeks and try to finally be AHEAD of the game, not just on top of it.
Well, thanks to a small writing project ("Haunted House For Sale"! Pics to come later) and the craziness that came when it was time to clean up, I got sidetracked. Let me explain...
For some reason, the 25 individual packs of markers and colored pencils seemed like a great idea at the time (each student can have their own, right?) well, not the case. There were 2 and 3 of each color in each pack this afternoon after the kids left and, well, any of you who know how I am about my pens, etc., know that this is NOT acceptable!
Needless to say, I got severely sidetracked.
BUT, now I (and my students) can find the exact color they're looking for and the best part? They look beautiful!
Now, to just find a neat and organized holder(s) for the markers!
How do YOU organize? (on a budget, of course!)

Oh. Em. Gee ! ! !

Ok, I know that phrase is just a little bit over-used, but it totally fit today! ! !
We had an Early Release day for parent conferences and in between conferences, a nice man from the technology department for our county came into my room with a gift... one of these:



I must admit I jumped up and down and squealed a little. I think I shocked the Tech guy! It was like Christmas morning!
I can't WAIT to get to school tomorrow and USE it!!! :)

The Magic Of October

Well October is almost over. For most people, this would be a YAY! But for those of us who have been waiting for the "magic" of October (where everything starts to fall into place in your classroom and you think "AHA!) well, I'm still waiting...

It's getting there, trust me. There have been quite a few days lately when I've thought to myself, "Did we just do small groups and ALL of my groups were on task?????" but it's not 100%. (And I might also add that my morning class is earning class cash A LOT more frequently!)

Sometimes, it comes when you least expect it.

Just when I was sooooo ready to drop my kids at special area and go back to my room to just SIT and catch my breath (and my sanity)... I was right in the middle of thinking to myself, "Why can't they just walk in a line without talking?????" When. It. Happened.

I turned to leave (ok, RUN) for my room, when right behind me was M.
M, who spent most of the morning telling me, "It wasn't me" or "I didn't do ANYthing!" was right there and just about knocked me over with a hug. AND... an "I Love You Mrs. Riddle." Not the zealous "I-love-Mrs.-Riddle-she's-the-best-can-I-pass-out-the-papers" kind, but the quiet, to the point, "I-know-I'm-a-booger-but-I-appreciate-you" kind.

The best kind.
The kind that makes me think, "Yes. This is why I come to school everyday."

I'm good for a few more weeks, at least! :)

I won! ! ! !

Well, I don't very often (never) win anything... but I just won the cutest telling time unit from:

This, of course, is one of my favorite blogs to read and I won through a post they made on Facebook, so scoot on over there and like them, too!
Yes, I know, I teach ELA, but I DO have a 5 year old and a 3 year old at home, and who knows what I'll be teaching in the future... lol!
Thanks, What The Teacher Wants!

Haunted Halloween Writing!

I am sooooo excited about this week's writing project! I bought the "Haunted House For Sale" writing unit from Clutter Free Classroom:



and I can't WAIT to get it started!!!!! I have 2 classes of 25 students each, and only one student who does not celebrate Halloween, so I already talked to her ahead of time and she's super excited to be writing about her Dream House For Sale!!!

I have been following this blog since this Summer, and have gotten SO many great ideas from it! I could go on all day about them (and maybe I will in the future!) This blog is actually the one that got me hooked! Thanks, by the way! :)
I will definitely have to take pics to share our progress!

I'm From The South

Yes, I know you know I'm from the South... literally, but I'm also from the "South" personlaity-wise. Let me explain. I went to a workshop this Summer where the leader had us reflect on our strengths and weaknesses when working with others.

People from the "North":

~ are action-makers

~ like to jump right in and get to work

~ are results-oriented

People from the "East":

~ are speculators

~ like to look at the big picture and all possibilities before acting

People from the "West":

~ have an eye for the details

~ like to know the Who, What, When, Where, & Why before acting

People from the "South":

~ are caring

~ like to make sure everyone's ideas are heard before making decisions

~ worry about hurting others' feelings

(These are also the people who routinely bring snacks to meetings, I might add...)

So, after careful consideration (OK it was only like 2 minutes because all of my colleagues instantly said, "Oh you're definitely "South"!) I made my way to the "South" corner of the room where we all agreed that we worry too much, over-think our decisions, and can sometimes bend to make others happy. OK, we bend a lot.

Yes, not only am I from the South (South Carolina, to be exact) but I am also proudly "from the South" when it comes to working with others.

Where are you from?

I give in...

OK, so after months of reading (ok, stalking) so many wonderful teaching blogs, I have given in and started my own! Now, I can't promise daily posts, like some of the amazing blogs I read daily, because as a teacher, you know that's just not possible some days! But I have lots of funny stories, great ideas, and amazing books that I've read to my class, that leave me wanting to share, but not really having the time or proper forum to share in... sooooo here I am! :)