Bullet Journal 2018

Monthly Calendar

Over the course of the last two years, I kept hearing about this amazing thing called a Bullet Journal. Maybe it is FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), but I wanted to try out this new thing if it was something that could help make things easier. One thing that I struggle with is having too many calendars and having things written in too many spots. I work at two schools, had two kids and a husband. Trying to keep all of those schedules straight is not always easy. I love Google Calendar, but I also love having a paper document. 

Lesson Plan Template

I watched a few videos and learned the basics about the concept of Bullet Journals. I grabbed a spiral notebook I had laying around started with my Index. After a few months of use, the pages were tearing out and I stopped using it all together. In November I grabbed another notebook. This time a Mead Composition Notebook and created a new Index and Long Range View. It is easy for me to become overwhelmed with trying to make it 'perfect' so I am trying my best to keep it simple. I love that this one notebook has everything I need: lesson plans, schedules, school calendars, to do list, notes, reference material, budget and my workouts.

Daily Gratitude 

When I first set mine up, it was hard to know how much space I would need. I was afraid of leaving too many blank pages. I have learned a few tricks about setting up my journal and my next journal will be better. I prefer having all of my pages for a month together. Each month starts with a calendar and habit tracker/budget. The next four pages are for lesson plans. In the back of my current journal, I also have weekly pages with a weekly calendar, daily captures and daily gratitude. Next time, I will make sure all of these pages are together with one month.

Week at a Glance

I use basic pens: black and blue and a pencil. I tried using post it tabs but they kept getting caught on other things in my bag, so I glued them onto the correct page and cut off the part that was sticking out of the notebook. Having the tab on the paper still allows me to find each month or section easily.

I know there are ways to make my journal look beautiful and be completely fancy, but I don't want to get bogged down with trying to make it pretty. It can be overwhelming. I looked at a few page ideas for teachers. There are so many articles and videos about how to setup a journal and it can seem difficult. I carry this notebook in my purse at all times and it has helped me stay more organized and relieved a bit of stress because I know what is coming up and where information is located.

What are your favorite bullet journal page designs?

eLearning

One of my schools does eLearning days. The expectation is that our online activities take as long as a class period and they align with what we are currently doing in class. I teach K-8 Music and K-4 PE so I decided to create a Google Slide to post the videos and assignments. We use Bloomz to communicate with parents so I linked the Slide on there so parents could see their child's assignments.

Our K-4th grade teachers use a different program to upload assignments and our 5th-8th use Google Classroom. I did not want to have to do two sets of assignments, so I created a Google Slide with all assignments.

e-Learning 2018

Piano Unit

Made with Canva

What do you do when you discover you have access to 7 pianos/keyboards, you have 9 students in 7th grade and you have a "break" before you have to start preparing for the Spring Musical? If you are like me, you decide it is the perfect time to teach Class Piano for the first time. I may be taking on too much, but I am excited about teaching my students a lifelong instrument and I hope they enjoy it. 

I see my 7th graders for 50 minutes one time a week. We will be preparing to sing at church and some other mini projects during third quarter but our main focus will be on piano. 4th-8th graders at this school are 1:1 with iPads, so I plan to use these to my advantage. I am trying more of a flipped model with videos and activities for the students to work through at their own pace. 

I don't believe in recreating the wheel, so I am using free online resources that I found. The web and YouTube are FULL of useful resources. I don't see the point in recreating something when someone else already did the work.

I created a Google Slide for my students to work through. Eventually I may tie it to Symbaloo Lesson Plans.

Teacher Bag 2018

I finally caved and became one of "those" teachers. A teacher with a bag on wheels. After breaking a nice leather bag and almost destroying a back pack, I decided it was time for an upgrade. I have to admit I am very excited to use it. Thank you to my in-laws for the Christmas Present! It was very easy to setup and it seems durable and convenient. It has many pockets for organization. Being between two schools and having three classrooms and an office, I am excited to have another option other than carrying everything. 

What do you use to organize your school materials?

365 Days of Sharing and Learning

This past year I have struggled with feeling insignificant. Significant in education seems to be  determined by awards, degrees, speaking engagements and leadership roles. One thing I love about being a teacher is that August and January give me two chances during the same school year to restart, recharge and regroup. I am excited about the opportunity to be better 2nd semester than I was during 1st semester.

One thing I am really excited about is that I have 365 days to Learn and to Share. I get to refocus and be intentional with my actions. I know that blogging everyday is not realistic for me, but I look forward to having 365 days to learn and share with those around me.

A year is what you make it and I am on a mission to make 2018 an Intentional and amazing year!

My Mission

Over Christmas Break I saw this sign in the restroom of a KwikTrip and again at the Children's Museum in La Crosse, Wisconsin in their area that is setup like a KwikTrip Store. What a great mission statement! It really got me thinking about the Mission for my life.

Their mission is "simple" and easy to evaluate. 

My Mission

​My mission is to help people. I share ideas, reflections and information with the hope of helping others.  As the name implies, this is Wren's World.  It is my world.  My world is not limited to my classroom. I am a Christian, a wife, a mom, a reader, a runner, a coach, a musician, a daughter and a friend.  This blog will touch on issues that relate to all of these areas because all of these areas touch my life.

I did not do a great job fulfilling my mission during 2017. I am glad I have another chance to get better. 

What is the mission for your life? How do you know if you are meeting your mission?