Teacher Appreciation from the other side...

This was officially my first Teacher Appreciation Week as a parent, and I must say it felt great to spoil my daughter's daycare teachers with lots of appreciation. It is well deserved, as my little diva can be quite demanding despite her adorable smile! Similar to many schools, the school set up a schedule of small things to do each day ranging from breakfast to a flower to a handwritten note from the child. However, I think my favorite token were these adorable personalized cups my friend Alyssa from Mommy's Latte Fund made. I filled the cups with candy (it was Bring a Sweet Treat Day) and dropped them off with the morning teacher. By the time I came back for pick up, they were already in use...and the candy was long gone.




Alyssa is just in the process of getting her Etsy store started, but she creates so many adorable personalized items that make great gifts at super reasonable prices. (She also makes some great personalized tubs and other items for classroom decor...which is the direction I may head for next year). Want to know more? Check out her store: Mommy's Latte Fund or send her an email at mommyslattefund@gmail.com.

For those of you who are teachers and moms (or dads), what did you do to show your appreciation for your kiddo's teacher(s) this year?

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

Congratulations to the following winners of the 500 Follower Math Bonanza Giveaway! There were nearly 1,500 entries, and I am excited to announce the following winners-

K-1: Molly W.
2-3:Ashley K.
4-5: Debbie M.
6+: Sharon G.

Your prizes should start showing up in your inbox this weekend so be on the lookout!

For those of you who didn't win, you can still get fabulous deals at TpT for Teacher Appreciation Week. Tuesday and Wednesday you can get up to 28% off!! Go check it out and stock up!

Calming the Chaos

Welcome to the Calming the Chaos Blog Hop hosted by 2peasandadog. All of us bloggers have come together to share our top tips for making the last month of school run smoothly. Visit each of our blogs to learn something new and catch a freebie or two!

Happy Hopping!

The end of the year can get crazy, especially for those of us in testing grades. At some point in time, the kiddos got it in their mind that the end of testing meant the end of learning. Mind you, I cannot blame them! It is a long, arduous process...and when they finish, they feel entitled to a little fun! Today's tip focuses on classroom management with a twist, and comes from an amazing colleague of mine.

Her students loved to have the chance to cook and bake, and most kids truly don't get that opportunity often enough. Her solution: Brownie points, cookie points, cupcake points, etc. When students collected the number of points she had decided upon in advance, she would pack up all her baking items and bring in a toaster oven. The kids would work in groups to make whatever recipe, and then they would package it up for a treat at home or gifts. I think my favorite idea was her Mother's Day cookies. The kids had earned their cookie points so they baked chocolate chip cookies and put them in cellophane baggies and took them home as an easy present for their mothers with cards. Do this in your classroom and add the tags (FREEBIE ALERT! Get them at my TpT store.) below. Fast, easy, fun...and a great behavior management strategy for the end of the year crazies!



So that is it...an easy, fun, and edible way to manage your classroom at the end of the year. I wish you a happy (and relaxing) end of your school year.

Mrs D.

Calming the Chaos Participants

500 Follower Math Bonanza Giveaway!!

It is here! It's finally here!! I am so excited I finally have my 500th follower here at The Third Wheel! It has been quite a journey, and I am so thankful for all the teachers who have inspired me and journeyed with me along the way. I am so lucky to be part of such a strong, caring community.

That being said, I am just as excited to announce my first BIG giveaway. I mean REALLY big! So here it is- The Third Wheel's 500 Follower Math Bonanza Giveaway.

Here are the details: An amazing group of people have generously donated over 60 products dedicated to math. There will be 4 prize packs: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, and 6th grade and up. This will allow you to sign up to win the materials that would be most useful to you and find some fabulous bloggers and TpT'ers that are creating materials that might be PERFECT for you.

The giveaway will run starting April 30th and continue until May 7th. Here are the details on each of the prize packs.

Kindergarten/First Grade Prize Pack

With 19 products, this pack is a fabulous win for any kinder or first grade teacher looking to beef up their library of fabulous math tools and materials.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

2nd/3rd Grade Prize Pack
An amazing collection of over 25 product donations covering topics from money to place value and everything in between. As a bonus, I am also throwing in my Problem Solving Task Card Combo Set





a Rafflecopter giveaway

4th/5th Prize Pack

Eleven wonderful sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers donated math products that will satisfy your every need! As a bonus, I am also throwing in my Problem Solving Task Card Combo Set





a Rafflecopter giveaway

6th Grade and Up Prize Pack
Over $35 worth of fabulous resources for those of you who teach older students!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that is a lot of prizes! Good luck to all of you entering to win a prize. I appreciate all your support and hope everyone has the best last few weeks of school.

Mrs. D

Preparing for the end...

the end of the school year that is! This time of year is always a flurry of activity, with state testing and spring conferences all falling practically on top of one another. Add that to the stress of keeping all your ducklings in a row as the weather gets warm, and it is quite a task! In my class, I have always done end of the year conferences in a student-led format. For years my students have taken on the all consuming task of creating a powerpoint presentation using a template and guidelines. Of course, this requires access to computers for weeks on end across multiple days, and there is always a cadre of slow workers that stress me out until the very last minute. Usually at some point the slowest end up dictating their thoughts to me as we wrestle with the other teachers over the precious laptop cart. Really, its just too much!

However, the topics I had students write about in the powerpoint were great! They had a chance to reflect on the year and talk about their summer goals for being learners. I wasn't ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one because I know the parents LOVE the presentations, and it is so important the students get the chance to practice their professional speech giving skills (or at least that is how we describe them during my "do this, not this" demonstration).

I did, however, decide to give up the fight with the laptops. I have incorporated chances to make powerpoint presentations into other areas of my lessons. There was no need to stress myself out over the conference ones...and it frees up the laptops for the rest of the teachers to continue their wrestling matches. I would rather watch and cheer from the sidelines on that one! From this end came my decision to go with books! My students will create books to share with their families for the end of year conference. I am so excited because I can still cover all the same great topics, but I am not reliant on the technology...and the students can still add their own creative touch for this keepsake.

Basically, the plan would be to spread this project over 2-3 weeks, with students doing a little each day or every few days. I hook Ziploc bags to the wall labeled with the kids' names on each one. They store their pages in those bags so they don't end up mashed or mangled in folders or desks. In the end, they have a 17+ page book about their year.

After they finish up, I add my secret page and bind the booklets. Ok, the secret is that I just write a note to each student telling them something I really enjoyed about having them in my class. The kids see these for the first time at the conferences (or in the practice sessions before).

Here are a few sample pages from the book:







Then we practice...and practice...and practice. I model how to and how NOT to give a speech. (This is my favorite part.) I do everything wrong...I stop in the middle and wave to my friends. I read directly from the page. I say about a million "umms" and "likes"...basically, I try to give the worst speech possible. I have the students point out my mistakes. Then I "try" again. This time giving a presentation that seems polished and like I am talking to my audience rather than giving a boring presentation. They love it...and it seems to really soak in. I get great presentations for their parents. Of course, it doesn't happen overnight. I have them practice in pairs, in groups of three, and work their way up to presenting before the class (if they want).

The other bonus of this system is if a parent cannot come to school, their child can still present at home! They have done all the practice and are well-versed to give the same presentation with mom and dad on the couch. Some of my shy kiddos prefer that way...as do many of my dual working parents. The end of year conference is always a highlight. I get groups ranging from just one parent to mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and the neighbors! It also takes the stress off of me because I no longer have to prep and run 20+ conferences. The kids take ownership for their own, and I have them come in groups of 4-5. I am able to wander and see everyone, but I don't have to run the show. I bring snacks and juice boxes, and we use table cloths. It is a fancy affair!

Want to try this for yourself? You can get the project from TpT or TN.

And that's it! Easy spring conferences at an otherwise crazy time of year :) So now you know how I do it, how do you run your end-of-year conferences?



P.S. Keep an eye out! I am closing in on 500 followers...and that means a GIANT GIVEAWAY BONANZA!!!! More details to come.