A Lovely Award

A very special THANK YOU to Brandi at Success in Second Grade! Brandi made my day and awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award! What a special honor, and I can't wait to pass it on! Please be sure to stop by and meet Brandi!!

Here are the rules for this award:

Once you receive the award you have to pass it on to others! Here are the 3 rules to follow:
1. Follow the person that gave you the award.
2. Link back to the person that gave you the award.
3. Pass the award on to 15 new bloggers.

Here's who I'm passing the award to. Please make sure to stop by their blogs!

1. Laura's WBT Journey
2. Fabulous Firsties
3. EduKate With Whole Brain
4. WBT In The Middle
5. PAWSitively Wild for WBT
6. Miss L's Whole Brain Teaching
7. Mrs. Smith's First Grade Class
8. Whole Brain Paradise
9. Think, Wonder, & Teach
10. History Teacher WBT
11. Joyful One
12. WBT With Scrapbunny
13. Southern Teacher WBT
14. EduKate & Inspire
15. My Whole Brain Teaching Blog

Thanks again, Brandi!!!!

WBT Welcome

“Knowing there are people in the world who want success for you and are willing to help you even though they don’t know you changes your future and makes anything seem achievable.”- Kendra Kavan

Whole Brain Teaching, led by Coach Chris Biffle, is an amazing collaboration of educators from around the world who step up daily to offer and seek advice on how to be the very best in their profession. There are currently over 66,700 registered members and many, many guests!

WBT is a treasure trove of FREE E-books, Videos, Live and Archived webcasts, and of course, the invaluable Forum. Check the Calendar of WBT Upcoming Events. Coach B is on a summer, whirlwind tour of the USA presenting outstanding, energetic, and always free WBT Conferences!

It’s so exciting to see how many of you are participating or considering the WBT Certification Program! An explanation of the process is on this page. Let me know if you have any questions at NancyStoltenberg@WholeBrainTeaching.com. Kate Bowski, Assistant Director of WBT Certification, is also ready to help at KateBowski@WholeBrainTeaching.com. Please note, there is no deadline to starting or finishing the program! Check the Whole Brain Teaching Facebook page. Coach B is working on forming grade level teams!

The WBT site is a great place to meet and greet some of the finest educators from around the world! So great that you’re here today reading this! Welcome!

It's a New Me!!

Today my blog went to the Spa and came out looking AMAZING! A big THANK YOU goes to the awesome talents of Diana at Custom Blog Designs! She was the best to work with...so patient with all my questions!!

My new design is reflective of where I live! I am so blessed to live in the Antelope Valley right next to the California Poppy Preserve! Every Spring the desert comes alive with color here! Just like the desert, my second grade students put out their beautiful blossoms of growth after all the hard work of the year! They are a sight to behold!!

Thanks, Diana for reflecting that vision!

My First Blog Award!!

Just got back from an amazing vacation, and found this special award waiting in my blog for me! WOW!  Thank you, Melissa at Mrs. Smith's 1st Grade Class.  Melissa has an amazing blog filled with valuable educator  materials.  

So, the purpose of this award is to highlight new bloggers with less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. Thank the giver and link back to them.

3. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. Farrah at Mrs. Shipley's Fabulous Firsties    Farrah has invaluable WBT materials that will motivate all educators to "step up their game"!
2. Deb at Joyful One   Deb will inspire you with her insight and great videos!
3. Miss L at Miss L's Whole Brain Teaching  Miss L's blog is a TROVE of current educational information!
4. Pinetreelia at My Whole Brain Teaching Blog   Pinetreelia shares awesome materials on her blog to illustrate the Power of Whole Brain Teaching!
5. Laura at Laura's WBT Journey   Laura has been an Intern for WBT this year and shares her personal thoughts and experiences!                     

Thanks again, Melissa!!!  Oh, yeah!!

End of the Year? NO! NO! NO!

It's the end of the school year...walls are bare...rooms echo back...lights switched off...keys turned in...driving into the sunset!  Well, not exactly...not in the Wonderful, Crazy, Extremely  Exciting World of Whole Brain Teaching!  WBT goes strong YEAR ROUND!!

WBT teachers are an amazing group of educators from around the World who don't know how to STOP hitting the WACKY FUN STAR BUTTON...even after the ROOM KEYS are turned in!  No matter where you travel this summer, WBT teachers are as close to you as your Smart Phone or Computer!

Summer WBT Educator Collaboration may mean attending an AMAZING WBT Conference or participating in a High Energy LIVE WEBINAR broadcast on the WBT site every Tuesday (see schedule of times for your Time Zone).  If you're not able to do that, remember to STAY TIGHT with  the WBT Forum!  It's LIT UP right now with amazing posts of WBT experiences from around the world!  The Video Library is packed with archived Webinars loaded with invaluable guides to using WBT...and it's FREE!  Hit that WACKY FUN STAR BUTTON again!!

If you are interested in becoming a WBT BOARD CERTIFIED EDUCATOR, be sure to TAP the TROPHY on my Blog, or on the website, www.wholebrainteaching.  You earn it at YOUR OWN SPEED!!!  Check it out, and let me know how I can help you earn those CP'S (Certification Points).  Coach has created the Coolest Certification Point Medallions ever!  Get yours now!!

SUMMER:  Shorts, Sandals, Sun Screen, BBQ's, and WBT!!!!  Can it get any better?!  Hit that WACKY FUN STAR BUTTON for the BEST time ever!!

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA  (Despite Hardships...To The Stars)

"Breaking down the Set..."

Doesn't it seem like we were just putting our Whole Brain "Stage" together for the year?!  If "Walls Could Talk!"...what stories to share!  As I remove the Power Pix from the Grid wall, I hear the echos of, " B7! What is a noun?  A noun is a person, place, or thing!" I see 32 students echoing and gesturing in unity!  The Genius Ladder...Spicy!!  Tears of joy as I read my little EL's letter to the Principal last week using the 5 parts of a letter with complete spicy sentences, capitals, Zoops, periods! The Super Improvers Wall is a piece of Art now with a rainbow of colors all the way to the Gold!  So many celebrations of improvement as we would gather and cheer for each student as they moved up another color level!  The Class Leader Wall with all the great "Silly Pals" pictures comes down to sighs and aww's, as students recall the day they got that picture taken! Oh, yeah!!  The Mind Soccer "nets" are all faded on the board now, but the spirit of the Game never will!  Who knew how hard students would work to earn minutes of "Learning" time, not recess!  So many wonderful memories of a great Team of students and the legacy they take with them for the next Season of Learning!  Letting go is tough, but so much satisfaction in knowing their "back pockets" are full of WBT strategies to help them climb the next big hill in life!  A Rolling Ten Finger Wooo with a Sizzle and a POP! POP POP! of fireworks to my AMAZING 2nd Grade Class of 2012!!!  You ROCK!!!!!

We Did It!!!

Testing is done!!!!!  Seems like we all just ran a marathon...but with the best time ever!!  I am so proud of each student's efforts to do his/her best!!  Yes, tears of joy!!  I can not stress enough the importance of starting testing strategies at the beginning of the year!  Get the Power Pix up and practice them daily!!  Super Improvers Wall is mandatory!!  I don't know my scores yet, but I know my class is All Winners!!