Hello, readers! My name is Amanda and I am a Grade Two Teacher at an elementary school in Regina, Saskatchewan. I am currently starting my first Master of Education course and will be working towards my degree in Curriculum & Instruction.
There are so many things to be excited about as an educator! I am passionate about helping students become strong readers and empathetic learners. I believe that when a child can read, they can do anything! I believe that being able to empathize and understand other people helps to make our world a better place. While my job can be challenging, we try to celebrate our successes as much as possible. One way we do this, is with our Beary Good Readers reading program. Students are given reading logs part way through the year that go up to 500. Each time they bring a reading log back, we celebrate and they put a bear in our Beary Good Readers jar. Once we fill the jar, the class gets to vote on a reward. These rewards can vary from a movie afternoon with popcorn, to an ice cream sundae party, to getting donuts and wearing jammies for the day. Now the celebrating doesn't end there! Each time a child brings back a log of 20 books (can also be 20 chapters if they are reading chapter books), they get a small prize. Once a student reads 500 books, I take them out for lunch to a restaurant of their choice.
For the past ten years I've been known as the girl with purple in her hair. It has kind of become my own trademark among my family, friends and colleagues. This year, I've bet my students that if five students reach the 500 book goal by the end of May, I will colour all of my hair purple. Now I know some of you may be thinking, is this lady crazy? Maybe a little, but if it means that my students succeed in a foundational skill that is going to help them the rest of their lives, then it's worth every strange look I receive. This is where The Teacher With Purple Hair originates from.
I want to continue to be the best educator I can possibly be! This is why I have decided to embark on completing my Masters Degree. It is important for me to stay up-to-date on the best teaching practices so that I can continue to grow and evolve with education and do my job to the best of my abilities. Through this blog, I hope to document my personal learning adventure while sharing new resources and ideas with like-minded colleagues.
When I am not busy making outrageous bets with my students, I enjoy travelling the world, lifting weights at Villains, listening to music, getting meaningful tattoos, and most importantly, spending time with my family and friends. I am also the proud human of my adorable rescue dog, Tolkien!
There are so many things to be excited about as an educator! I am passionate about helping students become strong readers and empathetic learners. I believe that when a child can read, they can do anything! I believe that being able to empathize and understand other people helps to make our world a better place. While my job can be challenging, we try to celebrate our successes as much as possible. One way we do this, is with our Beary Good Readers reading program. Students are given reading logs part way through the year that go up to 500. Each time they bring a reading log back, we celebrate and they put a bear in our Beary Good Readers jar. Once we fill the jar, the class gets to vote on a reward. These rewards can vary from a movie afternoon with popcorn, to an ice cream sundae party, to getting donuts and wearing jammies for the day. Now the celebrating doesn't end there! Each time a child brings back a log of 20 books (can also be 20 chapters if they are reading chapter books), they get a small prize. Once a student reads 500 books, I take them out for lunch to a restaurant of their choice.
For the past ten years I've been known as the girl with purple in her hair. It has kind of become my own trademark among my family, friends and colleagues. This year, I've bet my students that if five students reach the 500 book goal by the end of May, I will colour all of my hair purple. Now I know some of you may be thinking, is this lady crazy? Maybe a little, but if it means that my students succeed in a foundational skill that is going to help them the rest of their lives, then it's worth every strange look I receive. This is where The Teacher With Purple Hair originates from.
I want to continue to be the best educator I can possibly be! This is why I have decided to embark on completing my Masters Degree. It is important for me to stay up-to-date on the best teaching practices so that I can continue to grow and evolve with education and do my job to the best of my abilities. Through this blog, I hope to document my personal learning adventure while sharing new resources and ideas with like-minded colleagues.
When I am not busy making outrageous bets with my students, I enjoy travelling the world, lifting weights at Villains, listening to music, getting meaningful tattoos, and most importantly, spending time with my family and friends. I am also the proud human of my adorable rescue dog, Tolkien!