The Bob Phenomenon or What About Bob?

I have been noticing a trend in 5th grade for years now. I wonder, does anyone else see this happening in their room year after year? Do you see your kids having an unhealthy obsession with...Bob?

Not that Bob! But, while we are on the subject, isn't this a great movie!? Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a schizophrenic and so am I. HA!

"What Bob?" you ask with eyebrows scrunched. Yes, my bloggy friends, Bob. Each year it starts with one little whippersnapper who thinks, naively that, in fact, they are the first inventor of "Bob." 

Once it was an empty desk that spurred the "Bob Phenomenon" or hereafter referred to as "the BP".  A student was on my role at the beginning of the year. The desk was all ready for him, nametag and all, and then the kid never showed. I hoarded the desk thinking that I would need it later. I also never removed the tag. The kids started chastising anyone who used the desk, saying that the visitor, principal, parent, or whoever was using the desk, was sitting on Bob. They left a space for him in line even! Bob were they disappointed when that kid finally showed up in February and claimed Bob's desk which had been labeled "Colton" for months!

Another year Bob showed up in stick figure cartoons. That kid also said that he was the first to make those kind of cartoons too. That's a whole other 5th grade phenomenon!

Yet another year Bob was the cool nickname for your friends. We had variations like Billy Bob and Joe Bob and Bobby Joe and Kaylee Bob and Silly Bob. Too many to count. 

This year Bob has showed up again. The BP is in it's infancy. Too early to tell what Bobness I am in store for. I will look on, quietly logging stories to embarrass this class with when they are high school seniors. 

Do you notice the BP with your class. Is this just a 5th grade thing? 

I would love to hear from you about your own BP/weird kid behavior. 

And I leave you with an awesome quote from What About Bob?

You think he's gone? He's not gone. That's the whole point! He's never gone! -Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss)

Toodles from your Teacher Friend, 

Bad News:(

Okay Bloggy Friends, I need your help.

I got a text today that one of my students has a brain tumor! I won't go into detail out of respect for the family's privacy, but I am asking for you to send up as many prayers that you can muster. She has surgery tomorrow morning.

Raise her up!
Brandi

Silence for Sandy Hook

December Currently

Here is my December Currently...this time at the beginning of the month, instead of barely making it at all. Hey, maybe I am getting the hang of this bloggy thing! I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade. Check it out:)

A couple of notes and elaborations:

• I love the look of this Currently. Farley, how do you do this?! They are all adorable, but this one really got me in the holiday spirit.
• I am not a sports fan, as you can probably tell. The hubs and all of our friends are in this really intense Fantasy Football league. After one year of lackluster enthusiasm  understanding, and participation, I was not invited to play again. Oh well! I have more time to blog:)
• Is anyone else the biggest procrastinator when it comes to shopping. I aspire to be one of those people who is completely done in July.
• I am super excited to learn more about Marzano and our new observation tool. Our district just adopted iObservation. It is an observation tool based on Robert Marzano's research. I {heart} data, so I am stoked. It is a good thing that I trust those kiddos though. I know that last year, I would have been stressed to the max to be out for three days right before Christmas. 
• The tree was supposed to go up today. That is a goal for this week. 
• I can't believe my little snowflake is about to turn 2! Oh Emm Gee! She is officially a litttle girl. Baby no more. I am happy and sad. 
• I can't wait for some RAK fun with my class. Any suggestions for things to do around school?

That turned out to be more than a couple of notes. Thanks for stopping by:)

Your Teacher Friend,
Brandi

Liebster Award Awesomeness

Whoa! Really, whoa! This little ol' blog got it's first award. Tina at Flamingos and Butterflies nominated us. If you haven't seen her blog, hop on over. She is a hoot! How can you not love a book-hoarding, book-sniffing, semicolon-loving, self-proclaimed nerd!?

Here is what Tina said about the Liebster Award:
The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs.

The Rules:

• You must post 11 random things about yourself.
• Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
• Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
• Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers and link them in your post.)
• No tag back, but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you!

11 Random Things About Me:

1. I registered as a minister to perform the wedding of one of my best friends, Katie. 

2. I am from a super small town. Wetumka, Oklahoma's graduating class of 2000 had like, 28 kids. My husband and I make up 1/14 of the class!

3. I was teased mercilessly in school because my ears stuck out. I love my ears as an adult. 

4. I can sing all of the words to Snoop Dogg's "Lodi Dodi." Yes, it is a bit inappropriate, but I learned it during middle school and it stuck.

5. I listen to "This American Life" religiously. I have a tiny crush on Ira Glass.

6. I am totally addicted to pop. Or soda, or coke, or soft drinks, or whatever you call it where you live. I don't drink coffee. Mountain Dew is the drink I need to function in the classroom. I try to quit at least 3 times a year. I never have a hard time falling asleep, despite the caffeine. 

7. I say y'all a lot. On a scale of 1-10, my husband says my Okie accent is an 8. Now, read the rest of this post in your head in your best Okie accent. 

8. My favorite movie director is Wes Anderson. Some of his movies include: "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Steve Zissou and the Life Aquatic," "Moonrise Kingdom," and "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." Jeremiah and I have gone to a costume party dressed as characters from his movies.  

9. I have a disappearing birthmark on my big toe. 

10. My husband is a chef. We have a friend named Matt who we met when he started working in Jeremiah's kitchen. Matt couldn't remember my name so he began calling me "Bossette" since he called Jeremiah "Boss." 5 years later, he rarely calls me Brandi. 

11. When I cry and laugh at the same time, Jeremiah and I call it a "kamurf." 

Questions from Tina at Flamingos and Butterflies

1. What grade do you teach, and how long have you been teaching? I teach the fifth grade. Last year I moved to fourth to have the chance to loop with my class. I love how easy it was to start this year with the same group of kids. This is my eighth year teaching. 
2. Where are you currently teaching? I teach in the best school in Norman, Oklahoma. No really, I can't imagine teaching anywhere else. The amazing teachers at my school and my awesome principal are the bee's knees. The kids are pretty sweet too:)
3. If you were not a teacher, what would be your dream job?I would be a novelist. Period. I love to read and it would be the ultimate dream for me to make a living from writing books. 
4. What is your favorite adult book? The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and any Harry Potter book and...this question is killing me. I will stop there. 
5. What is your favorite kid book? I love to read "A Panda Cake" to Dahlia, my perfect and adorable almost 2 year old daughter. My favorite kid novels are all by Roald Dahl. 
6. If you could meet any author, who would it be and why?Alive: J.K. Rowling, Dead: Roald Dahl 
7. Why did you start blogging? I love to write. I love to teach. Why not combine them and begin blogging! 
8. How did you come up with the name for your blog? When I talk about any of my friends at school or teachers I look up to, I call them my teacher friends. It seemed natural to call the blog that, since one of the best things about blogging is all of the new bloggy teacher friends I have made:)
9. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Teleportation. I would just blink my eyes and take myself wherever I wanted to go. Taking others with me would be a bonus. The ultimate reason? 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning. 
10. Are you an early bird or night owl? Night owl. I get my best sleep between 8 and 10 am. 
11. As you sit here blog hopping and answering questions from a random stranger, (just kidding) what are you thinking in the back of your mind you should really be doing right now? Organizing for my last minute crazy December yard sale. I really want to get rid of lots of the clutter in my house and it is going to be 70 degrees this Saturday. It is meant to be, right?

Questions for the Blogs I am Nominating:

1. What do you usually eat for lunch during the school week?

2. What is your favorite animated movie?

3. What song can you always count on to get stuck in your head when you hear it?

4. Cake or pie?

5. If you had to wear the same outfit to school everyday until forever, what would you wear?

6. What blog post have you written that you are the most proud of?

7. Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?

8. What teacher supply could you not function without?

9. What is your favorite lesson/subject to teach?

10. Do you have a teacher pet peeve?

11. How would your best friend describe your personality?

Blogs I'm nominating...


1. Crayon Confessions
2. 2 Brainy Apples
3. Diapers Dollars and Diplomas
4. Dare to be Different-Teach
5. Krazy Town
6. Tastes Like Paste
7. My Journey to Fifth
8. Teaching and Tapas: Second Grade in Spain
9. 24-7 Teacher
10. Random Thoughts
11. The Ramblings of a Fifth Grade Teacher

Hop on over to these awesome blogs:)

Lovin' the Liebster,
Brandi

How Do You Linky? Linky

Warning: Newbie Blogger Attempting a Linky Ahead!

Here is something I have been really trying to do as a blogger: Linky Parties. Nichole over The Craft of Teaching suggested linking up, and I am taking her advice to heart, but....does anyone else need a plan book to keep up with their blogging?! Just saying. 

How do y'all do it!? I can't keep them all straight. In an effort to get everyone to tell me what parties they participate in, I am hosting my first ever, How Do You Linky? Linky. Hopefully I have done the inlinkz set-up correctly;)

Rules:

Your link must be related to a linky(ies) that you recommend or participate in. It could be a link you have done in the past, or a post about all of the linky parties you join. Maybe you have ideas about how to manage your time and keep up with all of the linky parties you join or other regular posts/series you write. 

Hoping that I get some good ideas and a reference to come back to later. 

Technology Linky

I am linking up with Sarah at Diapers Dollars and Diplomas today! She asked how we use technology in our classrooms and I thought I would share a couple of my easiest technology ideas to get you started if you are new to using technology in your classroom.

Use it as a Reward:
Anytime our class has an ATB (All Time Best) in our multiplication fact tests or reading fluency tests, we have a short ATB Celebration. One of the most popular is the 5 minute dance party. Last time I played "Jump Around" by Kriss Kross. They love it.

Clickers:
We have class sets of clickers. They are great for quick assessments, polls, or, my favorite, having students click in answers to multiple choice assignments. Why? No grading for me!

Engage them in Troubleshooting:
Here is the best technology advice I have ever gotten: Engage your students in the trouble-shooting process. The number one roadblock I have run into when diving into using technology in my instruction has been the actual technology. It will always fail you when you have no time to fuss with it. Am I Right? At our last technology training, Pat Morgan, Techy Supreme and grandmother of one of my students, suggested that we allow kids to talk with us while we trouble-shoot our technology. We can explain what we are doing. This has helped me so much when my kids think that pushing "Function/f8" is always the solution. I have gained patience and they have learned so much about how all of the devices work together.

How do you use technology? Link up with Sarah to share:)

Your Teacher Friend,