aggie/1/ca - Hi deb! Is this the 4 Blocks chat?
deb - hi aggie, how was your flight from leadership back to CA?
deb - yup,
deb - I have been SOOOOOOOO swamped with four blocks presentations
aggie/1/ca - Great, deb! We left on Tuesday, tho--- no problems! I was afraid of snow in Cincinnati--- but it was fine.
deb - I left Monday. I had to teach Tuesday. Since I am taking two days off for the IRA conference, I felt I had to not miss any school in Jan
aggie/1/ca - How exciting! I am supposed to do an inservice at my school in March. My prin. ordered True Stories for everyone on staff-- we'll time it to coincide w/that.
deb - neat! My principal told me not to mention the new book or people would have hard feelings!
aggie/1/ca - deb--- where was your presentation?
deb - I am also doing an inservice for my staff in March
aggie/1/ca - Ohhhhhh pleeeeeeeeeease! Let em feel bad! LOL!
deb - I did one in Indiana on Jan 20 and one in Phoenix on Feb 2
deb - exactly my thoughts! I am getting pretty tired of my school
aggie/1/ca - Well--- phoenix was at least warm!
deb - It is really neat being published!
aggie/1/ca - I am tired of my school, too.
aggie/1/ca - It is the highlight of my teaching career.
deb - and my hubbie went with me, it was fun to get away for a few days
deb - are you looking for another job
aggie/1/ca - Oh good!
deb - I am thinking about it
aggie/1/ca - I'm about 6 hours west of Phoenix.
aggie/1/ca - No--- probably not......LOL! Even tho I'd like to leave, it scares me!
deb - That's not too far. There are a lot of schools doing four blocks in Phoenix
aggie/1/ca - No kidding??? Gosh! I don't think before 2 or 3 years ago anyone here had ever HEARD of 4 Blocks!
deb - I am presenting for Spring Break in Gary Indiana for five days. I am also taking a leave of absence from my school for 13 days to present in a county up north in Michigan
aggie/1/ca - I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in my district (of 10,000 students) who is doing 4 Blocks.
aggie/1/ca - Hi ann! Are you a Blocker?
aggie/1/ca - deb---- are you in the UP of Michigan?
ann - Not yet...all new to us...but the push seems to be "block". we are very open.
aggie/1/ca - ann-- you will like it!
ann - I am just north of Traverse City
deb - no I am in the lower peninsula
aggie/1/ca - I would love to visit that part of the country, ann.
deb - I am in the South West Corner 2hours from Chicago
aggie/1/ca - OK--- so where is REI?????
deb - I go to Lake Leelanau in the summer for a week or so
deb - ann, if your district wants training, I am available
aggie/1/ca - Hi Sandy!
deb - hi sandy
deb - did you get my email, do you have any other questions?
Sandy/PA/2 - hi deb!
Sandy/PA/2 - I got your e-mail... I gave info and your no. to the assistant principal...
deb - I received your p.o. in the mail yesterday
deb - ok osunds great
Sandy/PA/2 - hi aggie, too!
Sandy/PA/2 - I also gave info. to our Act 48 committee as recommended professional development
deb - Four blocks has really open my world to new friends. I have been very lucky to meet wonderful people all over the states.
aggie/1/ca - Oh wow........ district level training!!!!! Only a dream for me.....
deb -
Sandy/PA/2 - deb, we have almost 40 people signed up for March 31 so far... have had inquiries from neighboring districts... i don't even know how they found out!
aggie/1/ca - The wonderful world of the internet, deb...... there is rarely a place mentioned on the news that I don't know someone there!
deb - Let whoever wants to come, come. Numbers don't matter to me at all.
Sandy/PA/2 - oh, good! I meant to ask if you had a limit, but I hated to turn anyone away
deb - aggie, you are right, the internet has opened the world. I have throughly enjoyed the professional development opportunities found on the net\
aggie/1/ca - I am a regular of the chatroom here--- I have made so many great friends here at Teachers.Net!
aggie/1/ca - So true, sandy!
deb - I have your training Sandy, then I am in Gary Indiana with my kids and mom for a week of training April 2-6
ann - four blocks is so unknown to me...but I am very interested...what can I read to give me the best, quick overall summary before I dig deeper. Our new supt. seems to support this...also believes strongly in in-service!
aggie/1/ca - ann--- you might find some information here at the 4 Blocks Center here at Teachers.Net - http://teachers.net/mentors/4blocks/
deb - four blocks is just good teaching. You teach reading four ways every day. You teach phonics, self selected reading ( reading at your own level), comprehension, and writing every day
aggie/1/ca - Gotta go! See ya!
deb - ann, if you ever want to come down from WAY up north, you can come to my classroom and spend a day.
Sandy/PA/2 - deb, how many hours is the training normally? I tentatively set things for 8:30-4 to allow an hour for lunch
ann - thanks, everyone. I stumbled on this web site purely by accident and I love it! Have been searching for thoughts and research comparing All day alternate day Kdg/Young five to 1/2 day everyday. Deb just read your offer...thank you!!!
deb - that sounds fine. It varies from place to place. I usually stop around 3:30 or so unless the participants are really paying attention
deb - I usually give them a morning break and an afternoon break since they get restless
Sandy/PA/2 - sounds good... our local university LEADERS program (Literacy Educators Assessing and Developing Early Reading Success) is making up 20 of the participants, as I'm in that program... the profs may want to speak or something, so that could take up the extra 30 minutes if need be
deb - Our district is looking into the same debate right now, must be a Mi issue
deb - no problem
deb - ann, do you teach K?
deb - the K program is Building Blocks
Sandy/PA/2 - deb, do you do training in building blocks and big blocks, too?
ann - yes, I teach both Kdg. and Young Fives
deb - big blocks - yes, but not building blocks
Sandy/PA/2 - okay... because our school is k-6, so if we can get building-wide training, they would probably be interested in big blocks, too
deb - many districts are finding that 1-3 is easy to convince and the model just isn't admusted yet for the upper grades.
deb - adjusted I mean
Sandy/PA/2 - well, our one and two teachers are mostly already convinced...
Sandy/PA/2 - I'm the only one doing the whole framework, but others would probably do more with more training... they have a hard time letting go of their workbooks and dittos still...
deb - that's great
deb - workbooks workbooks.... yuck! I am so glad that I don't have to use them
Sandy/PA/2 - i don't have to use them, either... the other teachers thought i was nuts when i didn't order any last year! *lol*
deb - I wish that we could get books instead of workbooks. All we got was NOTHING!
deb - We can order workbooks or we get NO money
Sandy/PA/2 - we got $1200 worth of tradebooks in sets of 5 last year after much pestering on my part *lol*
deb - COOL!
deb - I am pestering but they aren't listening
Sandy/PA/2 - yeah, i thought so too! wonder how much more we can get this year?
deb - I just ordered a bunch from Scholastic.... can't wait to get the orders in
Sandy/PA/2 - our principal is pretty good... i get a lot of the things i ask for if i have a good reason... in return, i try to be flexible and do some of the things no one else wants to do... i'm taking a new student monday that no one was keen on because his Learning support schedule requires a change of schedule for the classroom teacher... not a problem for me... just switched one of my blocks with math... presto! problem solved!
deb - My schedule is incredible when I look at all the ins and outs of my students. I take the hard kids too.
Sandy/PA/2 - i don't mind having the strugglers or the gifted kids because four blocks seems pretty flexible... i feel like their needs are being met
deb - well, my little ones need to be tucked into bed. Talk to you all soon!Bye
ann - mine too...we are going on a flash light hunt of the house. My first visit here...thanks for welcoming me
Sandy/PA/2 - see ya ann!
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