Hi all! My name is Dee Dee Phillips. In the picture above you see me, my husband Josh and our puppy Hallie. I just finished my first year of teaching at Shepherdsville Elementary in Bullitt County. I taught first grade, loved it and will be back in first grade again next year.
Recent/Current Reads
I have read several books in the past 6 months. I have a hard time turning my "teacher brain" off sometimes so reading an unrelated book is a wonderful way for me to relax and wind down. Some of the books on my recent reading list are The Hunger Games series, several Nicholas Sparks books and my current favorite, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I really enjoy reading memiors and this a great one because for me, she was very relatable. In my opinion it is a very inspiring book. She made a lot of little changes in her life in order to make herself and ultimately those around her happier. Definitely makes me want to make some little changes in my life that would accomplish the same thing.
A Little About Me
I have spent my entire life in Kentucky but just moved to Louisville last summer after getting married to (here's the semi unique part) my husband who I began dating in high school. I really enjoy cooking, spending time with my husband and cocker spaniel, DIY projects and designing new teaching materials. I spend A LOT of time on my computer when I get home from school. I have a list of teacher blogs that I read daily and I also spend a lot of time on Pinterest.
Literacy In My Classroom
Being my first year of teaching, this past year was a HUGE learning experience. Although I want to continue to learn about pretty much every aspect of literacy, I do feel like there was a lot of success going on in my classroom. We practiced the thinking strategies and I feel that these not only helped tremendously with their comprehension but also helped them to develop a love of reading. Sending a group of 7 year olds who love reading on to second grade made me a very happy teacher.
One area that I felt like I under taught this year was the proper use of reading strategies. I had a hard time knowing when it was appropriate to introduce each strategy and have been reading a lot on this. Although I did introduce my students to each of the strategies, I want to gain more back ground on this so that my instruction on these is more purposeful and meaningful.
Posts
4 comments:
Dee Dee,
Welcome to KRP! Congratulations on completing your first year of teaching. I'm happy you get to stay in the same grade level next year, so you know what you would like to focus on this summer to improve your craft.
I loved the hunger games, and have had others recommend The Happiness Project. I will have to check that book out.
I'm glad you are taking advantage of all the resources that are available online. Unfortunately as teachers, we are not able to get to many of our fellow teacher's classrooms, but there is so much we can see through the internet now.
Looking forward to meeting you in July.
- Tiffany
Dee Dee,
While my situation is a little different than yours since I am in the special education classroom, I too struggle with teaching the reading strategies. This is something I hope to get better at this summer so that I can be more intentional about teaching them next school year.
Hannah
Hey Dee Dee!
I too just finished my first year of teaching! So, congratulations are definitely in order :) The fact that you sent your students to the next grade with a love for reading is such a huge accomplishment! It is so important for them to love to read at an early age! I hope that you are having a great summer!
Ashley
Hi Dee Dee,
I am always on the look out for a new book and The Happiness Project sounds interesting. I'll definitely have to check it out.
Stephanie Whitley
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