Favorite books: the Alphabet

There are entirely way too many books to recommend, give 5 stars, gush over, love–in just one post. So let this be the beginning of a series of posts that can extol the merits of some of the greatest finds, the perfect fit, and the never-stops-being-amazing books for your classroom.

First up is so hard to pick–the first sets the tone. So let’s start with a list.

I started my career in kindergarten. One of the biggest standards and most critical learning goal: the alphabet–letters, sounds, and vocabulary. So, naturally, I have a long list of alphabet books.

The following are some of my favorite alphabet books:

A is for Angry by Sandra Boynton
A is for Salad by Mike Lester
A is for ?: A Photographer’s Alphabet of Animals by Henry Horenstein
Animalia—Graeme Base
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo by Giles Andreae
My Name is . . . by Alice Lyne
The Absolutely Awful Alphabet by Mordicai Gerstein
The Z was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod

Who works at a school?

When budget cuts come along, when raises are a point of discussion, when education is a topic at the dinner table, the focus is on teachers.

While there is no question teachers are the heart and soul of a school building, while there is no debate to the value of a good teacher, teachers do not work alone.

In a school, in any school, there are:

teacher assistants
librarians
deans
principals
assistant principals
counselors
custodians
speech therapists
occupational therapists
instructional coaches
directors
groundskeepers
maintenance staff
administrative assistants
office staff
managers
nurses
literacy specialists
math specialists
IT staff
coaches
school police
parent volunteers
curriculum coordinators
cafeteria workers — servers & cooks

. . . and this list is not exhaustive.

It takes a village to raise a child.

It also takes a village to educate a child.

When we speak of education, yes teachers are critical, but every adult in a school building has the power to change lives and to be a leader.

So the next time you start discussing a school, the next time there’s a debate on the state of education, take a moment to consider all the adults involved in education. Recognize them. Appreciate them. And most importantly, don’t forget about them.

Please stop . . .

There are moments in the classroom where you have to say the darndest things. In a classroom, it’s not just the kids–teachers say the darndest things.

Here’s a quick list of things that come immediately to mind, things that I have literally asked my kids to stop doing:

Please stop yelling.
Please stop screaming.
Please stop talking.
Please stop drawing there . . . or there . . . or there.
Please stop drawing on that . . . or that . . . or this.
Please stop eating that (re: pencil, paper, paper clip, marker, colored pencil, etc.).
Please stop sucking on that (re: almost always a marker–what’s in markers?!).
Please stop shouting.
Please stop jumping.
Please stop sleeping.
Please stop picking at that.
Please stop scratching yourself.
Please stop putting your hands in your pants–and please go wash your hands.
Please stop picking your nose–and please go wash your hands.
Please stop picking at your teeth–and please go wash your hands.
Please stop kicking.
Please stop moving.
Please stop writing.
Please stop erasing.
Please stop playing with her hair, with his hair, with your hair.
Please stop eating your hair.
Please stop chewing on that . . . or that . . . or this.

It amazes me how much can be destroyed, chewed, eaten, scratched, said on any given day. It’s always an adventure in teaching.

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This blog was meant to the be an overview and advertisement for products on my Teachers Pay Teachers store–C is for Camacho. As I started writing and creating content, I found myself leaning towards more story-telling, more humor, more sarcasm, more reality.