Let's kick of Guest Blogger week with Debbie Diller!

I'd like to welcome my best friend whom I met in college. Miss Jones is an amazing kindergarten teacher and just starting her blogging voyage! All of you remember how mind-boggling that was right? For me it wasn't that long ago! With that in mind, I figured who better to kick of guest blogger week?! I hope that you'll visit her blog and maybe even become a follower :)

Hello everyone! I'm Miss Jones from The Joy of Educating, and I'm honored to be the first guest blogger this week! This is my 5th year teaching kindergarten, and I thought I would share one of my new favorite products!

Each summer, I always enjoy reading books written by teachers or ones that contain practical teaching strategies. One of my favorite authors and educators (and I have a lot!) is Debbie Diller! The first of her books I read was Spaces and Places.

I absolutely LOVED it! It has so much good information on how to organize your classroom and where to place furniture to maximize learning. This sounds silly, but it has revolutionized the way I set up and pack away my classroom each fall and spring!

However, before you read Spaces and Places, I highly recommend you read my absolute favorite--Literacy Work Stations: Making Stations Work by Debbie Diller. Last summer, I pulled an all-nighter and read the entire book cover to cover with millions of ideas spinning in my head!

After reading this book in a whirlwind, I was determined to set up the Literacy Work Stations in my classroom. I realized that I already had many of the materials needed to create the stations, some of which I previously didn't know how to incorporate. You're really going to think I'm a nerd, but I carried a notebook for several days after reading this jotting notes about my plans for the upcoming school year. I also looked online for even more ideas, and that's when I found it!!! I found one of my favorite products at Really Good Stuff.

This Literacy Work Station chart was created by Debbie Diller herself! The chart can be purchased with all the work station cards, student cards, and matching signs to hang in the room. It is sold according to grade level. This chart, which is the one I purchased, was actually sold as 1st-2nd grade level. Since we began implementing the Common Core this past year, I find that 1st grade material is more applicable in my classroom than K material (can I get a witness?!). Anyway, it was a dream come true! Classroom management is a big focus in my classroom and in my planning. We all know that organization and procedures are key to effective classroom management, and this chart delivers on both accounts!

Now you can see that each pair of students only visits two stations each day, which means only two groups of students can meet with the teacher (me) each day. This was a new concept for me, and Debbie Diller promised in the book that it was "quality" of teacher time rather than "quantity." I trusted her, and I can truly say she was right! At a given point in the year, approximately 90% of my students were reading on grade level with many reading above grade level. The other new concept for me was the idea of having students work in pairs. I had always tried to manage them in groups of four. Debbie Diller promised that students would work together more efficiently and have more time-on-task if they worked in pairs rather than groups of three or four. She was right again! I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I think Debbie Diller is THE BOMB! I cannot wait to reread her books this summer! So if you're looking for something educational to read, try any of her books. I promise, you won't be disappointed! If you can't find them elsewhere, you can find her books and products at Really Good Stuff.

Thank you so much, Jessica, for giving me the honor of guest blogging! Thank you, followers, for your kindness! Stop by and check out my blog sometime!

With Love,

Miss J.

The Joy of Educating

Thanks again Miss Jones!! You're post was amazing

and I'm sure you'll have a ton of followers in no time <3

Don't forget to check out tomorrow's guest blogger Jillian from Just Tinkerin' Around!