Homework Logs and Some Smiles :)

Hey friends! I just wanted to post really quickly to answer a few questions I got today on instagram!

I posted this picture of my stack of copies and papers for the day right before my kiddles came in . . .

 … and I got some questions about our homework log and how we use them, so I thought I’d share quickly the gist of just that!

When I joined my current 2nd grade teaching team at the beginning of last year, one thing that was already in place – along with a lot of other great things – was a homework log.  I was new to the animal of 2nd grade.  I came from the land of 1st grade babies – who I miss dearly!! – and my 1st grade team and I always sent a homework packet home each week.  It included a week’s worth of spelling practice, sight word practice, math practice, and stories to read.   There was no homework log of assignments – just our routined packets.

Second grade, though, is a whole new animal!  So, after catching on to the homework log system that was previously in place, this year I decided to make it my own a bit more and share it with all of you!

Here is a better look at what my Homework Logs look like:

Each week, I list their homework assignments for each day of the week under the corresponding day they need to do the assignments.  There is a line for a parent signature each night, too, and often, my kids’ parents will then check off each finished assignment and sign the log upon completing them.   I also use the log as a way of class announcements for the week.  I might list when library books are due, when book orders are due, that pajama day is coming up, or that we have a day off in the future! I also add the date of the week at the top under the heading, which you can see pictured in the first picture above.

It’s not rocket science, that’s for sure, but it’s a great organizational tool for me, for the kids, and for the parents! The kids keep it in their homework folders and bring it back and forth to school each day.  If I need to jot a note to a parent or note that they missed a homework assignment or an individual reminder for Susie to PLEASE remember to bring back her report card envelope :), I just mark that on the log.  When I collect them all at the end of the week, I mark who has missing homework assignments in my grade-book, and then their folders are cleared out and empty and ready for the next week’s log.

Here’s the good news . . . the logs that I have to share with you are even nicer than the ones I’m currently using in my classroom (which I made over the summer prior to October which is when I started TPTifying everything in my life haha).  Point being – the ones I’m sharing in my store look like this! . . .

 They’re editable for you to type in your own assignments, dates, etc, and they’re themed monthly, too!

You can check them out in my TPT store by clicking either of the pictures above or you can hop on over to check them out by clicking HERE!

I also just wanted to share a few smiles with you from my day.  After an exhausting day, I love when a true smile is brought to my face.  Well, after today, there were 3 reasons to smile with my whole heart, to forget the stress that this game of life is filled with, and to just breathe and enjoy the moment. . . .

My smiles were courtesy of:

1. A CRYSTAL clear sky filled with stars as far as my eye could see.  LOVE a clear night’s sky.

2.  A KILLER workout. 🙂 I always feel like a million bucks after I’m done (even if I did fall out of my plank early . . .grrrr)

and

3.  A good ole’ kid quote that went a little something like this:

“Mrs. Schroeder, I just have to tell you – you teach like SO hard core and my brain just rocks and rolls with you.”  Love.  THIS is why I love my job <3

I hope you all have a great night.  Stay warm!! 🙂

-Ashley