I DON'T Like to Move It, Move It

Well, friends (apparently I am speaking to you like you are my class of second graders) - school ended in a whirlwind. Field Day (the first one was rained out, we rescheduled for the final full-week of school, we had our second grade picnic, I packed up my room and moved it to a new one within the building, got my kids' grades done and sent them all on their way by May 22nd. No tears were shed on the final day - at least not by me. Some of my kids did. I remember one of my kids saying, I want to stay with you, and I responded, but I'm not going to 3rd grade!

On my final day of post-planning I sat through a 3 hour IEP meeting to get one of my students situated in Special Education and ready to begin next school year where she she should be - that took long enough. Saturday night I stayed at a friend/co worker's who was moving to Philly so that we could get on the road bright and early Sunday morning for our 14 hour drive to Philly. We made it by 10:00 that night. I was beat. SO much MOVING!

Naturally, when I was in Philly, I found out I have to move apartments. My building was late on giving me the rental increase amount, so while they didn't hold me to my 30 day notice, I did, because I'm a teacher and I have a limited amount of time during summer and did I mention I am teaching SUMMER SCHOOL?!?! SO I went out and found a new apartment (a cheaper apartment in a matter of 2 days after returning from Philly and have preplanning for summer school). I've scheduled the movers, the painters, the cable/internet, and my parents and I have packed up my entire kitchen and almost my entire living room. Oh yes, all the while during the first week of  summer school - hours 6:30-2:30, and the midst of a terrible storm tearing down trees and losing  power for over 24 hours.

Moving is in T-5 days. This will be my 5th move in 9 years. I have moved almost every 2 years since being out of college. I am very over apartment living. I am hoping this coming apartment will be the last stop on the line before I can purchase something. I'm downsizing. I'm going with the budget. I'm paying off some debt. I'm getting real.

Stay tuned for the home tour...

Have You Thanked a Teacher Lately?

I hope you all felt the love an appreciation yesterday, and all week/month through. We are down to the last 10 days of school and I have a lot of appreciating to do. This is not a job we do alone and we don't get by on own. It is without a doubt all the other people who come in throughout the day and work with our kids, and more importantly work with us as teachers. They never give up on us and they make us better at our jobs. Yet because they are the "helpers" or the "coaches" in our building they often don't get the credit they deserve. We can't forget about them. I've got some of these up my sleeves. 

I adore these printables from eighteen25

I am so sorry I cannot remember the source of these. I found them on pinterest after a source of teacher appreciation. I love that they are filled with gummy worms. So easy!

How adorable is this?!

detail oriented diva

This is so fun. You could always add a gift certificate for a mani/pedi if you really know the person.

she's kinda crafty

I love these because I love mason jars:

 I found this adorable letter you can put together over at little wonders days

Dear Ms.________,

It's been a (insert ruler)long year, but by our (insert calculator) calculations, it's been a great one!  You've given us the (insert pencils)"write" stuff to make our (insert markers) mark in 3rd grade.  There are too many things to (insert highlighter) highlight from our wonderful year, but they made a (insert Sharpie) permanent mark on us that can't be (insert eraser) erased.  We wish we could (insert glue stick) stick with you forever!

Thank you for (insert crayons) coloring our world this year!

Love,

Your Smarties (insert bag of Smarties)

Hope you found some inspiration for your co-workers. We don't say thank you to each other nearly enough.

Thank You

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Teacher Appreciation. I love it not because I receive tons of accolades but because I truly believe in giving. 

There's not a lot of glory in education. I have yet to meet a teacher who does it for the pay, and I'm 99% positive no teacher does it for the hours. I'm sure this may come as a shock to many, but let's be honest - school doesn't end at 3:00 and it doesn't end in May. Our jobs are never ending. 

In many ways, I've had it easy. I'm not married and I don't have children. I can get to school at 6:30 in the morning and stay until 6:00 at night. I can go in and work on Saturdays. I can teach after-school without giving it a second thought. I can volunteer to teach summer-school. I know it won't always be like this, so I may as well give it everything I can now. I watch the teachers who have families at home. I don't know how they do it. How do you put up with kids all day and know that other people are waiting for you to get dinner on the table? How do you go home and give your own child all the patience they deserve? Me? If I come home and am exhausted I lay down. If dinner didn't get made, I don't eat (I know my parents would be appalled by this). But to the teachers who go home to another life, I respect you more than you know. 

I used to not think much about this, but then this year I was blessed with the help of a co-worker who I am inspired by every. single. day. She's my age. She's married and has a little one year old. Her husband travels. I honestly don't know how she does it. She is one of our Literacy Coaches and she is absolutely amazing. 

I used to not want the help of a coach. I think many of us have a perception that if we ask for help, we're weak. Why should we ask questions and risk appearing less superior than our coworkers? I used to think like that. I used to not care for the literacy coach assigned to my grade level. However, mid-year this school year, she left. In a way it was a blessing in disguise. I decided to ask for help. L fell into my life. Technically, she is supposed to coach 3rd-5th grade. I happened to go to her before an interim coach had been assigned to my grade-level. We were given permission to continue to work together. 

I remember the first time L coached me. I cried. I was overwhelmed. Did she think I was an idiot? She had to have. I was asking questions that I should have known the answer to. I mean, it was January. What must I have been doing the first half of the school year?! L never once made me feel like an idiot. What began was a series of co-teaching every Friday (together we have piloted Social Studies and Science Fridays for our entire school). When she is not able to be in my room with my students and myself, we miss her, terribly. I learn something new from her every time I watch her interact with my students. She has become a great friend and I am sad for this year of our teaching together to come to an end. 

Last week she couldn't be with us due to our state testing, and we took advantage of her absence to create a special present for her. When I tell you my kids adore her, it is an understatement. While I know that the best Teacher Appreciation gift is for the end, I couldn't resist sharing this one. 

The poem reads: 

We're glad you worked with our teacher

You've really helped us grow

We can't believe the end is here, 

Please say it is isn't so!

We love you so dearly

And we mean that sincerely

Sci. Fri was better because of you

Pancakes, Force, Jazzy JC and #42!

Such fun was had in all the things we did

But most of all remember, 

You made us feel like very special kids!

Keeping it Real...

through a series of confessions: 

There are 18 days left of school. 

Confession: I'm excited (for day number 18). 

In the next 18 days we will have Junior Achievement Day, Field Day, Teacher Appreciation Month, SST's, retention meetings, two benchmark tests, planning for next year, and packing. 

Don't be confused. I am NOT packing this year to go somewhere else. That's right, for the first time in my 7-year teaching career, I get to stay put. I get to know that I am staying before contracts ever come out. I get to teach the same grade for more than one year in a row. For any of you who have followed my story, this is miraculous and amazing all rolled into one. 

my first year - kindergarten 

my second year - kindergarten (diff. school)

third year - student teaching

student teaching, diff. school

fourth year - subbing; long term-subbing (not pictured)

fifth year - 1st grade

six year - EIP 1st & 2nd grades (not pictured)

seventh year - 2nd grade

Confession: It's going to be exhausting. 

Bring it on! I'm ready. My kids and I have had fun this year and we have all grown a lot - especially me, their teacher. 

I've learned a lot. I learned about the teacher I am and the teacher I want to be. I've learned that there are some co-workers and coaches who will help us get there. I've learned that there are some, who unfortunately, will set up road blocks. I've learned to keep my eyes open, my ears clear, my mouth closed, my head held high, and my ideas flowing. I'm thankful for the people who have taught me to stand on my own - whether I got hurt in the process, or I laughed every step of the way. It's the co-workers who you come to find are true or false friends that get us to where we are. I'll keep the true ones. Unfortunately, they are far and few between. At the end of the day though, I'm there for the kids. 

Confession: Teaching is hard. Not every day goes as planned, and let's be honest, we don't have a plan for every day. 

After 162 days of school, you can still give a vocabulary test for 5 words, have a word bank at the bottom, read each sentence aloud, and when you pick up the papers there is a child's whose it blank. Why? "I didn't know the answers." 

As you discuss Cause & Effect and have an awesome lesson planned incorporating technology, tying in The Lorax and Earth Day and yet you ask, "How can we look for Cause and Effect when reading?" and a students says: "Well if you are reading and turn the page really fast you can get a paper cut, so reading caused the paper cut." Have you missed the boat? 

Confession: Somedays you just have to laugh. In fact, almost every day you have to laugh. 

Confession: Teacher Appreciation at my school starts this coming week and I could not be more excited. I live for Teacher Appreciation - not for me, but so that I can have the opportunity to thank the co-workers who have taught me to keep it real and be the teacher I am. 

I've got some fun cooked up and can't wait to share. 

You've been so kind and generous

For your kindness, I'm in debt to you

For your selflessness - my admiration

Lessons Learned: 

keep it real

sometimes keeping it real goes wrong

laugh

be honest

appreciate

                                          

Five for Fighting...I mean, Friday!

It's been a while, but it's been real around here. Long days in 2nd, teaching after-school two days a week in 3rd, etc. etc. 

I got a new look - like the blog makeover?

I got a year older. That's right folks, I am officially IN my thirties. CrAzY. 

My birthday was in February, on a Tuesday. I'll be honest and say I never expect much on my birthdays, especially in the middle of the week. But, this year was so much fun. I didn't do anything fancy, but my kids made the day super special. 

My birthday is the same week as Valentine's, and we do "Secret Sweethearts" with the staff. Mine got me this hat to wear on my birthday and I wore it the whole day!

 One student brought me this card/note. So sweet

Another student brought me a rose. 

A student's parent MADE me this cake. Gorgeous and delicious. Winning combination. 

A co-worker gave me this card. I say this line all the time.  

She also gave me this Thirty-One bag. I use it as my reading workshop bag. I have sight words and index cards in there and all different kinds of markers and pens. 

 On my birthday my school sponsored a daddy/daughter dinner at a local pizza place. My parents came and brought this cake. 

When I finally got home, these were waiting on my doorstep from my daddy. 

To end my 4 day weekend my parents took me out to a very nice dinner. 

And now, it's time for Five for Friday:

1. New Girl. A Coach at my school who I work with has been telling me about this show and she let me borrow the first season. I am over half-way through and I love it. There are some very funny lines. 

2. The fact that one of these opened right on my way home from work has been my down fall. 

3. These guys were/are my date tonight

4. Yet, in the meantime of all this food, the doc put me on a specific diet to try and narrow down the cause of some of my issues, so I should really be eating this: 

5. I LOVE FRIDAYS. I have been doing Science Fridays with a coach/friend at school and we have been having so much fun. We co-teach the whole day and it goes so fast. My kids adore her. She truly makes my days so much better and I have learned so much. I am actually sad the year is coming to a close because I love working with her. This morning was a Starbuck morning for the two of us. 

It's Friday, Friday

Everybody's looking forward to the weekend

So Long, Farewell

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Well 2012, it's been real! We had our ups and downs. We had our medical emergencies - and truth be told, some questions are still unanswered. But, through stitches and surgeries, my body now has four more scars than it began 2012 with. Fortunately only one is visible on a daily basis and also fortunately scars heal. Unfortunately, only one scar may actually need plastic surgery down the road but we'll see. 

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne

2012 helped me leave unemployment behind. After 6 years in a classroom, I finally started the school year on my own for the first time from the very beginning of the school year as a full year hire. 2012 helped me leave my 20's behind and enter my 30's. And, I also gained a brand new beautiful niece. 

I journeyed on my first summer vacation in 5 years, and biked across the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Despite some debt, which I think a lot of us are experiencing, all in all 2012 was pretty good. In the words of my mom, 2013 is the year of Sydney. I don't know if that means I'll be visiting Australia or what but surely it's gotta mean something good. So, so long 2012!

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!

Lessons Learned: 

Beginnings are scary, endings are sad, it's the middle that counts the most. 

Start the year off right

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

12 in '12

I may be the last to the party but once again I am linking up with Hadar and Kristin.

 12. Favorite movie you watched:

I don't make it to the movies often, but being that time of year, my parents and I and make a thing of it, and we just saw both of these and liked them a lot in their own way: 

and I have to throw this in there because it totally brought back college memories and I took the kids I babysit to see it and we LOVED it! 

11. Favorite TV series:

again, with last year, I have to say I am a sucker for SVU marathons, other than that it is Revenge and General Hospital all the way!

10. Favorite restaurant:

this is hard. I don't eat out often on my own dime...I'm just going to say San Francisco. I didn't have a bad meal there. 

look at the counter displays, even the food court:

9. Favorite new thing you tried:

My dad and I took a cooking class and it was so much fun. Look at all the sushi I made!

8. Favorite gift you got:

turning 30 last February surrounded by longtime friends and family, and my niece!

7. Favorite thing you pinned:

6. Favorite blog post:

http://bit.ly/JnSet6

this post helped me get a lot out and got a comment back from Kimberly McCullough!

but I also loved this post: 

http://bit.ly/VpMzYy

5. Best accomplishment:

biking across The Golden Gate Bridge on its 75th Anniversary Year

4. Favorite picture:

I took this picture all by myself and received compliments from my brothers (older brothers, which in the world of older brothers is like the highest of high compliments)

3. Favorite memory:

July 20th - the birth of a brand new niece and being hired for a teaching job within hours of each other. My dad's face says it all about his girls!

2. Goal for 2013:

debt free or at least LESS debt

1. One Little Word:

BREATHE