I made it...second year teaching! Even after having to move back into my classroom in one day after summer renovations. I made it! Let me tell you the first few days of school are so chaotic...busing issues getting to school, paperwork, busing issues, school procedures, getting to know so many kids, busing issues, oh and did I say busing issues? Haha I guess that is what happens in such a large school district. Everything has gone really well though and I love my students!
But wow, my body and my brain need some help getting adjusted to the new schedule. It is SO weird to go from doing NOTHING but leisurely activities (ahh goodbye paradise) to one of the busiest weeks of the whole ENTIRE year. In all seriousness though, this week helps me to appreciate the summer break I had so much more! I am so thankful to have had that kind of time to relax and enjoy life. Ironically enough, for the first few weeks of summer I was "bored". Now I want to reminisce about the days of sleeping until 8 or 9, shopping in the afternoon, and reading novels, crafting, or watching Lifetime all day long. :)
Now to hope and pray I can adjust quickly to the steady pace of a 5th grade teacher.
I will be posting classroom pictures soon, (hopefully).
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
6 Other Professions I Dream About
I really enjoy my job. Especially now that I am getting ready to start year 2 and I feel more prepared (well, somewhat!) for what is to come. Yet everyone has those days when you like to think about your other interests and dream of new possibilities. These are my top 6 "jobs" I dream about. I say that loosely because I feel like most of them are hobbies.
1. Cook/Chef - I LOVE to cook. I love watching the Foodnetwork and I love trying new recipes. If I am bored, I usually want to cook something. Being on the Foodnetwork looks really cool :)
2. Cake Designer- another profession in the cooking field. I am such a sucker for really awesome wedding cakes, party cakes, themed cakes, you name it! I love to be artsy and crafty so most of my dream jobs involve creativity.
Wedding Cakes
3. Florist-I always used to say that if nothing else worked out then I wanted to own a flower ship. Whether for happy or sad occasions, flowers are such a comforting symbol.
We
4. Nurse-because I play the "what if" game I often wonder what being a nurse would be like. I always wanted to help others in some way. I really admire nurses and those in the medical field.
5. Photographer- I have never tried beyond my simple little digital camera but there is something I love about photography. What a beautiful career...being able to capture he most precious moments in the lives of others.
6. Stay at Home Mommy- I hope to add this to my official resume one day, at least for a few years. I love children (hence being an elementary teacher). So now there is much budgeting and saving to be done now in order to enjoy this in the future. Maybe I can practice some of these dream jobs on the side during this time period. One can dream right?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Teacher Week-Must Haves
I found Babbling Abby's blog and she is hosting a teacher week for blogging. Yesterday was teacher "must haves' so I am a day late in posting. So here is my list of 10 things I couldn't do without in my classroom.
1. My computer- the district where I work provides us with laptops to use in our classroom. They are tablet computers so I can download worksheets to my computer and write on them with the "pen" that is attached to my computer. I plug it all up to the projector and voila, my students can interact with my computer and we can use it as if it were an old school projector.
2. Dry erase markers- I know they make better chalk these days, you know, chalk that isnt so gritty and skretchy when you write with it on the chalkboard. However I just love dry erase markers. There is something kinda fun about them. :)
3. Bandaids- If I didnt get asked at least once a day for a bandaid I don't think I would know what to do with myself. Students are always getting these itty bitty cuts they "need" bandaids for. So I just buy the cheapest kind and keep them in stock. This saves on a lot of trips to the office that would be unnecessary and it keep everybody happy.
4. plastic bags- I think any kind of storage is a necessity for teachers. I keep materials in plastic bags for the classroom and as well as give them out to my kiddos when they lose a tooth :) They love having a mini plastic baggie to carry one of their few remaining baby teeth in.
5. baskets- any kind of (preferably plastic) basket. Especially the flexible plastic baskets that won't break. I love grabbing items like this up at target in the $1 section. I use baskets for books, markers and crayons, or distributing materials to students. You name your task and a nice basket is there to help you accomplish the task.
6. My clip board. My clipboard is attached to my hip. It comtains my to-do list, info about kiddos I need to remember for the day, my lesson plans, and notes to myself because I can't remember anything on my own. I love clip boards.
7. Post-it notes- come on, am I the only teacher who LOVES Post-it notes? Especially all the cute little cut outs and designs that stores carry now. That makes it so much more fun to use them. I like ot give my kid's little notes of enocuragement on them sometimes.
8. My Brother brand label maker. I just got this last year for Christmas but am so looking forward to labeling everything in myclassrom with this little beauty. As a teacher I think we could all agree we love to have our materials organized.
www.imagesupply.com
9. Pretzels- weird maybe but I always keep pretzels in my room. I get so hungry during the day. My lunch is the last one of the day because I have 5th graders. So by 9 or 10 when I haven't eaten breakfast since 6 am I am pretty hungry. Pretzels are such a great, low fat snack to keep around. It is so easy to grab a quick handful and keep going.
10. Finally, I love the notepads that contain templates for notes to go home for students. They have carbon copies so I can keep a copy of everything I send home. It is very covenient for record keeping.
1. My computer- the district where I work provides us with laptops to use in our classroom. They are tablet computers so I can download worksheets to my computer and write on them with the "pen" that is attached to my computer. I plug it all up to the projector and voila, my students can interact with my computer and we can use it as if it were an old school projector.
2. Dry erase markers- I know they make better chalk these days, you know, chalk that isnt so gritty and skretchy when you write with it on the chalkboard. However I just love dry erase markers. There is something kinda fun about them. :)
3. Bandaids- If I didnt get asked at least once a day for a bandaid I don't think I would know what to do with myself. Students are always getting these itty bitty cuts they "need" bandaids for. So I just buy the cheapest kind and keep them in stock. This saves on a lot of trips to the office that would be unnecessary and it keep everybody happy.
4. plastic bags- I think any kind of storage is a necessity for teachers. I keep materials in plastic bags for the classroom and as well as give them out to my kiddos when they lose a tooth :) They love having a mini plastic baggie to carry one of their few remaining baby teeth in.5. baskets- any kind of (preferably plastic) basket. Especially the flexible plastic baskets that won't break. I love grabbing items like this up at target in the $1 section. I use baskets for books, markers and crayons, or distributing materials to students. You name your task and a nice basket is there to help you accomplish the task.
6. My clip board. My clipboard is attached to my hip. It comtains my to-do list, info about kiddos I need to remember for the day, my lesson plans, and notes to myself because I can't remember anything on my own. I love clip boards.
7. Post-it notes- come on, am I the only teacher who LOVES Post-it notes? Especially all the cute little cut outs and designs that stores carry now. That makes it so much more fun to use them. I like ot give my kid's little notes of enocuragement on them sometimes.
8. My Brother brand label maker. I just got this last year for Christmas but am so looking forward to labeling everything in myclassrom with this little beauty. As a teacher I think we could all agree we love to have our materials organized.
www.imagesupply.com9. Pretzels- weird maybe but I always keep pretzels in my room. I get so hungry during the day. My lunch is the last one of the day because I have 5th graders. So by 9 or 10 when I haven't eaten breakfast since 6 am I am pretty hungry. Pretzels are such a great, low fat snack to keep around. It is so easy to grab a quick handful and keep going.
10. Finally, I love the notepads that contain templates for notes to go home for students. They have carbon copies so I can keep a copy of everything I send home. It is very covenient for record keeping.
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