Saturday, June 29, 2013

Currently and Opinions Needed

I haven't been able to link up with Farley in the past few months, life has been cra-cra, so I'm glad that I am able to link up this month, and EARLY at that!!


Listening: So my first baby is my adorable little dog, Polly.  She is a Shih Tzu and a black and white ball of cuteness!  She is obviously in a deep sleep dreaming about doggy treats, because she is snoring...LOUD!  It is cute, but at times, I can't hear the TV for her snoring!  

Loving: I am still pinching myself to make sure I am actually going to teach in my old elementary school this fall!  I got my 'official' email saying it was real!  The planning has already begun!  I'm doing an Owl and Chevron theme, check back for more on that!

Thinking: My aunt and uncle live at Myrtle Beach and I can't wait to get down there for the 4th!  The girls also love being down there and this year they are older, so it will should be easier.  Who doesn't love having the largest sandbox in the world to play in???  Toes in the sand, listening to the crashing waves, ocean breeze on my face!  life.will.be.good.

Wanting: The heart of my classroom has always been my library.  I love doing Reading Workshop and that can't happen without an organized library.  I went to my Lakeshore store yesterday and bought some bins, now I am working on labels and can't wait to get busy organizing!!!  

Needing: Since my thinking is all about the beach, I need to pack and clean before I can leave.  Need I say more than, UGH!!!!

Tips, Tricks and Hints: My advice is be true to yourself.  With all the successes teachers are having on TPT, its easy to want to copy top sellers style.  Instead invent your own identity!  Create products that you are passionate about, rather then worrying if they will sell a ton.  

Head over and link up with Farley!  



Lastly, I need your help!  I said before that I was working on my classroom library labels.  I am loving all these chalkboard fonts and options, but you know what happens when there are too many options???  I can't decide which one looks best!!!  I have put my top 3 choices in both color and B&W. 

 
 I would love to have your opinion about which looks best!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Follow Me on Bloglovin'

No.More.Google.Reader... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  But it will be ok!! 

You have probably heard by now that Google Reader is going away on July 1st.  Well, Google Reader may be going away, but I don't want YOU to go away, so I hope that you will consider following my blog through Bloglovin'!  I know that change is hard...so I thought I might sweeten it up for you a little bit!

Several bloggers have gotten together to create a giveaway linky for all of our fabulous followers that take the leap and switch over to Bloglovin'.  You may have already switched over!  In that case, this will be an easy entry!

If you have not yet switched or are not following my blog through Bloglovin', then there are a few easy steps to follow.  You can go to the sidebar (that's the column on the right over there that shows my followers) and you can click the button that says Follow this Blog with Bloglovin'.  Or, you can click here to follow me on Bloglovin'

You will need to set up an account with Bloglovin' so that you can follow me.  Please be sure to leave your Bloglovin' username in the Rafflecopter entry.

If you want to go ahead and move all of the blogs you follow from Google over, you can go to this link and it will take you through the super easy steps.  BUT, please go to my Bloglovin' link and make sure that you are following me through Bloglovin'.  To be sure, make sure that the blue button at the top of my bloglovin page has been clicked (it should be gray with the word following- if it's blue, please click it to follow)!

So, if you follow me by Bloglovin', please enter my giveaway!!  I will be picking 2 WINNERS and each winner will get their choice of 2 UNITS FROM MY TpT STORE!  




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Monday Made It...On Wednesday!

Yes you read the title of this post correct, and no, we are not going back to Monday, I am just late the game...again! I have so many crafty projects I want to do this summer, so I am super sad that this is the last week in June! Where is my summer going???

One of my favorite things about summer is Tara's Monday Made It posts!  I love seeing everyone's craftiness.


This week's project was made for my IRL and bloggy BFF Amber over at Adventure's of a Third Grade Teacher. It was her birthday and of course we had a party!!!

What is something that all teachers like??? School Supplies!! I whipped up this super easy post it note holder. Get a plastic picture frame, cut scrap booking paper to fit, glue a pad of sticky notes on and done! Easy peasy!


What have you been working on? Link up with Tara!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Stick With The Plan

I have to start by saying God has an amazing plan and He knows what is best!  When I left the classroom a little over a year ago, I knew I would eventually go back to teaching, just wasn't sure when.  I had taught 3rd grade for the past 7 years of my career at one of the poorest schools in my district.  Title-One School doesn't even begin to describe the challenges I faced.  There were years where desks and chairs were flying around, other years where kids were homeless, without food, or worse yet, under the influence of substances, all while in elementary school.  There had been many times I had thought about leaving, but through it all I stayed, because at the time that was God's plan for me.

Then came the 2011-2012 school year.  It.was.the.BEST.class.ever.  At the age of 8 you would expect students to be sweet and carefree, and that is what my class was.  I was able to do things with that group of kids that I had only dreamed about.  I connected with them and was able to actually enjoy teaching.  And the growth those kids experienced was out of this world!  We worked, had fun, and I loved working.  At this point, I had 1 year old twin girls at home who needed my attention and working at a high needs school, it is hard to balance family life with school life.  I began to look and pray for alternatives.

I put in a transfer to another less demanding Title One School in district, but wasn't too hopeful about moving.  Our district had closed transfers for the past 4 years, and had just opened them up.  The words Floodgates are an understatement of how many teachers put in for a transfer.  My principal began talking to me about becoming a reading teacher at a title one school.  She knew I loved guided reading and everything about reading instruction, so it seemed like a good fit.  The only problem was, it required a reading certification, which I didn't have.  I went on the interview and then waited.  After a few weeks I got a call from the director of title one saying that she couldn't offer me the reading position, but she really wanted me on her team, would I consider the Instructional Facilitator role.  I was floored.  Here is a job I didn't apply for, and had honestly not really even considered doing.  God was once again working.

I accepted the IF job and this past year has been wonderful.  Yes I have had lots of steep hills to climb, but there have also been many joys and successes to celebrate.  I was placed at a K-2 school and if you'll remember from the first paragraph, I had only taught 3rd grade!  I was perplexed at this placement, but trusted God.  I was able to really unpack the CCSS for K2 with my teams.  I also had the opportunity to teach a Kindergarten class for 2 months, something I had always said would end badly, and guess what??  Those kids are just fine!  I also spent time daily in a first grade classroom.  A first year teacher had taken over a retired teachers classroom in February, so I was asked to model frequently for her.  It was an awesome experience.  I had no clue the plans God had in store for me!

Last Tuesday, I was reading over the new Admin appointments and noticed that 2 teachers from the elementary school I attended were now moving into AP roles.  The school already had one teacher position open, so this meant they now had 3!  This is a school that NEVER has openings, teachers basically die there!  I began to get a crazy feeling, thanks God, and decided to do some detective work.  I had a friend find out if theses openings were really available, you know how the teaching world is!  Once I got word they were real, I called the principal Wednesday morning.  We chatted and she asked if I was even eligible for a transfer, I hadn't put in for one, because this wasn't even a possibility last week.  I set up an interview for 3:30 that day and told her I would find out if I was eligible to transfer.

I decided I would not call HR at first because I wanted to keep this quiet.  I tried to call some others in similar positions who had done a move like this, but couldn't get them on the phone.  I finally called HR and was told to contact my supervisor.  Shot Down.  Well that was it, I would just remain an IF and it would be great.  15 minutes later I get a call from HR.  She asked if I was interested in moving back into a classroom, I said yes, she said I needed to send my cover letter and resume to the principal.  Was this happening!!!!  I could actually apply for a position at the school that has been my dream since college!

The interview went great, and at 7:45 Thursday morning, I had an email from the principal to call her.  I called at 7:48...what can I say, waiting is not my strength!  She offered me a 1st grade position!!!!  I was speechless!  My lifelong career dream was coming true!  My role as an IF at the K-2 school had prepared me for this job!!  I would NEVER have felt confident to teach 1st if it had not been for those teachers and the experiences I had there.  I am teaching in my old 2nd grade classroom, so the memories came flooding back.
If I had not trusted God's plan for me, I wouldn't be planning to start my 10th year teaching at my dream school!!!  I am living out everything I ever wanted, and God knew it would happen.  I just had to stick with the plan.  I would not trade my years at the title one school for anything, it made me who I am as a teacher.

Check back to see what I'm planning on in my FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM!!!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Climbing Out From Under My Rock!

Wow!!! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! The end of the year was truly a whirlwind. With testing, testing and more testing, I have been so busy helping teachers that I had nothing interesting to blog about (and was lacking the energy as well!) Today is day 1 of my summer vacation and I am excited about doing fun stuff with the twins! Of course I have grand plans for us, we will see how much gets done!!! Today we will be enjoying a lazy day at home and swimming in the pool. They LOVE to swim (in 2 feet of water) and have been waiting for this day for weeks.

We also have booked our Disney Trip for September!!!! The girls are going to be so excited! I had no clue that Disney offered free dinning during the fall! We have almost always been to Disney in July, can you say HOT! As we were beginning to make plans a friend told me about free dinning in the fall and I began to investigate. Depending on which resort you stay at, you are eligible for different dinning packages- FOR FREE!! We are staying at Disney All Star Movies Resort. We have never stayed on the Disney properties, always opting to stay at a condo or house off property, thinking it was cheaper. Not the case when you have free dinning! We were eligible for 2 quick service meals and 1 snack a day, we upgraded to 1 sit down meal a day. This means we are doing a character meal Every.Single.Day. Stay tuned for more info on our trip later!




The best news is the trip is already 100% paid for! Yes you read that correct. I am using money made selling Pampered Chef this month to pay for it! I became a consultant a little over 3 months ago and God is blessing my business!!! I am doing something fun and enjoyable and getting paid to do it! I have also added a link to my PC store right on my blog, so if you need something and don't have a consultant, please use me!!! Items can be directly shipped right to your home! Right now PC is offering something they have NEVER done....FREE new consultant kits!!! You can try out Pampered Chef for nothing this month! If you want more info on making extra money, getting free products, or just being recognized for the work your doing, I would love to talk to you about this wonderful opportunity!


Well I'm off to play in the pool with my girlies!



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