Meet the Teacher

I love teaching!  

I work at the best elementary school in the whole wide world!  Every student in my school recites that every day and truly knows it to be true!   I started teaching 16 years ago at an inner city school.  I really didn't think I was cut out for that hard of a school ~ first year almost did me in.  BUT!  I found out I could do it and do it well!! So here I am 16 years later thinking I'm so blessed to be able to teach the coolest kids anywhere.

After teaching 3 years of multiage Kindergarten/first grade and then 6 more years in first grade, I was asked to move to 3rd grade.  I have to tell you ~ I went kicking and screaming!  I didn't think I could teach those "big kids".  (I must have a "short" complex!)

Day #1 in 3rd grade convinced me ~ I LOVED IT!  Who wouldn't love cuteness like that?!  Plus they could already read, so that's half the battle, right?

This was my team in 3rd grade where I taught for 5 years.  We rocked!  But I broke away and decided to tame the 2nd graders to prepare them for 3rd.  Even though we don't teach together anymore, my heart will always be with our "team".  Maybe one day we'll get to reunite!

I knew I wanted to be a teacher in high school and majored in education in college, but somewhere along the way I strayed.  In the early 90's I went back to school and got my early childhood degree and have never regretted it. Two of my daughters are teachers, too!  How cool is that!

Happy Learning!

Teacher Week

I'm going to join the teacher bloggers and celebrate teacher week on my blog, too.

To all my teacher buddies, join with me and add this to your blog.  I can't wait to read all about your week in school and your goodies that you'll share.  Here is what we'll write about...

Meet the Teacher Monday – Introductions, please!  Tell us all about you!

- Teacher Talk Tuesday – A day dedicated to providing advice for new teachers :)

- Where it All Goes Down Wednesday – Pictures, please! Show us your classroom! 

- Three for Thursday – Link to your favorite font, favorite blog, and favorite online resource.

- Free for All Friday – Everyone loves a freebie!  Link up with a printable that you’ve created and would like to share out with the teaching community.

Happy Blogging!

Blessings

I haven't blogged since going back to school August 1st, but it's been a whirlwind, to say the least!  Four days of second grade are under my belt, I'm surviving the heatwave of 2011, and am starting to look ahead to fall with excitement that there are only four more months left until our grandbaby girl is here!  I'm over the moon excited!  I have so many blessings in my life and want to write down a few so I don't forget them!

~ My amazing husband that I love with my whole heart.
~ He has been cancer-free this past year and I'm believing for another C-Free report next week!
~ Our 3 incredible daughters, talented, beautiful, and all strong in their faith.  That's everything.
~ Our 2 wonderful sons-in-law and one 'wishing-for-to-soon-be' son-in-law that we love as much as if they were our very own flesh and blood. (Hope you followed that one!)
~ And Ms. Harper ... oh my!  The love of my life!!!  God knew exactly what would make my heart sing and SHE is that little girl!!!

~ And as if that weren't enough, we have another baby girl on the way!!! If I get much happier, I'll burst!
~ My mama, alive and well, active and happy with her husband, Bill, up in Indiana.  I want her to live forever!
~ My sister and very bestest friend ~ why do we have to live so far apart? ~ She is my inspiration and my hero.  I can't think of anyone that I look up to more than her.  She truly is everything a sister should be.

~ Her hubs, Sid,  who says he doesn't understand why anyone would want to live down here where it's so hot all the time, but in my heart, I know he'd be here in a New York minute if I'd just invite him ~ j/k.  He LOVES it here!!  I'm so thankful that he's doing as well as he is with cancer.  We beg you to pray for his healing!
~ My in-laws ~ we truly have such a close-knit, wonderful family.  I love them dearly!
~ My best friends.  Sometimes we see each other often, and other times it goes awhile but they are there when I need them.  I trust them with my heart.
~ My school kiddos, past and present.  If they don't send me to an early grave, I'll love them forever.  They have enriched my life in ways I can't explain.  They have lived long, hard lives by the time they enter my classroom and it pains me that I can't fix things for them.  But while they're in my care, I can be strong and nurturing, showing them unconditional love.
~ My peers and boss at school ~ Wow!  God has orchestrated the most amazing group of believers into one school.  We don't always act so spiritual, and we slide sometimes, but never in my life have I seen such a presence of God's love and protection where I've worked.  Scriptures are written all over the doorposts and floors of our very foundation in our building.  God honors that.
~ My furry boys.  Who would've thought I could love four-legged boys as much as I do?  OOOH my.

Tyson is King of the Hill around here.

And my sight-disabled baby, Riley.  Cute doesn't do him justice.
~ For the possibilty of 3 days under 100 degrees forecast for this week!  Woo hoo!!
~ My church and the freedom to worship as I choose.
~ Probably one of my biggest blessings is the chance to pray for my family, some of whom are completely overwhelmed by expectations and obligations for the coming months, have physical mountains that seem too high to climb, who are preparing for a new baby, who have job needs, and who needs God's wisdom and strength right now.

I know what it means to say my heart overflows because God is so good to me!

Blessings to you!

It's Coming Together

I'm so close to being ready to start our new school year! And then I think of this and that ~ I realize there's still a lot to get done.

At the end of last school year {only 5 weeks ago!} I worked a few extra days organizing my "stuff".  Sooo glad I did!

 All the leveled readers are labeled and in order, ready to grab off the shelf.

My favorite children's books are categorized and bookmarked in alphabetical order by topic so it's an easy grab when we're ready to read them.

Don't worry, the students have their library center, too!

EF has brain-based classrooms ~  meaning that we use only colors from nature (there are a few exceptions), we use low lights and no florescent lights, soft music, and some yummy scent in the room.  No bright STUFF cluttering our classrooms!  Less is more.  ~ You also need to know that my room won't look this vacant in another couple of days :-).

 Not too sure about having such big table groups to start the year.  I need to think about that one again.

I think my room looks pretty good ~ I just have to personalize the table groups, put up my agenda and objectives, and a few "this and that's".

LOVE my Smartboard!  I have a map shower curtain I found at Tarjay a while back to cover it when we don't use it.  My kiddos just keep on learnin'.

Here's hoping for a fabulous ~ BEST year ever in second grade!

Happy Dreams!

The Teacher in Me

My last week of summer vacation and where do I find myself???

  At the best school in the whole wide world!

 I'm a little anal when it comes to planning and organizing, but it works for me.  SO, our second grade team met today, put all the standards/PASS skills on sticky notes, and inserted them into the 2011-2012 calendar.  Our kiddos will be prepared for next year!  It's going to be a fabulous school year!

We color coded the objectives for each subject ~ Reading/Language Arts were blue, Math was yellow, etc.  Everything will be covered and we'll be able to track areas that need further instruction.

More to come on our beginning of the year activities ~  But I'll leave you a little feel for our weather ~ ENJOY.

Stay Cool!

Nutshells

Trying to put my crazy week in the fewest words possible...

You do what you have to do, waiting for the A/C guy to come fix the condenser. Ahhhh ~

One benefit of having no ceiling in the bathroom is that we discovered a little problem in the roof ~ more like SKY shining through!  Many dollars later, five of these were fixed and we're water tight again!

Our bathroom was demolished...

The new tub is in, and we waited and waited and waited for the sheet rock man to arrive....

Making progress, but here's the fall out ~

Riley's all stressed out. Poor baby!

So, on the school front ~ I thought I was moving my class out to the prefab Learning Cottages but Divine Intervention happened and I get to keep my classroom.  My carpet is cleaned and I started moving back my desks, computers, cabinets, plants, and lamps.  I didn't get as much done as I wanted because of two days of professional development and one full day for our team leader meeting.  I have my work cut out for me next week.  I'm so excited to be in second grade again, continuing on what I worked so hard to build last year.  We have many new faces on our staff and are sadly saying good-bye to some dear teacher friends who are moving to new districts.  But I just know this year will be our very best ever!  

Gigi-Weekend with Ms. Harper

Finally it happened!  I've waited all my life for this!  A whole weekend of Gigi time!! Lindsey and Brian surprised me a few weeks ago by asking if I'd "consider" coming over and spending the weekend with the cutest little gal in the whole wide world...Uh... YES!  So here's how it rolled.

Thursday night, Lindsey came to Tulsa for the Reveal Party (did you read that post?) and stayed overnight so she, Harper and I could get an early start to An Affair of the Heart.  We LIVE for that show twice a year.  Love it!  And how cool was it that we know that Baby Girl Leonard is on her way so we could just buy a few little necessities for her.  So fun!

We got to Siloam Springs just in time for Brian to get off work and off they went to Branson!  Ms. Harper and I were on our own.  Yippee!!

We played in the pool for awhile because that's pretty much the BEST thing to do in 104 degrees, right?

                                   Getting ready for the plunge...

This is one remarkable little gal.  Harper told me "dak du" (thank you) for absolutely everything I did and my heart nearly burst ~ I love this girl!!  After our pool time and bath, we read books and danced until she got her blankie and went to sleep.

      Such a smiley girl in the morning!  We ate our waffles and blueberries and then headed out to Wal Mart to do a little shopping.

We played tea party and had so much fun.  She fed her Baby Kate and even Max got in on it  ~ until I had to rescue the dishes from his mouth...oops, he left a few little teeth marks.  

                                Harper got in the bucket and played.

What a great weekend.  Hopefully, that'll hold me for awhile until we get to plan another Gigi/Harper weekend.  I'm still loving it!

Happy Memories!