There Are Days

     Let’s talk about being busy.  As I may have mentioned one or twice, I had the best baby on earth 13 weeks ago. (I’ll cry about that later.)  After that, I moved back into my classroom.  Then we bought a house.  So we packed…and packed…and packed.  Then we moved.  Then I moved out of my classroom and into another classroom.  This “new” room has been being used as “storage” for the past 16,584,606,541 years.  I’m not lying to you when I say it’s full of junk.  Also it’s dusty (but I’ll think about that later).  Aaaaaaaaaand we’re only four weeks into the school year!

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Add to this list:
Dust
Ancient “resources” you’re forbidden to throw away
Stealing from other teachers so you can finally have matching desks
Sending aggressive work orders to people who won’t help you
Dollar Tree decorating
Risking your life climbing things to clean the walls

…and everyone’s favorite…
professional development.

     And yet…there are some days when you feel like you might have actually done something.  There are days when students pass the math test.  There are days when you hear a student tell another student that you’re nice. There are days when they laugh at your jokes. And there are days when you hear that your students are happy.  That makes you feel better about not getting any work done over the weekend.

Work, work, work

     Sometimes work is hard.  No matter what kind of job you have, it’s still work, and it’s still hard.  Teaching is one of those jobs that doesn’t ever feel quite like a “normal job.”  The hours are great, and vacations and snow days (when we actually get one of those) are so nice…but it’s hard.  I’m not one of those teachers who walks around talking about how I have the hardest job in the world.  I don’t.  Compared to a lot of people, my job is probably cake.  Not even 200 days in a safe place with heat and air?  I’ll take it.  I’m so thankful for people who do the really hard jobs.
     That being said.  Some days are hard.  Some days you just have to walk out the door and leave everything on your desk because if you look at it for one more second you may never go back.  Ever.  On days like that you come home and feel like you failed your kids.  Why would they ever want to come back to school?  Of course they roll their eyes at me!  I would roll my eyes at me too!  But I go back.  I don’t even like to take days off…and with good reason.

1.  Kids are kids.  No matter where they’re from or what their lives are like, they’re kids, and they need people to be there for them.

2.  Do you watch the news?  I have to admit, I don’t love my local news station, but I know what’s going on in the world.  I have the luxury of watching it through my television screen.  Some of my  kids are watching it from down the hall or out their front doors.

3.  School is important.  I’m not some sort of after-school special over here, and there are days when I’m not the best teacher I could be, but how can people learn unless they’re taught?

4.  Until they’re old enough to make their own decision to stay in school or not, they have to be there.  It’s the law.  Why should I make it harder for them to do well?  If the options are to learn or be miserable, we’re going to learn.  Even when it’s hard!

     Honestly, I started this post last week after a particularly rough day.  I finished it today after a much better week.  Don’t let this post fool you into thinking that I don’t love teaching.  I do!  Please don’t think that I teach in some sort of dangerous concrete jungle.  I don’t!  I have kids living in great situations with incredible parents, but just like every other public (and probably private) school in America, we see all kinds.  Are there things about teaching that make me want to pull my hair out?  Evaluations, standards, changes, decisions from people who aren’t in the classroom… YES! 
     One of my kids asked me yesterday what I would be doing if I wasn’t a teacher.  I have NO IDEA.  I can’t imagine another job where I can see the effects of what I do each day so clearly.  All that to say…I’ll keep going back.  Even when it’s hard.

Some days it’s “Keep calm and eat the chocolate from the candy box.”

E-cards and Naps

     I planned to make this sort of a photo dump…until I realized that I haven’t taken a real picture in weeks (other than about 100 of my new niece).  Other than that I’ve just been trying to keep my head above water with this whole being a grown up thing.  It’s not my fave. 
     I really love teaching, and my kids are precious…but I do miss watching the Food Network in the middle of the day and having no responsibilities (aaahhh…college).  I was doing wonderfully (i.e. as well as can be expected for a first year first grade teacher) until this week.  I’ve had three evaluations in the past two days.  Three.  If you are a teacher, or know one, or know what one is, this should just make you tired.  Honestly, I just want to sleep.  On the plus side, all of my formal evaluations are done for this semester – woop woop!

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I didn’t cry…but I’m tired, so I’ll use that as an excuse to eat everything in sight.

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I promise I’m not as emotionally unstable as my e-cards make me look.

     I’ll try to take some pictures this weekend…Keith and I will be reliving our college days (aahh…youth…or aaahhh six months ago) for homecoming.  I’ll be back soon…ish.

Fake It ‘til You Make It

     Today is my last day of summer…and also the last day of not being a real life grown-up.  Tomorrow morning I start inservice for my first  year of teaching, and I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I’m not even nervous.  Translation: I’ve been pretending not to be nervous for so long that I’ve convinced myself it’s true. 
     I am so  looking forward to this year, and even though I know that the nervousness will come in time (probably tomorrow), I also have an incredible peace about this.  I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing, and I believe I’m in the right place right now.  I shared pictures of my classroom last week, but have done soooooo much more work since then (and managed not to take a single picture).  I’ll be sure to get a few when I’m done.
     I don’t have a lot to say today (I know, right?), but please please be in prayer for any teacher you know starting school and definitely for all the little kiddies who will be starting.  I know that God has planned my classroom just as it should be, but I know the nerves will set in soon…

Woop woop…found some pictures!

My mountain of laminated stuff…

Keith and I (mostly Keith) made six of these for my reading table!  They’re much cushier than they look…

Moose and Friends for the door…I also got a big moose with seasonal antlers!

Heart Sing

     I feel like I’m always telling you about these things I love and never actually showing you.  Well no more.  Things that make my heart sing today (and most days).

From top left:
(1)  Neon orange flip flops.  Thank you, TJ Maxx clearance!  $8 for shoes that can be seen from space.
(2)  My dorm fridge stocked with Cokes.  I have other things of course, but these little soldiers get me through the day.
(3)  Dry erase boards!  I found these for $0.50 apiece at Walmart!  I got six – definitely going to be using these for a center when I start teaching.
(4)  My shell jar filled!  At the bottom you can see a few of my giant shells – love.
(5)  I love this shirt.  It’s linen and has so many orangey pinky shades!
(6)  Sentence strip (also $o.50 at Walmart) and my pointer…can you tell I’m excited to start teaching?
(7)  This little bucket that housing left in my room.  It’s supposed to be for recycling, but I think I’ll use it to do something cute for school…I could store books in it or make it a center that can be moved around.  The possibilities are endless.

     That’s about it for today, folks.  I’m probably at orientation right about now, so I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes.  In the meantime, we’re at the end of the month again.  You know what that means…sponsor call!  I have several different options available, and I would love to work with you in September.  Shoot me an email for more information!

Target Finds

     Y’all, I finally did it!  I have been talking about buying some teacher-appropriate clothes for next semester and, you know, my real life for forever, and I actually came through this time.  Yesterday, my mother wanted to run to Target, so of course I went, fully expecting to look and then not buy anything – my usual routine.  I don’t know if it was shopping with my mother, the Starbucks I had just ingested, or some sort of planetary alignment (…it was definitely having my mother there), but I saw tons and tons and tons of cute things!  While I did not walk out with any pants (sad day), I did buy two skirts that will serve me well on into the fall and a really cute lightweight sweater-y thing.

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     The picture doesn’t really do it justice.  It’s pretty thin (perfect for the blazing hot beginning of school, but will definitely work with close toe shoes for the fall.  The sweater I got goes perfectly, but I think it will look so cute with a plain white tank top and a denim jacket too.

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     Grey…my favorite!  This one is really lightweight too, but I think I’ll be able to stretch it for awhile.  It will look so cute with some solid color t-shirts or dressier tops.  It comes down to right at my knees, so it’s really a perfect length.

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     I’m not sure if this is exactly what I got, but it’s pretty similar.  It fits sort of loose and casual, and I think I’m going to be able to wear it a lot.

     I tried on several pairs of pants, but I just couldn’t find any that fit cute.  I’ll have to make a day of it and actually go “pants shopping.”  Skirts are great, but pants are a necessity.  Until then, I'm so happy with each of these, and I’ll be able to wear them to work, church, or out if I want.  Nest on my teacher shopping agenda is shoes.  I’ll be needing some flats.  I should also probably stock up on solid tees, but that’s not pressing.  I can always find those.
     How about all of you?  Any great finds lately?  Any tips on teacher clothes?  I want to be comfortable and professional.  No high heels at work for this girl!

Sort of Teaching

     Most of my weeks seem pretty short, but this one really flew by!  I woke up Monday not even wanting to go to class, and my the time I had turned around it was Friday night.  If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you’ll know that I am in my last semester of classes before I student teach.  With that comes a lot of time spent in classrooms doing observations and teaching lessons.  One of my favorite classes is kindergarten practicum (K-Prac); I get to spend every Monday morning with the same sweet teacher and the best bunch of kiddies ever!
     Every week we teach a lesson and take over a few more responsibilities in the classroom.  This week I taught my health and safety lesson and introduced my bulletin board (…technically it was a trifold, but you get the idea).  The kids loved both of them, and I really loved seeing how excited they were.
     I try to keep all of my lessons simple and fairly  short since it isn’t my classroom, and I’m a guest.  My health and safety lesson was about dental hygiene, so I thought I would share for all of you teachers, future teachers, or homeschoolers.
     All of our lessons have to incorporate a book; this week I found one on the Internet (not the very best book, but they enjoyed getting to see it on the computer) – What to Do With a Used Toothbrush.  When I first introduced this, I asked what they thought our lesson might be about, and one of them suggested recycling!  I hadn’t even thought of that at all – they really do surprise me with how clever they are.

I made this before the lesson (two-sided) from a small piece of poster board.

     After we read the book, each table had two magazine pictures (I like to keep the number of pictures small for time reasons and because it lets the kids work together and talk) – one of a healthy food and one unhealthy.
     They were all really eager to talk about the foods they had and why they may or may not be so healthy.  As I’m sure you can guess, we glued the pictures to the tooth:

You’ll have to forgive the terrible lighting – these were taken after the fact!

     This is one of  my favorite lessons I have done so far, and I know that they got it because when we went to lunch several of them told me that my Chex mix wasn’t good for my teeth (ha!).
     The last thing I wanted to share with you is my bulletin board.  This is another class requirement, but I love doing bulletin boards, so it didn’t feel like a lot of work!

     

     Each student gets to draw a number out of the purple pocket.  They count out the correct number of paintbrushes (from the white pocket) and put them in the can.  After they finish, they get to write their name on sentence strip and put it in the middle of the board.  This was obviously done early in the day, but they were all so anxious about getting a turn!
     I know I don’t often post about what I do in the classroom, but I love it more and more each time I go, so I thought I would share with all of you!  Please feel free to “beg, borrow, and steal” (thanks, Harry Wong) any of these ideas (although if you Pin these, please credit it back to me)!
     I have a lot more teacher-related stuff in the works, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for the seventh (wow!) week of I Know and I Don’t.

Happy Weekend!Allyson

Belated

     A few weeks ago I won my first ever giveaway!  Y’all, I enter giveaways almost daily, and I never win anything, so when I saw Erin from Creating & Teaching post this, I knew I had to jump on it.
     She made an adorable diaper motorcycle for a friend and asked us all what the most difficult piece was to find.  I took a quick scroll through the comments and realized that no one had thrown out my guess, and bing, bang, boom, I won!  The stuffed monkey was the hardest thing to find…this does not surprise me at all!  I don’t know how recently any of you have tried to find plain stuffed animals but it is just about impossible.  Every single toy these days has to light up or move or dance…silly.
     Erin emailed me back in a few hours saying that I was right and would get one item for free from her TPT or TN store!  Her units and activities are so adorable!    
     Now, onto my real reason for posting – I would never have had the opportunity to win this great giveaway if I wasn’t reading along at Creating & Teaching!  As a future teacher, I love drawing inspiration from teaching blogs, and Erin’s is just great.

     

     It is so clear from her posts that she has such a heart for her students, and she is obviously doing some great work in a field that is definitely not for everyone.  I am so excited to be a teacher, and seeing others so fulfilled in their jobs is really incredible.
     I encourage all of you teachers, future teachers, homeschoolers…pretty much everyone to go over to Creating & Teaching and see for yourself what a great resource and fun read it is!  Also, if you’re looking for well-made and effective activities (that are totally adorable) go check out her stores too (hint: there are some really great freebies too)!
     Thank you so much for the giveaway and for your incredible work in your classroom and on your blog.  I am looking forward to reading for a long time!

Allyson