You're Foolin...... It's July ALREADY!?!?!?

Where o Where has June gone?  That was the fastest month! Maybe because I was busy most of it but come on, let summer linger on! :)

I took a little super long hiatus from blogging. Not on purpose. Just life gets in the way. However, I may be blogging a lot in the next few months. School is no longer "routine" for me anymore. I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade!!!!!! I'm super excited about this change but may need some help from blogger friends :)  I guess I'll eventually need to change my blog name.

Before I get to any of that, I must do the fun currently from Farley's Page. Go give her some love :)

Listening: It isn't summer until Big Brother begins. However I will say I do not get into it like I used to. So I may still attend a premiere party but don't go all crazy over it like I used to.

Loving: I have already read a ton of books this summer. Since I will have my sixth graders for the third year in a row, I know them well. I also know the majority of them need to read more. On the last day of school, I challenged them to read 800 pages over the summer. I thought it would be fun to track my pages read too. I've more than doubled that so far. I just love to read!!!

Thinking: UGH LAUNDRY!!!! I absolutely hate doing my laundry. I don't have to do it often since it is just me but bleck!!!!

Wanting: This is where you all come in! What kind of teacher bag do you use? I've had just a black adidas backpack for the last 5 or so years. I like it because it frees up my hands to carry things and it is large. But I'm ready for something else. So tell me what you have and why I should buy it!

Needing: I LOVE WILD CHERRY PEPSI! I could totally go for one right now. I've tried to cut down on pop but I'm craving it today!!!

4th Plans: So my flight leaves at 8am on Saturday and the airport is 2 hours away. Therefore, I am staying at a hotel close to the airport on Friday night so I don't have to wake up as early. My 4th plans will consist of driving, shopping, and sleeping in a hotel. Fun Fun---but the beach awaits! :)

I guess I should go put that laundry in the wash......

Halfway through the School year...almost

Seriously?! I really wanted to keep up with this blog. Obviously that has not happened. But of course, I love me some Currently from Farley and since it is break and I have some time, of course I had to get some blog action in :)

I am absolutely loving being on break. It's amazing how much more relaxed I feel. I have my lesson plans completed through January 24 and I feel good about it!!!! Of course I would LOVE for the break to last longer but this part of the year always seems to fly by. It's the downhill end of the school year.

I've been feeling a bit blah for a couple of days. My mom had the flu on Christmas Eve so I keep hoping I don't get it. I've slept a lot and haven't done too much. I would love to wake up and feel good tomorrow so I can go to the gym and then clean my house. The gym may not happen though as a snow storm is coming and I do no drive in the snow. I"ll take an indoor, at home workout though!



If anyone teaches fourth or fifth grade has a good unit on Penguins or Polar Bears, would you mind sharing? I'm looking for something for fourth grade. Thanks in advance :)

I wanna talk about MEEEEEEE!!!

....As Toby Keith would say :)

I've never done the Teacher Week Blog but this is my last free week so why not?! It's a good mind break from all of the school stuff I"m thinking about.

I'm not sure how "FUN" they will be though he he

1. This is my 12th year of teaching. I taught 6th grade for three years and the rest have been with fourth and fifth.

2. I teach in a VERY small district. Our building houses all grades K-12. It's a unique situation but I've actually seen some great relationships between younger students and the older.

3. My family means the world to me!!! My mom is my very best friend and pretty much always has been growing up. We never really had that "rough teenage period" when I didn't like her. As I've gotten older, our relationship continues to grow. My cousin and I have become wonderfully close in the past five or so years. We were always together growing up but there was an age gap between us at the time. Now that we are older, that gap isn't there ;)  She is one of the first people I tell everything to :I love our girls weekends when my mom, aunt, cousin and I get together. We have so many laughs!!

4. I've become a "cat lady". I got two cats from the humane society last summer. Since then, I've fallen in love with those little furballs. I probably have way too many pictures of them on my phone. 

5. I played basketball from the time I was little through college. At that time, basketball was my "true love". People would ask what I was going to college for and I would say "basketball". I coached for 5 years after graduating college. I still enjoy the game but not as much as I used to. And I enjoy coaching but its a VERY long season.

6. I LOVE LOVE LOVE music!  I listen to music at some point every single day. I have a wide genre that I listen to as well. You know the scene from Identity Thief when Melissa McCarthy sings every song that comes on the radio in the car? Uh yeah.....that's definitely me! Even though I'm a terrible singer, I still pretend I sound just like Whitney Houston! ;)

7. I love to play Just Dance on my wii. It makes me feel like I am a back up dancer for Beyonce!!! What a fun job to have!!!

8. I love the beach. If I didn't have family near me, I would probably sell most of my items and move to the beach. I would love to walk out my door and have the sand in my toes every day!

9. Reading has always held a special place in my heart. I remember my mom reading to me every single day before I learned how to myself. I think that made me into the avid reader I am. I wish I had more time to read. It's calming to be able to pick up a book and get lost in it. 

10. I used to write a lot but have gotten out of it. I wrote a lot of poetry but also just stories or journal type entries. It was an easy way for me to get out my feelings. I would love to write a book someday. I think I would gear it towards boys ages 10-13. Boys have a much harder time finding a book they truly love. I would want my book to pull that reader in and make him realize reading isn't just for school. 

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Elementary Teacher

NOOOOOOOOOOO It can't be so!

In my fourth and fifth graders language Oh Em Geee! I can not believe I'm only two weeks away from school starting!! I can't say "where did the summer go" because I normally lay around, do nothing, and be too lazy. ha ha. I feel as though I've been very productive this summer. Let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite me!!

Of course since I'm posting, it can only mean one thing: Farley's August Currently

Listening:  It's summer so that means its Big Brother time!!! I used to be totally addicted to Big Brother. While I still watch it, I don't think I am so into it this season. I don't have a favorite. But I still try to watch the After Darks and read twitter about the show to keep up! :)

Loving: At the end of the school year, I decided I needed to make this summer about me and try to better myself. I told my cousin to call me every morning at 8am on her way to work and make sure my butt was out of bed!!! I'm very proud of myself and loving the fact that I am still doing this. Most "fitness" things don't last this long for me. I wish I already didn't get up as early as I have to for school because I would LOVE to get up and run or workout before going to school

Thinking: I am not ready for school. In every single aspect of the phrase!!!! I've actually had my share of tears because of it. I did not have a good year last year at all. The first ever for me. Many factors contributed to this but there is not a great morale in our district and I think it just took it's toll on me.

Wanting: Oh how I'd love for summer to last longer! I love the long days, sunshine, vacations, free time, reading, visiting, etc.

Needing: I need the little teacher fairy to go into my classroom and get it all together for me. ;)  I do have the first month of plans completed for both grades so that's a start but I still feel very behind.

B2s Must Haves:

1. School Supplies: I always have to buy over 100 dollars worth of school supplies for the many students that come in on the first day who bring nothing. I don't complain about it because I understand the financial situation for most of their families. I just wish it was cheaper for me ;)
2. Hair cut/ Pedi: Those a must!!! I haven't had my hair cut since probably April so it's definitely needing it. I just don't like to waste the money in the summer when I wear it in a ponytail or messy bun every single day. And a Pedi is just because I want to treat myself :)
3. Positivity: I guess I mostly explained this in my "thinking" explanation. I know I have to remain positive this year. I need to do it for myself and my students!!!

Wishing everyone a happy back to school whenever you begin!

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Elementary Teacher

I Can Statements

SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?!? School begins in two weeks?! Where did the summer go?!?!

As I'm sitting here on a Friday night working on school stuff (yes, my life is that exciting), I may be freaking out just a bit. I do not feel ready. My classroom is not ready. I went today and worked on some stuff but it was mostly rearranging things since the custodians didn't put anything back where it was supposed to go. I won't discuss my anger towards some issues there...maybe another time.

My question for you is: how do you post your I Can statements? 
Do you have them printed out? Do you just write them down on the board everyday? I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to do this. I will take any suggestions.

Until next time.....

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Elementary Teacher

Currently...It's July (well almost)

It's hard to believe I've been out of school for over five weeks. I've been able to do a lot but there's still a lot more professionally and personally I need to do before the start of the new school year. As usual, it's my favorite blog post: Oh Boy 3rd Grade's Currently 

Listening: I love Dateline Mysteries. I could watch them all day long. As I've probably mentioned before, if I wasn't a teacher, I would have been a detective!!

Loving: I love the freeness of summer. There's little routine. I can do what I want, when I want. I can go to bed as early or late as I feel. I've been up almost each weekday at 8am to get my workout in before it gets too hot and I love being able to work out! 

Thinking: I always feel like once July 4 rolls around, the rest of my summer goes soooooo fast! 

Wanting: I've decided I would love to win the lottery (or marry a very rich man-hehe). I love summer-if you can't already tell by every single currently topic. 

Needing: I really need to paint my spare bedroom. It's very hideous. When I moved in a year ago, I figured I'd just deal with it but I'm ready for it to be painted. It is all primary colors with paint splatters and dog prints. Every baseboard is a different color as well as the windows and doors YUCK! My front porch also needs painted. It isn't bad but I'd like to do it before the summer is over.

Tips, Tricks, Hints: By linking myself to blogs, I've been able to have other readers read mine and offer some good advice. I also try to read as many blogs as I can. I don't know how teachers did it before the wonderful world of internet!!! 

I also should have written up there that a good tip would be to make sure your blog's font is easily readable. I have clicked on some but they are so hard to read that I do not even try.

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Elementary Teacher

Common Core Help Needed

It's hard to believe I've been out of school for 5-6 weeks!!!! I have done so much. I always say "No school work in June". I've slightly ignored that rule this summer. I just feel there is an abundant amount of work I need to do in order to get ready for the change over to Common Core. This is where all of you come in. I need major help!!! I do not even really know where to begin. I've looked online but I"m not finding any sort of guidelines. I wish I could find some sort of timelines to kind of help me out. Where have you found any resources? How did you begin? I am the only fourth and fifth grade language arts teacher in my district so I'm totally on my own.

 

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Elementary Teacher