Sunday, July 5, 2015

Sunday Scoop

A new week means it is time to link up with Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop!



Here's my Scoop for the week!



While everyone is heading off to Vegas, this (jealous) teacher has to stay home to attend the annual meeting of our regional soccer association.  I'm the registrar for my local soccer association, so I have to go.  But I told our Board President, I'll go this year, but next year, I'm going to Vegas!

Hopefully, I'll spend sometime outside this week (in between planning for summer school and next year!)  I have discovered that I actually do like (or at least not hate) riding bikes for exercise, so that is a plus!

Blog Hoppin' has their 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt going on, and I'm super excited to participate in it!  I've already started trying to convince my boyfriend to help with some of the options.  Why he won't put on a dress for my instagram, I just don't understand!  Haha!  Click here to go to their blog and get all the details!

Have a great week, and, those of you going to Vegas, I can't wait to read your blogs to see the pics and ideas!




Thursday, July 2, 2015

Sweet Students' Notes

Everyone knows, sometimes teaching can be a thankless job.  We always know that we are working hard, creating an engaging variety of lessons, and giving our students our all.  But somedays, it just can feel like no one realizes the love and work that we pour into our students.

Then there are those awesome times when a student gives you an honest, handwritten, heartfelt note of appreciation that just makes you realize that you are having an impact, that they do see that you love them, that they appreciate everything you do.

Those pieces of paper mean so much to me!  They keep me going through stressful times and remind me why I do what I do.

In the past month, I have received two notes that are currently pinned to my bulletin board so I can look at them always.  One is from a student I had 5 years ago, and the other is from a student I taught last year.

This student just graduated high school.  With a high GPA.  He is going to a major university to play football.  (Don't worry, I reminded him to keep those grades up too!)



I was invited to his graduation party, and gave him a check.  That was not a generous amount, no matter how kindly he described it.  It was an honor to even be remembered, let alone to receive a card that I will forever keep as a reminder.  That even so many years later (I taught him when he was in 7th grade) he appreciated what I taught him.  And he saw that I cared.  Priceless.


This student is an absolute amazing girl.  You know that student that you think to yourself, "If I have a child, I want them to be just like her!"  That's her.  It was so much fun having her in class, knowing I could trust her to run errands, and debating on whether they cast the right Peeta.  (She says yes, I say no.  I don't think we will ever agree on this issue!)  In short, she's pretty awesome!


Getting this note from her on the last day of school as great.  I had to keep myself from crying when I read it.  Luckily, we go to the same church, so I will get to keep seeing her as she grows.  And maybe one day, I'll convince her that they should have cast another guy as Peeta!

Students always give me drawings.  And I love those!  They decorate my bulletin boards and walls at school.  But getting notes like these make me smile every time I look at them and remember the amazing students (all of them!) that I have taught over the years.  The hundreds of students who I hope know how much I have faith in them, love them, and hope they have amazing lives filled with happiness and success.

Notes like these make it fun to keep planning during the summer.  To try to make sure that my future students realize that I care about them and want them to succeed.

Do you have a special place that you keep those notes and drawings?


Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Currently July

Is it really already July?!?!?!  How did 3 1/2 weeks of summer vacation already pass?  Haha!  In truth, I'm so ready for July!  This month is full of fun things for me, and I'm excited for everything that is coming up.



Listening...

I love Swamp People.  Their accents make me smile, and their work ethic leaves me in awe.  Not to mention the fact that they wrestle with ginormous alligators!  So I'm catching up on this week's episode.  

Loving...

My new home office is amazing!  This room has been an unused room full of perfectly working workout equipment for almost three years.  Now, it's a fully functional home office.  A room that I actually open the door to! You can see pics of my office, which I'm proud to say cost less than $150 for everything!), here.  I just love it!

Thinking...

Have you ever gone to a conference and stayed up all night coming up with ideas on how to implement everything you learned?  That has been me the past couple of days.  I went to a great conference this past Monday and Tuesday.  Monday, I was up until 1:30 (which made getting up a 5:30 really hard!) just brainstorming ideas, activities, etc.  It was so bad that at 1:00 a.m. I was ready to just get up and make stuff!  I can't wait to use all the things I learned in my class this year!

Wanting...

These darn mosquitos are the size of elephants!  And they are everywhere!  I guess the rainy spring allowed them to just multiply and grow without limits.  Oh, and my legs.  Their feasting on my legs as probably helped.  Just mowing the yard has made my legs look like I have chicken pox.  Guess I'm off to Wally World for some bug spray!

Needing...

It's only me here.  I mean, it is only clothes for one person.  Me.  Don't have kids.  So why can't I just finish the laundry?  Seriously, it's a problem.  The same clothes are in the dryer that have been for the last two weeks.  And they've been dried about 10 times to get rid of wrinkles on something I want to wear.  Ugh.  Maybe today...

All Star...

Organizing is my favorite thing ever!  If things are not organized, I get anxiety.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a great cleaner.  Just organizer.  I'm a huge fan of binders and drawer towers.  Everything has a place!