Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I'd like to thank my parents...


Wow! My first week of blogging and I have already gotten an award! How fitting considering I am watching the Olympics and watching all of these talented people earn medals.

Thank you to The Common Core Classroom for your sweet words and award.



So, I have to include 7 random facts about myself. Here goes:
1. I started playing ice hockey this year in an adult Rookie league. It's fun and great exercise. Here is a picture of me in all of my gear with my son who plays a whole lot better than I do.
My first year of hockey - too bad it was at a Ducks' rink, not my beloved Kings.


2. My brother and I were born on the same day, one year apart. Irish Twins.
3. My husband and I met in 6th grade and "went around" with each other. We didn't last long, but rekindled our romance in our late 20's and got married when we were both 30. We've been married 11 years.
4. My first principal was my assistant principal in junior high school. It was kind of like teaching for my mom.
5. My mom was the sub caller for the district I teach in. Before I got my job, she would "call" me for the jobs that no one else wanted by yelling upstairs to wake me up.
6. I was nominated for Homecoming Queen at Chico State University.
7. I have two different colored eyes - one green, one blue.

Wow, I am not sure I have checked out 15 blogs yet... I probably have, but I am going to have to do some investigating for this next step. I nominate:

1.  The bomb diggity classroom
2. Teaching Third
3. We Read, We Blog, We Teach
4. Runde's Room
5. A Modern Teacher
6. A Teacher's Treasure

Well, that's all I have time for tonight... I promise I will come back and finish off my nominations.



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop



 I am trying this Blog Hop/Linky thing again. I think I am getting the hang of it... almost.



Since I am new to blogging, this seems like a good place for me to hop. I am finding lots of other great blogs to check out. I hope you find some, too.

For this blog hop, this is what is being shared:

1. What state are you in? I am in California.
2. What is your current teaching position? I teach 3rd grade.
3. What is your teaching experience? I have been teaching for 17 years. I have taught 2nd grade for 15 years and 3rd for 2 with some years of 2/3 combos mixed in for good measure.
4. How long have you been blogging? I started blogging very recently... I thought about it in April and finally got serious last week.

Well, here goes... the last one I tried, my button didn't show, so we shall see if it works this time. Not sure what I am doing wrong.




 

My First Blog Hop - First Day Jitters!

Fierce in Fourth is having a Blog Hop and I am giving it a try. This whole blogging thing seems to come with a new language I need to learn... linky, favicon, button, etc. My head is spinning, but in a great way.

My first week jitters:
1. I am waiting to see if my principal is going to change our lunchtime to create a more manageable schedule for supporting the many combination classes our school has next year. I don't feel like I can make solid plans until I know what time I go to lunch for how long I am will have 40 kids in my class.
2. I hope that our new N-Computing system will be installed by the first day of school since I unhooked all of my computers yesterday to clean and move tables. If not, I guess I will be signing up for the computer lab a lot. :)
3. This may seem like a strange jitter, but I am a little lot OCD so it is a big deal to me. I hope that I will like the changes I made to my classroom including getting rid of my teacher desk and a table I had in the back of the classroom for small groups, parents helpers and one-on-one aides for some of my friends, moving my computer tables (they now block my second whiteboard, but I can still post things on it), and my new classroom theme - owls. I am pretty sure it will all be okay, but these are the things that keep me awake at night.





Saturday, July 28, 2012

Bye Bye Teacher Desk!

I finally did it! I parted with my teacher desk... almost. It's true that got rid of the HUGE metal desk provided by my school, but I replaced it with a cute student desk from Target. It takes up a fraction of the space and looks so much cuter!
I haven't finished decorating, but here's my new desk from Target. It's metal with a tempered glass top.

I don't miss the storage the old desk provided at all. As I cleaned out my old desk I realized that I had other storage options for most of the items I housed in the drawers. I also noticed that I was storing a lot of junk treasures that were unnecessary and were recycled immediately.

I already feel lighter and the additional floor space I created will come in very handy with my group of 32 third graders. Finally, I have enough floor space to comfortably fit all of my students.

Have you gotten rid of your teacher desk? If so, how's it working out for you?

Welcome to my blog!


I have become an avid reader of blogs. Many of these are blogs created by fellow educators sharing their ideas, creativity and inspiration. I have to say, these blogs have infused me with excitement for the upcoming school year. They have also inspired me to create a blog of my own.

So, here it is! My maiden voyage into blogging. A HUGE thank you to Christi at Designs by Christi (also known as Ms. Fultz at Ms. Fultz's Corner) for her fabulous design and guidance while creating the cuteness you are seeing here.

I have so many ideas spinning in my head. I hope that I can inspire some of you as you have inspired me. Happy reading!