Just get over it already.

This is a phrase I had to tell myself a lot this year. And when I mean a lot, that may be an understatement. Being a mom is hard however the cards are dealt, and for me, I was really struggling coming to terms with being a "working mom". I found that when I was in the classroom, I was fine. Enjoying my career and not thinking a thousand times a day how much I missed my daughter. In fact, because teaching keeps you SO busy, I never really had time to think about it. And everyday when my daughter comes to have lunch with me, it is the thirty minutes I need to reconnect with her and get a little push to get me through my last two classes. And even with all of this, I was still grumpy, almost angry, that I wasn't at home full time.

And then it came to me. I just needed to get over it. There was never going to be a scenario where I magically became a stay at home mom, and deep deep down, I don't think I would ever be ready to leave my students all together. Even though I tried to keep my emotions on the "this isn't fair" front, I wasn't doing a good job. And the ongoing pity party was not benefitting anyone, especially myself. So I got over it. And I feel happier because of it. Sure, this doesn't mean sometimes I get bummed that I'm not the one getting to snuggle our baby every morning, but the point is, she's being snuggled by her parent, and that is what matters.  The day is a very long thing, and when you do the math, everly is sleeping about 4 of my 8 hour work day, which isn't too shabby for the check that helps supports our family.  So bottom line, mindset is everything.  Coming to terms with how things are is not particularly easy sometimes, but once you master the mindset, you can start enjoying the life you have. 

ten on ten [3.10.14]

ten photos over ten hours on the tenth of each month

see other ten on ten sets here

see last year on this date here

and two years ago here

middle school teacher...

I haven't written about my classroom lately.  This is for many reasons.  This year has been overwhelming, and I find it so hard to even blog my updates on Everly, let alone talk about my work day, that seems to keep getting longer and longer.  However, today was a day that I want to remember.

It was a great day.  And for a very simple reason.  I had a really great day with my kids.  I teach two very different groups of students, one is an accelerated group of amazingly well behaved students, and then my other group is low socio-economic students who have been known to give their teacher's a run for their money.  My "challenging" group has a variety of needs, including 6th graders who are reading at a first grade level.  And guess what, when you cannot read, you typically are not the most attentive student in your middle school history class.

But I've been working hard with this group.  I want them to love history, or at least the history they learn with me.  They are my first group of the day, and I've got energy, and use a "whole body" approach when teaching.  You should see me acting out a hominid hunting scene, by myself, in front of thirty tweens.  Really, it has got to be a funny picture.  But hey, it keeps their attention, so you better believe I have my "man discovering how to make fire" act all lined up for tomorrow.  

Today we were learning about our second hominid group, and it was pretty classic history lesson model.  Read textbook, fill out our interactive notebooks.  We read together, I read a paragraph, and then everyone reads the next one with me.  So the kids who don't speak English aren't singled out, the kids who can't read aren't either, and the one who is having a hard time waking up, well, maybe the loud choral reading gets them what they need.  We were just having fun today.  I wasn't stressed about staying on schedule.  Today we learned about one hominid, and I'm okay with that.  They were engaged, participating, and enjoying the whole thing.  

At one point in the lesson we were circling important details in the photos in our interactive notebook when one student pointed out I had made a crazy smiley face with all of my circles.  And sure enough, I had.  We all laughed about it, and it seems like nothing now that I write about it, but it was something.  One student even said out-loud that "this is the best class ever".

So, what made this so magnificent?  It wasn't some ridiculous new teaching strategy.  It wasn't the fact that I used all of the current buzzwords in my classroom.  Instead, today was the day that I realized I have built a community in my second period.  This is the same group of kids who seems to always have a hard time on campus, never doing the "right thing", but they are enjoying each others company, and they seem to enjoy mine.  They are safe in my room.  They are excited to talk about whatever craziness I'm throwing at them.  They know that they can point out something as silly as a smiley face I accidentally had drawn on the board while being super serious with my hominid notes.  

Today was a good day.  That's it.

ten on ten [september 2013]

yesterday, I tried to write here on my little space

but all of the ideas I had

just couldn't come out quite right

my days have been long, and hard

and I am finding it very challenging to be a very good teacher

and mom, all at the same time
[and wife to a husband I rarely see]

last year, I did my job, but that was about it

this year,  I'm really trying to gain balance

and do everything well

but man, the days are long

today, I tried to find a little beauty

in these days where I am finding the need to prioritize even my minutes

so I picked up my iPhone

and caught this -

-organized purees makes a happy mama-


-ready to ride to work, had to wait a few minutes for the sun to come up-


-love walking in my room to find parent donations-


-someone eats breakfast at school, and it isn't me-


-we try to do this-


-she always steals a carrot out of my lunch-


-feeling very lucky to have acquired a retired teacher's library-

-this bike is going to get me my teen legs back, or maybe early 20's-

-trying to keep this classroom organized, since student teaching, I've struggled with my paper stacks-

-my newest vintage purchase, I bought it because my mom has an identical one-

-everly took a nice nap in her swing this afternoon, and I did this, 

maybe in 18 years I'll get some real "me time"-

joining the ten on ten project with Rebekah today!

p.s. I shared 11 photos, shhh, don't tell

you are now entering a mini meltdown

Hey, remember way back when, like a couple of weeks ago when I said I was ready to go back to work?  Yeah, that lasted a few days.  I have been trying to hang on, but today, I had a meltdown.  The kind of meltdown when you find yourself not only crying in front of your teaching partner, but also your principal.  Thankfully, these two people are amazingly supportive, and get my emotions, but still, not so smooth.  This year feels like my first year of teaching all over again.  Once again, I find myself following in the teaching shoes of a legend at my school, and everything I do and say is compared to that legacy.  Once again, I need to not "rock the boat" and go with the established program, but that can be oh so challenging to do.  I'll be asked if I gave the spelling test today, and I didn't even have spelling on my teaching radar.  Right now I feel like all of my time is being spent in the classroom doing everything but working on my lesson plans.  Between being out of the classroom for district required trainings or professional development, losing prep time assisting teachers on campus roll out the online based assessments I trained them on last week, or trying to figure out how to get almost thirty chaperones cleared and ready for a week long science camp we are attending in October, I never seem to find a single minute to focus on my teaching.

I need to work until 5, or 7, like every day, and mind you, I get to work before 7 in the morning.  But guess what?  I can't do that, because I've got a baby who needs me too, and I want to be with her so bad.  I have now officially pushed my workday so that I literally see the Mr. for five minutes before he is off to work.  And let's not even get into how bad that sucks right now.

I know that I will start to get everything under control.  And that I just need to take things day by day, but I HATE teaching that way.  Next week you ask?  Nope, I have no idea what is coming.  And that was never how I operated, and can't be the way I roll for much longer.  Because teaching one day at a time quickly begins to feel like you are trapped in a drowning car.  Ok, that might be dramatic, but I already explained the tears, didn't I?!?

Thankfully, I have amazing students.  I have a happy and healthy family.  And I am so thankful for these things.  Everything else that is giving me stress hives will just need to wait, and I'll get to it.  Probably not today.  Most likely not tomorrow, but some time.  I'll get to it.

And because I was too busy having an emotional moment in my class this afternoon, I don't have any school related photos to go with this post.  So I'll share a few of Everly's serious face photos I took last week.  Not a bad way to end this post, if I do say so myself.

getting all techy in the classroom

Well, not really, but kind of.  This week I began doing an online based assessment system with my students to replace our outdated, not useful, benchmark tests we have been using for far too many years.  Our district is ramping up for our state standardized testing that will be computer based here in the near future, and wanting to make sure our students were becoming "digitally literate" when it comes to assessment.  I have always been the youngest person on staff, at every single school I've worked at.  Not always the newest, but always the youngest.  And guess what, being born in the 80's means when there is an opening on a tech based committee at school, you are probably going to be asked to take charge.  Besides having to be out of my class one day this week for the training, I had no problem getting on board.  And after today's successful staff training that I led with another teacher, it feels good to be getting back into the swing of being a teacher.  Last year was a blur.  I swear no one even knew I existed, so today, getting to teach teachers felt pretty great.

However, the past two days I've been using the fancy new Chrome Books we got for this testing, and I hurt my back.  No, it wasn't the ounce that these slim little devices weigh, but I clearly twisted and jumped around my classroom trying to help students with connection issues one too many times.  Oh, and I wasn't wearing orthopedic shoes.  This morning I woke up feeling like an old lady, which I find ironic, because tomorrow I turn twenty-nine.  Not old.  In fact, I get to celebrate the last year of my twenties.  The decade that anything goes and you don't have to act too grown up.  Well, clearly I'm ready for thirty, when the time comes, because I technically fit all of the adult criteria, even though I don't quite feel like I do.  I think I'll milk this back issue of mine for one more day so I can get another ride to work in the morning [even though I am really enjoying my bike rides, it does a nightmare to my hair, and I would like to not look like a hot mess on my birthday, just saying].  And for one more year, I'll pretend to be young and crazy, because next year, I'll just be young, and a little less crazy.

working mom [it's all about mindset]

When I went back to work in March, I was NOT ready.  Due to some misinformation from HR, I was originally going to be out until April, and going back a month early just threw me for a loop.  I was emotional, upset, moody, and most of all, did not want to talk about it.  Summer could not come quick enough, and man, I have enjoyed being a stay at home mama.  At the beginning of summer I told the mr. that I wanted to spend every minute with Everly, like, every minute.  However, something strange happened a few weeks back.  I started to think about going back to work, and I didn't have the same reaction as the first time.  I began to realize that I was having a very hard time being a mom, all day long, every single minute.  Sure, the mr. was there in the evenings to help, but guess what, Everly will have her mommy moments, and just need me.  And lately it seemed like those times were happening way more frequently, and it was hard.  Even though Everly is such an amazing baby, I found myself feeling very overwhelmed by it all, and needed to do something else.  The other night I started sweeping outside, and the mr. offered to do it for me.  I politely told him no, I NEEDED to sweep right then, and I NEEDED him to hold Everly.  And so that's what we did.

Sure, there are so many things I am going to miss about being at home with Everly.  But here is the thing, I don't have the option to be a stay at home mom, and if I did, I would probably feel different about things.  But I have to work, so I better make the best of things.  Maybe that's what my brain is doing right now, tricking me, and I'm ok with that.  Your attitude when it comes to life makes such a big difference with everything, big or small.  This week I've been back in the classroom, and my kids come on Thursday.  We are getting back to our routine with Everly, and she is doing great.  Because this girl loves her daddy, and does so amazing with him, especially when it is just the two of them.  So I will share her.  I think if I was always at home he would never get to have the type of relationship with her that I so greatly want for them.  Not to mention, I really do love my career, and I think that is also key.  I will work hard this year to figure out my balance with home and class, be thankful that I am done with my masters, learn to cook healthy dinners for one and a half people, and hopefully get back to blogging some more of my classroom this year.  I really missed not having the passion for posting last school year, it just wasn't in me.  So we will see, I only make half promises.

And on a side note, I won this little treasure today at our professional development.  Thank you pinterest for giving this idea to our leadership team.  I think it may stay in tact on my desk for some time.  It is just TOO pretty!

saying goodbye to another school year [almost]

I can honestly say I am pretty shocked to be saying goodbye to my sixth year of teaching

today was our last friday of the year, and we only have two and a half days more

[I really wish today was the last day - that last days of school are tricky]

with all that has been going on lately, I have neglected to share something awesome

this is the first year, ever, that I have not been laid off

craziness

and even better, I get to stay at my current school site 

[thank goodness, because my commute is about five minutes!]

last week I had a student leave school early to spend the summer in the middle east

and as he said goodbye, he said

"see you next year Mrs. Lewis"

now, that doesn't seem like much, but to know that I have students that I will get to see

me again is pretty amazing

I almost got emotional, almost

so the walls are bare

and stacks of paper are needed to be given back to students

[and a ton of grading too, but we will ignore that for the moment]

and so this year comes to a close

and it has been a weird one to say the least

never before have I left my class for half a year

but having a baby will do that to you

and I really struggled to find my passion in teaching

which was hard, because I really felt like last year I was on an awesome

teaching roll

so I say goodbye to the year, thankful for many things

ready to spend so many hours with my everly

and will do it all over again, next year

ten on ten [may 2013]

ten pictures over ten hours on the tenth of each month

my ten hours were really spread over a very long friday

but hey, it's the weekend, and I'm alright with that

1. e sometimes helps me get ready for work in the morning  2. nothing better than a very clean classroom after open house last night  3. classroom color  4. so, yeah, nothing will keep my pencils in my classroom - I started with 65 pencils a week ago, this is what's left  5. my early mother's day present  6. succulents are doing well  7. decided I deserved an afternoon coffee frappuccino only to find out it was happy hour - double score  8. staff b.b.q. for teacher's appreciation this week [this place was kid heaven]  9. oh yeah, there were chickens there too, and a pony, you get the picture  10. beautiful night, and everly was quite the hit

happy ten on ten everyone

weird week in the classroom

This week I am covering four classes that are not my own regularly while my kids are at science camp.  I've been teaching in three different classrooms and never seem to have what I need. Pretty much chicken with head cut off scenario. But today, well it really takes the cake. I fell. Like pretty bad. In front of my entire class of 7th graders. The good news, at least if I have to make a dramatic fall in the classroom, at least it was in front of my own kids. 

My kids were working on a project and I decided I could get two more posters hung up for open house. Well, apparently not. As I was getting off the chair, I just fell. Went flying towards one of my students, grabbed their desk which I think saved me from actually breaking my ankle. 

Ever wonder how to silence a group of busy teens?  Well I wouldn't suggest this method but it sure did work.  I guess it is not every day you worry that your teacher may have just dropped dead, because from their angle I'm sure that's what it looked like. I squeezed out a shaky "I'm fine" and was thankful I had a few kids there to help me stand up.  So, needless to say I'm happy to be on the sofa with my feet up, because I am starting to realize I hurt just about everything but my head in the fall. Lesson learned, stay off chairs in the classroom, or at least pay attention to what you are doing while up there!  

And because thankfully no one caught this moment of awesomeness on their phone, I will just give you an adorable picture of Everly I caught on my phone over the weekend. Her smile makes me feel better. 

the argument of "too bad, so sad" [and the middle school classroom]

Lately I have really been grappling with the idea of "too bad, so sad" in the classroom.  Being prepared for class and caring are some of the biggest issues I believe in middle school.  Countless students walk into my room with nothing, absolutely nothing, and do not see the issue with it.  If I don't have my binder, you cannot make me turn in homework.  If I do not have my notebook, you cannot make me take notes.  And if I do not have a pencil, well, you pretty much can't get me to do anything.  Elementary school just doesn't have this problem to this magnitude, because, well, they have desks, and stay in one room all day long, etc.  But middle school.  I get you for less than an hour, and then you are off to someone else.  So for those fifty-five minutes, let's get some work done, shall we?  Well, we do for those who are prepared.  But for those who aren't, what do you do?

Before maternity leave, I had a container of sharpened pencils.  I would start the day with 12 or so, and end third period with none.  We tried a check out system, a "you take something, you leave something" system.  But ultimately, I would never be able to stay on top of those darn little yellow things, and they would surely disappear.  Not to mention, the pencil fairy hasn't visited my room lately, so going through 12 pencils a day isn't practical.  Lately, I tell the kids, if they don't have something to write with, they can use one of the old crayons I have out for them.  This works, until I have a project that I really don't want them using a broken, dull, magenta crayon on.  Yesterday, things just about boiled over in my class of 7th graders when, I am not exaggerating, half of my kids did not have a single pencil to use in class.  We are starting a big project that will be displayed for open house, so I was in a dilemma.  NO WAY were they getting to go to their locker to get that almighty pencil.  So I delved out a few shiny new pencils just to get something done.  Meanwhile, I am handing out these pencils right as my principal walks in to bust one of my kids for what I can only assume had something to do with his locker and illegal substances.  I know he had bigger fish to fry than my handing out of pencils, but I wonder what his stance is on the topic [or how it is handled site wide for that face, hmmm, staff meeting agenda item?!?].

But what SHOULD I have done.  Is middle school an acceptable age to start the "too bad, so sad" mentality?  No pencil, no work.  But then they get exactly what they want, to get out of work.  And hey, you would think a grade might persuade them to do something, but bottom line, it does not.  Middle school you fight not only the students perception of grades being important, and in my experience, you also fight the parents on occasion.  These two-three years are seen as complete throw away years by too many.  Kids know that these grades have little effect on their lives, and if they also hear that message from home, well, then there you go.

So, do I supply pencils?  Make extra copies of the handouts and notebooks when they do not bring theirs to class?  Or do I let them sit there, take the F, and call it a day?  Because they need to learn some how, some way, that the world is not always going to supply them for their unpreparedness, and is this the way to do it?  Last year, this issue was minimal, and I seemed able to put out the fires with ease.  But man, this group is killing me when it comes to being prepared, and even though it is the fourth quarter, I need to figure out my attack plan for the next seven or so weeks.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Or maybe this post will just turn into one big rhetorical rant, and I'm ok with that too.

[image from this ten on ten, when I had pencils in my classroom]

life lately

according to my phone

[1] seeing as how we showed up to our birthing class today an hour early

[because I didn't really check the time too closely]

the mr. and I had time for a little coffee date

and since this was officially the first coffee drink my husband has had

it was a photo moment for sure

and yes, this is how we prepare for parenting

[2] still feeling pretty zen after our birthing class today

wish I could say the same for the other women in the class

a few looked like they were going to cry in the bathroom during our first break

[3] nursery is getting there & I'm loving it

[4] you may be thinking we are super prepared parents to be

but really, the mr. just finished another tattoo [as seen in image one]

[5] trying to get caught up on grading and my overall motivation in the classroom

four weeks to go, four weeks

[6] still trying to think outside the box for my two English classes

and I've also decided that I'm a history teacher through and through

go figure

happy saturday

I've got myself positioned on the sofa, and I'm thinking 

that's exactly where I'm staying for the duration of the evening

sometimes you just have to think of the simplest thing

reading and following directions is hard

at least, that's what it seems like every time I'm in the classroom

I work very hard to make sure every lesson is clear

and expectations are clearer

however, there are those times when I need my students to be able to complete a project

or assignment with multiple steps

and being able to read and follow directions is key

but I'm finding that even in middle school I am having to teach very simple

direction following skills

in the past I have given directions with a nice little numbering system

to let them know the order in which to complete the steps

however, even this has not always proven to be successful 

this week I stumbled onto something so simple

and it actually worked

give them a check list to complete while working on the project

I'm telling you, that little line where they actually "check off" as they go

made my life so much easier

and for the most part, it seemed to be the best my kids have ever

independently followed written directions

there must be something to the hand to paper connection as they go

or maybe it is just "interactive" enough to keep them focussed

whatever it is, I'm doing it again

here's just one example of our "Good vs. Evil" character comparison posters

from the story we read this week

and yes, guns can be "school appropriate" if found in our literature

or history lesson

so there you go

sunday's "so they said" [back for another school year]

we've been back in school for almost a month

and it is time to get back into "so they said"

one of my favorite quotes from this week was when I heard a student say

"I think I do more art in history than I do in art class."

I'm glad they are loving the art integration, but I'm curious as to what art class look likes.

This week I also realized that teaching ancient history and the middle ages

is harder for kids to grasp the concept of exactly

how long ago we are talking about

and I'm thinking I need to take some time doing some type of timeline activity

I think I remember doing something with receipt tape

and spreading it across the room, so I'll get back to you on that one

once I figure it all out

and here is the quote that made me realize I need to back the bus up

when doing acrostic poems on the Roman Empire

I came across the line for the letter "m"

"Most Romans had cars."

oh, ok

well that's good

at least most Romans had cars

overall I feel the project went well

the poems worked as an assessment piece for the chapter

[some got it, some didn't - obviously]

and the mosaics went perfectly with the project

but I'm also glad that I caught the confusion

because I think everyone could use a little time reference

because I was also asked

"Are we still in the Middle Ages?"

sure, it was our very first day of the unit so I'm good with this question

here's to making pre-teens realize the difference between old, and old-old

have a great rest of the weekend - now it is time for me to get ready for my baby shower!

so excited to see everyone and celebrate miss everly mae

rubber stamps [not just for primary teachers]

in the six years that I have been teaching I have collected a good amount of rubber stamps

many have come from my sister around birthdays and christmas time

and a lot I have picked up from the dollar baskets at Michael's 

one year I even asked for ink pads as "stocking stuffers"

and the collection is looking pretty rounded at this point

when I was a kid, stamps were only for little kids

but guess what, big kids LOVE them, I think even more sometimes

and they are really useful in the classroom

when I started focussing on more project based instruction in my classes

I realized that kids were doing pieces of different assignments

but not turning things in until everything was due

because they "needed" those pre-assignments to finish the final project

and quickly I realized that I was not able to monitor 

who was getting the pieces done on time

whether it was homework or classwork

and this is when I realized that stamping was going to be my best friend

now instead of trying to collect and return papers in the blink of an eye

or recording scores on grading sheets

I can simply walk the classroom and stamp the papers that are done "on time"

and those that are incomplete do no receive the stamp

which makes grading much less complicated and I know that those who were doing

the work when assigned were getting the credit they deserved

and those who might have been slacking off a tad

would lose the points, and I wasn't going crazy with papers flying everywhere

I've also used stamping for participation points

an extra stamp on a grading rubric tells me they did the "extra credit" participation piece

whatever that may have been for the project

I even stamped the song lyrics that we used everyday when learning the Bill of Rights

the kids got a stamp for singing along, and not losing the paper for the entire week

and at the end of the week, they turned in the lyrics

and got one extra credit point for each stamp

 they had collected over the five days

great incentive for them, easy tracking for me

and hey, those kids remembered the first ten amendments the rest of the year!

so there you go

break out the rubber stamps

 regardless of the age of the students

I'm excited because all too soon my "October" stamps will be making their debut on papers

oh my, sometimes it is the little things in life

expectations for art in the classroom

last year I realized that art in the classroom was kind of my thing

and when it came to teaching nothing but history

I realized how crucial these projects were going to be for our success

however, I know that doing a lot of art in the classroom is not always easy

 for teachers to begin

and one of the biggest complaints I hear from colleagues is that they hate doing art

because the projects never turn out how they want

so I've decided to share a few things I do, or expect, from my students 

when it comes to each and every project

so here they are - expectations presented to my students for each and every

art project we complete in class

and a few helpful hints to make art projects a happy experience for all

#1 a pencil plan [just pencil on final paper]

 must be complete before ANY art mediums are used

#2 no pencil is showing on final projects

#3 always give students a number of art mediums you expect them to use on the project

I start out with 2 different mediums and then move up from there as the year goes on

#4 NO highlighters may be used on final art pieces

#5 markers are for outlining, not coloring in large spaces

#6 suggest which coloring supplies are going to work for parts of the project

[small pieces need color pencils, not crayons, etc.]

#7 colored chalk can be your very best friend, and the kids love it because they can add SO much color to their piece in very little time, and you will love it because it looks awesome

just make sure to remind students to use the chalk on the side and don't be afraid to get their finger tips dirty from blending!

#8 ALWAYS show examples of finished projects - this may be hard because many times that means you the teacher have to take the time to make the example yourself, but it is SO worth it

#9 ALWAYS give students the grading rubric at the start of the project

I create my own rubrics for each project but it works pretty much like a check-list for students to remember the details for that particular project

 like how many symbols they need to use, how many art mediums, etc.

and when they see that they are actually given points on the project just for "neatness" it seems to help them slow down while working

and last but surely not least

#10 COMPLIMENT THE HECK OUT OF EACH AND EVERY PROJECT

monitoring while students are working on their art is crucial

find something, anything, that can be complimented

I know this seems obvious, but I'm telling you, it is the true key to success

you can see the kid literally light up as you find something special in their piece

and confidence with art will take them so far

want proof?

well here are some pictures from the very first art project I have done with my 

6th grade students this year:

all my history students completed this mandala project on the topic

"what makes history?"

just let me know if you are interested in seeing the worksheet I created to help them begin this project

and the best part, I already had some examples from last year 

when my 8th graders made mandalas for our unit on slavery

well there you go, hope this helps

sorry, it turned out to be a little wordier than I was hoping

also, thanks to meg from oh happy day for suggesting I write this post!

and so year 6 began today

well another first day of school is in the books

and all in all I would say it was a success

I think the funniest part for me going from 8th grade back down to 6th

and how little these guys seemed to me

I remember back in the day when I taught 6th grade the kids seemed so grown up

but, with that being said I was coming off of teaching kindergarten 

so just about anyone seemed giant

today I started off with the best way I know how to start the year off

talking about myself

I do this through a little True/False quiz with random facts about me

(and hearing their reasoning for their answers was pretty impressive)

as well as a "grab bag" of items that are special or personal to me

it seems key for me to have my kids quickly realize I am not a robot

and that they just might actually have something in common with me

whether it be sports, my love of harry potter, or maybe even being left-handed

so today was mostly about me

and tomorrow will mostly be about them

and then onto some "real" routines on monday

and yes, I am loving having school start on a Thursday

that was a change this year, and I hope we keep it around

there probably are a million other things I could have spent time on

but oh well, I wanted to get crafty yesterday, and that's just what I did

not to mention I have ample wall space in my new classroom

so I figured a little canvas art would be fun

I had a ton of crayons left over from when I did this project with some previous students

and I couldn't wait to try the crayon melting with all the colors of the rainbow

now it is time for me to get back to work

the classroom is almost put together, and I have gotten started on 

back to school projects for my newest bunch of students

this year I will be teaching 6th grade English and History

with one period of 7th grade History

so yes, if you have been keeping track,

I now can say I have officially taught every grade, kindergarten through 8th grade

I think I want a shirt that says that!!!