July Pick 3 Pinterest Party

I look forward to this link up with Pawsitively Teaching and the Inspired Owl every month. First of all I love both of their catchy names. Second I have three pawsome little friends at my home, so of course I am a fan and I love, love, love owls. With that being said welcome to July's pick 3 party! Here are my three picks for the month. Enjoy!

Tomorrow is the 4th of July shhhh don't tell anyone because it is a secret. Ha ha just kidding. I think everyone knows tomorrow is Independence Day. I just love patriotism and all the decor, parties, and American pride. We are going to a party tomorrow and I decided to bring homemade ice cream and not just any homemade ice cream- cookies and cream to be exact! I hope it turns out fabulous. 

Ok I'm really not into sewing. I mean I would love to be able to sew, but I have tried and I am not great. I wonder if my mom can sew me one of these from my high school and college shirts. I would love one to commemorate all of my crazy life experiences thus far. 

I clicked on this Pinterest find and boy oh boy did I find a jackpot. This blog has a ton of wonderful ideas. The way she teaches her students has to be in the most hands on genuinely creative, thoughtful lessons I have ever seen. From, math, literacy, social studies, science and on the lessons are interactive and are soooo much more than worksheets. I hope to implement some of these ideas into my third year that I am about to embark on. 

How to {Rock} as a new teacher!! A linky party!

I'm really excited to be a part of this link up for first year teachers. I don't personally have a lot of experience, but I consider the experience I do have to be worth something. I teach (like most of us) at a Title I school where my students have so many issues it is like drawing straws to decide on which issue to begin with for the day. The two years that I have been a homeroom teacher have taught me about the struggle many American's are faced with daily. So here's my best advise!

 

• Come Prepared! At our school we have a saying for the students and one part of our motto is to come prepared. That being said students and teachers alike must come prepared. Especially in teaching, prepare yourself and gird your loins. In order to execute lessons to students you MUST prepare ahead of time. Preparing for lessons make look different for different people and for different subjects. You will have to do some soul searching to figure out what exactly works for you and your personality. In the state of Georgia where I teach we are under strict scrutiny from the state for our observations. Our team has found the more we prep the better we are when they "pop in" to complete our many, many observations. I prepare by studying ahead, completing all lesson plans in a timely fashion, posting the standard being taught, having a multitude of resources, making copies, etc. 
• Be Consistent with Rules! Consistency is the key. The only problem is consistency takes time, patience, and caffeine lots of it. If you haven't read Ron Clark's Essential 55 I HIGHLY suggest it. Ron comes across as a drill sergeant, but boy do his methods work. They are like pure gold. Not all of the rules apply to my specific classroom, but there are some that are on point! I usually begin the year with the top ten rules for the classroom and we go from there. We discuss consequences and run with it. I treat all of the students the same and don't back down (with the kids or a crazy parent). You will have a parent that will give you a hard time, usually there is one a year that is a little cray cray (that's the gird your loins part). It's not the kids that are the problem, it's more than likely their adult counterpart. Stay firm in your ideals and beliefs for your classroom. 
• Keep in Contact with Parents: I have learned this one the hard way. See teaching in a school that there are children that come from pitiful home lives means they are a product of their environment. In saying that, there parents more often than not do not want to be bothered by my students making what I call collect calls home to discuss their behavior issues for the day. This goes back to my discipline procedures, if a student does something I deem as serious they call home in front of their peers are discuss their behavior with their parents. Call me mean or what have you, but it works like a charm. There have been times when I didn't have time to let the kids make the dreaded phone calls because teaching was more important, those times I make the kids write notes home and I sign the bottom of the note and ask them to bring them back to following day with a parent signature. 

• Don't get burned out: Listen here, teachers normally quit in the first five years because of the burn out. Your first year will more than likely be your hardest. That being said if you survive it you can survive anything. You will look back at those years and laugh and say I don't know that those kids learned anything (yes that may be true), but the lessons those kids teach you will be unforgettable. Leave everyday at a decent time. Do not bring work home with you (yes other teachers will tell you different). Make sure you don't stress over the small stuff. Enjoy the year, you'll look back on it and think wow who left me responsible for those kids (oh yeah that would be the parents. administration, and state board of education).
• Don't worry the small stuff: There may or may not be unnecessary drama at your school the first year, whether it be with a student, a parent, a teacher, or an administrator. The day will go on and the beauty of teaching is you get a fresh start everyday. Praise the lord. If it wasn't for the teachers would get burned out in the first month. 

My mom always told me this quote when I was little and I still remember it until this day and somethings quote it for my students. It goes a little something like this: 

Once a job has first begun, 

never leave it till its done,

 though the task be great or small, 

do it well or not at all. 

Currently July 2015

As I sit here and try and catch up on all the month blog posts I am reflecting of my summer so far. Hello July nice to see you again and at the same time sad to see you again. July is one of my most favorite months partly because of it beingin the summer and partly because it is my birthday month. Another part of me knows July is the count down to the end of summer break. Now that is depressing! I am linking up with Farley for the Currently July 2015 to see what other are up to and to see if they are loving July like I am.

• I am currently listening to Back to the Future on AMC. The hubs loves this movie and it is on repeat since it is the 30th anniversary of the movie release.
• I am currently loving that I am getting things accomplished and catching up on my long over due blog posts. Hello again friends!
• I am currently thinking I need to be sleeping at 1:26 am which is my current time, but jet lag got me going all night. You wouldn't think a six hour different would lead to Eastern Standard Time insomnia, but it does. 
• I am currently wanting to get my etsy store up and running. I posted a couple of selections offered by Palmer Prints, but I really need to post all the ones that I have done. Since I made all the invitations for my wedding showers, and everything else wedding I figured I should share the love. 
• I am currently needing to go do an overhaul in the closet. It is what I like to call a situation. I need to do some spring cleaning on my summer break if you get my drift.
• I am currently all star getting my workout groove in order. It's about dern time. 

Now go visit Farley's blog here!

 

Work it Wednesday

I am linking up with Katie over at Queen of the First Grade Jungle. If you don't follow her on Instagram let me tell you that you must go an do it now. I follow her and get to see the adorable photos of her sweet children that she posts. I am also jelly that she lives in Charleston. She is very inspirational that she manages her family, work, and fitness life so well. In her blog post she discusses her challenges getting back into the groove of working out. I didn't just have a baby, but I feel like I have been off the workout train for a while. I got sick a week before the wedding which set me back, then I went on an eleven day honeymoon to Hawaii. Wes and I ate whatever we wanted which most days included dessert (which we never partake in because you know that's a sin). Basically what I am getting at is that I haven't completely gotten back my routine yet. I really tried to bust my tail before the wedding, but I don't want to be a slacker and gain 30 lbs the first year of marriage. I was at Wal-mart picking up a few things the other day and ran across the cutest Danskin tanks that I had to buy them to motivate me to head to the gym.

This is just one of the many tanks they have with a cutesy logos. A lot of them were about running and no I am not a runner, but I still bought one because it was my favorite color....PINK!

Here is a picture from the balcony of our Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel room on Wakiki Beach. Check out the competition I have for biceps. #lostcause #nevergonnamakeit #whyeventry #immarriedtohulk #superherohusband

Tell all Tuesday: Summer Flashback

It's that time again...for me to knock the dust of the blog and post something. I've been a little preoccupied getting married and all that jazz. Honeymooning in Hawaii, so I have been off the map....literally. 

I am linking up with Jayme at Teach, Talk, Inspire for Tell all Tuesday. Yes I realize today is Wednesday, but better late than never right? I absolutely LOVE connecting with new bloggers and what a way to get to know each other than looking at old photos and reminiscing. I hope you enjoy these summer throwbacks.

Since my dirty thirty is coming up the thirtieth of this month I thought a summer birthday photo was appropriate. This was circa 1987, my second birthday. Loving the two piece suit. Thanks mom!

Here is another summer loving pictorial of me swimming poolside in Destin, Florida on vacation. I would guess I am nine or ten in this photo. Check out the Simba float. Love me some Lion King. 

Since I recently got married I had to throw in a precious summer picture of my hunk or burning love. Wasn't he the cutest baby ever??

I get the last photo isn't considered to be an old throwback. This picture was this time last year right after we got engaged at the beach. Kudos for us surviving a year of engagement and so far three weeks of marriage can I get a witness??