Life Changes

Big changes are ahead for me this year. I finished my Educational Specialist degree at the end of April. I turned 29 at the beginning of May. I wrapped up my 6th year of teaching at the end of May. 
In my last blog post about goals for the new year, goal 2 was about making a dream my reality. Well, I did it! In March, at the tail end of my spring break, I flew to Anchorage, Alaska, for a teaching job fair. I interviewed with several school districts, was offered a couple of options, and signed a contract for the coming year! At the beginning of August I will move to Hooper Bay, Alaska to teach 4th grade.
I'm equal parts excited and terrified. I've dreamed of Alaska for a few years now, and it's actually happening. I'm going to continue working in a profession I love, explore and travel more, challenge myself daily, and discover things about myself I never knew before. I'm also going to be moving across the country, 15+ travel hours away from my family, where I don't know anyone. I'm giving up most of the comforts I know (Starbucks, Target, reliable cell and internet service at the top of my list). I'm leaving behind a grade level dear to my heart.
I'm looking forward to my new adventure. I hope to have more time for things I enjoy, like blogging! If you want to follow along with my life in Alaska, check out my personal blog: Teaching in the Last Frontier.

Bring On 2018

It's been a solid year since I've blogged. So here we go!

Goal 1: Blogging Etc. I always let myself get pulled in a million directions and ignore this blog (and my TPT stuff in general). I want 2018 to be the year I finally make time for something I enjoy. I want to connect with teachers across the world who inspire me to constantly push myself for my little learners. I want to hopefully inspire teachers to do the same. 2018 will be the year I stop pushing this blog to the bottom of my to-do lists!
Goal 2: Dream to Reality There is one dream specifically I want to make a reality. It's a secret for now to the general public, but I cannot wait to (hopefully) share it with you in the coming months. Beyond that, I want to be more brave and take more leaps. I talk myself out of so many things, and it's time I start doing things that scare me. Maybe I'll take a solo mini vacation I've thought about so many times. Baby steps, right?
Goal 3: Self Care I, like so many teachers I know, ignore myself. I spent a week teaching this fall with ZERO voice. I totally should have stayed home at least for a day and not been so stubborn, but sub plans are something I avoid at ALL costs. I'm always too tired to have a life outside of work. I let 2017 headlines drag me down sometimes. It's easy to get bogged down in the bad in the world. This spring I'm finishing my Educational Specialist degree in Leadership. I have a research paper to finish and an internship to complete. Plus I went crazy and volunteered to do 6th grade math tutoring. Yes, this 2nd grade teacher will be spending 3 afternoons a week with her former students working on ratios! I have a gym membership wasting away without me. I will find time in my life for the gym. I will start doing yoga and meditation again to clear my head. I will drink more water. I will turn up my music and dance. I will log off the internet when it's too much and find ways to put some positive energy out in the world.
I feel quite optimistic about 2018. Something just feels different. Maybe it's the first supermoon of the year and the fact that I don't have to deal with how it affects my students so soon after a holiday :)
What are your goals for the year?

New Year Plans/Goals

2017 will be the year I figure out how to balance my life a bit better :)
The 2016-2017 school year provided me with LOTS of changes. My wonderful principal Ann Cook was named the Louisiana Elementary Principal of the Year and was promoted to a position with the district office in the following week. Our assistant principal was promoted to principal, leaving her former position open. Mrs. DeWitt chose my 2nd grade team leader, my mentor, as her assistant principal. I was suddenly the 2nd grade team leader with two new team members! I also took over as the 2nd grade IEP inclusion teacher and gained a full-time paraprofessional. I've learned so much this year, and am so thankful to have wonderful coworkers for support, encouragement, and inspiration.
With all my work changes, I also took the two hardest classes to date for my Educational Specialist degree. I absolutely loved my leadership class and gained so much insight, but the class required multiple weekly papers. All of my typing efforts went to those papers!
I am completely in love with my class this year. I have the sweetest students who keep me smiling each day. 
I was quite nervous about how ALL the changes would fall into place. Those close to me know that change (never mind that many changes!) sends me into a bit of a tailspin. This is my 5th year teaching--my "statistic year" as I call it. Many teachers leave the profession before they finish this year. If you had asked me in August, I was questioning if this was a sign.  I can now tell you, without a doubt, that this year is a definite sign. This is my sign that I am doing exactly what I'm meant to do. This year has brought me so much joy. I love teaching and thinking of new ways to reach my little learners' minds. 
I choose to make 2017 my year. This will be the year I find balance among teaching, working on my (final) degree, and blogging/TPTing. I will also make more time to take care of myself. Yesterday and today I got my hair done and had a pedicure for the first time since Back to School. That is just as unacceptable as not blogging for six months!
Best wishes to all of you for a fantastic 2017!

It's Been a While!

It has been SO long since I last blogged.  When I launched, I was about to start working on my Ed.S. degree and underestimated how much it would take out of me.  By Christmas, I felt ready to step up my blogging game.  After I got the semester started with both my students and my grad school classes, I started thinking of ideas.  Right about that time, North Louisiana got record breaking rainfall and my town began flooding.  My house would have been fine, but the flood gates were opened to relieve pressure on the overflowing rivers--flooding us instead!  It's been months of moving everything out, going through it all, and moving everything back in.  I always said I wished I were more of a minimalist.  I'm still not quite there, but I definitely have a new outlook on material things :)
Here's my plan:

1. Post my end of the year recap--what worked, didn't work, and what I'm planning in the future
2. A couple of posts on some summer sessions I'm presenting at a state conference
3. Eureka Math:  fluency, RTI, and assessment

I've missed out on a LOT of blog posts this semester.  I wasn't even reading them!  I'm looking forward to jumping back in to things and reconnecting with some bloggers.

January Currently

Happy New Year!  It's pretty hard to believe that it's 2016.  It's even harder to believe that we are somehow halfway through the school year!!   What better way to start the new year off than with a Currently post hosted by the fabulous Farley?!   Listening to my iPod on shuffle:  I've got commitment issues with picking one genre in the new year.  My musical taste is all over the place right now.  I've just listened to a pop song, followed by some R&B, then a bit of Sinatra, and some Fleetwood Mac.  This is exactly why I have to make playlists for road trips with friends.  They laugh at my main listing :)   Loving feeling refreshed:  This might be the most refreshed and chilled out I've ever felt coming off of winter holidays.  I'll likely regret it tonight and tomorrow (Planning Sunday anyone??) but it has been SO lovely to just lounge, sleep in, get in a few good workouts, and not think about benchmark scores and educational politics.   Thinking about how crazy January will be:  We go back to school Monday for a full week, and the nine week grading period ends Friday.  The following Thursday we have parent conferences so Friday is a professional development 1/2 day for staff.  Then another 4 day week for students for MLK the next Monday.  I don't enjoy trying to squeeze 4 days of instruction in to 3, and I really don't like giving all those tests in one big, long, painful day!   Wanting a "work day" on Monday:  With all that fuss about a couple of 4 day weeks, I must say that I'm quite jealous of all of you who get a work day on Monday.  That makes SO much sense.  I want one!  Just imagine all the things I could get accomplished!   Needing to finish my semester outline:  I like to make a rough outline of each semester.  I do one for fall and one for spring.  It's time for the spring one, but every time I sit down to work on it a certain 18-year-old cat comes to sit in my lap.  I'm actually typing this with her in my lap now.  We will enjoy this last night of lap cuddles before there is no more time for lazy fun :)   One little word--optimistic:  I don't know that I've ever felt this excited for a new year.  I just feel like this will be a good year.  Hopefully I'll confirm this feeling after the full 366 days.  Yay leap years!

November Currently

It's Currently time again!  I'm always so optimistic for the 1st of the month.  

  Listening:  Sunday planning equals multitasking.  I work while half-watching but mostly just listening to TV shows from my DVR.   Loving:  I love fall/winter seasons.  I get to have a lot of fun in my classroom.  People are generally nicer to each other.  It's great :)   Thinking:  I'm working on my Educational Specialist degree.  I may not make it!  This year I've started working out regularly, doing these classes, philanthropy commitments...all on top of my usual teacher work.  I understand just how much of an impact sleep deprivation has on a person :)   Wanting:  I believe I was wanting cold weather last month.  Louisiana never gave it to me :(  All my scarves are still waiting for me!!   Needing:  We have next Wednesday off for Veterans' Day, but I'm SO ready for Thanksgiving break.  I need a few days to just exist, catch up on some sleep, truly enjoy my DVR shows, and remember that I'm a person outside of teaching!   Yummy:  I live for salted caramel mocha season at Starbucks.  I don't understand the PSL obsession AT. ALL.  SCMs, however, are what I wish for all year long.  Top it off with the fact that it's now red cup season, and I'm golden!

Sunday Scoop

I lovingly refer to Sundays as "Panic Sunday" and have recently discovered multiple linkys about how teachers from all over use this day to plan and prep.  I'm jumping in with The Sunday Scoop, hosted by The Teaching Trio.  This makes it seem more fun than it truly is :)

 

  3 things I have to do:  Obviously, I need to make sure I have all my notebooks and whatnot ready for the week ahead.  I've got to make my homework sheet as well.  I'm meeting with a team of 2nd grade teachers from the other local school board Tuesday after school to talk about RTI.  I'm beginning to realize that with my new small group table instead of a desk, I really enjoy that time with my students!  I also need to get all of my October centers ready to go.  I'm finally color printing and laminating everything so it's permanently good to go!   2 things I hope to do:  I had just about finished labeling all my books from September's Scholastic Book Club order when it was time for a local book sale this weekend.  My little learners will flip out when they realize I have an additional 100 or so books to add in.  My name is Brittany, and I have a book addiction!  I also really want to finish my Junior League grant application this week so I'm not rushing around next week to turn it in.  I'm hoping to get some literacy resources for interventions, including a listening center!   1 think I'm happy to do:  I got a Switch Witch for my classroom this year.  I'm not sure who is having more fun with it!  I like to be a bit organized with it (and my Elf on a Shelf) so I don't forget to move it around or do something twice.  These plans also come in handy so I don't forget to buy something critical to whatever activity I have planned!  I really love the magic of fall/winter holidays :)

October Currently

It's Currently time!  Farley has done it again--a super cute graphic to summarize my life.   For real, October is my absolute favorite month.  It means fall weather is finally coming to Louisiana, fall drinks are officially allowed, the best scented things are here, and I can watch Hocus Pocus a million times without feeling guilty :)   

  Listening:  I love a great beat for background noise while I work.  Both of these songs fit the bill!   Loving:  FALL.  Spiced everything, salted caramel mochas, apple cider, cool weather, beautiful nature colorings, cool weather.  It's such a rewarding season after surviving an oppressive Louisiana summer!!    Thinking:  My kids lost their minds today when they saw my decorated classroom and got an email from our visitor :)  A note about the Switch Witch (Winifred Cromwell):  I got multiple weird looks at my pure excitement over finding a Halloween equal to Elf on a Shelf!    Wanting:  A couple of guilty pleasures have premiered, and I'm ready for a few more.  I suppose I should finish the remainder of my DVR episodes from last year.  I spent some much needed summer time sleeping, even though I don't feel like I've slept in months.   Needing:  I love scarves.  I have a bit of an addiction.  It's time to pull the (rather large) storage container out and start putting some accessories in rotation.   Boo-tiful:  I cannot leave the house without mascara.  I don't care if it's the only thing I've got on my face, but it must be there!  Lip tints are fantastic because I'm not worried about reapplying during the day.  I'm lucky to get bathroom breaks, people.  I certainly don't have time to worry about how I'm looking!   I'm off to find my scarves.  I've met my exclamation mark quota for the night :)

September Currently

I'm a few days late with this one.  Back to school has felt a bit crazier than usual this year!   It's time once again for this month's Currently post.  I'm linking up with Oh Boy 4th Grade to bring you a bit about what's going on with me right now.  

  Listening to "Wildest Dreams": I've had this song on repeat for days now.  It also doesn't hurt that Miss Swift included Scott Eastwood as her leading man in the video!   Loving my new small group table: I took the leap and got rid of my desk this year.  We are starting with small groups Tuesday when we get back from the long weekend.  It was a big bigger than I expected when the box came in, but it's really inspired me to do some great things with interventions this year.   Thinking about how excited I am for all things fall: Fall and winter are my favorite seasons.  I love the cooler weather, fall smells, fall drinks, snuggling under blankets, warm fires, etc.  My countdown to the first day of fall has begun, even though I know it won't actually feel like it for a while longer!   Wanting construction at school to move quickly: We are getting upgraded bathrooms at my school.  They were only able to finish the Pre-K/K bathrooms attached to the rooms and one of the main ones over the summer.  Now that they are demolishing the other two large ones (including the one RIGHT across from my classroom--ugh!!), we've got 500-600 students all using the same one.  It's been slightly chaotic figuring out a master schedule so we aren't all trying to use it at once.   Needing more hours in the day: So not only am I teaching and volunteering with my church council, but now I'm also trying to really kickstart my TPT store.  Oh yeah, there's that bit about starting on my Ed. Specialist degree this semester.  Because I had SOOO much free time before, I just needed one more thing to do :)   3 goals: 1. I really love the #happyclassrooms movement on social media.  It's about time we band together to show everyone the million positive things happening every single day in our rooms. 2. Somewhere in between needing more hours in the day, I need to make time for ME.  Teachers are really bad about taking care of ourselves, so I want to make it more of a priority. 3. August was my best month to date in TPT.  It really gave me the motivation I needed to really work on building my brand and making quality products.

Classroom Reveal 2015

I'm linking up with Ashley and Angie for #2getherwearebetter and talking about classroom reveals this month.  We've been in school for 2 weeks now, and it's been SO hard not to share these sooner!!  

  Welcome to my 2nd grade room!!   I'm going clockwise around my room, starting at the front board.

View from my door.  I have 26 students this year.  Side note:  my desks are now in a 'U' shape.

This is my front board:  daily schedule, genius ladder, clip chart, table rewards, and behavior bingo.

This is my computer area for my SMART Board. You can also see my AR progress chart and reading buddies.

My intervention bookshelf.  Left side is math, right is reading.

My teacher area in the back.  I like it cold, so I keep a few extra jackets handy.  The books on this shelf are for my read-alouds.

 

 

I got rid of my desk for a small group table this year!  My word wall is now rainbow colored to match the Dolch levels.

 

I have 2 desktop computers, 5 laptops, and 4 iPads.  Seriously awesome!  Please ignore the giant Epson box--new SMART projector they still have to install.



Phonics poster, math word wall, Super Improver wall, Journeys focus board, counting to 100 days and testing vocabulary.

 

Quite possibly my favorite part of my room:  my classroom library!  I may be addicted :)

My student center is on the bookshelf.  I have my brag board (ready for all the notes/drawings I get!) and a cork board map for our postcard exchange.

I hope you've enjoyed the picture tour, and I can't wait to see some other reveals! 

Teacher Talk Tuesdays: Classroom Community

  I'm already loving this linky for connecting with and learning from fellow teacher bloggers.  We have Lisa at Second Grade Stories to thank for this one :)

    Creating a classroom community is possibly my biggest focus in the weeks leading up to meeting my new little learners.  Isn't that why we all stress out about getting our classrooms set up?  I've rearranged my general layout, got rid of my teacher desk for a sweet new kidney small group table, and have been tweaking some of my classroom management strategies based on last year's experience.  We worry so much about this stuff over solely focusing on lesson planning because it sets a tone.    I'm excited that we have a half day August 17 followed by full days the rest of the week.  Normally we have half days on a Thursday and Friday before hitting the ground running.  I plan on using this solid week to really work on rules and procedures as well as making my students a family.  My grade had issues with students treating others kindly last year which made me really think about what I could do to help things out.   I'm sharing my Big Plan for week one with you and will update with how it actually goes later.  For the half day on Monday, the focus will be on important procedures they need to know for the end of the day and the following morning.  We will also do a basic get to know you activity.   Tuesday:  We will read and discuss "How Full is Your Bucket?" and kick off bucket filling in our room.  My plan is to allow students to fill out slips after they finish morning work and during the last five minutes of the day after they pack up.   Wednesday:  We will read "Ruby the Copycat" and "A Bad Case of Stripes" and talk about how great it is for everyone to be his/her own person.  I plan on doing a community quilt and talking about how all the squares are different but come together to make something beautiful.  (Side Note:  Here comes some comparing/contrasting literature, too, for those Common Core Standards!)   Thursday:  I'm working on a "Be a Buddy Not a Bully" lesson/activity for my students with a corresponding note to be sent home for parents.  I want my students to understand how their words can affect others and how they can do something if they see someone else being bullied.  We'll be doing the toothpaste demonstration this day, too, where they squeeze it all out and have to try to put it all back in.   Friday:  On Friday, we'll cover one of our big issues--tattling!  We will read "A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" and go over the difference between telling and tattling.  I didn't know about this book last BTS, so I'm looking forward to actually teaching my kids the deal!  I'll also try to think up some craftivity in the next week of PD :)   I'm looking to make this a great year for my students and can't wait to show you how it turns out!

August Currently

How is it possibly August already?!  I blinked, and summer is over!  In honor of August, I'm linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for the Currently link up.  

    Listening to The Karate Kid Part II: I don't know if I've actually seen all of any of these movies.  It's serving as background noise at the moment.   Loving having a great AC: It rained the whole month of June.  It was bone dry the whole month of July, with 100+ temperatures the last half of it.  We had a couple days more of rain, but the heat and humidity are back.  You can barely walk outside right now!  My poor little learners may not be able to have outside recess to kick off school if this keeps up.   Thinking about my To Do list: I'm pretty sure it's what I'm always thinking about!  It's really bad right now because I forced myself to take June totally off from thinking about school.  I always work the summer away and am tired when school starts back.  This was a fatal error because it's proving quite difficult to get back into a work mode.   Wanting a few more weeks of summer: I'm fairly sure this could be said about any teacher at the moment!   Needing to switch from summer to school mode: Like I said, NEVER totally taking a break for a whole summer month.  A mostly break, sure.  Completely shutting off my teacher brain absolutely not.   BTS RAK--a happy goodie: I seriously adore my fellow 2nd grade teacher.  There will be only the two of us this year with bigger class sizes.  Last year was a bit crazy for us with two new textbooks, a totally new daily schedule, and lot of changes from the state.  I'm looking forward to this year with her!     Please send a few positive thoughts my way about getting back into a school groove.  I may need them to stop staring at my pile of things to do and actually work on them :)

A+Pel Summer Conference

I spent the past couple of days at the A+Pel summer conference in Baton Rouge.  It's always a great time when you get 300+ teachers together!   We had a day and a half of various hour-long professional development sessions.  I got to attend several great presentations as well as deliver two session myself.    My first presentation was about RTI in the classroom.  We covered behavior interventions first before moving on to academic.  I talked about all the different things I do in my class:  converted games, flash cards, scoots (task cards), iPad apps, and more.  This session was right after Larry Bell spoke, and boy, was I nervous!  We had some great conversations which continued for the rest of the conference.  I was even asked about doing a PD day for a nearby school district!  Talk about flattered.   My second presentation was on Eureka Math.  I talked about how the lessons are structured and focused on key elements that can be used in any classroom (whether the school uses the EM program or not!).  We did a sprint, had some fun with happy counting, and talked about application problems.  I really LOVE this math program!  There will be more on my affection later!!   I'm spending the next two days at a Cain Center Eureka Math training, put on by the people from LSU who wrote the program.  Since my school district is hosting the event, we got some free seats.  My principal offered, and I jumped at the chance!  I can't wait to learn some new stuff to share with other teachers and my students.  

5 for Friday

  I've wanted to do one of these posts for so long, and now I can!  Here are 5 random things from my week.  

  I'm currently in St. Louis visiting my grandparents and uncles.  We've been coming here since I was born.  I look forward to seeing everyone, catching up, and shopping in a real city.  

  I'm going a bit crazy thinking about the next couple of weeks' events and wondering how in the world I'm going to get my room set up.  It makes me a bit nervous thinking of how much I really have to do in there!  Seeing everyone's posts about their progress has done nothing to ease my mind.  

  I'm gearing up to make weekly supplements to our new Journeys Common Core ELA curriculum.  I would love to keep ahead on these throughout the year!  I can't wait to launch them.  

  I'm so excited to present at a state conference in 2 weeks.  I'm doing one on Eureka Math and another session on RTI.  I'm working on the finishing touches for the PowerPoint slides now.  Even with the excitement, I'm SO nervous!   

  I visited Half Price Books for the first time yesterday.  I'm glad we don't have one near my hometown, because I'd never leave!  I got 15 Magic School Bus books for my classroom library.  I was walking around the store thinking the shelving system HAD to have been created by a teacher.  It was magical!!

Introduction

I'm so excited for my blog launch!  I've thought of doing this for a while and finally went for it.   Once I decided to actually create the blog and get a (fabulous) designer for it, I realized I needed to come up with an actual name for my TPT store/blog.  It's ridiculous that it was the hardest, longest part of this whole process.  I couldn't land on something that captured ME.  I thought I'd come close a couple of times but they were already taken or too similar to someone else's name.   I started thinking about teachers who inspired me growing up.  Some were real, some were fictional.  My third grade teacher Mrs. White.  My high school ELA teacher Mr. Hammons.  My high school history teacher Mr. Van Rhyn.  Then, there were the fictional teachers:  Ms. Frizzle, Bill Nye, and (my favorite) Mr. Feeney.   I learned so many valuable life lessons from Corey, Topanga, Shawn, and Mr. Feeney.  Boy Meets World was a favorite with my friends.  I'm currently using the fact that I'm a teacher as an excuse to enjoy the new Girl Meets World, but truth is, I'm loving grown-up Corey and Topanga.  Upon realizing just how sentimental I was getting thinking about Mr. Feeney's last advice to the gang, I knew.  It's been what I've tried to pass on to my own little learners for the short time I've been teaching:  "Believe in yourselves.  Dream.  Try.  Do good."   Most of my students have never been out of Louisiana.  Many of them don't do a lot of things (travel, reading, etc.) that give them the life experiences to help them in class.  I get to introduce them to world, to history, to their imaginations.  I have to make them believe in themselves and dream as big as possible.  I get them to try things, though sometimes it's more forcing them to try things!  I really work on the 'do good' part.  I want them to put as much good out into the world as possible.   I'm excited to see where this blog will take me on my teaching journey.  I look forward to connecting with teachers around the world.  I want to be inspired and to maybe inspire someone myself.  Here's to many years of blogging to come!

July Currently

Why not start this blog off with a linky?!

  Listening to American Ninja Warrior:  I'm visiting my grandparents for a bit, and it's what is on the TV as my background noise.   Loving my new blog design:  It's like Gabby climbed in my head to figure out what I wanted it to look and feel like.  She's amazing!   Thinking about my upcoming PD presentations: In about 2 weeks, I'll be driving down to Baton Rouge to present at a state conference.  This is my first time presenting to a major audience (more than just my grade level in-district), and the nerves are starting to kick in.  I've got to edit my presentations in the next week and upload them so people can download the slides during the conference.   Wanting the blackberries in the fridge: Blackberries may very well be my favorite fruit.  My grandmother got some fresh from the local grocery, and if I hadn't had a chocolate lava cake, they would be mine!  At least I know what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow.   Needing to cross items off my to-do list: Now that it's July, I'm thinking about the classroom I need to unpack and set up.  I've also got my back to school purchase list to start working on.  Next weekend I'm in charge of organizing child care for 30+ kids ages 3-15.  There's more (we teachers ALWAYS have much more!), but those are the major things on my mind right now.   All Star list maker: If I don't write it down...it may not happen!  I've got my school list, home list, TPT/blog list, etc.  I've got my planner set up for the coming school year, and my Plum Paper lesson planner is in the mail as of yesterday.  Now I just need to get faster at marking things off and slower at adding them!!