I'm still here!!!

Well wow. It  has been a super long time since I've posted!! I am very sorry :( I have be insanely busy and every time I come on here I get lost looking at everyone else's fab blogs and then am too tired to post! I am planning on paying my blog some much needed attention around Thanksgiving!! I just wanted to apologize, and thank you all for having such amazing posts on your blogs! I don't know how you keep up on here!!

Quick Question:

Managing NON-STOP talkers? They even talk to themselves when no one else will listen to them.... Any ideas? I feel like I've tried every thing. I am planning on making their desks into islands tomorrow to see how that goes.......... :-/

Confession Linky Party!

Anything you'd like to confess about your first days/ weeks/ months of your school year?

Confessions of a 1st year Kindergarten teacher:

1. I ate 7 donuts in the last 2 days... I'm attributing it to stress eating!

2. I had a nightmare about a student in my class last night.

3. If I have to say "That's not my name that's my job" one more time responding to "TEACHER!" I may explode.

4. Daily hugs from my students make my days better.

5. Dismissal in the sheeting rain is NOT okay.

6. I ate a rice krispie treat while teaching my math lesson last week because I didn't get to eat lunch, and all the kiddos stared.

7. When a parent tells me "you're doing a great job, my daughter comes home every day so excited about school" it reminds me of why I teach :)

CONFESS!! 

Top 10 Award

Hadar from Miss Kindergarten awarded me a Top 10 blog award!! That makes me feel so good! Thank you Hadar :) 

Tomorrow is the day!

Oh boy... tomorrow the kiddos come tomorrow, and I AM NERVOUS! I have my room all set, or I thought I did until I found out today the school put two more tables and 8 chairs in my room... ugh! I have no where to put them. I guess I have some rearranging to do tomorrow at 6:30 am! Here are pics of my room as of last Friday! Good luck to everyone who starts tomorrow!!!

 

                                     

Meet the teacher Monday!!

Tell us a little bit about yourself...

Well, I am 23 years old and am from the lovely state of Michigan. I am a huge sports girl! I play fantasy baseball and football in a league with my boyfriend (this is my 4th year doing it) and love to go to Tigers games! I'm also a Red Sox fan for all your Bostonians!  I love to bake and look at wedding things in my lack of free time. I have always secretly wanted to be a wedding planner at some point in my life, but planning my own may just have to do for now, whenever that may be! (HINT HINT boyfriend!). Speaking of which, I have been with my boy for over 4 years now and he is an uber sweet police officer in our city. I also have the cutest dog, Emmett George (yes he has a middle name)

How long have you been teaching...

This will be my first year with my own class! I student taught in kindergarten this past Jan-May and have also taught gymnastics and tutored the kiddo's I've been nannying for 10 years. 

Something you may not know about me...

My cooperating teacher during student teaching got me hooked on the blog world! I also have a family full of teachers.. my mom, cousin, grandma, and grandpa are all in or were in the education field. This may have been why I tried to go against the norm when I started college at Michigan State. I originally started as a fashion design student... then marketing... then special ed...then regular ed, all in a matter of a few months! Needless to say, I came back to my roots. (Also that I had already typed out this whole thing and then it didn't save :( )

What do you need to improve on...

Well, I may have a better answer for you in a few months! But for now I would say it's not stressing over the little things and knowing there is help for me in my building and through my blog buddies if need be :)

What teaching supply can you not live without...

LABELS. I live for organizing, and could not do this effectively without the help of lovely labels! I also love my Mr. Sketch markers, and still can't stop myself from smelling them :)


What are you looking forward to this year...
Being a first year kindergarten teacher!! As well as getting to know my wonderful co-workers.

Classroom update!!

I worked a little more on my classroom this week in between screening :) Someone broke the laminator at our school and I'm SO annoyed because I have about 200 things to laminate and hang :( Then my room will feel more complete! Sorry the pictures are a little dark, they were taken on my iphone into the sun! Also, I'm awaiting blinds to be installed, and then putting up these adorable polka dot valances my mom made!

 

 

Also, my amazing neighbor painted me this little chair for my "star of the week" student!! Isn't she talented?

 

 

Kindergarten Screening

Since my school is brand new, we are currently going through the screening process of the already enrolled Kinders... instead of doing it at the end of the previous year like most of y'all probably do.

I am SO shocked at how high these incoming kiddos are!! I had a girlie today not only know all her upper/lower case letters and sounds, but recite me the Greek alphabet and read me the whole Hop On Pop Dr. Seuss book......... and she is still 4. I mean, c'mon!! Another little girlie came in reading at a 4th grade level according to her mother who is a reading specialist at another school ( I'm worried the curriculum we've been given is going to be tossed out the window on day 1!).

It's so great to see how much parents are working with their kids at home these days and how well pre-schools really are preparing kids for elementary school :)

PS. more classroom pictures by Friday (or Saturday)

Favorite Quote of the week:

Teacher asked " Do you know your phone number?"

Kinder response "...I don't have a phone! But I have an app on my ipod where you can text people, want me to tell you that number? It's a real sneaky one"

Classroom PICS!!

Here are some pictures of my brand new classroom :) I think I got more socializing done on Friday than I did decorating.. oops :) . I'm going in tomorrow and almost every day this week (we have kindergarten screening) so hopefully I'm able to get a lot more done!! I mostly just arranged the furniture on friday and unloaded my car.

I was just testing colored paper with my boarder on that orange bulletin board!

Reading area... not leaving the crate seats there.

Reading/ chalk board- dry erase easel area.

My desk. Still need a boarder around the bulletin board...among other things.

Every class room either has a bright blue, bright green, or bright orange wall.. I'm happy with the blue :)

New Classroom Eve...

I'm like a little kid on Christmas Eve!!! I get to go see my brand spanking new classroom tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited :) I will post pictures of it before and after as soon as I can!! I just had to share my excitement with the blog world!

Well Hello little garage sale!

As I was flying through my subdivision the other day late for an appointment, I saw a random garage sale with children's toys so i thought I should pull over! Lucky for me that I did!! Just wanted to share what I found :) All for a mere $4.80!

Sight word books!! 18 of them :)

Memory, Sight word bingo, and alphabet bingo!

Teacher Camp, CKH and yey!!!

I Know this is longgggggggg, but read it all, you won't be sorry!!

I'm back!!!! I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted, I was at new teacher orientation...aka teacher camp. I was wary of it at first but WOW! I learned so much and came back on top of the world :) First let me say that my new co-workers are AMAZING! I could not have asked for a better staff to work with for my first year of teaching... not to mention my principal is unbelievable! I have to be careful around him because he makes you feel so comfortable it's like hes not even a boss! (we chatted about gossip magazines the first day to give u an idea). I can't wait to get started at school, my staff  90% young, like average age is 24/25, and so nice and fun! Shannon, Kati, Chelsea, and Rachel if you're reading this I love y'all!

Anywho. I learned about CKH (Capturing Kids Hearts) the first two days I was there. I don't know if any of you have gone through this training before, but it changed my life. My girlfriend was sitting next to me during our seminar on Tuesday and said "I can't tell if this is a teacher seminar or a self help seminar" hehe it was both!  This program is all about how to connect with your students and "Behave With Care." It teaches them that they are responsible for choosing their consequence if they act out and how to self manage. The leader Bethany (who I want to be my aunt) and other teachers said that they were able to get their classes to self manage (I'll explain in a moment) by November every year and it changed the way they teach.

Self managing for students basically means that they "check" each other on behavior. If a student sees another misbehaving, talking out of turn, using supplies incorrectly, etc, they give them a hand sign and it tells them to get back on task. This saves the teacher SO much time from addressing every little thing students do. One kinder teacher said that her kinder kids were self managing so well that she could have left the classroom for an hour and nothing would have gone wrong... now how does that sound!?

If y'all have the budget or time, you should see if you school can get this program to come to you for Professional Development. It is through the Flip Flippen Group, Capturing Kids Hearts.... and yes, his name is really Flip Flippen haha.

Bethany, my new self proclaimed aunt, also taught the teachers that being sarcastic, or negative really can hurt your work and personal relationships. I am a very sarcastic person.. so this was tough for me to hear. She challenged all of us to call someone we had a close relationship with that night and ask "What is one thing I do that hurts our relationship?" (stress on the ONE thing). I did this with my boyfriend and I sort of already expected the answer. I didn't know however, that it hurts him when I do it. This stung a little! I challenge all  of my blog buddies to do this :) Let me know if you do!!

Changing something you do in a personal relationship or work relationship (no matter how hard it may be) will really make you feel so much better and create a better environment for your family or your school family. Teach your kiddos to be the best person they can by modeling :)

Well now that I feel like Dr. Phil, I hope you read all this and feel inspired to make a change and that you have a great work family like I found out I do!!

Happy Monday... 29 days till the first kid day!

Ps. I also learned curriculum and our behavior mangagement system, which was great.. but less exciting than the other stuff :)

Let me in already!!!!

I am becoming impatient about my school opening! It's scheduled to be complete Aug 12.... cross your fingers and do a luck dance for me, would you? My basement is looking more and more like a classroom as I take my daily weekly trips to target and the dollar store. 

I got a membership to Costco today and this is what I found! The Pink and Purple books were only $10.99, and the pack of Biscuit books were only $9.99! Also the 96 pack of pencils was a mere $8.79! See those salted chocolate caramels that snuck their way into my cart? OH MY GOODNESS- they're heavenly!

 

A few weeks ago I bought these cute tubs. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them until last night when it hit me like bus!

I used a paint pen to write on them and make the polka dots! The pink will hold "Clorox/Lysol" type wipes, the blue will be for hand sanitizer, and the green will be for tissues! (Clearly a smaller box, but this was all I had for demo purposes).

Mrs. Polston?

Mrs. Polston... Where are you? :) I sent you an email, so please email me back by Thursday 7/28, or I will have to choose a new winner!!

Pintrest Please...

So I decided I NEED a Pintrest page. I'm currently *paitently* waiting on my email invite to join! I have come across so many linky parties that involve Pintrest pages and seen sooooo many cute things! So, instead of trying to bookmark or write down all the cute ideas, I shall join:)

Are you on Pintrest? What are some of the BEST things you've seen on there?

Cute Giveaway!

Pocket Full of Kinder's is having a giveaway! She has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize... and many chances to win! Go check it out! I hope I win :)

 

Absolutely NOTHING to do with teaching, but....

I made some delicious cupcake/cookie creations!! Before I decided to commit to a career in teaching, I'd always thought I'd become a pastry chef or wedding planner... I still may pursue these on the side or just shower my friends and family with yummy treats :)

Anyhow.. I was blog stalking and I came across this website How Sweet Eats. I got the idea for these from her website (which has amazinggg ideas and pictures that make you want to eat your computer screen) but I altered it a little!

Let's be honest, we're teachers with precious time in the summer spent relaxing, preparing for next year, and shopping at Target... so, instead of making my batters from scratch I used boxed and they taste great!

You start by taking these dough circles and breaking them in half, smooshing into a circle, and placing into a greased cupcake paper (yes spray your cupcake papers with non-stick spray!)

Mix up your cupcake batter ( I chose yellow because it's my favorite.. but white or chocolate would work too!) as directed on the box and pour over cookie dough until about 1/2" from the top of the cupcake paper.

Bake 13-15 mins at 350... time depends on your pans and oven, just check  if the cupcake springs back when you touch it lightly, thats how you'll know they're done.

Then I made my own frosting. I have a secret recipe for buttercream that my family loves... it's not too buttery or too sugary- which makes it light and fluffy :) Because I'm in heaven from these cupcakes I will share it with you!

1 c granulated sugar

2 sticks room temp butter

1 1/2 tea vanilla

1/4 c flour

1 c whole milk (or half and half)

(optional coco powder if you want chocolate.. add about 2-3 Tbsp, depending on the intensity you want)

While the cupcakes are baking, put the flour and 1/4c of the milk into a sauce pan. WISK like mad to make a roue. Once this is mixed, heat to medium while slowly adding 1/4 c more of milk at a time until you've added the whole cup. I URGE you to wisk your arm off until each 1/4c is in smoothly. Once this has happened and the mixture starts to heat.. it will get thicker. Once its thickened (DON'T BOIL) remove from the heat and continue wisking to make sure its smooth and set aside to cool. If you get lumps, push through a mesh strainer. (It's an arm workout to make it smooth... but I promise once you do it and are patient it'll be easier... plus you can skip the gym that day!)

Whip the butter 3-5 mins. Add sugar and whip 3-5 more min. It should be a pale yellow and fluffy. Mix in 1 tsp of vanilla to the cooled milk flour  mixture, then add this plus the 1/2 tsp more of vanilla to the butter/sugar. Whip on high 5-7 mins. (You would add the coco at this point if you're making chocolate)

Mine are with chocolate frosting.. sorry bad picture from my iPhone.

Then I piped the buttercream on using a zip lock bag with the tip cut off! Store in the fridge :) I always let my cupcake sit out for a little before eating to take the chill off. Hope you enjoy!

And the WINNER is.......................

Mrs. Polston! Congrats :)

Send me a message with:

1. The letter you want

2. The design or color you'd like for your background

3. Crayons wrapped or unwrapped

4. Your address

To send a message, click on my blogger profile and click send message!

If you have a minute, why don't we go?

I am in disbelief that I will be attending New Teacher Orientation for my school in just over a week! I will be teaching at a brand new charter school which is scheduled to be completed Aug 12 (fingers crossed), as I have mentioned before. This charter school organization requires all new teachers to the charter to attend a week long seminar in MI. Lucky for me.. it will only be a short bus ride with my fellow colleges and teachers from the other new schools being built in MI... I feel for those flying in from NY, CO, IL, OH, etc.... I would not want to come to MI right now when the heat index is 107!!!! YUCK.

I'm looking forward to learning the curriculum for my school, and their classroom management ways... but I am also nervous it's going to be information OVERLOAD!! It has however given me an "excuse" to go shopping for new teacher clothes :)

Has anyone ever had to do anything like this before? Any suggestions? Thanks!!

Ps. The GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow!!

A little birdie told me... You Haven't entered my GIVEAWAY!

Have you entered my giveaway yet!?! I will be ending it on Friday 7/22, so get your entries in!! :)

Click here to enter!

Super Sneaky TARGET DEALS!!

I was at Target today.. shocker right? and I was milling about through the school supply area when I spotted RoseArt 24 packs of crayons for .20c !!! Then I looked to my right and saw colored pencils, thin and fat markers, for .75c!!! But, believe it or not it gets better...... drum roll please..... a 6 pack of glue sticks that were marked $1.79, I scanned on those handy wall scanners to see if it was on sale, and YES, 6 glue sticks for .80c!! I stocked up like a mad woman.. I was getting looks from mom's in the aisle buying the average 1-2 boxes of things for their children's back to school lists, hehe oh well :)

Also, I saw two packs of scissors (up&up brand) for .74c! But my Target only had 4 left :(

It's time for....THE 101 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm so excited to have 101 followers!! Thank you all SO much :) I saw this idea on a Pintrest page and created my own...

For the GIVEAWAY, I will make one for the winner with whatever letter they choose, as well as what color/ pattern paper for the background, and if they want their crayons wrapped or unwrapped! :) 

TO ENTER:

1. Follow my blog

2. Post about the giveaway on your blog (AND I mean it! I'll check if you do!)

3. Leave me a comment saying you do both!

Good Luck, Hope you like my giveaway idea!

101!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have reached 101 wonderful, fabulous, amazing, beautiful followers!!! I will be posting a giveaway shortly to celebrate :) Thank you all so much!!

I'm crafty, and you can be crafty too!!!

So I saw this idea on another blog.. and eek! For the life of me I can't remember which one (I'm only 23, this is not a good sign). So, if you recently posted about this tell me and I'll credit you!!

I went to Home Depot today and brought my crate in so the man could measure for the wood, two pieces turned out to only be about $6! My crates are form Target and they were about $5 each.

Then I went to JoAnn Fabrics and found the exact fabric I was looking for :) I bought 2 yards, which was plenty!! I also printed off this coupon which helped. 

I found these foam squares at JoAnn's as well; and some Elmer's Spray Adhesive (only a small 4 oz can for $4.95)

I'm lucky to have a handy dad, he cut the foam for me with an exact-o knife and I spray glued it on. Then I lined up my fabric and pulled it tight while he staple gunned it on! This whole process took only about 25 mins :) 

Speaking of GIVEAWAYS.....

Ladies and Gentleman(?) I am only 9 blog followers away from 100!! I never thought when I started my blog that I'd actually have any followers other than family and friends hehe :) SO... once I reach 100 I'm going to do a giveaway!! 

But I need your help, any ideas of what I should giveaway!?

$20 to Target? Yes please!

Target Treasures is giving away a $20 gift card!! This makes me giddy to think about winning :)

Add her to your blog roll! C'mon.... we all know every teacher has a tiny (or huge for some of us) addiction to Target!

So How About Things for .01c, .25c, and $1?!?!?!

Blog Friends!!!!

Staples started their penny sale today :) Go fourth and get as much as you can or a penny, quarter, or dollar!!! You CANNOT miss this deal... cancel your plans, tell you hubby he has to watch the kids, and GO GO GO!