October Craziness...

Umm... Did someone see October?! I'm sorry- I haven't seen it!!!

Talk about a ridiculously crazy month?! I cannot believe we are already in November! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and lots of exciting things are happening in our family, so I'll update as much as possible, however no scheduled updates are promised! My little sister is due any day with Baby Blake and I am so excited to be an aunt! She is the first of us to have a baby, so he might be slightly spoiled already! Also- my big sis and BIL are coming for Thanksgiving ALLLLL the way from Abu Dhabi! I'm so stinking excited! Check out her blog,  she is hilarious and you can watch her worldly adventures! 

October closed with a bang with our Magnet Program's annual Pumpkinmania! This event is so much fun and the kiddos always have a blast! The teachers all choose a pumpkin themed activity (normally science or math related) and the kids rotate through the classrooms and do each activity. I always try to do something new every year so that the experience is always new. This year, I made pumpkin moon sand! OMG- Talk about fun! {messy might be another describing word} This is not the activity for the faint of heart, but I highly suggest it! The kids loved the feel of the stuff and they had a blast building with it. 

You will need (per kid)

-1 cup of play sand

- 1/4-1/2 cup of cornstarch

- 20mL of water

- 1/8 teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie spice

- 2 drops of orange food color

Mix the dry ingredients together first really well. Add the water and food color and direct students to mix together really well. Pour onto a plastic plate and build away! It is very similar to kinetic sand! It was amazing :)

My students from last year had a blast and told me numerous times how much they miss me! The feeling is mutual! ❤️ 

We also had our annual Dress Like a Storybook Character Day and I always make my costume. I decided on one of my absolute favorite classics- Charlotte's Web! I decided I would be Charlotte and one of my sweet girls from last year decided to match me and be Fern! Adorable! 

We also have been working on Student Led Conferences and I found out about a fabulous new app called Seesaw! You guys- seriously, download this! It's an electronic portfolio where students can upload their work and parents can access it from any device or the computer. Students can upload videos, PDFs, pictures, and many other things to show what they know. I've also used it as an authentic assessment by having students reflect on certain lessons using the video feature. It.is.amazing. 

Here are some of my kiddos using it to talk about text and graphic features. They love sharing their work and then I know I have a running record of it! Win win! 

I hope everyone had a great Halloween and survived the epic week of school! 

Classroom Reveal!

Hello my wonderful friends! I'm so stinking excited to FINALLY post my classroom reveal! Things have been (expectedly) crazy these first few weeks of school, but I'm back and ready to blog! 

This year, I really wanted my room to be more functional and my use of space was my top priority. This has literally taken me two years to figure out how to rearrange my room to make it work for my kiddos and for me. I am so happy with how it turned out and I feel like it is so much more functional. 

The first thing I did was swap my reading and computer area. The back of my room used to be closed in by desks and computers and it literally drove me CRAZY! Now, you can see that it is wide open and perfect for easy navigation, plus the reading area is so much more welcoming! 

The next area of focus was using my wall space and whiteboard to a maximum.  I decided to transform my whiteboard into the perfect place to put my focus board and agenda up. Also- it gave me the perfect space to hang my ELA anchor charts for easy reference. I absolutely love how it turned out and that I was able to use this space more efficiently this year. I used my A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Silhouette machine to cut out the headers and bought those adorable magnetic divider borders from Creative Teaching Press (found at Joann's with a coupon!). They serve both a cute and functional purpose! ;) The focus board heading cards came from the fabulous Third Grade Hollywood and I just completely adore them! 

My other large bulletin board in my room I decided to use for my Reading strategy posters (Also by the so creative Third Grade Hollywood) and for my Math anchor charts. It helps break up the space a little and I was able to use the super cute whiteboard banners and burlap sticky letters from the Target dollar spot to make the headers! I love how this board turned out. 

I also used one of my bulletin boards and another space on my wall to create my space for my Daily 5 rotations in reading and for my Math stations. I designed these sets because I wanted something bright and fun, but also something that was easy to read. If you like how they look- find them here in my TpT store! 

My last bulletin board in my room is being used for my calendar area this year to help make it more of a focus. Our daily calendar keeper, meteorologist, and daily calendar math kiddos will keep up with this daily. I'm really excited about this board! 

My bulletin boards outside needed to be used to display student work and also showcase our classroom because it makes the students proud and accountable for their work. My large board was inspired by some pins on Pinterest and I just made it my own by adding the hand cut trees and the numbered chalk board clips to hold each student's work. I absolutely love how this board turned out and my students are chomping at the bit to get their first BRIGHT work put up there! ;) The other board outside my room is my Instagram board where I will display our classroom happenings and hashtags to match. This has been a serious fan favorite! My administration, fellow teachers, and parents have absolutely loved this board and I love how it turned out! I love taking pictures and I can't wait to display them for students and parents to see. 

Finally, my student desk setup is a group horseshoe shape to help aid with Kagan structures. I also bought these rolling carts to hold their supplies and notebooks this year. I think they will help keep everything looking nice and organized! Another thing I did this year was created book boxes for my kiddos so that books wouldn't shoved into desks and messed up. This also helps me keep track of where my library books are! 

I really hope you enjoyed my classroom reveal and that I've inspired you all as much as you have inspired me! I cannot wait to see where this year takes my class! Happy New School Year everyone! 

July Currently {7.1.2015}

Gosh! It is so DARN hot outside! You can't hardly breathe when you walk outside here in sunny Florida- however I know I am so blessed to live here in the glorious Sunshine State, frizzy hair and all!

I absolutely LOVE linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade! Her Currently linky party is so much fun and I love reading what everyone is up to... Totally not stalking when everyone else is doing it! ;)

So here it goes!

Listening- My hubby and I are sitting in my craft room working on various things while the cleaning people work and he plays the most random music... along with singing along! Ha! He is a keeper ;)

Loving- My summer has been great so far! I have really been trying to relax and just get some down time. I am in grad school though, so the breaks are few and far between- but it has been nice to not have to worry about grading and lesson plans! I have also been a busy bee in my TpT store which has been refreshing with this TpT Seller Challenge going on. Also- my sister has her gender reveal this weekend and I am SO excited because I love shopping for baby stuff! I really am #teampink but of course am going to be ecstatic no matter what! This is the first baby of my sisters and I, so we are just a tad excited!

Thinking- I have really been thinking a ton about next school year because I want it to be seamless and I want to be ahead of the game. I want units planned and ideas in my planner before the school year starts. I also think organizing is a huge part of ensuring the school year starts off and continues to go well. I have all of these fabulous ideas in my head of things I want to do, but I need to hit the lottery first! Haha! I hope to implement some new practices this year such as consistent Morning Meetings and a new homework idea that will be completely different from anything I have ever done! I am really excited about the next school year, but I am also going to ensure that I enjoy my summer. It goes by way too fast! 

Wanting- this heat is insane and the Tropical Sno bus has been over here at the baseball park all week and we have missed them EVERY.DAY. By the time I remember, they are gone! I am determined to get one today! We have a church function around 6pm, so I am going to ensure that we leave early enough to go and grab one before. See, organization people! ;)

Needing- I really want my hair to grow faster! I love the short hair, but I absolutely love braiding my hair and doing fun hairdos too! I am really good at french braids, fishtails, and other fun styles and I miss doing that. I love the Starbucks Chai Latte iced and with a shot of espresso it is even better... I could totally go for one right now...

Allstar- My mom has always said I have the patience of a saint- so I think that is what I excel at! I was always the kid who got the very tedious tasks and completed them without a complaint. I have always loved delicate details and love to make intricate things when I craft. It is kind of funny because neither of parents are very patient, ha! I'm not even sure where I learned to be so patient, I think I was just born this way. 

Are you guys linking up!? I love to read all the fun posts... So make sure you head over and do it!

Five for Friday {6.26.15} and Sweet Summertime!

Today is Friday! That means it is time for Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching- one of my favorite linky parties! :) I know its late on Friday- but better late than never, right?!

1-

Did you know my hubby and I started a YouTube channel?! Yeah, it was a leap of faith but totally fun and there is food involved and my husband is quite entertaining... So you should definitely check it out! We have a few videos, but this is my first one I did and you can make it for the upcoming July 4th holiday! 

2-
We made these amazing pork chops tonight using the Bayou Bourbon glaze from my Tastefully Simple freezer party I had recently and OMG y'all- it was FANTASTIC! Delicious Honeycrisp apples were cooked down and put on top and it was divine.. I'm still drooling thinking about the fantastic leftovers I am having tomorrow- YUM! If you want to order something, my party is open until the end of the month! https://www.tastefullysimple.com/party/5953049/a608a348-da35-48dc-8884-0f6db3c8d80d

3-

I am obsessed with OITNB, it is a guilty pleasure and the character development has been amazing in this series... I may or may not have watched the entire series in one day- Oh sweet summertime!  Also- completely obsessed with Game of Thrones! Totally not my style, but I am completely and utterly hooked! We haven't finished the current season- so no spoilers! ;)

4-
I've recently read some amazing books by one of my very good friends. She is a new author and her passion comes through and the books are phenomenal! I look a good girly read, and these are perfect for lounging by the pool or staying up until 4am reading the entire book or laying on the beach with a good book! Picking up the Pieces is first followed by Falling to Pieces- click each book to take you over to Amazon.

5-
I need to make these... like tomorrow... Sweet Geeks video maybe?! Click the picture to get to the recipe. They are so stinkin' easy, especially for kiddos!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! <3

Wednesday Happenings- TpT Seller Challenge week 1 & 2, products, and life lessons!

Wow! I feel like I blinked and two weeks of summer vacation have passed! How did that happen?? Can we just hit the pause button please?!

Well- onto the life happenings! Many of you know that I was anxiously preparing and getting super stoked about my trip next week to the ISTE conference in Philly! Unfortunately, the person I was attending with had a medical emergency and couldn't go- so that meant it was a no go for me as well. To say I was sad and disappointed would be an understatement! I completely understand and she is such an amazing woman, I pray she gets better soon because she is in a lot of pain. But the excitement of a new city, fun food, learning opportunities, and the ability to network with 20,000 people was a lot to swallow when you are told you're not going anymore. I was so upset, but thankfully my husband was with me and reminded me of the faithful journey that we are on together. Over the weekend we talked about the need to help each other grow our faith, especially in difficult situations- as we have faced so many this year already. So- I cried, read some bible passages, and moved on. I'm looking at this as an opportunity to get  ahead of the game and get some massive creating done for my TpT store!  Well, you know what they say- make  lemonade, amiright?! And pray....

Since you read through my sob story and are awesome followers- here is a fun and exclusive FREEBIE that I hope you can use in your classroom! I have a couple variations of this in my store and absolutely LOVE my teacher toolbox! I hope you will make one too! (Click the picture to download a copy)

In addition to that product, I also made this amazing Earth Day unit and finally finished it and put it in my store! It was such a labor of love and I am very proud of how it turned out! I hope you will find that it is useful for any unit that focuses on Earth science! This is a great deal and only on sale until midnight tonight!

Also- don't forget to check out my sale that is going on until Friday of all my new products! ;)

Finally- since I was frantically trying to get ready for the trip I am not going on all last week, I didn't get a chance to blog about the AMAZING challenge that a few of my favorite bloggers/instagramers are hosting! The TpT Seller Challenge is a  challenge that helps TpT seller learn tips and tricks to improve their shop and has been such a blessing so far! We are currently in week two, which is Dare to Dream week and I will share that below. But first, I want to talk about week one! Week one was the makeover challenge and we had to choose at least one product in our store to makeover. Let me just tell you how fun and exciting this was! Here is my before and after- pretty big difference right?!

That's because when I first created this item, I was just starting out and had no idea! I have come a long way in my TpT journey and I still have so much to learn!  You can check out this awesome product here and the free PowerPoint that supplements it is located here. 

Ok- this week is week two and our Dare to Dream week. I love this week as there were no limitations, just big dreams! I made some personal and career minded goals that I absolutely needed to write down. Sometimes, accountability and motivation comes from within yourself. You just have to write it down and see it for yourself. I truly plan to check each of these off my list. 

Finish My Masters- I am half-way done and I pray I can make it! The workload is insane and on top of it, I am also working on my Gifted Endorsement too- yikes!

Grow in my faith and walk with God- This is something very important to me and my husband. We discussed it in depth this weekend and how we want to grow. It is so hard sometimes to completely let go and rely on your faith to carry your through. We are working together and helping each other and that is a huge deal for me. 

Inspire other teachers- The amount of inspiration that I get from other teachers is so incredible and I hope that I can/am doing the same for others. I want my resources, blog, and social media sites to create a world of discovery and excitement for new and seasoned teachers alike. It is so much fun to know that someone else used your idea or had a better day because of something you posted. That is big y'all!

Become a full-time blogger- The work that goes into blogging is incredible. However, I truly feel better when I blog! I feel like I can truly express myself when I write- so this is an obvious outlet for me! In addition, I would love to make it part of my career. I know it is possible, I just have to push and pursue!

What are some of your Dare to Dream goals? I'd love to hear about some of yours! 

May Currently {5.2.14}

Hello everyone! Are you still there?! I cannot believe this school year is coming to a close!! HOLY MOLY!! What a whirlwind experience for a first year teacher... I never dreamed that it would be this time consuming and stressful, yet truly amazing! But here I stand, and I can say I survived my first year! Yippee! For my soon-to-be teacher friends, hold on tight and keep the faith- everything always works out in the end! :)

So, onto the important topic of life- it's time for the amazing and wonderful Farley's May Currently! Is is a joyous occasion, and I always enjoy reading other teachers- but they get even more funny at this time of year! Ha! Is month is so incredibly busy for me- my birthday is Monday (Cinco de Mayo), we just got done state testing, grades are due for midterms, teacher appreciation week, last minute field trips, and the ever increasing list of IEPs to attend 😫 I guess that is just how being a teacher works! But, I wanted to takes. Minute and blog becauseI haven't in awhile and ice been meaning to... I hope to do lots of blogging in the summer time!

Here is my currently-

So let's discuss-

Listening- it has been raining all day here and most of last night... It really makes trying to be productive difficult!

Loving- my husband surprised me and is taking me to Disney this weekend for my birthday! We have annual passes and it is seriously my favorite place. He also made reservations at the Be Our Guest restuarant there!!! I am beyond excited and cannot wait to experience that!

Thinking- I cannot believe my first year is almost over! I started reflecting on how it went and I know that I will change so much next year, but I have grown tremendously in my teaching from August until now! I am blown away! I was also reappointed by my principal yesterday, so that was super exciting news! No pink slip here!! 😊👏 

Wanting- I wish he could just come home now so we could go! I miss my family a lot and we get o drive down tonight so they can watch our dogs tomorrow while we are at Disney! Yippee!!!

Needing- yeah... Jamberry is definitely the priority here.... Packing shmacking... 😁

Surprise- Lacey over at Fabulous Life of an ElementaryTeacher is such a sweet friend and we both are Jamberry consultants. Her TPT store is absolutely fantastic and her resources ROCK! They are fun, engaging, and my kiddos absolutely love them! I hope that you will take a moment and go on over to browse her store and stop by her blog! ❤️

Thanks for stopping by everyone and I hope to see your currently as well!!! 

-Lindsay

It's Hump Day- Questions from the classroom of a first year teacher...

Wow! I am so ashamed that it has been over a week since my last post! Honestly though, I feel like nose is just above water and that if I stop to do anything other than school stuff I might drown. Please tell me this is normal?! I sure hope so!

First few weeks of school are done and gone and I cannot BELIEVE week 3 is almost over as well! Time sure does fly, those veteran teachers weren't joking about that! :)

As for my classroom, I have such a wonderful class full of eager students wanting nothing more than to absorb knowledge and soak it in! I absolutely LOVE it! It's different from what I had before and it's a welcome change :)

Now, that is not to say it has been all rainbows and butterflies! I don't want to paint this unrealistic picture of perfection (although, they are pretty close!) ;) but I have had a few issues with behavior! Mostly students being talkative and not following directions, but I believe I have corrected this by rearranging the seating. However, I still struggle with one of my students in particular. I'm hoping my beautiful blogging family can pull together and help me out! 

This "angel" of mine is gifted and therefore was placed in the magnet program after being in General Education last year. This angel continually is doing something other than what they are supposed to be doing. From playing with pencils in their desk to kicking and nagging other students of their team. I finally made this student an "island" and today they did a little better. However, that's not the end of it! This student seems to want hand holding every step if the way no matter what assignment it is. If I refuse (because I KNOW they are capable of doing it). This angel COMPLETELY shuts down. I mean, refuses to do work. Why do I do? Have you had a student do this? What was the strategies you used that worked? I feel like I'm grasping at air here, so any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance y'all! 

Also, speaking if behavior- I'm not that thrilled with my individual behavior system. I just don't feel as though it serves that instant gratification purpose that students thrive on. I have tried the clip chart before and was not impressed either because it lost it's valor about half way through the year. Currently, I use the behavior punch cards, but sometimes I cannot just stop what I'm doing to punch a card for good behavior. Any suggestions? The kids enjoy the fact of getting a punch, but I don't feel like I'm doing it enough. For consequences, I use a behavior think sheet, which is also not working because it is so incredibly time consuming and once again- I cannot stop what I'm doing to hand one out. I need a better idea to work instantly. Suggestions here would also be greatly appreciated!

So once again, I sincerely apologize to my awesome followers for the delayed post but I'm still trying to keep my head above the water! I promise posts will be more regular within the next few months- plus I might actually have something to share then that is exciting! For now, I don't feel as though anything I'm doing is blog worthy! Haha! That will be changing tomorrow though! 

Tomorrow is Open House and I have a very nice and thorough presentation ready, so I'm nervous/excited :) Wish me luck and PLEASE leave some suggestions! I truly read every one of them :) 

Thanks y'all!

Lindsay

Sickly days...

I knew it was just a matter of time until I caught these summer germs floating around! 

I've been MIA in the blogging world due to be pretty dang sick the past few days! I absolutely hate being sick and ESPECIALLY this close to school starting! I have so many things to do it just makes me feel even worse! Ugh!

I hope to be back to blogging tomorrow and linking up because there have been some awesome linkies floating around the blogosphere! ;) 

Prayers and well wishes for a speedy recovery are welcomed :)

Thanks y'all! Keep posting your awesome blog posts so I have something to read while I'm layed out on the couch! ;)

~Lindsay

August Currently - REALLY!? ALREADY!?

WHEW! August already?! I think I've seen that sentiment on every, single "currently" that I've read so far today! I cannot believe that in 11 days, my first ever pre-planning week starts! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was walking into my first education course at Saint Leo! :) Time sure does fly when you're having fun!

Well, I know I posted super early this morning for yesterday's What I'm Lovin' Wednesday (you can check that one out {HERE})- but that doesn't count because it was for yesterday and because I started my blog a little bit after the first of July- I have been waiting ALL month for this! Today is August 1st and that means… Currently with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade! :) I love reading these on other blogs, so I hope you enjoy mine too! I spent all day today in Kagan training day #2… So if you spot something wonky on here, blame it on that ;) Here we go!

Listening:
My dog is snuggled between my legs and the back couch cushions and she is snoring so loud! HA! She is so cute when she sleeps, but man can she make some noise! :)

Loving:
I am so excited to get into my room! I have been so super stressed about it and am looking forward to some organization time and just some "think-time" (Kagan structure anyone?!? ;) ) to see how I want things to be set up!

Thinking:
My husband and I decided to declutter and sell some a ton of our junk stuff so that we can make some room! It amazes me how much stuff two people can accumulate…. Ridiculous! I hope we have a good sale, we need that money pronto! :) Let's not even get into the massive amounts of school related stuff that I REALLY need to get done! Oh goodness!!

Wanting:
I've wanted this machine for so long, which is why I'm selling my amazing Cricut! I just want to upgrade and the only way I can do it is if I can sell my Cricut.. Anyone interested!? :)

Needing:
I seriously have had the worst nightmares about my classroom… haha! I'm pretty sure its my fear of the unknown… Please tell me everyone had these before starting their first year! And if not, tell me you did anyway so I don't have MORE nightmares about being a freak ;)

B2S Must Haves:
1. Post it notes- If I were to show you my Kagan notebook and textbook, you would understand why they are so important.. I write everything on them! You can use them for reminders, notes, lessons, and the list goes on!
2. These Pentel EnerGel pens are a new find of mine and I will probably never turn back! These are my ABSOLUTE favorite pens I've ever used! Being left-handed means I need ink that won't smear, this pen is perfect! Love them!
3. I love sharpies… in every single color… As we were organizing my school supplies I had already purchased, it was VERY clear what was my favorite- 5 or more packs of Sharpies should get me through December right?! ;) That's not including the separately purchased ones :-D


Thanks for tuning guys and gals! I hope you enjoyed reading my currently and would you please link up to? That way I can read yours as well! :)

It's Thursday and I finally moved stuff into my classroom! :)

Hey everyone! 

I bet all you veteran teachers are wishing summer was a few more MONTHS long! However, this newbie cannot WAIT to get in there! I know it's probably because I'm new and the excitement is getting to me, but I am truly beyond excited! Today I was able to move stuff into my new classroom and I just stood there and gazed at what is now MY classroom. It seems so surreal! I mean, I just graduated in May and I never thought I would be teaching in a magnet program in a beautiful, huge room! I feel so blessed and honored to have such privileges. I worked hard, and now it's all paying off! I'm not linking up today because I'm actually on my way to celebrate one of our very great friends birthday at a local brewery! Fun times!! So, my post will be a little shorter today.

However, I wanted to share some pictures of my classroom for those of you that don't follow on Instagram. If you want to follow check me out @justkeepteaching :) 

This is my office! Holy moly!!! The other teacher that was here before still has to gather some of her things, so all that stuff will not be there when I actually get settled in :)

I dropped all of this stuff off today!! Whew! That was a serious loading and unloading trip!

This is a picture of my room :) I'm so excited I can barely stand it! It's going to KILL me to wait to decorate!!! But, my principal says no "nesting" until August 8th! Darn it! ;)

Anyways, just wanted to show y'all my classroom! If you have any ideas for the space, please leave a comment!! I'd love to hear what you'd do if you had my room :) 

Thanks for stopping by!