The best week ever.

Our wedding is 3 days away.  School is out.  We had incredible seats at a fantastic baseball game last night (go Rockies!), not to mention the gorgeous fireworks following!  We have had an absolutely stunning week so far, and if it’s any indication, the wedding should surpass all our expectations.

I am delighted to announce that in addition to successfully completing my first year of teaching, I will be moving to the Technology Teacher position for next year – a subject I feel particularly passionate about. 

I’ve had a purely incredible year.  I hope to be back more regularly to share the next one with you!

What passing bells

Ten years ago I had just started my junior year of college.  Ordinary day turned into extraordinary.

Later that year, all the choirs at UNC performed the Britten War Requiem.  It had been chosen prior to the reality-changing events of today, but it deeply struck a chord with everyone who was a part of the performance.  To this day it remains one of the most powerful pieces of music I have ever experienced.

Always remembering.

The end… the beginning!

The view from my desk in my nearly-finished classroom.  School officially starts tomorrow, though I have been here for several weeks preparing, decorating, and testing students.

It’s come to my attention that – at least for the next little while – teaching will be keeping me impressively busy.  So I shall be taking a  bit of a blogging hiatus until I see how things will settle out.  I want to give my students all my energy (thought I of course won’t forget to care for myself!) and focus on this tenuous first year in my career.  I’m uncertain when and if I’ll be back to blogging here regularly, but I anticipate a few fun projects and great ideas will be shared periodically.

So, with much love, I bid you adieu… for now!

Technorati Tags: blogging,blogs,teaching

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

But what if it is?  Can you fix it?  Is it worth the DiY?

This rocker was left outside another teacher’s room with a sign saying it was broken.  It looked in good condition, but after sitting in it (not necessarily recommended…  Please don’t risk injury, haha!), I noted that the only flaw was a loose right armrest due to a missing screw.  An extra screw and 30 seconds later, the chair was good as new and sitting in a place of honor in my classroom!  I’d been hoping to have a rocking chair for reading, and now I got it!

Then there was this little table, sturdy and in good condition, but the top was a mess.  Even after cleaning, it was patchy and stained.  My solution?  Paint that tabletop!  Now it’s a great extra addition for the classroom, useful for students to use as a group learning area (also it fits neatly under one of the other tables, storage win!).

What DiY projects have really paid off for you?

Technorati Tags: crafting,creativity,decorating,DiY,frugality,teaching,school

Two weeks later…

I’ve been steadily working on my classroom, and I’ve just about got it where I want to start out.  Furniture is in place, number and alphabet lines are up, library is.. well, halfway sorted.  Now all I need is kids!

   

 

 

 

 

A lot of the walls are still bare as we’ll be creating charts with students.  I love the bunting, and I’m planning on having the kids create more for the rest of the room.  I’m so excited!  Just two weeks until school starts!  Wow!

Technorati Tags: crafting,creativity,decorating,organization,DiY,teaching,school

Alpha-bunting!

I’ve been at it all week decorating my classroom and have come across a need for an alphabet line.  My students will mostly know their letters, but an alphabet line is useful for creating alphabetized lists.  I decided to keep on with the bunting idea!  I went ahead and created both upper and lower case letters in a PDF file that I will printout on colored paper and trim to the right size.  It’s easy to do on your own, just make sure your top margin is as small as possible!

Need an easier idea?  Try the bunting printable with these cute patterns over at Ruffled!  It’s so cute!

What make and takes have you found additional uses for?

Technorati Tags: crafting,creativity,decorating,teaching,school

Here it is!

OMG you guys, I can’t even contain myself.  THIS IS MY CLASSROOM.

It’s a great 30’x26’ space, and I’m expecting about 27 kids for my very first class!  I’m mapping out my arrangement of the room, but I’ve got a great blank slate to work with!  What should I do?  Throw your ideas out, I’d love to hear them!

Technorati Tags: creativity,decorating,DiY,teaching,school