Can't believe it's almost October!

The first month of school is already in the books! It's definitely been a blur at times with the amount of skills I need to teach in a short amount of time. I thought that transitioning from first to fourth was no big deal...boy was I wrong! I love the age group, don't get me wrong but I was not prepared to teach this age group. I went from teaching two digit numbers to teaching seven digit numbers! This is year nine in teaching and most days I feel like I am a first year teacher. Here are some of the friends I have handy while planning...

Thankfully, I have an awesome math resource person who has supported me all the time and at a moment's notice. She has helped me have more confidence in my teaching and abilities.

Along with the new grade and curriculum, my school decided to use Class Dojo as our behavior management system. Some teachers started using it last year toward the end of the year and we really enjoyed it. I love that we can share our classes with the specials teachers and everyone can be on the same page. The kids enjoy getting points and being able to see their progress. It's awesome to have the students' behavior documented so parents can see how they are doing.

So in the midst of all the crazy things that are going on at school, I turned 30 YEARS OLD on Thursday! It's weird thinking that I am done with my 20s but I am excited to see what my 30s bring. I love all things that you can get on your birthday for free or for a percentage off. I went to Starbucks and got a drink of my choice! Yum! It was definitely a special day and I enjoyed my time with my husband and baby :)

My goal for year 30 is to get my blog and TPT store off the ground. I want to share my love for teaching and ideas with others. I am excited for what is to come! Thanks for your support!

My Classroom

I am back again today to link up with Blog Hoppin for their Back to School Week. Today is all about my classroom!

Teachers started back to school yesterday and our students start next Monday. The pictures I have are of my classroom so far. I will share more next week when the room is complete.

Here is my classroom door, provided by The Techie Teacher's IPod Door Set. I received several compliments and it's a great splash of color.

As you walk into my classroom, you see all the lockers. I love having lockers! It's nice to keep the clutter out of the room. Grades 1-5 have lockers in their room.

I will be teaching fourth grade math, science and social studies this year. I tried to make a board for each content area and I am going to have a word wall for all the words we learn across the contents. Can you spot my penguin friend?

There is my wonderful SMART board! I have been blessed to have used a SMART board or a Promethean board for six years out of eight years of teaching. It's been a great learning experience and the kids enjoy too! I have my name banner that I made from FlapJack Educational Resources' template. It was really easy to make and looks pretty!

Here is the back of the room with my library and United States rug. I was so happy to find that rug for 20 dollars at BJs. I will also hold my math small group back there.

Here is one of the best parts of my room...I have an office! When I came to this school for the first time and saw I had an office I was so excited! There is a lot of cabinet space and it really helps to keep a lot of my stuff out of the classroom and not taking up precious space. I share it with the teacher next to me. For the last two years, I shared with my friend Chaya, who taught second grade and I taught first. This year I am teaching fourth grade at the other end of the school and I was going to be the main fourth grade teacher teaching 30 students in one class. Today we found out that we have enough enrolled to get another fourth grade teacher and that is Chaya! So the staff pitched in and moved her room down next to me! So now we are office mates and teammates!

As you can see, I still have a bunch of things to do but it is a start! Can't wait to get it all organized!

Very First Post

I am super excited to share my very first blog post by linking up with Blog Hoppin’s Back To School 2014! 

I have been a teacher blog stalker for about three years now and I am finally taking the plunge! I have been inspired by so many bloggers and they have given me the confidence and tools to begin. A special thanks to Erica from Erica’s Ed-Ventures for providing her post on Getting Started. It has been extremely helpful! 

Here’s a little about me:

This is my ninth year teaching! I taught for two years in a Christian school, four years in inner city Baltimore and,  I am starting my third year in a suburb in Maryland. I have taught second grade, fifth grade, and seven years in first grade! I completed my student teaching in fourth grade and loved it! I have always wanted to teach that grade and this year that dream is coming true! I am so thankful for the many different teaching experiences that I have had and how it has shaped me into the teacher I am today. Can’t wait to see what this year brings!

When I am not teaching, I spend my time with my fantastic husband of six years and my ten month old son! My husband and I have known each other since middle school and it’s been a great ride! I have to give a big shout out to him because he designed my blog! He is a talented architect and loves to do graphic design as a hobby. It has been a blessing to watch our baby boy grow into a little boy with a personality. He is a very happy boy and makes me laugh often. He took his first steps this weekend!!!

I am originally from New Hampshire and lived there until I got married. It was a great place to grow up and I miss it the most during the fall. The vibrant leaves and the crisp air were the perfect back drop to apple picking!

I love spending time with my family and friends! The best times are just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. I definitely miss seeing our family since they are spread out around the country but thank goodness for Skype! My faith and church is very important aspect of my life. I have followed God most of my life and I don’t know where I would be without Him! My life verse and one that I have gone to often for comfort is Romans 5:3-5: "...but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations, produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and  character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts but the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

In my spare time (like a teacher has spare time), I love to quilt! I learned how to quilt by hand in college but I do prefer to use my machine. I enjoy making baby quilts for people when they have babies. Here are some examples...although I haven’t made my son’s yet...maybe for his first birthday :)

And of course, I love penguins! I have been obsessed with penguins since high school. They are just so cute! When I graduated high school, my youth pastor gave me a penguin statue. It has gone with me to all four years of college and to every classroom I have had in my eight years of teaching! It will go great with my sophisticated penguin theme this year which you will see more of tomorrow!

  

Well, there is a little about me! I hope this is the first of many posts and that you will continue to walk along with me on this journey!