(almost) Strategy Saturday.

Lord knows that procrastination is my middle name, and Sunday is almost Saturday. So, on to this week's topic: 

Classroom Organization

This week has been big for organization - I showed you how to create your own planner (with help of very talented Etsy creators), and now let's talk about how to organize your classroom. 

Classroom organization - the literal layout of your room - can make or break your year. If supplies are not easily accessible, students and you will be frazzled looking for stuff. Chaos breeds chaos and that includes all aspect of classroom management, even the organization of the room. 

There is a lot of literature out there for organization, with regards to a specific content area. For example, Debbie Diller and Laura Chandler have some great books about literacy centers and organization tips for literacy centers and instruction. Laura Chandler also has some literature on creating math centers and what organizational frameworks you need to implement that successfully. 

The over-reaching rule for organization: The system should work itself. Your classroom space should be so well planned and laid out that your students can easily find their way without your direction. 

Here are some tips to create the best environment for learning (in no particular order:) 

1. Label. Label, label, label - whether you create your own labels or use some ready-made cuties from Teachers Pay Teachers, label your stuff. Label cabinets, drawers, stations, paper trays - anything you expect students to use without direction needs a label. Having a designated, identified place for homework papers, exit slips, markers, and scissors will make the daily routine easier for everyone. If Johnny needs a glue stick during centers, he can grab one from the supply drawer without disturbing your guided reading or math group. 

2. Create collaborative groups when designing seating arrangements. This seems like common sense these days, but it cannot be reiterated. If you expect students to assimilate new information, they need to discuss it with peers and synthesize this information. Students should be arranged with at least one other student, preferably a small group of three or four to exchange ideas and use as a support system for learning new information. Collaborative arrangements help out if your preferred teaching model is gradual release or the 5 Es - having small groups makes we do, few do, and exploring easier without a headache of finding partners. 

3. Make your library fun + inviting. If you want students to use it, make it usable and that's so important when it comes to a classroom library. Classroom libraries will be a totally separate post, but just a small piece of advice: make it inviting. Put a lamp, a cheap rug, and some bean bags down and make it the best part of the classroom. Reading should be fun and should be an escape - it's our job as the teacher to facilitate that. If the literal space for reading is enjoyable and pleasing, the act of reading will be too. 

4. Practice. Practice your routines, whatever they will be, with fidelity. If you want students to pass papers left, then right and then forward, practice it. If you want them to put their homework on your desk before sitting down in the morning, practice. Whatever you want, practice and enforce it - you have to practice and expect excellence or you will get mediocre and none of us have any time for that. 

5. Mix it up. After winter break, change it up - move those seats! Routine is fun and necessary, but everyone can benefit from a change and it will freshen up your room quickly and easily. 

Those are some easy tips for classroom organization - I will post a more in-depth post once I set my classroom up this week. Organization is so necessary for real and meaningful learning to take place, and it's up to us, as the teacher, to make sure our rooms run smoothly and efficiently for our babes. 

Until next time loves, 

- xo 

Freebie Friday + Organization!

Photo Credit: Google Images

Organization is such a central piece to every event in daily life, and some people are naturally inclined to organize and make lists and other simply walk through the day, hoping to remember their next engagement. 

I am naturally inclined to organize, and as a teacher, it is imperative that I stay on top of everything, because I am so much  more than a teacher. I am a daughter, friend, sister, teacher, writer, blogger - and all of those things require a time commitment and without my planner, I'd be stumbling through the day, which would end poorly for everyone. 

This year, I knew I wanted to create my own planner and I set about trying to find printable pages that met my needs. My first stop was Etsy. I am all about supporting individuals rather than business, so this was a great starting place. 

Very quickly, I noticed that Etsy is overflowing with talented people who make amazing printables for every walk of life and every need, so I was able to find what I wanted. 


My first purchase was Printable Planner Pages 2014-2015 - Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Notes, Perpetual - Letter 8.5 x 11 - Fresh Enthusiasm from Anima Vivo. It includes a monthly overview, a weekly breakdown, and a daily appointment sheet. In addition to those wonderful features, it also includes a note sheet. Tara (the owner and amazing creator of those pages) has given us a $2 off coupon on printable pages from her! Use the code GINGERSROCK to get your own printables today! 

My second purchase was Printable Planner Add-On Pages for full size notebooks from Pumpkin Girl Designs. This set included a yearly overview, a daily planner, a note sheet, contacts list, and dates to remember - her colors are fabulous and she has a lot to choose from too. 

My total for my Etsy purchases was $9.50 - a steal considering some planners for professionals (especially teachers) run upwards of $35! 

My next step was piecing it together. I printed out the yearly overview, monthly overviews, as well as two weekly break downs. One weekly overview correlates with the monthly overview, and the other weekly break down is specifically for classroom instruction. Click here to get the overview I created. I also printed note taking sheets for impromptu meetings or bright ideas. I made my own dividers using Publisher and my favorite quotes. 

I had it bound at Staples for $5. So, for $14.50 and some printer ink, I made my own planner with features I wanted! To see pictures of my planner - click here. 

I hope you enjoyed getting organized and our freebie for today! Check out both fantastic creators on Etsy and use the coupon! Tell her Lucy sent you! 

Until next time, loves 
-xo 

P.S. Strategy Saturday is just around the corner and I hear there's a giveaway! 

Strategy Saturday!

Welcome to Strategy Saturday - a weekly highlight of a best-practice that will help strengthen instruction and better prepare your students for success! This week, I want to talk about graphic organizers, vocabulary, and content areas. 

When I speak about content areas, I am talking about social studies, science, and math - pretty much any subject other than ELA. I am isolating content areas, because vocabulary is such a critical piece to mastering their knowledge, especially if you are a student who is at-risk. 

An at-risk student can be considered a student who qualifies for free/reduced lunch, a student who is ELL, or a student who is reading below grade level. A student can be at-risk in one or more categories, and that just raises the bar of need for that student, and should raise the bar for our teaching. That is where graphic organizers come into play - graphic organizers are a great tool to help students learn vocabulary in context and acquire words in such a way that their uses are transferable. 

Vocabulary has such a special place in my heart - I wrote my master's thesis on this (I can e-mail it to those who want to read 80 pages on vocabulary and special populations.) So, I've done the research and put it into practice in my own classroom, where every student meets at least one at-risk category. So, let's get on with how to use this in your own classroom: 

1. Select appropriate vocabulary. 
- Make sure vocabulary words are tier II or tier III words - these are the words that have multiple meanings, cannot have their meaning derived from context clues or are related to a specific discipline. Examples: constitution, denominator, civil, producer 
- Keep it short. I teach 5th grade and I do no more than 5 words per class session. Use your professional judgement. 

2. Create in-context learning. 
- For students who are at-risk, you CANNOT just simply give them the definition. No, absolutely not. We, humans, do not learn and acquire words that way. Even as adults, when we encounter a new word, we assimilate - what is it like, what is it not like, etc. We have to do this for our students - we have to scaffold that assimilation. You might have a child who speaks 4 languages in your classroom (I did) and that's a lot of vocabulary floating around their brain - help them nail it down. 

3. PRACTICE. 
- A student needs to interact with a vocabulary word between 15 to 17 times before they have gained full control, which means introducing it at the beginning of your lesson and not talking about it again is not a best practice. Make them use it. Hold them accountable. Don't underestimate their ability to use high academic vocabulary correctly. They will surprise you. 

This is where graphic organizers come into play. 

Miss Scott's Favorite graphic organizers: (All of these will be available to download - click here.) 

1. Frayer Model: The Frayer model is an all time favorite. It focuses on students classifying words based on examples and non examples. It can be a four or five square model depending on your class needs. I use a five square model, because all words should be able to have a visual representation to go with their definition. A visual helps when they can't remember the word or definition, they can remember the picture. I use this to learn new vocabulary words, so there's a lot of teacher given information on mine, but you can easily use this as a formative assessment for a unit (Fractions) or a specific vocabulary word (States of Matter.) The possibilities are endless. 

2. Vocabulary Matrix: These are great when you can group like words together. For example, I used a vocabulary matrix when we were learning about ecosystems, and my students created a matrix with the words: producer, consumer, decomposer, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore. All of those words describe organisms' place in food chains and food webs, so easily represented on a matrix. The matrix has similar components to a Frayer model: word, definition, characteristics, example, and visual. Again, it's helping students acquire vocabulary based on classifying. 

3. Cloze Reading: This is a great vocabulary strategy to help students gain control of the vocabulary through meaningful activities. Students have to practice using the words to gain control and to assimilate them fully, and it's our job to facilitate those interactions. Cloze readings can be easily differentiated (adding a word bank, pictures or hints), they can be easily generated, and can be used at all grades levels for almost any content area. The idea is simple - given a piece of text with words omitted, students can fill in the blanks using their content and vocabulary knowledge. I use these are warm-ups, review, assessments, or word wall activities. I have shared an example - I created it in less than ten minutes, but you get the idea. 

Wrap-Up
3 things you learned: Frayer models, vocabulary matrices, and cloze readings are just three of the ways to better your vocabulary instruction within your classroom. 

2 things you might have questions about: How do you create an effective word wall? How do you encourage students to use the graphic organizers once created? These will be answered in a later Strategy Saturday. 

1 interesting fact: A student needs to interact with a word 15 -17 times before they have acquired the full ability to use it. 

Remember: all materials can be found here! PLEASE leave a comment or drop me a line, I am looking for feedback if you liked, loved, or hated it! See you next Saturday! (: xo

Miss Know It All

Photo Credit: Art.com/Google Images

Hello, Thursday - it's so good to see you! Even though, it's the summer - it's still my favorite day of the week for silly personal reasons, so let's celebrate with a blog post! 

This week, I have attended RtI training - for those in education, it's Response to Intervention - a framework to better reach at-risk students and provide targeted instruction that is not just a referral to special education. While it is an overwhelming task and the documentation can swallow you up, it's a necessary shift to better serve our students. A presenter today said we have to unpack child by child - we have to identify needs of all students - we can't settle for mediocre instruction and expect mind-blowing results. 

To go along with RtI training, our district has posted the first units for all subjects, along with the curriculum overview for the year, which has turned my OCD planning and organizational switch on for the year. My mind has already started prioritizing standards and goals and making a to-do list that will be constantly running from now till June 2015. Whoever said teachers get the summer off can bite their tongue in half. 

I have really been reflecting on my practice and my goals for next year - teachers naturally do that, but during the summer, we spend more intentional time looking at our previous year and remembering areas of struggle that we can prepare for. 

I spoke a couple weeks ago about accountability, and I plan on using this a platform for accountability to make myself better and hopefully, make others better too, because as a teacher, that's my ultimate life goal. 

This will probably be a running and updated goal list (with pictures eventually), but here we go: 

2014-2015 Goals

• Create individual data notebooks for each student: At a 5th grade level, my students can track their proficiency and set goals fairly easily. 
• Create interactive math notebooks: I want my students to learn to take notes in a real world setting - that's such a valuable skill. With math, I can teach color coding, diagrams, and how to chunk information. I'm using address labels to easily post math problems in their notebooks. I want to incorporate more foldables too - I used graphic organizers this year, but I want to make more! I'm obsessed with helping my kids organize their thoughts with organizers that can be duplicated by them on their own. 
• Create a classroom library check out system: As book worm, I have an extensive personal library that my babes can use all the time, but I want to hold them accountable for checking out books - I need to develop a system that will be easily managed as a classroom job. I've thought about an iPad app (Book Retriever) or the old fashioned card system (like an old-school library.)
• Research: I want to become better at staying up to date with everything! I know what you're thinking, Lucy, you can't know everything and you can't do everything, but this is my livelyhood - my passion, a significant portion of my self-identity, and I will damn near try to have the most resources and the most knowledge in my brain that I can! 

Here are my goals, take this time to ask yourself: what are your goals? Professionally and personally - do you have a plan? Is it written down? Does someone know about it? Are you accountable? A dream without a plan is a wish, make it an action. Last time I checked, the dream is free - the hustle is sold separately. 

This weekend, my action will start, I will spend my time by the pool and read articles about best practices for ELLs in mathematics, because my classroom will inevitably be more than half Hispanic/Latino. 

Make your action start today! 

Motivation Monday - Lesson plan shawty edition.

Today's #motivationmonday is dedicated to teachers & their endless quest for perfection in their classroom. 

I am sitting in professional development for RtI - Response to Intervention, and I am mildly excited. The nerd, the reflective practitioner, the artist craves new information to better myself, to better reach my students, to make a difference in my school. I can't get enough, and just because, it is the summer does not mean that I stop seeking education and seek improvement. 

In North Carolina, times are tough for us - we know that, the world knows that, but do they also know how hard we work? How much we sacrifice - how our excitement grows with each back to school ad, professional development, and Teachers Pay Teachers sale? Do they know that? 

The NC Legislature and the negative Nancys' and Neds' who choose to believe their lies of raises and grandeur won't stifle my excitement for a new school year and new information to better my classroom - you won't do it, I refuse to let you. 

So, as my training begins, teachers - remember: teachers need the summertime to recharge and forget. So, spend your time recharging your tool box, your energy, your spirit and forget the negativity, the stress, and the work load. Remember why you chose this life, because it is a life. 

Photo credit: Google Images

Dear cupcakes...

Dear cupcakes, 

Today, I had a thought - what if I had never met you? 

What if, by some fluke, you wouldn't have ended up in my class? What if I wouldn't have changed my major to education that day my sophomore year? What if I hadn't been so persistent to get hired at this elementary school? What if we had never met? 

Would I ever meet someone who has as special as you, who was so innately curious about the world? Probably not. 

Everything happens for a reason, and there was a reason that you were in my class this year. There was a reason you were picked for me. I needed to be reminded why I became a teacher. I needed to be reminded that real lives, real issues, real stuff bleeds over into the classroom despite how much we try to seal ourselves off into a safe place. I needed to be reminded that you need an advocate who isn't afraid to challenge the typical or travel the beaten path. I needed to be reminded of those things. 

This isn't a one-sided relationship; however, you benefited from me too. We learned the Common Core state standards so well that you told me you practiced fractions in your sleep. You learned how to learn vocabulary words easily and what you need to help you remember them - most of you speak two or three languages, the words you know can get cluttered. I helped you sort them. We had parties, treats, and I taught you selfless love. How do I know you taught me this? 

You gave me a surprise party. You planned it. You brought in money, asked other teachers, and begged for people to hide the treats in your room. You did that, without being asked or told. That's selfless. You learn to love others how I loved you, and isn't that the ultimate goal of school, to become a better person all around? 

We've taught each other so much, and now it's over - another year added to the books, and I am so glad I spent it with you. 

This isn't good-bye, it's see you later - you have my number, use it. Call me, text me - I will be there cheering you on every day. 

Love you, mean it - 

Miss Scott 

I met my match.

I met my match in a third grade language arts/social studies job opening at a charter school in Raleigh. 

I didn't get it. 

I know what you're thinking, people don't get jobs every day, Lucy - this isn't a big deal. The unemployment rate is at epic proportions in parts of the country, people not getting a job isn't a big deal. 

Not getting a job is a big deal, and it is a big deal to me. For me, this is the first occurrence of this kind. Yes, in my twenty-four years, this is the first time I haven't gotten what I wanted professionally or academically. I haven't always been the prettiest or the most athletic, but I've always been close to the smartest, and refused to be outworked by anyone - call it boastful, but I know my strengths. I have never not gotten the job, until last night, when I saw the principal's name flash across my inbox, and I took a breath and read it. I reread it, and reread it again to be sure - yeah, I didn't get it. The competition was tough, we went in the best direction - blah, blah, blah - it all means the same thing - We didn't pick you. 

I took it harder than I thought. For my first disappointment in my professional career, I took it as hard as a boy breaking up with me. I cried, had a pity party, cried to my mom on the phone, blew my nose, and cried some more. I sobbed I wasn't good enough or not worthy enough, but at the end of the day, what good does that do? 

Truth be told, I am good enough - I am good enough for that richy-rich school and I am good enough at the 100% free and reduced lunch school and everything in between- I am good enough anywhere - it just wasn't my time. Say what you will about destiny and a life plan, but I honestly believe if things are meant for you, you will receive them. You will not have to sacrifice your dignity for your destiny. You won't have to make unrealistic promises or outlandish trades to get what you deserve. It will come to you - through hard work and perseverance, it will come to you. 

So, here it is Tuesday, on the last week of school, and my wounds are fresh from disappointment and already missing my students more than I should. I am a weepy mess, and that's okay. It's time to finish out school and place job-searching and life-searching on the back burner, because I have an itty bitty amount of time left with my best friends who are ten, and I will enjoy every minute of it, because for them - I am enough. I am more than enough (they threw me a surprise party - more to come later), and for me, they are my support system, my motivation, the reason I will probably end up single with ten cats and ten degrees, and not regret any of it. 

My tale for Tuesday - There is no elevator to success - you have to take the stairs. Sometimes, the stairwell closes and you have wait for another door to open, sometimes you have to go back down and take another set, and sometimes, you sit down on the stairs and have a party while you wait. Either way, however you do it - do it. Meet your matches and sprint when you can - work as hard as you expect others too. 

Until Thursday, my friends (: 

Filled hearts and refrigerators.

This weekend, my mom and dad came to see me and that was life changing in every way. 

It had been a very long time since I've seen my family. Trips home are expensive, and as a teacher, money is hard to come by, but time is also hard to come by, and for a whole host of reasons, this was our first visit in a while. 

I had surgery on Friday, and who doesn't want their mom to come when they have surgery? After a very long, long, long Friday, I finally figured out why I've been feeling so awful for so long. My stomach valve doesn't close, and so my body is constantly producing acid, which was making me feel awful all the time, but with modern medicine, I am already starting to feel better. I also moved this weekend, which is probably more interesting than hearing about my acidic stomach.

My new apartment is literally double what I was living in, and I couldn't be more happier! I have been looking forward to moving for a couple months - in fact, it's the only thing I've been looking forward too, given the state of my professional life. So, here I am, in a semi-unpacked apartment, with a heart and a refrigerator filled with love, watching The Little Mermaid, and attempting to relax before the EOGs start tomorrow. 

My students are ready. I am ready. I cannot focus on the anxiety that surrounds high stakes testing. A good/great/fantastic (whatever adjective you want to use) teacher does not let her students know failure is an option, because her attitude of excellence is so ingrained in herself and her classroom culture that her students do not know anything less. That is how I approach the next few days - by reminding my students that everything about them is amazing and that they are, by far, the smartest and most ready, because they're in my class. [: 

In other education news, this past week, the NC legislature presented a budget with an 11% raise! Can we believe our eyes? How generous of them? -_- 

Not. 

Don't be fooled by pretty presentation - they are offering a steak dinner on a trash can lid. Don't take the trash dinner. Don't eat their garbage. The legal jargon they have drowned the budget in is ridiculous - we get an 11% raise if we give up our tenure, if we challenge them in court, they put everyone back on the frozen pay scale - please, get your life, and take several seats, NC legislature. Go home. You're drunk. In a day and age, when teachers are leaving NC in droves, you are going to present this trash dinner - I'll starve. 

I don't know if I am going to teach for forever. At this rate, I'm seriously considering going to law school and fight them at their own game, but that's what they want - they want us to leave, so what do I do? What do we do, as a collective educational body? 

With the summer quickly approaching, everyone - educators and non-educators - need to be wary of anything that seems too good to be true, because more than likely, it is. 

In closing, it's the last week before the last week of school, and EOG week - I am going to make it one of the best experiences for my students that I can and with every action, attempt to show the world that there are teachers who do care and who do make this their life. 

Photo Credit: Google Images 

9 days.

Photo credit: Google Images

9 days. 

9 days till the EOG. 

Such a scary thought. 

9 days till my students are assessed on everything we have learned, practiced, discussed, and worked on the entire year. 

9 days till my reputation rests on the shoulders of 10 year olds. 

As a teacher, you have to disassociate yourself from the reality of test scores, and be the best teacher you can be every single day. I cannot be crippled by fear of failure on my part or the part of my students. Being afraid doesn't teach them to preserve and try their best. Being hesitant doesn't show them it's okay to make mistakes and try again and again. I am the best role model for my students and I have to set the tone of success, the attitude of excellence that needs to be poured into my classroom. 

I have been blessed with a group of students who know that knowledge and intelligence comes from hard work and lots of experience, and I have tried my best to give them that this year. I have to take comfort in the fact that I have tried my best, and they will try their best too. We are family. We are in this together. This is our journey and in 9 days, it's going to wrap up. 

To the next 9 days of my life and the EOGs, prepare to be defeated and bloodied by the most fabulous fifth graders ever. 

I'm Moving!

Photo Credit: Pinterest

That's right, I'm moving...




to a new apartment complex about 10 minutes away from my current one. (: What does this mean? This means I am staying in North Carolina. I am declining the job in California. 

Please save the you're only young once, you have one life speech for someone else. I am young. I only have one life, and I am choosing how to live it. 

Staying in North Carolina does not make my life less meaningful or exciting; on the flip side, it makes it that much more meaningful and exciting. A few carefully placed events in the past few days have showed me my life is here, at least for the next few years. I have built a name for myself as an educator and have made a life that I am proud of and love (most days.) So, I will respectfully decline the job to California, which was perfect and wonderful on paper, and who knows - it could have been in real life too. It just wasn't for me. 

This blog was created to chronicle my journey for new beginnings and my search for my place, and through this whole process, I have found what I was looking for. It was right in front of me. That sounds so clique, but it's true. Being forced to think about the idea of moving away forced me to see the amazing things that I have in front of me. It forced me to see that I am surrounded by friends who have become a tiny little family for me, a job that I love (most days), a city that I have grown to call home, and a few other things that I am keeping a secret for now. (: 

I can't say how long I'll stay in North Carolina. It will be for at least a year, maybe longer if I can re-enroll in school in the fall for a Ph.D program. I do know one thing is for sure - this isn't the end. It's very much the beginning, very much the fresh outlook I had been craving to make my life even more fulfilling and enjoyable here. In this moment, I will never be younger than I am now, so let's take a breath, enjoy the fact that the Ginger isn't moving too far, and be totally in love with life! 

Here's to a new chapter and a new apartment in an old city! 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

On a side note: My boo from college has started a blog: http://thejourneyof3cs.blogspot.com/. Please check it out. She does such a good job letting her voice carry across the screen and inspire others to do their best! (: 

Teacher Appreciation Week!

Teacher Appreciation Week. 

This is probably my favorite week of the year, aside from my birthday week. It's a week dedicated to appreciation everything educators, all educators, do for America's students. People have this idea of a teacher being some old schoolmarm with a line of apples on her desk and no husband, and everyone thinks she is mean. 

THIS IS NOT A TEACHER. 

A teacher is someone who inspired you in school, and school can be elementary, high school, and college; a teacher is someone who drove you to do your best. That's a teacher. Teachers take all shapes and sizes and wear a lot of different hats, and they all deserve to be appreciated. This week means everything to my profession, especially in North Carolina. We have taken a beating this year, and there is a large group of us who keep coming back for more. 

Why? Why do I keep coming back? 

Because, my passion is education. Teaching is a life style. It's a large part of my self identity, and my heart is endless with how much I love my students. That's right - I love your child as my own. I haven't had my own children, that is irrelevant. My capacity to love and make your child believe in themselves is something I take very seriously about my job. It's my hope that this week you take time to appreciate that. Appreciate the teachers who hug your child when you aren't there, who encourage your child when you can't, who remind them that they have a million and one things to offer this world when you can't. We are a team. We aren't enemies. We both want the best for your child and that's the most success they can achieve. 

Appreciate your teachers. Appreciate our jobs - for most of us, it's our life. 

I may not ever have a lot of money. I may not ever get to afford to take a vacation, because my classroom needs pencils and glue or one of my babes needed new clothes or a backpack. I may not ever get to spend a weekend doing whatever I want, because my duty to my passion outranks binging on Netflix, but I know one thing - I will have impacted so many lives that the count is innumerable. I will have made a difference that will continue long after I am here. I will have showed a child that they are loved and valued, and that they are the most important person to me, not just for 180 days, but for their whole life. My oldest class will be in 8th grade next year, and guess what? They still run to greet me in Food Lion, and still tell me that they love me and they mean it. 

So, take this week to appreciate the people who educate your whole child. It's not about the presents. It's not about material goods - just say "Thank you." It will be enough. I promise. 

On a side note: The school from California is providing me a contract today or tomorrow. We will see what happens. 

Motivation Monday! (:

photo credit: Pinterest

While Monday is almost over, the need for motivation never is! 

It's been a while since I have blogged, especially about my search for a new home and a new job, and it's because my present has been so busy that I haven't had time to think about my future, which may be a good thing! 

Over spring break, instead of seriously job and soul searching, I relaxed. I took a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding, and it was marvelous. I spent time with my best friend and my family and it was exactly what I needed. I actually read a book for fun - not to tell my kids about, not to learn more best practices - just for fun, and it was so necessary for myself. I participated in a creative writing group that I worked to get accepted into, but have neglected due to work and school, and that was so nice to have people recognize me apart from my job or profession. I realized, over spring break, that a large part of my self-identity is wrapped up in my job. I'll leave that for another blog post. (: 

We are in the midst of EOG review, which is a work-out for me and my kids. Critically thinking for 90% of your day is exhausting for everyone, even the grown-up in the room, so it's been a challenge to help my kids adjust, when I can't even get myself together half the time. I can't complain though - my students are such hard workers; their work ethic will put anyone's to shame. My part time job has finally wrapped, and I am so grateful for that opportunity. The world knows I already didn't make enough money, so having a second job has more than helped out with expenses, but it will be nice to have the time back to focus on school and the potential of another job. 

I have an interview for the job in California on Wednesday via Skype, which is very exciting, but at the same time, I am almost numb to the experience. I think my mind has put itself on auto-pilot while job searching, because it's so overwhelming. I get so anxious that I won't be good enough or I won't make the right decision or I won't like the outcome - I worry more about the outcome than I do about the journey, and it shouldn't be that at all. I need to enjoy the journey and be prepared for an outcome either way. Some people would give up a lot for this opportunity, and I have to take advantage of it. So here's to California and good news! 

With Monday winding to a close and Tuesday getting dressed and packing its lunch to report for duty, take a moment to breathe and remember that this is your life. No one else owns it. No one else is owed an explanation or an answer or a justification. It's your's. You do what you want with it - however little or big it is, you do it. If all else fails, just remember Jay-Z and Beyonce are going on tour together this summer and all will be right in the world again. 

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this, why do you worry about the rest?" Luke 12:25-26

Photo credit: Pinterest

Photo credit: Pinterest

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest/Bluntcard 

Feeling frustrated? Waiting for greatness? Wishing for fame and fortune? 

Stop, pause, and enjoy #workingwomanwednesday! 

It's been a week since my last post, and while my job search has slowed and I haven't heard much from other schools, my life has still be a whirlwind. I've been having small moments, where I've been rethinking relocating or leaving my current school, and who knows why? My mind and my life are entities of their own. I can make plans, I can fill out applications and I can call and interview, but at the end of the day, if God and the world has another plan for me, then it all doesn't matter. I have had to come to terms with this lately, that there are times when things are legitimately out of my control. That sounds so stupid, especially since I am 24 - you would think I would have learned or observed that by now. I am an obnoxious control freak, bordering on the point of therapy, and up until now, everything I have wanted, at least in a professional sense, I have gotten. This is the first time I have ever had to slow down and wait. 

Realistically, that's neither here nor there, because I have a current job and current cupcakes, who need me and my undivided attention. We are preparing for EOGs and my students and I are preparing for our version of a championship. My students work so hard and are so very wonderful - I couldn't ask for a better class, and after seeing their Case 21 scores yesterday, they don't have such a bad teacher either. (: 

That brings me to my overall point on this halfway rainy, halfway to spring break Wednesday - today, praise yourself. Take a moment to stop and praise yourself. Don't wait for someone else to do it or someone else to notice - you will be waiting forever. Treat yourself kindly and love yourself. Your opinion matters more than anything else. 

This is so very important to me right now, because I am seeking to believe in myself internally as much as I appear believe in myself externally. I want you to do the same thing - make your inner voice match your outer voice. All of those things you want to hear from someone else, make yourself say them. Don't let others influence how you feel about yourself. You have one self - spend your life loving yourself, and what the world thinks won't matter. 

Photo courtesy of Pinterest 

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo Credit: Kush and Wizdon

Wednesday - my favorite Addams family member, not quite my favorite day of the week, but I am a sucker for alliteration. (: 

There have been so many little moments in this week that have reminded me how grateful I am for my life and the people in it. My students, despite having mock EOGs three days this week, have kept positive spirits and handled it well. My mom has called me twice to wake up, since I forgot to set any alarm (Where do they do that at?) I haven't been to the beach since my senior year of college, so pretty much a million years ago, and my best friend and I planned a two day trip that I could not be more excited about. When you need reminding, your life will remind how much you have and how blessed you are and that's a beautiful thing.  

On the job front, since that was the main purpose for this endeavor, things have quieted. I could not afford to travel to California at such short notice for an interview, so they are working to schedule Skype interviews with me, and I have made a list of places I am interested in. As most in the educational field know, teachers hold onto jobs till the literal last moment, so right now, we are in a waiting game. We can definitely cross any place outside of the US off (for now.) Again, this is a journey - journeys aren't meant to a straight path or even a mapped course. You have to chart your own way. People can come if they want, but remember: success isn't an escalator, it's a staircase. 

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Working Woman Wednesday.

A little inspiration to get you going on this #workingwomanwednesday...

GIF credit: http://julielovenbury.com/category/bf/

"For me, an area of moral clarity is: you're in front of someone who's suffering and you have the tools at your disposal to alleviate that suffering or even eradicate it, and you act." - Paul Farmer 

credit: Brainy Quotes 

My best friends are ten.

"I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. They answered me: 'Why should any one be frightened by a hat?'

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Then, I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained." courtesy of GoodReads 

The other day, I was speaking to my friend, my adult friend, and I caught myself saying, "My friend Jane..." My friend immediately stopped me and said, "Jane? Isn't she one of your students?" We laughed it off, and moved on to another topic, but the slip of my tongue gives a lot away about myself. 

My best friends are ten. My students are my friends. I spend more time in their presence than I do with anyone else. Everyone can save their "You shouldn't be their friend" crap for another poor soul, because the reality is that makes me a great teacher. The literature on best practices is exhaustive, literature on reaching students of special populations is equally represented, but very few people mention the fact that if your students don't like you or do not feel supported, they won't work for you, and they won't learn. I had a professor in college tell someone who checked on my references that I was too passionate - you can never be too passionate, you can never love your students enough. It's a strength, not a weakness. The world should be concerned when teachers lose their passion and their love for their students. My decision to relocate and seek other avenues for my life has nothing to do with my students, but it has everything to do with what they are teaching me. 

This post began with a quote from The Little Prince, one of my favorite stories (and I recommend that every single person read it multiple times), and I couldn't feel more true about it's sentiment. The narrator, an airplane pilot, had dreams of being an artist, but grown-ups criticized in the way grown-ups do, and dashed his dreams, calling his clearly dangerous boa constrictor a hat. He was afraid to draw again, because of others' opinions, and how true is that for all of us, all of us who have already had grown-ups tell us that no one would be afraid of a hat? My students show me every day don't be afraid and don't care what people think. Wear what you want, act how you want, and inevitably, you will find someone and somewhere in the world who appreciates that. My students are fearless, and that is a true lesson I have learned from them. They come in every day almost totally unaware of what we are going to do that day, but they meet each day with a smile and an undying passion to learn and live and have fun. It's that lesson that has comforted me in the thought of leaving and starting new. 

To my best friends - thanks for teaching me more than I could ever teach you. 

Photos courtesy of Google Images

The Boa Constrictor 

I turned down a job in Morocco.

Today, I turned down a job in Morocco. It was at a prestigious institution with a halfway decent benefit package, but I did not take it. It wasn't for me. 

In the past few weeks, an interest in changing jobs and relocating has grown from lazily browsing overseas recruiting sites to diligently completing applications and writing cover letters. I am actively pursuing a different avenue for my life, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am scared. I am scared of rejection. I am scared of change. I am scared that I am making a wrong decision. 

I have had to take a step back in this short journey and ask myself - why? Why am I scared of such silly, truly pointless concerns? Is it because that I have grown up, grown comfortable, or grown complacent? All of those are awful realizations. I never want to grow up. I don't like being comfortable, and being complacent is one of my biggest fears. I am not called to be average or mediocre - my attitude, Beyonce, and Jesus tell me so. I need to pursue a new job and a new avenue for my life just as I pursued my bachelor's degree, my master's, and excellence for my current students. I have to take that step, I have to shed that fear, that heavy, pointless, sinking fear and chase the life I have always dreamed of living. 

So, here it is, a blog about my journey - my journey for a new job, my journey of overcoming fear, and most importantly, a journey for the life I've always imagined. 

Here's to being a ginger on the move...