199/365 - Reliving My Childhood

So for my birthday, I asked my siblings to chip in and get Super Mario Bros Wii for me. I got it a week early and played it non stop. This game combines all of the older Super Mario games from all of the old systems. If you're a fan of Mario games, this one is phenomenal and I recommend it to anyone!!



199/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

198/365 - I'm Not Lame

I decided today that Mitten, my teddy bear needed a bath. So into the sink he went with some laundry detergent. I may or may not have also used fabric softener. I'm really cool sometimes. He's super soft now!



198/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

197/365 - Shoes

Have you ever stopped and taken a minute and asked yourself what you would do if you were in someone else's shoes? Especially someone who does some great and amazing thing that makes a huge difference in someone's life. Sure, most of us have, and the general consensus is that we give them props for doing what they do, but could never see ourselves doing something like that. Maybe it's a lack of time. Or a lack of energy. Or a lack of money. There's always some reason we find that prevents us from being "that person." I saw The Blind Side tonight and it was a phenomenal movie. I would recommend it to anyone and I would go see it again and it's definitely one I will be buying. It's amazing how a small sacrifice to one person can make a world of a difference for another.

It's so easy to look at someone else's life with a judging eye and a finger of scrutiny, but unless we really know their story, what gives us the right to do that? Everyone comes from somewhere and each little event is a small part of a gigantic puzzle that makes them who they are. There are things in life that are unforeseeable, speed bumps we can never prepare for, and all we can do is hope for the best and look for the lesson that surely will come. Sometimes it's hard to see the good amidst all of the bad, but it's always there. I know that there are things in my life that have been on the unfortunate side, but I have learned from them and I try to practice looking for the good. Sometimes it takes years to see the good or the lesson in something, but it always comes.

I believe in karma and I believe in paying it forward. Do unto others are you would have done unto you. Go a little bit out of your way to do a favor for a stranger. Smile. A smile is a gift that we were all given and I think we should use it as much as possible.

If you were given the chance to make a difference in the life of another person, would you do it?



197/365
Lake Rim - Fayetteville, NC

196/365 - Animal Show

This afternoon we had an animal show for students who met a fundraising goal for cookie dough. There were a lot of exotic animals and the kids loved it. I, along with 6 other staff members, got to hold a gigantic yellow snake and it was so cool! I can't wait to see the picture of that!!



196/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

195/365 - 1-2-3 Excited

Tonight was the first grade music showcase at school. I had a handful of my kids show up and we had lined them up in the cafeteria and we were just killing time, so of course I took some pictures. And of course I played my favorite game ever... "1-2-3 *say an expression and the people need to make a corresponding face*" It's always a great hit!



195/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

193/365 - Morning Glory

Driving to school this morning I saw the most beautiful sunrise. Probably the prettiest I've seen since I've lived down here.

193/365
Gillis Hill Rd. - Fayetteville, NC

194/365 - Ice Cream Cures

Nothing turns that frown upside down better than pizza, ice cream, and hanging out with a friend. Oh, and calling yourself at school to see what your voicemail sounds like and leaving a message for the next morning that totally makes your day. (Yes, I did that and it really made my day!)



194/365
Eileen's House - Raeford, NC

192/365 - Baby Frog

At recess today, there was a big puddle from all of the rain we've been getting. I was telling kids to stay away from it and I looked down and saw something move and discovered this little guy. I was like "OOOOOOH A FROG!!!!" and of course all of the kids came a runnin!



192/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

191/365 - Mother Nature's Wonders

It rained a ton last week because of a hurricane in the Gulf. It was finally warm and nice again on Sunday so I went to the Cape Fear River Trail with Laura to take some pictures. I went to get some shots of the train trestle and I got some pretty ones, but this one definitely takes the cake for the picture of the day. The colors are gorgeous and fall as finally hit North Carolina. It was here before, but with all this rain the colors are out in full force. This picture puts me at ease.



190/365
Cape Fear River Trail - Fayetteville, NC

190/365 - Going Up

This weekend I attended a workshop on data in the classroom in Southern Pines. There were teachers from several surrounding counties and it was really cool. I learned some strategies that I could implement in the classroom. Even better, I made some new friends that I am really excited about. I love new people!! On one of our breaks I was wandering outside and saw a very picture worthy spot, so here it is.



190/365
Southern Pines, NC

189/365 - Dance Dance

Today was Friday and we got to have Footloose Friday. They absolutely love ending the day and the week with dancing and it always helps me end on a good note too, which is never a bad thing! Sometimes the simple things are the best and most appreciated.



189/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

188/365 - The bubbles, the bubbles, the bubbles!!!

I hadn't taken a picture yet for today and needed to relax, so I thought a nice bubble bath was due. Bubble baths are amazing. I wish I had more time to relax. I'm the kind of person who always needs to be doing something. I'm not sure I know how to slow down. I'm content with my ways though, so it's all good.



188/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

187/365 - Mmm Mmm Good

Today we didn't have school in honor of Veteran's Day. I got 12 hours of sleep and spent the day cleaning out my closet and putting a lot of my summer stuff in storage. I cleaned the apartment and vacuumed and mopped all the floors. I was in the freezer for some reason and saw/remembered the box of turkey burgers I bought a while ago and apparently forgot about. I took the box out and saw a suggestion for Hawaiian burgers on the back and decided that's what I was going to make for dinner. I've never made them before but I'd say they turned out well! Yum!



187/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

186/365 - Rainy Day

Today was my first batch of Parent Teacher Conferences. It was a long day, but they went well! It was a good day to be inside all day. We're getting the aftermath of a hurricane so it's been raining a lot the last few days.



186/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

185/365 - Turkey Tom

This sits outside one of the kindergarten classrooms. I think it's adorable.



185/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

184/365 - Mmmmmudslide

I bought this to drink at the Halloween party and never did. Tonight sounded like a good night.



184/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

183/365 - Simply Saturday

Wow, I am halfway through my blog for the year!!

Crunching leaves, chirping birds, rustling branches, quiet laughter. Today was a simple day. I went to Clark Park and the Cape Fear River Trail with a friend to shoot some pictures. It was a great way to spend my Saturday morning/afternoon. It was nice out, there weren't a ton of people, and it was relaxing to just be in nature with some good company. I don't take enough time to myself to relax and reflect and today was just that. I got some good pictures.

Every morning on my way to school I pass a cotton field and I noticed a green chair sitting close to the road, watching the field. I've been meaning to take a picture, but it's always dark on my commute. I went into school today to work and finally had the opportunity to get this picture. It just makes me think SIMPLIFY.



183/365
Raeford, NC

182/365 - First Grade Fun

Today was a fun day! Our story this week in reading was about ice cream so I decided to let the kids who earned it make ice cream in a bag today. I had 10 kids make the ice cream and it was a big hit. The other 6 kids who were there got to write sentences... "I will listen the first time." Surprisingly none of them threw a tantrum. Maybe next time they will stop screwing around and focus.

I've been reading Magic Tree House books and right now I'm reading Dawn of the Dinosaur. I was at a part where the kids had spotted a dinosaur and were hiding, so I crouched down behind a chair and started whispering the story because I was hiding. Then I told the kids to hide too before the dinosaur found them and they all scrambled under their seats. It was cute. First grade is wonderful!



182/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

181/365 - Snuggles

Ella sleeps on my bed every night and it's my favorite thing ever!!



181/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

180/365 - Field Trip Fun!

Today we went to the Gillis Hill Farm for our first field trip. We had so much fun and really enjoyed ourselves. We got to go on a wagon ride and see the property and some animals and some old vintage farm equipment. We watched a movie about what life on a farm is like. We got to see a puppet/animal show which the kids LOVED. We ate lunch by the pond and got homemade ice cream. We even got to take home baby pumpkins which the kids loved! All in all, it was a wonderful day! Thanks Sally for organizing it!! The kids had a blast! You're wonderful!



180/365
Gillis Hill Farm - Fayetteville, NC

179/365 - Accidents Can Be Hilarious

So we're coming in from recess today and my little guy here was having a hard time walking and I couldn't figure out why. I go over to see what's up and it turns out his shoes are stuck together. He got new boots that have the little loops at the top to wrap your laces around before tying them. Somehow the loop from one boot got caught on a part of his other boot and he couldn't separate his feet. It was so funny!!



179/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

178/365 - Birthday Celebrations

Tonight a bunch of us went out to Red Lobster to celebrate Kelly's 25th birthday. It was my first time going and we had a great time! In a sense, Kelly got me hooked up with my job and I've extremely grateful to her. I love North Carolina and all of the friends I've made. I love being a teacher and I love first grade. I'm the happiest I've been in a long time, so thank you Kelly for helping make that possible!



178/365
Red Lobster - Fayetteville, NC

177/365 - Dark Chocolate Delight

There are some things in life that just make everything a little bit better. Boy was I in a mood today. One little thing got me started that didn't even have anything to do with me, which led me to laying around all day and wallowing in my sorrows. I am the type of person who likes to be a fixer. I like to know that other people are happy and okay and if they aren't I try my hardest to change that. I'm not quite sure why, but my mood is very heavily based on the energy I feel from other people. I am very good at sensing how people feel, even if they are trying their hardest to hide something. Making others happy makes me happy.

I bought some dark chocolate hot cocoa today and boy was it amazing. Hot chocolate is one of the simple pleasures of life and on a day like today, I needed a little pick-me-upper.



177/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

176/365 - Halloween

Tonight a bunch of teachers hung out and had a costume party. It was a blast and I loved hanging out with people outside of school! I love my staff and the friendships I've made so far this year!



176/365
Stephanie's house - Raeford, NC

175/365 - Triple Trouble

Today was a mandatory work day at school, allowing us to have time without students to get report cards done and just have a day to get organized. I was obviously productive.



175/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary School - Raeford, NC

174/365 - Prayers

Today was a very reflective day for me. I was talking with my sister on the phone about a friend we both went to elementary and high school with who had been in a really bad car accident back in June. She suffered severe head trauma and is still recovering. There was a marathon in Grand Rapids and a ton of people from school and others who know her or the family were involved and I was looking through pictures and it just got me thinking.

There are so many things to be thankful for in this life. I believe each of us has a gift that we were given to share with others. It may be a talent such as writing or playing music. Maybe it's making others feel good about themselves. Maybe it's the gift of a smile or empathy. No matter the gift, I think it's important to share our gifts with others. Now I wouldn't exactly consider myself the most religious person I know, but I have discovered what my gift is and I try to share it with others every day. Life is too short to be anything but happy and we need to look to each other for sunshine to brighten our days. We also need to take the sunshine we have been given and share it with others. I try to do this every day. You never know what huge impact a little smile can do...

I love you. Pass it on.



174/365
Fayetteville, NC

173/365 - NEW CAMERA!

I got my new camera today! It's a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi and I am so excited!!! I used my signing bonus to pay for it. I love it so far. There is this gorgeous tree out in the parking lot and it was the first thing I look a picture of. I hope to take many beautiful pictures with this camera and I hope it will help me obtain a career in photography. I'm posting two pictures. One from the morning when we were doing pumpkin math (taken with the old camera) and one from the afternoon when I had my new camera! Yessssss!





173/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary School - Raeford, NC

172/365 - Candy Math

Today we used M&Ms to practice estimating. It was fun and the kids loved it!!



172/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary School - Raeford, NC

171/365 - Nightmare

Today was my first observation. It was also wear pajamas to school day because "Drugs Make You Lazy." We are doing Red Ribbon Week for drug awareness and it was cool seeing everyone in PJs. However, for my observation, my class was absolutely ridiculous. It's the worst they've ever behaved and I was fuming all day. Anyone who even look a glance at me knew something was wrong. I think I handled everything okay but OMG I hope I don't have to deal with that again. I've only had 2 bad days all year and this was one of them. Lovely. At least I got to wear pajamas.



171/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

170/365 - Five Dolla

For $1.00 apiece, these are some of the best relaxation CDs ever. They are great in the classroom and they are wonderful to listen to at home. I love the dollar store.



170/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

169/365 - This is What Productivity Looks Like

The principal opened the building for a few hours today, so of course I went in to get some work done. Three hours later (at 3:00pm) she told us she was going to be going home and locking up the building. I decided to ask if she minded locking me and Sally in to get more work done. We stayed until 11:00pm. Yes, on a Saturday. We ordered pizza and everything. So yeah, I pretty much live at school and this is proof. I got so much done. I got all of my stuff organized and files and I felt really good about myself. I was on such a role that I came home, ran a mile, put in a movie and stayed up until 2:00am grading papers and organizing my data for report cards. I'm awesome, I know. Don't be jealous.



169/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary School - Raeford, NC

168/365 - Dunk Tank!!

Tonight was the Fall Festival at school. They needed volunteers for the Dunk Tank. You better believe I was first to sign up for that! It was so much fun!!! This is the first (and hopefully will be the only) picture that I did not take myself.



168/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

167/365 - Ms. Clark

We have been working on different types of thinking maps and we decided to do a bubble map to describe me, and a double bubble map to compare Mrs. Shively and myself. I thought it was cute.



167/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary School - Raeford, NC

166/365 - Words Cannot Express...

At school we have a bulletin board for the teachers to stick up little positive notes to other staff members. Me being the kind of person who is really into that kind of stuff was the first person to stick notes up. Since then there are probably close to 30 or 40 notes now. At a staff meeting a few weeks ago we were talking about school-wide student incentives and one of the other first grade teachers told our principal that at her old school to encourage students to reach their goal, they said the principal would go up on the roof and do the chicken dance if the students did their part. I happened to be sitting near our principal and told her, "Let's do it! You know I'd totally go right up there and do it with you!" And she responded, "I KNOW you would!"

Later that afternoon I was telling Pam, one of the other first grade teachers, about the story and she thought it was funny. We carry on our conversation and she's working on some stuff when suddenly the chicken dance comes on. She had it on a CD and found it and played it. I told her we should go find Ms. Dowless and plug it in and play the song to see if she says anything. We walked down to the office with the CD player and I decided to check outside and see if she was still there. She was already in her car, so Pam and I decided to run outside in the rain doing the chicken dance and catch her. She thought we were nuts. Now it's this gigantic laughing joke with us.

Every once in a while when I go through the office, I either hum the song or do the motions and it usually gets a chuckle. I've gotten a few other people in on it too and it just makes me laugh. I'm so weird...

This was on the bulletin board today. I can't stop reading it. She's only written notes to a small handful of people and to know that I'm one of them really makes me smile.



166/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

165/365 - My Babies

Lord, Please help me,
To strengthen their voices,
bodies and minds,
To express their feelings and
control them sometimes,
To explore what's near
and venture afar,
But most important to love
who they are.

One Hundred Years from now
It will not matter
what kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
how much money was in my bank account
nor what my clothes looked like.
But the world may be a better place because
I was important in the life of a child.

165/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

164/365 - Halloween is in the Air

One of my students had these gloves on today and I thought they were sweet. Halloween is close! Next week we're doing an autumn unit and it's going to be so fun!



164/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

163/365 - Euphoria

Laura and I went to see Where The Wild Things Are today. I loved it! I thought they did a really great job turning the book into a movie and giving it more of a story. It seems that people either liked it or hated it, but I enjoyed it. Even if it wasn't based off a book I think it would have been a super cute movie.



163/365
Fayetteville, NC

162/365 - Blazin'

Tonight I went over to Derek's to hang out/grill/play Guitar Hero with some teacher friends. It was a blast and nice to hang out with some new faces! I had a great time. I bought these garlic and mozzarella sausages and we grilled them and they were delish! It was a great night.



162/365
Derek's house - Raeford, NC

161/365 - Germies

I'm trying really hard not to get sick and so far I've been golden. I wipe down my 4 tables with a Lysol wipe and every day my wipe comes away filthy. I know most of it is just like pencil lead that rubs off onto the table, but still, it's gross!!



161/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

160/365 - Let's Talk About Feelings

So at school we got these Second Step kits which are basically for violence prevention. So far in our first grade set we've talked about feelings and how we can tell what others are feeling by being detectives and reading body language. Today I used the mental file folder I made at the first Teacher Academy and turned the morning "feelings" chat into an hour lesson and I loved it. This is a great example of a teachable moment and I have no regrets about cutting time off of other lessons. First graders need to learn that the best way to have a friend is to be one and empathy training is a great way to teach this.



160/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

159/365 - Little Learners

"It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts... it is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and always think for themselves." - Robert Hutchins



159/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

158/365 - My Second Home

This is my home away from home. I spent on average 12-14 hours a day at school. A day. I love my job though and I don't know why I was so afraid to dive right in. I absolutely am in love with my team. Jodi, Pam, Theresa, Sally, Miranda, and Christen are all phenomenal and I value each and every one of them in their own ways. They have been so supportive and swept me right under their wings. I look forward to seeing them every day among many other staff and students at school.

Teaching certainly is not a six figure job, thought it should be. Check it out. I found this somewhere and messed with the numbers to make it applicable to me.

Let’s put things in perspective and pay us teachers for what we do, baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right. Let's say $3.00 an hour and only the hours we worked, not any of that silly planning time. That would be $19.50 a day (7:00 AM to 3:30 (or so) PM with just .25 min. off for lunch). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for us teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now do the math. How many do we teach in a class, 20? So that's $19.50 x 20 =$390.00 a day. However, remember we only work 180 days a year!!! They're not going to pay us for any vacations. LET'S SEE... That's $390 x 180= $70,200 per year.

What about those special teachers and the ones with master's degrees? Well, they could just pay them minimum wage, and just to be fair, round it off to $7.00 an hour. That would be $7 x 6 ½ hours x 20 children x180 days = $163,800 per year.

Wait a minute, there's something wrong here! My salary for this year is 30,430/180 days = $169/per day /students = $8.45/6.5 hours = $1.30 per hour per student. A very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even try - with your help - to EDUCATE our kids! WHAT A DEAL... And the parents don't even have to buy pizza!

All in all, I would never trade my job for the world. I don't teach for the money. I could care less. I always said that if I could live off hugs and volunteering I would. I live to see smiles on my students faces or that moment when something finally clicks and they GET IT. I live for teachable moments; moments that aren't planned into a lesson but just happen. I am looking forward to a long career ahead of me.

158/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

157/365 - Monday Funday

Twice a week Mrs. Carter, the P.E. teacher, has an hour long fitness class after school in the gym. There's usually 6-8 of us there and it's fun. I get a really good workout in and it's fun to hang out with other people from school that I don't get to normally interact with. I hope it helps me get in shape. I've got half of the battle down, I just gotta watch what I put in my mouth. That part needs work.



157/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

156/365 - If Only I Had Time...

There have been a lot of great books coming out by authors I really enjoy. Good thing I have so much time to read for pleasure these days. I can't think of the last time I've been able to read for pleasure. I'm going to try to read a chapter before bed every night. I miss reading.



156/365
My apartment - Fayetteville, NC

155/365 - Ummmm

So today I went to this workshop that I was honestly expecting to get a whole lot more out of than I did. Let's just say I was pretty disappointed and it was a long day. Our friend here was also obviously enjoying his time.



155/365
Hoke County High School - Raeford, NC

154/365 - Crisp Fall Leaves

While walking my kids outside for recess today I looked down and saw this beautiful leaf. It made me smile and think that fall is really here. The colors are so pretty. North Carolina falls are definitely going to be a little different from Michigan falls, but I look forward to it anyways. I've been very happy down here thus far! And I hope it continues to be awesome.



154/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

153/365 - Fire Safety

This afternoon we had a Fire Safety presentation which was really cool. A few firefighters talked to us inside and then we got to see the inside of an ambulance, a fire truck, and we even got to use the hose to "put out a fire." The kids loved it! I love love love this picture!



153/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

152/365 - Looking Down

I always love looking for pictures to take from different perspectives. So at recess today I was following some of the kids around and looked down and thought this would be a cool picture.



152/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC

151/365 - Success

Today was a great day! I've been struggling with fitting in my centers during my literacy block and I finally got organized and successfully did all four full rotations today with my groups. I was so happy. I put a lot of work into it to try to get something that works and I did it today! I'm getting the hang of this!!!



151/365
Rockfish Hoke Elementary - Raeford, NC