Almost There

A lot has been happening in the last two weeks. I accepted a position at a wonderful school in Pre-K ESE. It was not the job I had set out for but I am excited for this school year and all of the adventures I'll have as a brand new teacher.
I have spent almost two weeks getting my room in order. I started out with a mess of "things" in the middle of a small room. It's all coming together nicely. I still have more that I hope to add but that will come in the next few weeks as we build our routine and establish our rules.
Here is my cute little room...

Little Pinterest projects for the classroom

When I first began thinking about what I wanted my classroom to look like, I thought about what makes me feel calm and relaxed. I have to be honest, my favorite room in my home is my little cowboy's room decorated in gray and yellow. It's soothing, calm, and relaxing.

 

I have noticed in many of the classrooms I've been in that relaxing and calming are not popular themes. More like primary color explosion! I think bright and cheerful is wonderful but I also know from experience that too much color and "stuff" everywhere makes for sensory overload for certain kids.

 

I want my students to walk in to my room and feel at home, peaceful, and ready to learn! I will have some bright colors here and there (don't worry, it won't be b-o-r-i-n-g, just calm) but primarily the room will be gray, yellow, white, and aqua.

 

I also am a BIG fan of chevron so chevron will have a huge role to play on my classroom décor. Here are a few things I have made for my classroom while I wait for my position.

 

Chevron Cork Board

 

This was inspired by this pin...

http://www.newlywife.com/pinterest-challenge-nailhead-trim-inspiration-board/

 

 Lollypop Treat Pot

 

Inspired by...

http://www.repinlink.com/diy/2013/3/14/cheap-cool/

 

 

This next Pinterest inspired creation was my favorite so far...I found this pin:

http://love2sisters.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-monday-garage-sale-stool.html

 

I love the idea of a small stool for circle time, I'd be closer to the students and still very comfortable. I started looking for the right canvas for my inspiration and happened upon this not-so-beautiful ottoman at a garage sale. I purchased it for $3 thinking that if it didn't work out atleast I wasn't out much money. I purchased some chevron fabric for the cork board pictured above and some spray paint and set to work. It was (badly) recovered with fabric so I wasn't too worried about covering and protecting it as I was just simply going to remove it and re-cover it.

 

 

 

I spray painted the legs- word of advice if you try this project, make sure to pull up the fabric around the legs and spray paint them all the way. I ended up having to touch mine up. Remove old fabric and cut a piece of fabric to fit. Staple with upholstery staples on all sides, pulling fabric tight. Tuck and fold around the legs and secure with hot glue and more staples.

 

Ta Da...

Perfect circle time chair

First Grade Photo Op

 

I am just a-waiting and waiting to hear about my first teaching position. I've got two potential first grade positions lined up and I hope to hear soon. In the meantime, I'm not wasting time!

 

 I wanted to create a cute frame for first day of school pictures. I happened to have a frame that I bought for my little cowboy's birthday party that I spray painted aqua. This is what it looked like before (ok, ok, I really just wanna show off my little cowboy)...

 

 

 Then I found inexpensive letters at Hobby Lobby and painted those gray and yellow.

 

 

Since I'm not positive I will be teaching first grade, I didn't want to attach the letters in a permanent way. I used Velcro with sticky back to attach them.

 

 

I found cute little owls and just couldn't resist adding them (my theme is owls). I also added some yellow chevron ribbon that I got a great deal on (and lots of it) from Very Jane. P.S. if you haven't discovered that site yet, run...I have found so many treasures! LOVE that site.

 

Here is my little cutie firstie modeling the finished masterpiece.

 

 

Where Are We board for my sanity

While I was in my last internship, I taught in a co-teach environment. We had 30 students and with that many students it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was in the restroom, library, front office and so on. We also had a lot of fire drills. As a newbie teacher I was nervous that I would forget a student in the middle of that madness (never happened). I mentally "pinned" the idea to make a board to keep track of who was where at any given time of the day. Nowadays it is unfortunately really necessary to be prepared in an instant to leave the class or secure the class with everyone safely accounted for.

So, yet again I surfed Pinterest for ideas and found this little gem...

                                  First Grade Fabulosity

 

While you are checking out this cute project, you should stop and stay a while at her blog. It's adorable. I got a lot of ideas from her.

 

I had been given a couple of cookie sheets from teacher friends so all I had to find was the perfect paper and marbles.

I found paper at Michael's and also at Hobby Lobby. The Marbles I found at Michael's but found them later much cheaper at the Dollar Store.

 

1. Modge Podge your paper onto the cookie sheet. I had to measure and cut two pieces to fit.

 2. Cut out contrasting paper circles or scallops (I used my scalloped hole punch for this) and Modge Podge over the entire thing.

 

3. The next step is finding a one inch circle template you like, adding numbers and labels. I used Nurses Office, Restroom, Front Office, Class Errand, and Other. Print, use one inch whole punch and cut them out. Then Modge Podge the paper to the flat side of your marble.

4. Once you have MP'd the daylights outta those marbles (that's Modge Podged for short), you are going to need to attach a strong magnet. I first used the roll of magnet with the sticky back but it wasn't a strong enough magnet to hold the weight of the marble. You want the little round magnets that have a strong hold. I used E600 glue to attach them, just be careful to place them a distance away from each other as they dry or they will try to attach to each other.

5. The final step is drilling holes for the ribbon if you plan on hanging your board. My sweet husband is going to do it for me when he gets a chance.

Here is my (almost) finished Where Are We board.

 

Once I get my projects in their place in my classroom I will post more pictures so stay tuned!

 

What to wear to work part 1

I've been a stay at home mom for almost 8 years now. Most of what I own in my closet is casual attire- jeans, tees, a few sun dresses. Planning a wardrobe for a teacher is a bit harder than I expected. Of course you want to look your best. Dress for success and all of that. The problem is you also have to be comfortable and able to bend over, crawl across the floor during circle time (gotta hear my whole-brain learners "TEACH"), and lift heavy objects from over head at times too. This series will be my introduction of an outfit that I found to meet these criteria:

1. Fashionable and pretty.
2. Comfortable.
3. Flexible and classic (for my budget's sake).

Outfit number 1:

 

Forgive the tired face and bad selfie. I took this at the end of a very long day. This is the outfit I chose for teacher interview day. I shopped and shopped and stressed about this outfit and I was totally in love with this pick from the moment I tried it on. This dress shape is perfect for a curvy girl like me. Fits well on top and is flowing and pretty from the waist. The cut is also longer for a dress in this style which I love.

 

Where to find it:

The whole outfit is from Talbots and wow are you in luck if you shop soon. It's on sale! Worth every penny that I paid for it but a great deal for a classic outfit you will wear again and again.

 

Rose Silhouette Dress

 

Pink Flamingo Charming Cardigan

 

The belt was also from Talbots however I'm not able to locate it on their website. I love that they carry belts that match their colorful cardigans because a belt adds a lot of versatility to a classic piece that can be worn many ways.

 

I wore basic black pumps from DSW. Another piece in my wardrobe that can be worn again and again.

 

What do you wear to teach? Have you found a store that always has something you love? Any other tips or tricks for a teacher wardrobe? I'd love to hear from you.

 

 



Starting my adventure with lots of waiting and crafting

I just graduated with my Elementary Education degree with certification in k-6th grade. I'm also a mom of three, wife, and avid baker/crafter. Clearly I love to multitask.

I'm hoping that this blog will not only help me while I wait for "the call" with the perfect position this year, but also will be a way to remember my journey. I have learned so much through research and...uh...pinning my booty off. Maybe some of my first year discoveries will be helpful to other newbies too!

So I'll start off with a simple project that I found on Pinterest (of course). During my internship I learned a lot from the two teachers angels that mentored me. Their classroom was phenomenally organized which is something I love but have a hard time accomplishing sometimes because my thoughts are so crazy busy that once I start organizing things I get distracted and start organizing something else, and well...before you know it I have about 5 projects that are a mess. Bummer. Working on it.

Anyhoo, one of the things I loved about their classroom was that there was a place for EVERYTHING that needed to cross their desk. If something needed to be copied, there was a bin for that. If something needed to be used during the week, it was in the folder labeled with the day it would be used. If something needed to be graded, it had it's own folder. So practical!
I knew I wanted to keep my desk that way to help me keep on track with teaching and not distracted with clutter. So, when I ran across this template on Pinterest I was almost giddy. Lame I know, what can I say? I'm a nerd and proud of it.

Editable Three Drawer Organizer Labels

There are a lot more cute color themes out there. My color scheme is primarily gray, yellow, aqua, and green so I chose this template and here is how I used it.

1. Download, add text (I used Copy, Grade, File) print, and cut the template.

2. Modge Podge template onto a three drawer organizer. I found this organizer at Wal-Mart for about $8.

 

3. Finally, let dry and enjoy!

 

I have seen others use double sided tape and after completing my tool box organizer, I'd probably go that route if I did this project again. I say that only because it's easier and with certain designs I think the ink might bleed a bit. I'm getting to be a huge fan of double sided tape. I used a lot of that to make my class journals today!