I definitely did not intend to ignore this blog over this past school year. I completely meant to post throughout the school year but you see, life happened.  My husband and I welcomed our second little boy into our family in mid-March and the months leading up to his arrival were spent preparing our other son for his little brother's debut. The year was truly a whirlwind of school, life, and everything in between. With that being said...I'm ready. I'm ready to hit the ground running. I figure I can schedule in a blog time during my week when both boys are napping at the same time (ha!). It's a goal. I'm hopping I can keep up. I'm participating in the blogger book study on Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild. I'm not sure how that will look or how to really contribute. But I will find a way.

Creating A New Attitude

This past school year was a rough one.  It was my first school year after an enjoyable summer break after having a baby. I went back to school after a six week maternity leave the previous school year in March and then only had about six weeks left of that school year. It was an easy ride merely because there was spring break, testing and an easy-going group of kiddos. Going back this past August was difficult only because of my little man who I was leaving behind after spending so much time together during my summer break. But then once school got started, I seemed to nose dive because I missed my sweet boy and my class was very high maintence compared to my previous year.  But...I survived! I may have aquired a few gray hairs and wrinkles along the way but I came out a better teacher because of what I learned from those kids.

So I decided that this summer was a time of rejuvenation for me. I knew I needed to do something to boost my spirits and such in order to prepare for this new group of students who will step over the threshold of their new classroom and I'm determined to create an atmosphere of community and family.

I started my summer off my ordering my very first Erin Condren teacher planner! She had a wonderful Teacher Appreciation sale in May and after seeing several posts on Instagram, I decided to make the plunge!  I LoVe it!! I am so anxious to start writing in it!  Each year I tend to reinvent the wheel by creating a new lesson plan template and then just storing them in a binder (boring!) and I've never been happy with what I've come up with. After using a store bought planner while I taught middle school and doing just fine with it, I knew this would be easy to transition back to.

I've read Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer and I will never teach reading the same...ever...again!!  My school really pushes AR (and I do believe it has its positives) but I think what Miller has to say is absolutely beneficial to the students. I will be using her ideas from here on out.

Third, I have been blog stalking left and right...up and down....forward and backwards! On Instagram, I've began following many teachers who post their teaching ideas and document them through photos.  I'm a Pinterest addict.  There I've admitted it! During commercials, as I'm waiting for dinner to cook...I'm looking for new ideas. Any ideas are fine...organization, anchor strategies, projects, etc...you name it, I've pinned it!

And lastly, this...this blog!  I love the Keep Calm quotes and I figured why not incorporate it into my title. Keep me accountable, please!

Who Is the Teacher Behind the Blog?

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher.  I'm not sure when it exactly started...maybe when my parents hung a huge chalkboard in my bedroom when I was in elementary school or maybe when I was old enough to realize that I could make a difference in the lives of learners.  When I started my education classes in 2001, I didn't really know where I was called to be - elementary, middle, high school.  I just knew I wanted to teach.  I spent the majority of my teaching placements in an elementary setting and I always enjoyed it.  I will be honest though - my first job was not in an elementary setting.

I received a phone call from a professor at the college that I attended wanting to know if he could suggest my name to a principal from a middle school for an opening in a 6th grade position.  I agreed - I was desperate (newly married, desperately wanted my first job).  I had a very informal interview with the principal and was offered the job the next day.  When it was offered, she gave me the choice - a reading/language arts or math/science 6th grade position.  I took the math position (to this day, I'm not sure why).

After 3 years in the middle school setting, I decided it was time for a change.  I took a 4th grade position in the district I graduated from and I've been there since.  Weird fact on the 4th grade position I took - I replaced my husband's teacher (along with all 3 of his siblings) that he had in 5th grade AND was placed in the exact same classroom he was a student in.  I've been in this position for 4 years and I enjoy it as much as when I started.