My First Day as a Real Live Teacher

I just wanted to say real quick like: I didn't die, pass out, or vomit in my class in front of my kids today. Though if I had died in front of them I wouldn't really care if I had. Since, you know. I'd be dead. But thankfully I survived. The kids were actually really great. I guess I was expecting the absolute worst. But they came in and sat down. When class started I hollered at them to be quiet and then got going on expectations. And I was mean. A mean ol' lady. Well, that's what I was going for. I like to think that I achieved that. I just keep telling myself that I did. And then I will be a grouchy teacher lady tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next ... I hope :D

The best thing for me was being prepared. Obviously this makes a Huge difference. But I am glad that I was overly prepared and had plenty to do with the kids as opposed to not enough. Now I have to get all the way ready for tomorrow. And the next day ... :)

But it was a good day. I enjoyed it. Once the kids were in my room I knew that I had to get down to business and be a real teacher lady to them. So I did. Even though I was nauseous all morning long (not even close to kidding, actually I've been nauseous about this morning since I found out on Friday). And I was shaking like a person on crack. And at one point during the day my foot was suddenly paralyzed. Weird. But all the sudden my toe was stuck and contorted in my shoe and painful, very painful. So, I guess maybe it wasn't paralyzed since you can't feel anything when you are paralyzed. But I was only one step away from having a paralyzed foot. It's true.

Anyhow. I just wanted to let you know I was still breathing and that I survived the day... and that it turned out to be a pretty good one. Except for the part where I got tired of talking and ran out of water and had the driest mouth ever and was parched like a desert and had to pee sooooo badly but had to hold it for five and a half hours. But other than that ... : )

ok! maybe I'll share my first day of school picture with you guys when I have a little more time to function.

Also, I just wanted to thank all of you for your sweet and encouraging comments!! I don't have the time to respond to all of you, but know that I am very grateful! And I will catch up on your blogs here soon!

yesterday, today, tomorrow

I didn't do 1000 gifts yesterday. I kind of forgot in the midst of my newly acquired busy schedule : )

My classroom is done. Well, as much as it can be. There is paper covering the bulletin boards and that's pretty much it. I'm just trying to keep my head on straight! It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. School starts tomorrow! Ah! that means kids will be there and I will have to teach them. yikes!

And I have to go. I will give a more through update here soon.

news news news

Guess what, y'all?!

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ah!!!!!!!!!!

as you can see I am very into the exclamation mark at the moment!!  : )

Yep, that's right. A job. A real live teacher job! bah! You are lookin' at the newest teacher on the block.

9th grade English.

That's freshmen. Freshmen. Big, scary, smelly, wonderful freshmen.

And school starts on Wednesday. Wednesday. That's one, two, three, four, five days away. Yes, five days from now I will be standing in front of my new students, sitting at my teacher desk, in my classroom.

Ah!!!!

And yay!!!

So, any teachers out there? Any freshmen/high school teachers? Help? How do you go about getting ready for your first day of school? Syllabus? Seating chart? Decorations? Expectations? What do you do? Where do you start?! Any and all help or advice would be most very welcome!!! also, prayers would be wonderful. I will need them :D ha. so will my students!

crazy!

five days!

bah!

ok.

pretty places

I may have mentioned a week or so ago that I have recently discovered the wonder of Pinterest. Now I can see how it can be Incredibly addicting. It's amazing. Really.

Now that I've been looking around a little bit on there I have found a few places I would like to be...

can you say perfect? 

All beautiful and different and wonderful for a completely different reasons. And now you know where I wish I were. See? I've found so many pretty places on Pinterest : ) 

a little surprise

The other day my supervising teacher from my student teaching days sent me a text asking me if I wanted some books. Well, heck yes I wanted some books. She told me one of the other teachers from my student teaching days had a bunch of books and wanted to know if I wanted some. I did. Yesterday I went over pick them up. I was expecting one box of books. Welcome the best surprise of my life. Ever. Okay, maybe not the best surprise of my life ever, but still it was pretty darn good.

There were three whole big boxes overflowing with books. I about died of happiness. I love books. I love that now I have a pretty nice library for my classroom. bah! I love it! So much so that I stood outside in the extreme heat looking through each box. Looking at each book. Ignoring the fact that I was an afternoon snack for the local mosquito gang. When I got inside I counted 38 bites on my legs and arms, hands and feet. No joke. They itch so much!

Anyhow. That's how much I love books. 38 bug bites worth. Extreme heat worth. Now, I just need a classroom to share them with  : )

Also, I just have to say I have the best supervising teacher ever. And the best teacher friends ever. Oh, I am blessed.

What surprises have you been surprised with lately?

Menu Planner

For about the past year I have had a little note pad with the days of the week on them. It was the perfect and cutest little menu planner for the week. On the side it had a spot for a grocery list. Amazing. Sadly there were only 52 papers and when I went back to get another menu planner just like it at the store, they didn't have them any more. Sad, but true. So for the past few weeks I have been planning our meals on list paper, which works fine and all, but it's really not the same.

Today I was out and about, which means: I was at Target, I found the perfect solution. Well, the perfect cheap solution. You see I have seen fancy planner thingys at the store before, they have the days of the week, spots for names and all kinds of goodness. They also happen to be a little more than I would care to spend on such an item. Today I was in luck. I wandered back into the back-to-school section of the store and saw a little white board. The packaging said it was magnetic (even though I didn't see magnets on the back of it) and three, no six, dry erase markers came with it. bah! So exciting! And the best part was that it was on sale for very very cheap :D

When I got home I opened the packaging and found the magnets that you could stick on the back if you wanted to. I wanted to. I mean, I needed to stick it to my fridge some how. I was soooooo excited! And then, after I did the taping I actually got to write with the dry erase markers. I have a thing for dry erase markers and boards. ooo. I Love writing on them/with them!! It's pretty much the best thing in the whole entire world. ...good thing I'm a teacher : )

So now I have a permanent solution to my menu planning. It's cheap, it's fun, and it's magnetic. It's also long lasting. Which I like.

I thought about making a little something like this:

via

Which is so stinkin' adorable and cute and fun and I LOVE it. Every single bit of it. But I decided after looking and thinking it over that I wouldn't have a perfect spot to hang it. Well, I could... but I am cheap, and while this project isn't too pricey, it's a little too pricey for the time being. Maybe after I get a job I can make it... One can dream, right? If you do decide to take the plunge and make this cute little bad boy you really need to tell me and then take pictures of it so that I can envy applaud your effort. For now I'm sticking with my mini white board. 

Anyhow. That made me happy today. The white board and the thought of one day making the darling menu planner board. 

  

just a few gifts

Today is Monday (though I'm sure you might be painfully aware of that fact). That means it's time for some more gifts from this week... 

14. Visiting family.

15. Birthday cake.

16. Slobbery toddler kisses.

17. Soft and squishy baby hugs.

18. Hot tea with honey.

19. Reading, for pleasure.

20. Enjoying the sweet aroma of baking banana bread.

21. Crocheting with friends.

22. A surprise phone call from a friend far away.

23. Learning, again, that God has the perfect plan, though tears and trusting him for his perfect timing.

24. Dreaming about running a marathon with my sister and brother [note the dreaming, I haven't taken the plunge yet...]

25. Riding in the car with The Hubs and chatting about nothing in particular.

26. Sipping a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino on a hot and sticky day.

27. Birthday presents.

28. New fluffy pillows.

29. Journaling in a real live journal with pink, purple, and blue pens.

30. Folding laundry while watching a movie on a warm afternoon.

31. An encouraging, supportive, and strong husband who works hard and provides for our little family.


Now it's your turn. Go on over and link up with Ann and share the gifts you have been given.


Happy Monday, y'all.