And so it begins...

The first thing you should know about me is I'm a list-maker. I begin almost every day with a list. That list could be a schedule including details from when I intend to wake up and eat breakfast to a list of goals for that particular day. This blog is to help me get away from that list from time to time.

Today's list was pretty detailed because August 1st is a wake-up call; hey you (it says), summer is almost over. To another adult, this might mean different traffic patterns and the ability to go to the store without seeing kids during the day. To me, a teacher, this means the same thing it did as a student: goodbye summer break! It also means that I need to start hammering out tangible plans for this school year.

This isn't really my first year teaching, but it is my first full year of teaching. I graduated in December with my BS in English Education and was immediately hired into a 7th grade intensive reading position. I took that on with much gusto and little idea of what I was doing. With lots of support, I was able to pick up the curriculum and survive that first year. However, I want this year to be completely different. I'd really like to start off with a classroom management plan in place and a good idea of what I'm doing rather than jumping in unprepared like I had to last time. That is why my list centered around "teacher work" today.

Let me just say that Pinterest is amazing. Whoever thought that up is clearly a genius! Pinterest is definitely what got me interested in fashion, simple yet gorgeous weddings, intricate hair styles, and now, teaching resources! Tomorrow's to-do list will include awesome projects like a Common Core Standard folder system, an absentee system, my supply table organization plan, and a few other classroom management ideas. For links to this cool stuff, check out my pinterest page here.

So, what can you expect from this blog? At first, probably just a journal of my first few days of school. After that, I'd really like to make this an encouragement by showing how I manage my time to be an effective teacher, fitness/ health enthusiast, fashion participator, and whatever else I choose to be. I want to hear your stories, interact with you, and hopefully provide a little comic relief from time to time. If you're a teacher and you have awesome ideas and resources, please share!

Thanks for reading! We'll talk again soon.

Sincerely,
Stephanie