Monday, February 23, 2015

For the Pregnant (and not so pregnant) Teachers: A Product Shout-out

Dry, cracked knuckles, greasy hair, sagging eyes. I'll try not to mention your wrinkled, peeling lips. These all seem to be the ailments of a busy teacher, especially a pregnant one. I'm writing this shout-out to pregnant teachers near and far because I myself am a pregnant teacher. But these cures aren't only for the pregnant profesoras, they can be for all of you teachers (male and female) that dedicate so much time to anyone and everyone but yourselves.

Let's start first with the dry, cracked knuckles. You use Lysol wipes all day long to clean off the surfaces your students so love to soil. You also use hand sanitizer likes it's going out of style. Let me suggest a newly discovered favorite of mine that you can use not only on your hands, but your entire body. Cetaphil. I was turned off by the smell of the lotion at first because it smelled nothing like the Bath and Body lotions I get in surplus every Christmas. But it does wonders for my skin and protects my hands from the demands of being a teacher. The off-brands work great, too.
 Image result for kroger brand cetaphil

Next, your greasy hair situation. Maybe I'm the only tired teacher on this planet, who knows. But I know I'm not the only brunette who wishes that I could go just one.day.more without having to wake up extra early before school just to wash, dry, and style my professional hair. I finally had the chance to get my hair cut in a last minute appointment after school. I was describing my woes to my hairstylist when she recommended a root lifter called "Aveda Volumizing Tonic." It's meant to lift your roots to give more volume, but for me, a brunette, it works like a wonder-solution for my hair and it saves me from having to wash my hair every single day. Put it on the spots you most want to lift, blow dry, and enjoy the coming days of not having to wash and dry your hair every single early morning before school.
Image result for aveda root lifter
Your poor, sagging eyes. I have nothing ingenious to add to the list of remedies for sagging eyes, but I do have a personal experience. Being an avid coke drinker and 'frequenter' of the gas stations each morning before school, I realized that once I became a part of the pregnant fold, that I needed to cut back. My solutions for quenching my thirst while keeping my energy up. Sleep and water, duh. It's a hard pill to swallow for us brown-nectar drinkers, but a good night's sleep and lots of water is a natural way to feel good. And your eyes will thank you. (So will your teeth, and everything else.) Don't get me wrong, a coke every once in awhile never hurt anyone. 
Image result for delicious waterImage result for good nights sleep

Last, but not least, the focal point of your greatest speeches. (Okay, maybe the focal point is actually your impressive Prezi, but hear me out.) It may be the season, or the bitter winter cold that we endure during bus duty and recess duty, but I spend most of my days turning to write on the board while attempting to hide the unsightly piece of skin overtaking my lip. But I've found a pretty remedy for my lips that doesn't require me to rub my germ-infested hands around in a little canister. Introducing: Rosebud Salve. A great buy from Sephora.
Image result for rosebud salve
Whether you're pregnant or not, I'm sure at least one of these pains inhibits you from having a better day at school. Since our job is all about putting yourself aside and answering the greater call to help others; I'd encourage every teacher to do at least one, simple thing to feel better.  

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

A Little Introduction to the Lady behind "The Modern Day Miss Honey"



I have been involved in education for many years. I've enjoyed my time as a 6th grade teacher for the last three years but got my start in 1st and 3rd grade. I am the 6th grade team leader and I enjoy learning from and teaching the other teachers around me. Math, science and literacy are three of my favorite subjects to "create" new material, but I love learning and growing in every other subject area.
I love to begin every lesson with something that makes my students sit on the edge of their seats. When I know I've got their attention, It's time to start with giving good directions and clear expectations so that I can set them out to explore. I believe in teamwork, exploration, high-expectations, and rich extensions.
I have been blessed with opportunities to extend myself as a 2nd year as the 6th Grade Team Lead (CTL) and I was given a neat honor called the KSL Teacher Feature Award in 2013, by one of my sweet students. 
I started my education in Idaho in the Nursing and Biology fields. I realized that my passion for these subjects came from wanting to educate others about those topics, so I became and Elementary Education major and have been teaching ever since. (I've always found ways to incorporate my biology background into my teaching. Whether it's something we actually 'have' to learn or something we just get to talk about.
I am a visual learner- so the things I love to upload and download tend to be things for the bulletin board or things to put inside of a notebook! I love new ideas and I truly believe that the best ideas are built off of many ideas. Just like the African Proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Let's all go together, and make teaching an enriching place to be enjoying.

New In Town

I took a little break from Blogger for awhile so that I could really focus on lesson planning and unit development. It feels so good to be back to blogging and to be able to brush up on how to add new gadgets to the blog! (Thanks to Ms. Fultz's Corner for your helpful video!) I love that the creativity of being a teacher never ends and that there are so many outlets for us to share our creativity and to connect with other educators.

Getting started on Teachers Pay Teachers has been a really fun experience for me, too, because it has allowed me the chance to create some quality units and activities for my current group of 6th graders, and I love the chance to refine myself as a teacher. Thanks to Ms. Fultz, I have the TPT widget over on the side of my blog to give you a preview of a few of my items for sale and just for free.

Speaking of TPT and becoming a new seller, I wanted to mention of couple of sellers that I have really liked as I have been working to build my own classroom curriculum. It's always good to pass on a few great ideas, right? So here are the two that I'm lovin' big time right now:

1. Gingerlock's Classroom- She's got some great things, especially for upper elementary students. Simple, new to TPT like me, but she's got good 'meat' in her downloads.
2. 21st Century Math Projects- He's so good, you almost want to hate him. But you can't because that would be stupid.

I'm looking forward to more opportunities to create, inspire, be inspired, and learn.