Kinder Tribe Linky Party-Getting to know this Kinder Teacher

I am linking up with the Kinder Tribe for their first Linky party. Below you will find a little bit about me.

Ever since having my daughter I have learned to love coffee! I drink it with lots of flavored cream or just lots of cream and sugar.  I have found that I function better when I have had a cup of coffee in the morning than on days that I do not.  

I absolutely LOVE flair pens!!! I just went and bought a new set yesterday and don't remember them being that expensive but they are worth it because I love the way they write.

I discovered Sneezy the Snowman a couple of years ago and have found that it provides a story that can help teach many different standards.  My students love making predictions while reading the story, revisiting the story and recalling the details in order and adding on to the story using their imaginations.

Mrs Wills' always has such great inspirational ideas on her blog!  I love how she writes as if she is having a conversation with you.  

My absolute favorite part of teaching Kindergarten is seeing the major growth that EVERY child makes throughout the school year. Even my lowest child makes drastic improvement from the beginning of the year.

I hope you have enjoyed learning more about me!  Click here to go back to the original post and get to know other K teacher bloggers.  

Five for Friday

I am once again joining with Doodle Bugs Teaching to summarize my week.  I feel like it has been an  uneventful week, but after traveling for two weeks I am perfectly ok with that.  

Luckily I have amazing in laws who were willing to watch our crazy dog while we were away.  He did get boarded over the 4th of July weekend so that they could go away as well.  While he was boarded he must've picked up kennel cough, he got the shot for it when he got to the vet but apparently it works best if given a couple of days before boarding.  He has been on cough medicine and antibiotics all week.  It is a very odd sound to hear when he coughs.  

Since being home my baby is now more of a walker than a crawler.  She will still crawl periodically but prefers to walk.  It is a whole new "ball game" now that she is walking.  She is into everything and I feel like it is harder to keep her interested in things because she always wants to be on the move.  I love and hate it all at the same time!  

This week involved lots of unpacking of bags and suitcases.  I  feel successful because I was able to unpack and put away the majority of our stuff while keeping the baby entertained.  Usually I would've saved this for nap or after she is in bed but there was so much to get done and unpacked.  

I got a Lilly planner!  I am hoping that it helps me to stay more organized both personally and professionally.  I am planning on keeping it in my purse so that I always have it on me and can use it for both home and school.  I have been feeling overwhelmed and as if I am not getting anything done.  Hopefully making lists in the planner helps.  

Our 2 year anniversary is Sunday and for anniversary/birthday presents we decided to get Fitbits.  They are supposed to be delivered today and we are both excited for the UPS truck to bring them.  I am sure I will have updates next week.  

Hope that you guys have all had a relaxing yet productive week!  Check out what other teachers have been up to this week by clicking here and looking at the bottom of that post.  

Five for Friday

Happy Friday!!! I have taken a break from this Linky Party for the last couple of weeks because I've been busy simply enjoying the summer and spending time with my baby.

These past couple of weeks have also been busy weeks of traveling which included visits with family and friends. We made it to Michigan Saturday afternoon!  I get so excited when I see the Pure Michigan sign.  

Being "home" also means we get to visit all of my favorite places that I miss so much! Guernsey's has the best ice cream I have ever had. A. has never wanted or liked ice cream before, but she loved it from there. She must just know good ice cream. 

We also went to the splash pad near my dad's house. It was our first time visiting a splash pad. It took her a while to warm up but she ended up loving it. 

Since we are "home" my family has been eager to entertain my little one which has left me with some free time to work on my classroom decor packet.  The numbers and letter are already posted in my TpT store I am currently working on center signs and job cards. I also have many more ideas to include in this packet. I am hoping to have it posted on TpT by next week.  

I also worked on finishing some TpT items that I started in the Spring as part of the TpT Sellers Challenge. My students loved these centers and they truly helped solidify their subtraction skills. I noticed a few mistakes in them when using them with my students so I was finally able to look at them more closely and correct (hopefully) all the mistakes.

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable week!! Check out what other teachers have been up to by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom. 

Have a great weekend!!

Rock Your First Year Teaching Linky Party

Happy Wednesday!!! I have joined up with Teaching with Crayons & Curls and My Mommy Reads to offer new teachers advice and to help them learn from my mistakes.  I am very late to the party!  I had started this post about a week ago and never finished it.  This weekend was a crazy weekend and we are preparing for vacation so I have not had time to sit down and finish it.

Your first year of teaching is something that you have envisioned for a while. It is a time full of mixed emotions-excitement, fear, happiness and stress.  All of these feelings are perfectly normal and I'm sure the majority of teachers can relate to them. I always have these feelings as the beginning of the school year approaches and this will be my ninth year of teaching.

1.  Take notes of what went well and what you could do better. I always had a lot of ideas that I thought were great but when I actually did them there were lots of room of improvement. 

2.  Find a good support system to collaborate with at your school.  They may be other teachers on your grade level or teachers not on your grade level.  These people will help keep you sane, develop lessons and help you to realize that things will be ok and it's not the end of the world when your lesson does not go as planned.  

3.  Take time for yourself. Do not immerse yourself in work that you are not giving yourself time to breathe.  Go for a pedicure, go out for drinks with friends, read a book, visit with family.  Do whatever makes you relax and get back to your happy place.  You will be a better teacher knowing that you have had time to yourself.  

1.  Do not stay at school working until the wee hours of the night.  You SHOULD NOT be closing the building down each day.  While it is good to be prepared and plan for the following day you need to take time to be with your family or by yourself and enjoy time away from teaching.  Working and having your brain think about teaching all the time will eventually leave you feeling burnt out.

2.  Don't stress if an observation doesn't go as planned.  There is always room for improvement.  This is where a good support system really helps out and helps you realize that while your lesson did not go as planned it also wasn't as bad as you think it was.  

Enjoy your first year! Know that you will make mistakes and that's ok. It will be a year full of learning for your students as well as yourself. Learn from your mistakes and know that the following year will be even better. I feel like my second year of teaching was my best year of teaching.

I hope that this provided some guidance and insight to help you have a successful first year of teaching.  Click on these links here and here to see what kind of great advice other teachers are offering!