Thank you!!

I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to the super awesome fantastic amazing <insert adjective of choice here> 9 who are following my blog. A few months ago, I was a long-term substitute teacher looking for additional resources to support a Chris Van Allsburg author study unit I was attempting...and I came across a plethora of ideas thanks to OneExtraDegree.

From there, I discovered TONS more amazing teacher blogs filled with more lesson plans, ideas and activities than I could've ever imagined. I think I was following at least 20+ blogs in my first few days!! They reignited a passion for teaching that I had long forgotten (due a bad experience in my previous teaching position) and I made it my New Year's resolution to join in...

...since then, I've managed to earn a few followers of my own and feel a little overwhelmed that anyone is reading this li'l blog much less listening to my squirrely thoughts. So, to those who are following me and those reading this for the first time, thank you. Additionally, in March, I officially became a full-time, permanent staff member - Go Cougars! With teaching jobs in the deaf/hard of hearing field few and far between...this has been the biggest blessing this year. =D

Spring Break has ended and the beginning of the fourth and final quarter has begun...report card comments, progress notes and grades are completed. The majority of testing is over (with two or three more smaller tests coming up in the next few weeks) and it's time to cram as much into my kiddos heads as possible before they leave me and the school forever! Cannot believe they will be going off to middle school in the fall and leaving! *SOB*

Whoever designed the 5th grade curriculum is a genius, however, and we're ending our ELA unit with memoirs...a perfect way to reflect on all that we've learned and experienced this year. I'm brainstorming how to best modify the unit for my kiddos and see what we come up with.

What's worked best for you? What have you enjoyed the most?

STAY TUNED!!!

Currently...

WELL...it's time to get back on the road and head on home...but before we do, here's a little Currently - for April.

S-P-R-I-N-G B-R-E-A-K...

is FINALLY here!!!!

Can I just say...you KNOW you're a teacher when you're constantly checking the clock and thinking aloud, "well, it's 10:45 now...I should be setting up my centers for reading..." when you should be kicking your feet up and enjoying the days of NOTHINGness.

But alas...that's what I have found myself doing. Wondering what day of the week it ACTUALLY is - I do believe I need the calendar routine more so than my students. Incidentally, we've about 4 more days for Spring Break and I'm working hard not to think about anything but S P R I N G    B R E A K!

So far...the Mister, Li'l Mister and myself have managed to have a bit of fun. We packed our bags and drove south to the Carolinas and have:

• visited with old friends
• visited with the Mister's family and had a great day at the local park - discovered the Li'l Mister REALLY enjoys the swings and burying himself in the sand...
• took the li'l Mister to Riverbanks Zoo - his first zoo visit. ABSOLUTELY loved his expression of shock and awe at all the animals
• been avoiding my impending work load (so far...)
• increasing my love for Pinterest and finding all sorts of scholastic and not-so scholastic goodies.
• am currently visiting with my grandparents - namely, my personal hero, mentor and best friend in all things, a fellow teacher, my grandmother.

I've also managed to survive the month of March which was filled with a not-so-tasty smorgasbord of IEP meetings and even yuckier state testings...BUT...it finally, mostly over and now it's time to geared up for the last two months of school!!

But for now...it's almost 4:00 and that means that my day is almost over. DOH! See?! There I go again...not allowing myself to forget my regular school day schedule.../sigh/ maybe some Pinterest-ing will cure me?

How are you all spending your Spring Breaks?