Distance Learning

As if teaching 7th Grade math in person wasn't hard enough...let's go online, during a pandemic!

Things that have been good during this "distance learning" time
1. [7th grade] Math is about the "how" of the problem more than the "what" of the problem
2. Getting out of the box and really changing things up - teaching and learning
3. Focus on responding to problems not just answering them (C-E-R format)
4. Support from my administration staff has always been great but it has just stepped up tenfold
5. Connections with my kids have gotten stronger, not with every kid but with a handful of them

Things that have been a challenge during this "distance learning" time
1. I miss my students. Like SO much.
2. I never realized how much I really LOVED going to school and being in that space
3. I am a social creature and NEED in person interaction because
4. I miss my coworkers
5. I miss my classroom

4 day work week

That's right yall, you read that right!
4. Day. Work. Week.
You know that article that is circulating Facebook and other social media, about that school district in Colorado that is all the RAVE, being bold and out there because they have a 4. Day. Work. Week.
Yeah, that hip and cool school district, that's my new school district. And I am here to tell you, this 4 day work week thing - It's pretty sweet.
But in all seriousness, you have GOT to try this 4 day thing. Why have we not thought of this sooner? It is amazing. I can't tell you how great it is to have a three day weekend EVERY WEEKEND. The time to recharge is amazing. It gives me time to decompress and spend QUALITY time with my family. Don't get me wrong, cramming everything in is challenging. Teaching everything the state requires in 4 days instead of 5 is a lot. Not to mention the days I work are longer to compensate for the shorter week. But honestly, I am at school from 730-5 or so everyday anyway regardless of when I have kids. Kid hours are 830-432, which is a long day but again 4 day work week. It makes the calendar so much easier to manage too. Potentially by the end of year I will feel differently but right now, this is AWESOME stuff.

Some Cons:
Childcare - butttt what about districts on year round? Right? Plus it is only one day of full day childcare - which is sometimes a holiday anyway because I have Monday's off not Friday's - not to mention that snow and other weather are awesome at coming in on a Monday instead of mid week too.
Time - we all complain we never have the time, and a 4 day week cuts that time but, the ME time - yall we need that time to recharge and reconnect with ourselves and our families
These are really the two big ones I can think of.
Like I said so far I am loving the 4 day week. 

After a Decade

A decade of teaching. A. DECADE. 

Here is what a decade looks like for me:

3 states. 4 districts. 6 schools. 8 classrooms. 13 administrators. 333 students. 1800+ days teaching.

Year 1: cross category special education grades k and 4

Year 2: self contained emotional disabilities grades 3-5

Year 3 and 4: General Education Second Grade

Year 5: General Education Fifth Grade

Year 6: General Education Third Grade

Year 7: General Education First Grade

Year 8: General Education Fourth Grade

Year 9: General Education Fifth Grade 

Year 10: Sixth Grade Math Teacher

Here is what I know about teaching after 10 years. It's hard. For those in the back...IT'S HARD. And I don't mean the standard duh it's hard it's your job hard. I mean really hard. Heart wrenching, bone tired, belly aching, beyond exhausted HARD. And sure I could have gone into a different career path, one where I felt more appreciated by society, where I could leave at 4:30pm and not have to bring hours of work home to do from my couch while my dog looks at me wishing we could go for a walk. A profession where I get bonuses for doing well and overtime pay for working more than expected. Instead I CHOSE to be a teacher. And I honestly question it every year and when I ask myself 

"if you leave teaching, what would you do?"

The very loud answer back is

"I have no idea, I can't picture myself anywhere but in a classroom." 

Which if I'm being honest is a not all that helpful when you're feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. 

But none the less I CHOSE to be a teacher. I choose to be a teacher every day and I'll keep choosing to be a teacher.

After 10 years of teaching I've learned that I am not going to please every administrator, every parent or every child. And that doesn't define me anymore than state tests define my kids. I've learned that the kids that need the most love ask for it in the most unloving way. I've learned that while my kids have parents and families that love and care for them, I do too. I have learned that I would do just about anything for my kids; whether they sat in my classroom 10 years ago or this year or even if they never have and they were in the teacher's class across the hall.

I've learned after 10 years of teaching I love teaching. It's etched into my soul. 

Up Next, Year 11: Seventh Grade Math

I would love to get better at Blogging. I seriously dream about blog posts sometimes and yet they never actually make it to fruition. Will definitely need to work on that.

6th grade here I come!

First year in Colorado was a roller coaster...BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I'm going to a new school and a new grade level! Currently 6th grade is in the elementary schools but that could change next year with as much growth as we are having in my district. I am so excited to just be teaching math and for my new school! :)

SIXTH GRADE HERE I COME!

New Blog Name, New State, New School, New Grade Level, Same Teacher

It has been over a year since I have blogged! OVER A YEAR! 

Well there is so much new going on! I moved to Colorado. 
No more beaches. No more sand. No more hurricane watches, no more humidity. Now most of you are probably cringing because you love the beach, but I however do not LOVE the beach. I like it but my real LOVE is the mountains. And now I have dry air, snow capped mountains, ATVing, hiking, and high altitude! I am super excited to be on this new journey!

I was able to interview and get hired same day at an amazing school! I will be teaching 5th grade (again!) There will be 6 teachers on my grade level. My new school goes PreK-6th grade. So teaching at a school where 5th grade isn't the highest grade level will be totally new! 

Colorado is a Common Core state so the standards are the same as in Florida. (well until they changed them to Florida State Standards which were just CCSS with FL tacked on the front, and different numbers). Anyway, my new curriculum is Every Child a Reader, Every Child a Writer, and Everyday Math. None of these I am familiar with. But have researched them some, anyone else use them?

Either way I am super excited about this new journey and hopefully I can get back into blogging. Back to School and Meet the Teacher coming up! :) 

Home Sweet Home

Well after about two weeks I have decided I made a GREAT decision for me to move schools. I couldn't be happier. I really feel like I have found my home, as far as schools go. The grade level switch is an adjustment, 3rd graders are very different from 1st graders. But 1st graders are so cute and they pretty much love everything. I have a phenomenal team and mentor teacher. I have gotten really close with another new teacher on our 1st grade team and we have been planning TONS of collaborative activities with our classes and the library! We have already gotten our classes together for a Biography Research Project! It turned out awesome! So what's been happening at school for me these last two weeks? It has been busy, busy...


Florida Literacy Week - January 25-29
100th Day January 29th - I dressed up at Rainbow Fish because it was also Story Book Character day!
Groundhog's Day - predictions with adorable groundhogs for our hallway bulletin board
Black History Month Biographies - 34 first graders researching and writing about famous African Americans
Fundraiser kick off - I have already had 3 students earn space monkeys for all the items they have sold!
Mardi Gras - we celebrated by earning Mardi Gras beads for good behavior and enjoying King Cake

Coming up...Valentine's Day and President's Day!

We are having a class celebration Ice Cream Party and are doing a super sweet activity with conversation hearts and The Velveteen Rabbit!


President's Day we will be making George and Abe and thinking about what life would be like if we were President!


This has seriously been a great change for me. I am still getting the hang of things and learning the ins and outs but I am truly a happier teacher. So excited for the rest of the year!

Exciting News

So I haven't blogged in AGES! But I feel like now is a good time to start back up again.

Many of you know that this has been a rough year for me. I started at my second school in Florida and demographics of this school were incredibly challenging for me. I struggled both in my professional career and my personal life because of these challenges. I loved my students as individuals, they were interesting and creative, and smart but teaching them in the classroom wasn't working for me because of their behavior which was affected by their home lives and other outside factors. I didn't blame any of my students for these circumstances but it definitely made my experiences in the classroom very difficult. I struggled with what the best course of action for me was. Do I finish out the year, do I try and transfer schools mid year or do I just leave teaching. After lots of soul searching I decided I did in fact want to be a teacher but that I needed a different teaching situation. I thought this was best for me and my students. I had been applying at other schools since Thanksgiving. Not seriously but just looking around to see what if anything I might be interviewed for or offered. I made it though Christmas and came back with a positive attitude after an amazing break. I started team teaching with an awesome colleague of mine and we were working on things and seeing growth and productivity in my kids. They were actually engaged in the lessons I was teaching and working with their peers collaboratively. It was so great to see. I thought maybe I can do this, maybe I can make it through the end of the year. As luck would have it, I was asked to come in for an interview and then was offered the position at a school in a neighboring county. Making this decision to take this position was difficult for many reasons, firstly I would be switching schools midyear, secondly I would be leaving my current students who already have a track record of adults letting them down/leaving them, and thirdly what would me leaving mid year look like to other districts or schools I might be applying in, fourthly I would be switching grade levels, maybe the grass wouldn't be greener. I decided that I needed to do something for me so I made the leap and accepted the position at this school in the neighboring county. I am really excited about this new endeavor. I was able to meet my new kiddos today and spend some time with the staff at my new school. Today was amazing! I was so happy. I thought about the kids I left behind lots today and will probably think about them often. Sometimes we as teachers put so much into our students and forget to think about ourselves. I am excited for this opportunity and can't wait to share it with my bloggy followers! Thanks so much for your support!