Welcome, August!

This fall begins a new chapter in my journey to becoming a teacher.  In a little less than a month, I will begin student teaching!  A few weeks ago I found out that I received my first placement request in...first grade! I could not be happier.  I will be in a new school where I don't know many people, which I think will prepare me for when I land my first real teaching job.  I am going to try and update my blog throughout student teaching because I think it will be fun to look back on! Plus it will help me keep track of ideas for the future :)
While this is all very exciting, I am sad to be saying goodbye to the job I have had for five years.  I will be working a couple of weeks before and after student teaching, but will miss the bulk of the fall semester.  I am really going to miss seeing those kids & my director every day! :(
For the past several months (okay maybe years) I have been collecting teaching supplies, books, manipulatives, etc. and been following along with several awesome teaching blogs.  I don't know HOW teachers used to do it before they could look up tips & tricks online!  I hope that I am somewhat prepared for what lies ahead, although most people say that even if you feel prepared for student teaching, you will most likely get in there and realize it's not what you expected!
In the meantime I am going to be planning some outfits to wear.  That is my worst area when it comes to getting ready in the morning.  I try to plan it out in the shower but it never works.  My goal is to find some solid "teacher clothes" that I can mix and match.  In the same boat, I am going to do some meal planning.  There is nothing like running late and realizing you still haven't packed a lunch!  Of course I shall turn to Pinterest for help on these tasks.  Pinterest never fails.

Teacher Talk :: About Me

I am so excited to be joining Teacher Talk with Jamie and Nicole!      Today's post is all about me -- teacher style :)   What I Teach: I am here as a future teacher. I will graduate with my Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from Mary Baldwin College in 2015 - which seems like a long way away! Although I will be happy and lucky to teach anywhere, when I have my teaching license I would love to find a 1st grade teaching position.  I'm definitely more comfortable in K-2. I recently did a year-long internship in kindergarten and am preparing for a semester-long internship in 4th grade.  In the spring semester I have two internships I need to do and need to choose different grades! You'll have to let me know your favorite grade to help me decide :)

  Why I Teach: I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl. I played "school" with my younger brother and would teach him everything I learned from my own teacher that day.  When I went to college, I was a little lost.  I was in a science based major and felt unmotivated and overwhelmed.  I decided to switch majors during my second semester and have been happy ever since. I want to teach because I want to "give back" in a sense to the amazing teachers I had growing up.  There are a couple in particular that were more like family to me and they made coming to school fun.  Learning was fun. I hate to see kids who dread coming to school and think it's pointless. I want to be a teacher so that I can be the change for someone.  I want to show them that learning can be fun and that having an education is one of the most important things in life. I want the challenge.  I want the constant change.  I want the surprises of each new day.  I want to grow and learn with my students, because I know they will teach me more than I will teach them.  I want to create a safe, fun and engaging environment for them. For the kid who has no support at home, I'll be their support.  For the kid who has never been told "You're smart", I will be there to tell them.  For the kid who needs a hug, I will give them one. I want to teach so that I can celebrate reading achievements with a struggling reader...so that I can share joyful moments with parents...so that I can rave to everyone about my awesome, inspiring students. It's like they say -- it's not about the income, it's about the outcome.  

Where I Live: I currently live in Blacksburg, Virginia which is a small town in Southwest Virginia. Home of Virginia Tech, where I went to school for undergrad. I graduated last May and approximately five days later started classes with Mary Baldwin.  I commute about 45 minutes to Roanoke for classes at MBC's satellite campus. When I teach, I have no idea where I will live! When it comes time to apply for jobs, in about a year and a half, I will probably be looking all over Virginia. I really love Virginia and would love to teach here, especially since I will have a VA license. However, if life takes a turn and I end up somewhere else I will be just as happy. You just never know...!   So happy you stopped by! Say hi in the comments so I can check out your blog! I would love to hear from and meet other future teachers AND current teachers!   Hope y'all have a great week!  

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!

{one} On Monday morning I set the alarm, had my computer charging overnight, and woke up to tackle the Lilly Pulitzer Endless Summer Sale. You might be asking, "Why did you even bother to wake up early?!" and that is exactly what I'm asking myself too since I could barely see anything on the site until 1:00 pm! I, like other Lilly lovers, wish the Pink Palace would find some other way to put on the ESS that wouldn't crash the website each year but in the end, I am just thankful to have the opportunity to buy new Lilly at such awesome prices! This is what I ended up getting:

Murfee Scarf in You Gotta Regatta

Boardwalk Bikini Top in Bright Navy Swim Party Polkadot The picture is of a different top but the same print! The boardwalk top has a cute ruffle that I love! I didn't get bottoms to match because the site was being so crazy so I'm just going to mix-n-match with a solid bottom.   {two} About a week ago we had our family dinner at work to celebrate the end of summer! I pulled off a Pinterest-inspired cupcake that the kids LOVED. There was almost a fight for the last one. (#1 teacher right here...)

  {three}  Yesterday was my last full day of summer with Steven before he heads back up to school! Bittersweet for sure as he only has one more semester and is excited to be graduating and moving on to grad school. I'm just ready to have him back in Virginia! I'll take a 3 hour drive over a 6 hour drive any day :)

We went out to Beliveau Estate, which is a local winery/bed & breakfast, for a wine tasting and lunch! We were the only ones there, which isn't so weird on a Thursday afternoon, but it was nice to have the space to ourselves! We did a tasting of six wines and then chose Discovery to have with lunch.

  {four} I hope that my fellow teacher/future teacher bloggers are going to be participating in Teacher Talk with Nicole and Jamie!
Although I'm not in my own classroom quite yet, I'm excited to read and connect with other teachers - or future teachers like me. I'm going to tweak the posts a little bit to fit me, so if you're a future teacher don't be afraid to join in! :) Monday's post is "about you - where, what and why you teach"!   {five}  I finally caved and bought a chalkboard yesterday at TJMaxx! I had a gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket and have been wanting a chalkboard for some time.  I was tempted to make my own, but I found one for a good price and couldn't pass it up! I think I'm going to put it in my room. Now I'm looking for inspiration for what to write on it!

This is cute!     Have a great weekend!