Friday...YAY!!

It's Friday, YA'LL!!  Whoop!!  Whoop!!

All in all, not a terribly long week!!  I'm glad I had those three days last week at work to ease into to the New Year with the students.  This week they were back to their old tricks!!  HA!!  I'm trying my best to keep up with my Friday Fives and embracing my word of the year...POSITIVITY by finding the good in each day!!  Here's a bit of what I loved this week!


{ONE}
I was so happy to find the #52TeacherSnaps Challenge with @mrsedgarsclass on Instagram. I was a bit behind, but can easily catch up since it just a pic a week!  Instagram is my favorite social media platform these days.  I'm finding Facebook is getting way to political for me and since I've never really been all that into twitter...I've let it go!!  Insta is a much more positive community (for me!) and I love connecting with teachers on there and getting great ideas!

{TWO}
Another thing I'm loving this week....I'm not longer spending 13 hours a day at school.  I've officially gave up two WHOLE days of After Care!! #happydance!  To celebrate I went for margaritas with a friend!  Because I can do that now!!  Margarita Mondays...I'm gonna make it a thing!! But maybe kidding because I'm not making as much money now!  LOL

{THREE}
I'm going to try my best to document all the books I read this year on the blog!  I am on book two of 2019.  The first, It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover was recommended to be by Christy.  I loved it.  I stared it at the end of December and finished it late last week.  So It counts for this year.  I am currently reading The Address by Fiona Davis and enjyoing it very much!!  I am close to finishing it!  I have so many books on my TBR list, thanks to this weeks TBB Asks.  Check out all the links {here}to add to your list too!  And head {here} to read my post!!

{FOUR}
This past weekend a cool new brewery opened up in my town, so naturally I had to go check it out.  You guys it was so cool.  Everything is exposed see you can see them brewing and the vibe was just really chill.  And best part of all...it only takes three minutes to walk there!  HA!!  To be open one day and already have eleven beers on the board is pretty awesome!  Will be returning for sure!! Future Regular!!!

{FIVE}
Last but not least, I'm over at The Blended Blog today!  I'm so grateful that I can contribute to our community.  I just love those girls so much.  We have fun, we empower one another and we have dance parties and drink wine together?  Is there anything better??  I think not  We have some fun stuff planned for the blog, so head on over there and give us a follow so you don't miss a thing!

Linking up with Erika and Tif today, too!!

Throwback Thursday!

It's been forever since I've shared a Throwback Thursday post on the blog.  But yesterday, as I was scoping out old posts for an upcoming post, I found I few fun ones that I had totally forgotten about!!  Earlier this week I posted for The Blended Blog asks... and realized that in my first years of blogging I had done much the same thing, after seeing a post on Instagram!  I thought it'd be fun to share that again on this Throwback Thursday!

20 Random Facts about Me!

So I saw this floating around Instagram among fellow Insta-teachers!  You had to be tagged to do it, but since I'm not really in that network, I thought it would just be a fun thing to do on the blog.  It'll maybe help my readers (all 12 of you...who probably already know me!) get to know me better!

So here goes:

20 Random Facts About Me!

1.  I snooze no less than 10 times in the mornings...and I have three alarms!
2.  Not a day goes by that I don't laugh (mostly at myself!)
3.  I talk to myself...like a lot!
4.  I don't really like it loud, but I'm a loud person! (If that makes any sense at all!)
5. I'm not a fan of Mondays.
6.  I like that I kinda coined the term "friends" at my school and now others call the students "friends" as well!
7.  My daily staples are coffee and some sort of alcoholic beverage!  And I'm not ashamed to admit that!
8.  I'm a total summer girl.
9.  I love Country Music!  Kenny Chesney is my fave!
10. YES, I'm a Red Sox Fan.
11.  If I could, I'd go teach Mexicans in Cozumel.
12. I wish I traveled more.
13. I will admit it...I shop too much!
14.  SUSHI is my fave...and I credit one person for that! (Even if they'll never know!)
15.  I LOVE kids...I just don't think any of my own are in the cards for me!  And I am totally ok with that.  And if that keeps me single for the rest of my life, I'm ok with that too!  Actually the way things have been going lately, I am completely ok with that! HA!
16.  I shower at night.  I love getting into bed clean...and I HATE changing the sheets!
17.  I don't drive.  I know this is awful, but I don't!
18.  I think the Oster Automatic Wine Opener and the Kuerig are two of the greatest things ever invented!
19.  I should clean the house more!
20.  I spend more time with my family then is probably considered normal!  But hey... when there's 20 of us, there's always something to celebrate!


Hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about me!

__________

This post was originally published on March 24, 2014...three years!!  Wow...and still all true!!

The Longest Tuesday Ever!!

This started out as a Teacher Tuesday post...the same Teacher Tuesday post I've had in draft since the first Tuesday back after Easter Vacation.  That seems like a lifetime ago.  I wanted to have another Teacher Tuesday up before the school year was out for the summer, but quite honestly I don't know what I'd say!  You see, I'm looking forward to the summer vacation, probably more than the students are.

I have hit that wall....I am over it all!!  It shows... and I know it. I think it might be a really bad thing when you always have a smile on your face!  Because when you don't...it's quite obvious to everyone!  LOL  Even to my students.  And that's just awful...I know.

Yesterday was not a good day!  And a student took out a book called, A Bad, Bad Day and I told the class that, I should read that book because I was having a very bad, bad day!  And then you know what they did?  Asked me why!  And I didn't want to burden them with anything and realized I shouldn't have even told them that, because good teachers...great teachers are ON... ALL. THE. TIME!  So I laughed, put that smile on my face, and told them, that it was a bad, bad day but now that they were all here, it's turned my whole day around!  And ya know what..it was the truth!

Then I went home and went to bed...early.  So I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning!  And after an hour of trying to get back to sleep, with no luck, I got my ass out of bed and decided to get things done!  Ran the dishwasher, put clothes away that had been sitting in the basket since I got home from my trips, got my boxes ready for UPS and actually enjoyed my first cup of coffee so much that I decided to have a second!!

That was a mistake!  Because as I was taping up my UPS box, I hit my FULL cup of coffee and it went crashing to the floor.  Splashing across the entire kitchen, shattering into a million pieces and taking a huge chunk of tile with it. I mean...it was everywhere!!  I was so mad!!  I may have yelled a few unsavory, inappropriate words for so early in the morning!!  I didn't even know at first what I had hit when it was happening...it was like slo-mo.

So needless to say after being ready so early.  All my extra time was spen cleaning the kitchen floor and getting changed and ready all over again.

Day two of NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!  And of course my co-worker friends noticed!!
 But I realized something as the day went on... I needed to get out of my slump and focus on the positive!!

A few years ago, after seeing it mentioned on a blog, I think, I started keeping a gratitude journal, documenting three or five positive things about the day!!  I kept it going , then as with most things in my life, I didn't keep up with it!  But today I'm bringing it back!  ON THE BLOG!!  If nothing else, my blog is my journal, and today as the day comes to close, I'm sharing my positives...so I hope you don't mind!!

Things that made me laugh and smile today...when all I really wanted to do was cry!!

• Well there's this...not a bad way to start the day!  A sweet teacher friend knows and supports my love of pretzels, so when she saw this eye mask, she thought I just had to have it!  We laughed and laughed and laughed some more...DAY MADE!!
  

• One of my most favorite Pre-K friends, turning to me in the lab and saying "Look Miss Mitch, I'm a DJ!"  (Because the headphones he's wearing are about as big as his head!)

• Listening to the sound of first graders reading to one another during Library Buddy Reads

• Surprise pancakes that my fave kindergartners shared with me!  They used pancakes to learn about the states of matter!

• Packages at my doorstep when I got home!

• two pairs of flip flops that my neighbor friend shared with me, leftover from her wedding.  I enjoyed the few minutes we spent chatting about the wedding too. and chatting about her wedding, too!!  Navy flips are always a welcome edition to any summer.

  

  the beautiful bride and I on her wedding day Sunday

• Unexpected text exchanges with one of my favorite people.  Who knew I could laugh so hard over texts?  The only thing better would've been if we were laughing together...not miles apart!

• And Finally...Going all Grey's Anatomy on this day and dancing it out!  To Despacito in my kitchen...the same kitchen that 14 hours ago was covered in coffee and shards of glass...c'mon that's funny!!!

Thanks for letting me share...vent...bitch..moan...complain...I'm off to bed with a good book!
Hope you were able to find a few bright spots in your day! Let me know in the comments below!!

Who'd write your life story?

With April being School Library Month, I thought since I’m a school librarian, this month I’d post some more bookish posts!

Last week, as I was perusing the blogs, I came across this one from Run Wright, who’s blog and Instagram I follow.  She is a super avid reader and a talented author, too!  I even have her book and it’s really great!! I really enjoy reading her stories.

The 10 authors she would want to meet was really thought provoking and got me to thinking about who I’d want to meet and perhaps write my life story, too!  Her list was a top ten, mine’s just five! After finding authors I enjoy, I tend to read many of their books.

Being a teacher, I’ve actually had the privilege of hearing a few talented children’s authors speak!  Lester Laminack and Mo Willems were two of my favorites.  Mo even taught us how to draw that famous pigeon! I wish I still had my drawing! I didn't do half bad!

And as an adult, my best friend and I had the chance to meet (super briefly!) and have our photo taken with Emily Giffin when  she came to a local book store. (Wish I knew where that pic was though...is it possible that we took it with like, an actual camera?!? LOL)

And when I think about it, Emily Giffin would be one I’d love to have write my story.  She writes woman well and could maybe make my ordinary life seem a little less so! Perhaps when I was younger I would have wanted Judy Blume or Beverly Clearly to write my story but now, in this season of my life, I'd gladly give it over to Ms. Giffin!

Nicholas Sparks is a romance man through and through.  So maybe he couldn’t write my life story, but I’m sure he’d write the story of some hot, rich guy who is just certain to fall in love with me and whisk me away to a lavish life on the beaches of North Carolina!

I’d really love to meet and have children’s author, Andrew Clements, spin my life as a teacher- librarian and tech teacher into a fun school story.  My students and I love his writing, his ability to relate to children and the smart teachers and other adults who support them along the way.

Someone I would have loved to meet was Irish author Frank McCourt.  I love his storytelling! His book, Teacher Man is an all time favorite of mine.  I read the book and then listened to the audio version, which he himself recorded.  I could listen to that man’s stories for hours and hours and never tire of them.

And just because I think this woman is a genius and has the best imagination, I’d love to meet and have a spot of English tea with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling!  Any author who writes children’s books but also had adults reading them as well, is a woman whose hand I’d like to shake. With her introduction of Harry Potter reluctant readers picked up books, parents read to and with their children more, and everybody felt a sense of magic again.  Her own real-life story is one for the books and is quite inspiring as well.

That was a lot of fun!

What authors would you like to meet?  Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day!!

Teacher Tuesday!

The first Teacher Tuesday post of 2017 is here!   I figured since last week was a tough week for me teaching-wise, I'd put together a more fun post as a little reminder about why I like doing this all in the first place!!

Sometimes, with winter in full swing, it feels as though I don't do anything other then work.  I leave for work in the dark and most days I come home in the dark!  And by the time I do, I don't wanna do ANYTHING!  I joke that winter is my hibernation....but that really is no joke.  Here and there I do things, but most often begrudgingly.  HA!  It's just too cold!!  So with that being said all my time is spent with my co-workers and students and truth be told, it's never a dull moments!


By far my most favorite thing...Kids say the darndest things, and this little nugget was the cutest. Filed under things I overhear in the library during checkout...

One first grade boy to another - "Oh DIY, don't worry, I'm gonna invite you to my birthday party!"  I replayed that sentence in my head a few times, then I busted out laughing.

This sweet boy meant to say FYI!!!  I just thought that was the cutest!

Other things overheard during checkout....
These kids are getting on my last nerve!  {6 going on 56!}
When I grow up, I'm not driving...I want a chauffeur! 


Being a teacher you get both sides of just about everything!
On the one hand, there's  sweet student telling me that the Martin Luther King activity we did in tech was the most fun ever!  And on the other, you have another telling me, (while putting up the bulletin board), Wow, Miss Mitchell, that actually, looks good!  {To that I thought,  Geez, thanks kid!}

The bulletin board in question...the kids really liked it!!  And it actually does look good!!

I recently had my formal observation (that's never fun!) AND it didn't go as swimmingly as I had hoped!
Being both the library and tech teacher, we often start class in the library and end up in the lab, because the kids drop their stuff and bring themselves and a pen into the lab.  On the day of the observation, I reminded them all profusely to remember to bring a pen/pencil into the lab.  After introducing my lesson and having them get started in the lab, about 10 of them raised their hand to tell me they forgot a pen!!  KILL ME!! On the upside, the principal clearly saw that hardly anyone listens...especially last period on a Friday!  Oh well...I'm still here!!


At least once a week I praise Jesus for the fact that I don't have any children of my own and the only thing waiting for me when I get home is WINE!

Sometimes, children see you walking down the street, or headed into a restaurant...or bar...whatever!  Teachers are people, too kids!
Just today, the students heard some faculty planning to go to a movie together and were shocked that we actually did things outside of school!  LOL

I often think numerous times throughout the day, that it's be great if Bailey's or Rum Chata was allowed in my coffee!!  I'd be more awake and probably a lot more fun!

As with any job, some days are not always easy, but its the days when a sweet child comes up to me and unexpectedly hugs me, that make it all worth it...I guess I'll keep at it!  LOL

Hope whatever you do each day, you find a little nugget of happiness in it!!

Teacher Tuesday: The {Things I Say} Edition....

I've been back at school for a while now.  You could probably tell due to my lacking and sporadic blogging lately.  But it's going well.  And, lets be honest...the summer is a distant memory, and I'm counting down the days until Christmas break! A few times during the school year last year, I posted teacher topics on Tuesdays and called it Teacher Tuesday!  Today I'm bringing it back!

Today's Topic:

Friday Favorites {The Back to School Edition!}

Friday is here!  Thank goodness!!  Now that I'm back to school, I live for Friday!  HA!!  I haven't shared a legit Friday Favorites post since I've been back at school...in like FOREVER!! Actually it's been a pretty long while since I've blogged at all!  Sometimes life happens!!

SO  this week I'm back sharing my faves with a back to school theme!  These are my Back to School Faves!!

The Follett Destiny App!
This is by far my most favorite thing about this new school year!!  I have now been the librarian at my school for five years, and in all that time, the book scanner NEVER worked!!  This week I was saved!!  I downloaded the Follett Destiny App and can now quickly and easily check the students books out.  And the students love watching me do it! !Seriously...have not stopped talking about this app since I got it!  A Serious Life Saver!

Air Conditioning in the Library!!
This year, for the first time EVER, there's air conditioning in the library, and clearly I am loving it.  And have used it as an excuse to already wear a scarf, sweater and my riding boots!!  HA! It seems those these last few days, that my AC will be a thing of the past.  Summer temps last week...winter temps this week!! Ugh!!

Scholastic Book orders! 
This year I decided I really want to take the library to a whole new level.  Thanks to the Follett App, I've been reinvigorated, and I want the library to be, too.  I am weeding out super old books and making way for new ones.  I am ordering new books for the library from Scholastic Book Clubs and having the older students order books through me as well, so I can rack up the bonus points and get free books for the library!  I think I get more excited than the kids when the book box arrives!!

Happy Hours/Dinners with Teacher Friends
This year I've made steady plans to do monthly happy hours from school and dinners with teacher friends.  Being single, I can do both these things...HA!  Dinners with my mom teacher friends and Happy Hours once a month with my work friends.  For me it a win-win!

The routine of it ALL!
It's no secret that I love summer, but being back at school, I am really enjoying the routine of it all. I am getting up and getting to school earlier than I have in the past and I'm really ok with it.  I can get a lot don'e in the quiet early mornings.  I also actually enjoy having somewhere to be every day!  i am having a really good year so far and I'm grateful for that.  I might still be counting down to Christmas vacation but...like it all the same!!

Woo!  Thanks for letting me share these last few weeks with you!!  Have a great weekend!  Fingers crossed I can get some fun posts up to share next week!!

Linking up for Friday Favorites with Erika today!!

That's a Wrap!!...

That's a wrap!  On the first week of School and Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week 2016!!  I had so much fun participating this week and sharing my photos on Insta!!    Here's the roundup of it all in case you missed anything!


Meet Me MONDAY!

Find out a little bit more about me {here}!

Teaching TUESDAY!

Tuesday was all about sharing my favorite lesson.  Even though the new school year just started I had to share my most favorite lesson based on the story The Wall by Eve Bunting.  

Read more about it {here}!

Where I Work WEDNESDAY!

My school is my home away from home!  I spend more time there then at my own house!!  Read more about this place I call home {here}!

Threads THURSDAY!

In Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week intro  post last Sunday, there was a line that said, "Don't allow Thursday to scare you away!" HA!  I was most looking forward to this one!  lots of times on the blog I'm sharing my teacher style!!  Read more about my teacher style {here}!

Friends FRIDAY!

Some of my teacher friends are my closest friends.  It's so important to have and make friends we're you work.  They help make the days go by faster and are the people you can laugh about the stress with!! She more {here}.

Last year I participated in Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week 2015 and was so happy to do it again this year.  I loved posting to Insta everyday and looked forward to seeing everybody's posts as well.  It's a great way to kick off a new school year, while getting inspiration from others!  If you want to see more of where this came from, find me on Instagram... I'm @solitarylife101! I'd love to have you!!

Have a great weekend teacher friends!  Hope you can find the time to relax after the crazy, busy week that was!!

Throwback Thursday: Teacher Week 2015 Posts

This week I've been participating in Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week 2016 on Instagram!  It's been so much fun sharing  little pieces of Me, the teacher, each day!  Last year, I also participated in Blog Hoppin's Teacher Week, with  blog posts during the week.  I thought it'd be fun to share them all with you for this week's Throwback Thursday!  Teacher Week is always during the crazy, busy first week of school, so I was only able to post three of the five days!  This year, with posting to Instagram, it's quicker and I've posted every day!  I'm wrapping Teacher Week 2016 on the blog tomorrow, so come on back and check it out!!

But for now, let's rewind back to Teacher Week 2015! (Links to each post are below the graphic)

5 Fun Facts about Me!

Sanity Savers for Teachers

My Favorite Subject to Teach

Hope you found something you enjoyed in today's post.  It's so hard to believe that a year has already gone by.  Is it terrible, that after only a few days, I'm thinking to myself, "what summer vacation!?!"  LOL

Have a great Thursday!  Thanks for stopping by the blog today!!

Back to School Look!

Summer's over and it's officially back to school time!  It's also the start of The Blended Blog's Fall What I Wore Link-up!  Be sure to keep linking up what you're wearing with us each week!!

Speaking of The Blended Blog,  last week when I posted my Back to School Survival Guide for Teachers on TBB, one of the things I said was essential during this hectic time was treating yourself!  And by this I meantt, to something new for the first day of school.  Read my post here!

For me I always treat myself to a new "first day" outfit!  Since yesterday was the first day, I thought today I'd share what I wore....

I put this dress on  for the first time, yesterday morning, after having it just hanging in my closet for the last few weeks.  I purchased it during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  When I slipped it on, I immediately regretted not getting it in EVERY SINGLE COLOR!  I love this!  So easy to wear...seriously...effortless and IT HAS POCKETS!  I received so many compliments on this and couldn't wait to tell every one I scored it for less than 25 bucks!  I'm going to be wearing this dress all fall!!  With riding boots, with my military jacket, with my denim jacket...oh the possibilities!

And guess what!  It's still on sale!  Get yours here!!

Wish I could tell you about the shoes, but I found them buried in my closet, and have no recollection where I got them.  But they are wedges, and I can walk in them!  Woohoo!!  LOL


What have you been wearing lately!  Link up with us and let us see!  Happy Hump Day!!

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm over at The Blended Blog today....

I'm over at The Blended Blog today sharing a Teacher's Back to School Survival Guide.  It was a really fun post to put together!   Check it out here!!  Let me know what you think!

And today's August Sentence-of-the Day Recaps, but since I really couldn't get my act together this month, go check out the girls' posts and link up your own!

Sarah / Alison / Sheila / Leslie

Have a great Thursday!!

Throwback Thursday's Making a Comeback!

This time next week, I'll be enduring a back-to-school professional development day!!  The summer days of sleeping in, laying out and enjoying the occasional day drinking, will be a distant memory in no time.  Right now, that I'm dreading going back and wishing for summer forever, I thought I'd bring back a little #TBT post, to remind myself why I do all this in the first place!

Originally posted in June of 2015, my I am a Teacher post is one of my all time favorites!

****************

The school year is coming to an end. I'm not going to lie...I'm excited about this!! This year was was really rough for a variety of reasons, none of which I will go into! 

But that's teaching...some great years, some good years, and some not so good years! I won't say bad...because no year is ever truly bad. There are always those silver linings in a bad day! At least for me! I might be having THE WORST DAY EVER (usually those days are middle school related! HA!) and then all of a sudden, one student can turn it all around! Be it with a click of a mouse, getting on Google Chrome on their own! Or with a silly comment, kind word or just a compliment that that was the best story they've ever heard! Even those littles who show up at my door with a birthday cupcake will do the trick!! So everyday might not be a great one but at least I can smile about it.

And with the end of the school year, comes a whole new set of issues! End of year “business” needs to be attended to, and for me, report cards for the whole school have to be printed. And there is inevitably always something that goes wrong!

Last year around this time, I stumbled upon an awesome blog post at Scholastic.com by one of their top teacher bloggers, Brian Smith. He wrote a post, entitled I am a Teacher. It was so true and funny and talked about how sometimes teaching gets so crazy at this time of year, that it's really important to take the time to reflect on all the reasons we do this job! I commented on Brian's post (and have been following him ever since) and said I wanted to write a similar list on my own blog. Well a year later, Brian, here's my list!

Found this on Insta a few weeks ago!  

#truth

Before I was the Librarian and Tech teacher I was a classroom teacher for 10 years, so I'm combining the list to include all my 13 years in teaching!

I am a teacher...

I am a teacher because I love learning...and in teaching you learn something new everyday!

I love sharing my love of reading with the children...and according to one of my littles I "read books really good!"

Laminating things is my favorite.

New books in my library make me smile.

There is nothing like hearing a student say “Technology is my favorite class!”

And I love when they tell me that they went on my Library/Tech website AT HOME...ON THE WEEKEND!!

Three Words: School Supply Shopping!

I am a technology teacher...on any given Wednesday you might hear me say the words "mouse control" 87 times!

I am a teacher...

I've been called mom, dad, grandma and every other teacher's name...and am totally ok with it!

That Teacher Appreciation luncheon every year.

I enjoy days off as much as the kids do.

Completing a bulletin board is a huge accomplishment.

I am a teacher thanks to Mrs. Grosskurth, Miss Puileo, Miss McCartin...and the few who got it wrong, because thanks to them, I knew what NOT to do!!

I love dress down days (and PJ Day!), too!

I proudly rock my spirit wear beyond the four walls of the school building.  :)

I am a teacher because seeing a child's “A HA! Moment" is just awesome...and the fact that I might have had a little something to do with it, that's just icing on the cake!

Where else do you get to feel like a rockstar everyday?!?

I know Summer's Off are not totally Summer's Off...

I am a Catholic School teacher, I make very little money but I'm rich in other ways!

I am a teacher because I've never wanted to do anything else with my life!! 

When I was a little girl I used to play "school" for HOURS on the weekends and during the summer with my sisters and friends.  Thankfully these days though, I don't yell at my students and throw them across the room for their bad behavior like I allegedly did to my Cabbage Patch dolls!! Poor Humphrey Peter!! LOL

I realize that right now in our country, it's very difficult to be a teacher but every job has it's ups and downs!   I really can't see myself doing anything else.  Even though I joke about retiring, I'll be doing this and only this (if I'm lucky), for the next 30 years and beyond!!

But first....bring on SUMMER!!!!

Check out some of my plans for summer here and here!  What are yours?

****************

I hope everyone has a fantastic school year and a relaxing and fun Fall ahead!!

I'm linking up today with Vanessa and Penny for Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  

Have a great day!
Katie

A Teacher's #TBT

For many reasons this week has been a tough one as a teacher. After traveling and being off a few days these last two weeks and having to make sub plans (*seriously...it's harder to be out then it is to just be here!), being thrown into being a sub my first day back, and numerous schedule changes this week, it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the reasons why I'm still doing this all...and it's easier still to drown my sorrows in a glass of wine at night!  So after all this, I thought I's throw it back to one of my favorite posts!  I wrote it last year in June as the end of the school year was nearing, but it was over a year in the making!  It reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I still am!  Even when everything but teaching gets in the way of that!!

___________________________________________________________

I am a Teacher...

The school year is coming to an end. I'm not going to lie...I'm excited about this!! This year was was really rough for a variety of reasons, none of which I will go into! 

But that's teaching...some great years, some good years, and some not so good years! I won't say bad...because no year is ever truly bad. There are always those silver linings in a bad day! At least for me! I might be having THE WORST DAY EVER (usually those days are middle school related! HA!) and then all of a sudden, one student can turn it all around! Be it with a click of a mouse, getting on Google Chrome on their own! Or with a silly comment, kind word or just a compliment that that was the best story they've ever heard! Even those littles who show up at my door with a birthday cupcake will do the trick!! So everyday might not be a great one but at least I can smile about it.

And with the end of the school year, comes a whole new set of issues! End of year “business” needs to be attended to, and for me, report cards for the whole school have to be printed. And there is inevitably always something that goes wrong!

Last year around this time, I stumbled upon an awesome blog post at Scholastic.com by one of their top teacher bloggers, Brian Smith. He wrote a post, entitled I am a Teacher. It was so true and funny and talked about how sometimes teaching gets so crazy at this time of year, that it's really important to take the time to reflect on all the reasons we do this job! I commented on Brian's post (and have been following him ever since) and said I wanted to write a similar list on my own blog. Well a year later, Brian, here's my list!

Found this on Insta a few weeks ago!  

#truth

Before I was the Librarian and Tech teacher I was a classroom teacher for 10 years, so I'm combining the list to include all my 13 years in teaching!

I am a teacher...

I am a teacher because I love learning...and in teaching you learn something new everyday!

I love sharing my love of reading with the children...and according to one of my littles I "read books really good!"

Laminating things is my favorite.

New books in my library make me smile.

There is nothing like hearing a student say “Technology is my favorite class!”

And I love when they tell me that they went on my Library/Tech website AT HOME...ON THE WEEKEND!!

Three Words: School Supply Shopping!

I am a technology teacher...on any given Wednesday you might hear me say the words "mouse control" 87 times!

I am a teacher...

I've been called mom, dad, grandma and every other teacher's name...and am totally ok with it!

That Teacher Appreciation luncheon every year.

I enjoy days off as much as the kids do.

Completing a bulletin board is a huge accomplishment.

I am a teacher thanks to Mrs. Grosskurth, Miss Puileo, Miss McCartin...and the few who got it wrong, because thanks to them, I knew what NOT to do!!

I love dress down days (and PJ Day!), too!

I proudly rock my spirit wear beyond the four walls of the school building.  :)

I am a teacher because seeing a child's “A HA! Moment" is just awesome...and the fact that I might have had a little something to do with it, that's just icing on the cake!

Where else do you get to feel like a rockstar everyday?!?

I know Summer's Off are not totally Summer's Off...

I am a Catholic School teacher, I make very little money but I'm rich in other ways!

I am a teacher because I've never wanted to do anything else with my life!! 

When I was a little girl I used to play "school" for HOURS on the weekends and during the summer with my sisters and friends.  Thankfully these days though, I don't yell at my students and throw them across the room for their bad behavior like I allegedly did to my Cabbage Patch dolls!! Poor Humphrey Peter!! LOL

I realize that right now in our country, it's very difficult to be a teacher but every job has it's ups and downs!   I really can't see myself doing anything else.  Even though I joke about retiring, I'll be doing this and only this (if I'm lucky), for the next 30 years and beyond!!

But first....bring on SUMMER!!!!

Check out some of my plans for summer here and here!  What are yours?

I'm linking up today with Vanessa and Penny for Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  

Have a great day!
Katie

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This post was originally published on Thursday June 18th, 2015

It's the little things....

Last week blogging kind of got away from me!  I was super busy, worked a lot, went out a few nights after school and was dead tired.  I think I might have mono! JK  But little things in the week help me to realize how grateful I should be for it all!!

Lately I have been working later and later and covering a lot of After Care.  In the beginning of April I picked up a third day til 6.  And on Friday, I unexpectedly had to work til 6. Making that 4 days. Ordinarily, I would be a little angry about this...but after calculating all the hours I spent doing it (and realizing it is almost equivalent to a whole nother week of work), I looked on the bright side.  How much bigger my paycheck would be!  With two trips coming up and a May that probably won't see me working after care much, I am grateful to have these extra hours now.  And it wasn't too bad....we were outside on the field most days after homework was done so I was able to get a little sun!

This beautiful weather!

Last week I was able to walk to work everyday because it has been so sunny and warm!!  Woohoo!!  I always woke up at the same time, but walking gives me an extra few minutes at home in the morning, so I don't have to rush.  By Thursday of me texting my friend, who usually swings by to pick me up, she texted back that they missed me!  LOL and that she was jealous of my walk everyday!  That made me smile!!

Seeing my sister and her girls...again!  On last Monday's gratitude post, I spoke about going to lunch with my sister and her girls last Sunday.  I also saw them all on Thursday!  Two times in a week...that never happens!!  I babysat my nieces while my sister and brother-in-law went to Middle School Orientation.  I had a good time with the girls!  We baked, we played games...I thought it was fun!  But apparently, I'm a tough baby-sitter!  LOL  But again, the girls enjoyed being in my daily photo.  And the night ended with Starbucks for Meg and I, so that was a plus...because who doesn't get Starbucks at 10 p.m.?!?

On Saturday my school had a function for teachers and parents called the Spring Fling. I was so glad to have the opportunity to go  again this year.  Last year it was on the same night as The Lion King.  It was a really fun night!  It's interesting to be out of school with parents!  But it's fun to see everyone in their dresses and in a different element.  I am grateful to the parents and Spring Fling organizers that they had  "Sponsor a Teacher" so we could go compliments of some generous families.  I didn't win any of the raffle prizes, but I came home with the centerpiece, pretty tulips, that I was hesitant to take, thinking I'd kill them...but luckily they are still alive!

It's the little things...., isn't it!?

Hope you all have a Marvelous Monday and can find a little something to be grateful for this week!!

Linking up with Shaunacey once again!  Thanks for such a fun link-up friend....

  

Teacher Tuesday

Teacher by Day...blogger by night!  That's the blog's tagline!  I have no children of my own, but often claim students as "my kids"!  HA!  I see these kids more than I see my own family and spend more time in school these days than at home, so from time to time I like to throw in a Teacher Post!

So today it's another edition of Teacher Tuesday!  Last Teacher Tuesday was a "Kid Quote" Edition.  Today will be a hodge podge of quotes, funnies and observations!!  So lets's get to it!!

• About a thousand times a day lately, I say to myself, "If I ran the school... And sometimes I say it out loud at not the most appropriate times.

• Currently there are three students vying for my "favorite" spot, three students who yesterday called me Mrs. Mitchell, and one who called me "grandma".  The kids thought that was really funny.  Because "Grandma's are like 50 and Miss Mitchell is only 25".  Thank you to that sweet student for making my day!!  It's funny to me these days what kids think is young or old!!

• By April about 75% of the students have checked out!!  And clearly I have as well.  I've discovered that I am getting lax in my library book record keeping and planning.

• I often think to myself, really, really? When anyone talks to me. 

• Some of the faculty might think I am anti-social, but I just don't go into the faculty room...ever... because it smells like something died in there!

• I'm so happy that the After Care students have taken to the Yu-Gi-Oh Duel After School Challenge.  It keeps them busy, they are having so much fun and are learning lots of skills as well!

• It's been raining a lot in April.,..I am still in my winter/rainy day uniform of leggings and boots...the kids are starting to notice that I am repeating looks!  LOL

And just because I love them...I'll end with some Kid Quotes!

Teaching Poetry all April and a poem I was reading had the word rap in it.  It asked the kindergarten students if they knew what  rap was and a little girl raised her hand and said "A rhyme-only cooler!!"  I thought that was a pretty great answer!  HA!

"Elvis WAS Rock and Roll! Michael Jackson was cool too...they're both dead."

"We are part of the Kid Colony- we live on the continent- CLASSROOM!!"  That right there is a kid with a great imagination!!

Conversation between three 3rd graders in After Care one day...two girls and a boy!
Completely out of the blue!!

L (girl) says to the boy: "I am not your girlfriend"...
Boy says "WHAT??" WE ARE GETTING TOO REAL IN HERE FOLKS!!
Second girls: "Oh my Gosh-CLASSIC!"

Out of the mouths of babes!!  Sometimes I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing...and sometimes I just can't hold it in!!  



Am I going to make it another 47 days??  I sure hope so!!  LOL

Have a great Tuesday!!