Meet the Teacher Monday

Have any of you heard about teacher week? Of course you have, you are all fellow blog stalkers!

But just in case you have been living under a rock for the past few days, let me introduce you to Blog Hoppin'. The fabulous blog being used to host...

Today is obviously Monday which means it's meet the teacher time!

The Mr. & me at my besties wedding a few weeks ago.

Tell us a little something about you...

My name is Liz & this is my blog :) I have been through a ton of changes over the past few months. I went from being a busy, busy teacher to know being a busy, busy job-hunter. Yes, I was let go from a 1st grade teaching job at crazy-town. It was sad & frustrating, but eventually became good & needed. I won't air the details again (I'm sure my normal readers are tired of hearing about it) so I'll just refer you to the previous post to learn more. I am in the process of thinking up a new name and design for this blog here, since I no longer teach 1st grade. So far the brainstorming has been unsuccessful, I asked my readers for help &it was so overwhelming I just can't pick one!

I'd love to blame my foodless & dirty house on the busy-ness of being back to school, but since I'm not I'll pass the blame onto my hubs. We are remodeling his parents house, which has kept us crazy busy..not to mention we have been watching my 2 little sisters for the past week (and you parents know it's like a tornado walks through the house everyday)

How long have you been teaching?

This would be my 2nd official year teaching, if I had a job. (still holding out hope) I graduated from college in 2009 with an elementary education degree, but only for grades 1-6. I was the lucky year that New York State changed their year requirements so that I could no longer be kinder certified. They changed it back the following year, so now I'm forced to pay extra money to get birth-k certified. I am planning on going back for my masters degree (and by planning I mean it was supposed to happen last fall, then this summer, &here we are at another fall and I haven't registered!!! What's my problem, people?!?!)

You might not know...

I am addicted to Diet Coke & coffee!! Oh what? You already know that? Hum well then, I have 4 siblings...none of which are full. Confused? I have an older sis & bro...who share the same dad as me. I have 2 younger sisters...who have the same mom as me. Total mess up in my family details, right? It's all good though because I get the best of all 3 worlds. I get to be the youngest in my dad's family, the oldest in my mom's, & the middle of it all.

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

Well...if I somehow manage to get a teaching job, I am looking forward to working with a new team and group of kiddos. Hopefully a team that is happy & willing to help. I am so over the competitiveness of the last school I was at. Now...if I am just subbing, I won't lie when I say I am looking forward to no lesson planning! Don't get me wrong, I love planning my days/weeks and being in charge of what happens in the classroom, but it will be kind of fun to just be able to teach & spend time with students and then leave at 4 without endless hours of work each night.

What do you need to improve?

How much time do ya'll have? :) 

I would like to do a 100% better in my guided reading groups. I tended to get distracted by problems going on at centers & didn't focus as much attention as was needed on some of my higher reading groups because of it. I would also like to get a better handle on teaching math. I minored in English in college so you can imagine that I put a lot of emphasis on writing, but not a whole lot on math. Oh and of course I wish I could manage my prep times better----think less chatting with co-workers, more work.

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

*Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers-need I say more?

*Are Diet Coke & Coffee considered teaching supplies?

*My SMARTboard. (well the one I had last year....a-mazing)

*Anything laminated!

*BOOKS!

*My (student) personal assistant. Makes my life less hectic.

Can't get enough of me? Let me share some more random facts!

I married my best friend in 2009

Also graduated college & moved to a different state that same summer.

We walked out to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" By-Stevie Wonder.

It down-poured during our ceremony, totally unexpected.

(My hubs & I have been together since I was a junior in highschool-that's 8 yrs.)

I used to nanny for an amazing family when I lived in the south. They were an absolute blessing in my life & I am still in touch with them.

 This is my house! Just kidding, it's the house that I want & it's not at all creepy that the hubs and I peeked in windows & drove by it once a week & checked online every day to see if the price lowered.

Oh, you think that's kind of creepy? My bad.

I have been on 3 missions trips with the church I belonged to in high-school. I went to Mexico twice &Oklahoma once. Best summers of my life, by far. Amazing to see the Lord work in others lifes through me.

I became a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts & I love it. I'm hoping that I can make a career out of it & eventually become a stay at home mommy...someday!

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Ok, I've rambled enough. Now it's your turn to hop on over & join Meet the Teacher Monday @ Blog Hoppin'