M.I.A.

Missing. In. Action.

That was me.

Hi. 

My name is Lisa. 

It has been one whole year since I last published a blog post. 

I promise I will do better.

I have had a tough time posting new blogs. I have ideas, I write these ideas, and then I don't publish. I don't know why. 

I promise to do better. 

That being said, a lot has happened this past year. 

My eldest moved to Germany to become an English teacher. Although she loves language, it has been a tough year for her. She is still there and is beginning to enjoy her life in Berlin.

I, on the other hand, miss her terribly.

My middle child finished her masters and will begin teaching 2 English courses at her college. Wow!

My youngest offspring finished his 4th year of college and had his senior recital. It was amazing. He still has 1 more year to go, so I am not a complete empty nester yet.

This was his idea of a family picture!

As for me, somewhere around the 8th week of school, I began teaching ELAR/SS only. I switched with one teammate for Reading and Math, and I switched with Tina for Science and Social Studies. 

The pros for this schedule- I loved getting to know 60 different students, I LOVED teaching Reading (and my love for Reading), and I loved teaching!!

The cons- N.O.N.E. Well, my Reading and Math partner is moving up to 4th grade, so that is a con.

But, Tina is going to do the switch with me, which makes me so so happy. She is an amazing awesome teacher. I have learned so much from her over the years. And she has a gift for making kids understand math. I do not have said gift. Therefore, my students are in for a fantastic year of learning!

This summer, I decided to stop dying my hair and let the gray move in. I'm only 47, but I hate dying my hair. I really do like it. I'm gonna keep that gray right in my hair!{Do you know the song?}

I have also been spending time with family and friends, cleaning, workshopping, creating, and reading of course!

How is your summer going?

~lisa

Seriously. The. Best. Part. Of. Summer. Vacay!

I took my children to the Grand Canyon! I've been wanting to visit the GC since I was a young child. It was great! 

My daughter moved to Germany 2 weeks ago. This summer, we spent a lot of time visiting all of the places she will miss. This pic was at her favorite Argentine restaurant. My son wanted to take the family pic and this is what happened! I have the best kids in the world!

We were all smiles in this picture, but there were many tears as she left for Germany. She is out there on her own living her dream. I couldn't be more proud of the brave young lady she has become.

I have been having fun with my jamberry addiction!

 

 

 I am beginning the year off with flexible seating. I am so excited! I read many articles and blogs about this seating option, and I'm ready to dive in. I already let my students stand when they need to and sit or kneel on the floor when they need to. During writing time, my students are encouraged to pick a spot where they can do their best work.

So this is not a huge change. But I must admit. I'm worried about testing. I'm not sure how this will work with state testing. My principal is allowing me to figure this out as I go. Fingers are crossed! 

I fiddled with the furniture yesterday, and I think I figured out the layout. I just need to raise some desks for standing workspaces and lower the tables for sitting and kneeling workspaces. And my carpet is still being cleaned.

 

Thanks to Doodles Bugs Teaching for this awesome linky!

 

Five for Friday~ June 19, 2015

Hi y'all!

Hope you are enjoying June. It is hot here in Texas, but we're surviving. 

Today I'm linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching.

First week of Summer Break! Yay!

Took the kids to watch Jurassic World. My 25 year old daughter has loved dinosaurs since she was a baby. She gave this movie a 2 thumbs up! And I love me some Raptors and Chris Pratt!

Loving my new Jamicure! I am wearing Lace Noir (black) and Island Energy (pink)! I love Jamberry Nail Wraps so much, I decided to become a consultant!

The first of two new products!Tina and I love using Patricia Polacco books for Shared Reading ~ our third graders loved Thank You, Mr. Falker!

The second of our new products ~ The Three Little Javelinas, a twist on the three little pigs. We love to use this book to compare to the original story!


If you would like to win a copy of one of these units, just click on over to our Instagram! Tonight we will choose one winner for each product!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a happy Friday and weekend=)

Currently June

Happy June! 

I am linking up with Farley's linky party today, the first day of my summer vacation. If you're still in school, good luck and best wishes!

If you have the time, you should check out this month's link ups!

Five for Frunday~ Wax Museum and Art Show

Hi y'all! It has been ages since we have chatted. Here's what we have been up to!



Our GT/Art night was this past week, and it was wonderful. Our Living Wax Museum had 32 presenters~19 third graders presented and 13 second graders! Incredible!

Most students began researching back in January, although some students began as late as April. They read biographies about a person of interest. They wrote a research paper. They made a timeline. They wrote their speech. And they practiced.

I blogged about this amazing project here and here.



 Here are lots pics of their night.

Michael Jackson

Queen Elizabeth

Walt Disney

Barnum Bones (Dinosaur Hunter)

Amelia Earhart

Susan B. Anthony

Rosa Parks

Marie Curie

Dr. Seuss

Annie Oakley

Franklin D. Roosevelt

George Washington

Thomas Edison

Stan Lee

Leonardo da Vinci

Elvis Presley

 

Albert Einstein

 
BTW~ We have the world's best art teacher ever! Here are some pics of the Art Show=)

I can never tell which grade level created the art in her classroom because she doesn't have them labeled. She truly brings out the best in students. We love her dearly!

Thanks for reading =0