advanced ankle biters

I'm going to have to show the t shirts from this weekend later, probably tomorrow, because we haven't heat set them yet. We were going to do that Monday night, which got pushed to Tuesday night, which, due to a leaky iron, got pushed to tonight. It doesn't affect the way it looks or anything but I was going to shoot them after they were heat set so that has yet to happen.

Yesterday I observed a kindergarten class and I was beat afterward. It was actually pretty cool because it wasn't just any kindergarten.. I observed the awesome teacher who taught me kindergarten. Just in time too because she retires after this year. It was crazy how many things in that room were exactly the same and how many were incredibly different. The room felt so much smaller now that everything is about knee level to me.

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The weirdest part was how advanced kindergarten is now. They were doing things that I wasn't doing until first or second grade! When I left kindergarten, I could read okay, but I think that was mostly due to the fact that I read a ton at home. I could basically write my letters and numbers and maybe some three letter words. These kids had a science lesson on frogs in the morning and in the afternoon they were writing a three sentence story about what they learned! Crazy! Some needed a lot of help with spelling but others were pretty independent. And they were all obsessed with reading. The teacher told one girl who was probably the best reader to show me how well she read so she grabbed her favorite Curious George book and read it flawlessly. Before I knew it there was a whole line of kids behind her waiting for their turn to show me how they could read. They all have such confidence at that age! It's pretty amazing.

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So now I've seen kindergarten and 4th grade. I'll be certified to teach K-6 when I'm done. I'm still not sure which end of the age spectrum I'd prefer but I'm getting a good feel for the different capabilities and up/down sides of different ages. As I've been told by many teachers, K-4 is a little harder to engage and keep their attention but they still have that love of learning and like their teachers. 5th and up is easier to manage and get things done with, but they're starting to get a little too cool for school (literally) and with that comes a 'tude and loss of interest in doing work.

I still have much observation ahead of me so I have time to figure it out but at least I don't dread any of it so far. Ideally I want to be okay with the idea of any grade so that I have more job opportunities. I've seen people who only love one grade and then they either struggle with finding an opening or are miserable when they get moved to another grade because of changes in the school.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far! I can't believe it's Wednesday again. I only have a week until finals! Eek! I can't believe my first semester of grad school is almost over. It seems like just yesterday I was having a meltdown over a possible career change. ;)

class curation pt 2

Here's the spring installment of my class curations I'm doing. Here is part 1. It also gives a little background to the project. I'm feeling especially inspired now that I'm observing some classes. It's crazy how when you're a student in elementary school, the day seems to drag on and on. But when I observed today, as a 23 year old who wasn't new to 4th grade concepts, time absolutely blew by! I was actually shocked by how fast it went! It seemed like the kids no sooner started a lesson and then they were going to specials or starting a new subject or switching classes. I think I'm going to like the fast paced-ness of it because I probably have the attention span of a 10 year old. I get more and more happy about my decision every day. :)

So here is how I would decorate my elementary school classroom for spring, with hand selected items from Etsy.

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I love the idea of having pompom flowers and butterflies hanging from the ceiling, bunting swinging from one wall to another, and the prettiest raindrops dangling in front of a blank wall. The pinwheels would catch a nice spring breeze as they sat in mason jars by open windows.

Fun.

I think I'll do an outfit post soon now that I'm getting to break in my "work clothes". I've been collecting skirts and blouses that are long enough to be appropriate in school but still stylish. And not crunchy. When I had my design internship, I had no "work clothes" so I went out and bought a bunch of business woman attire and I always felt crunchy. Everything was just so stiff and, well.. crunchy! Does anybody know what I'm talking about or am I speaking crazy now?? :)

Anywho, bedtime. I'm observing again tomorrow so it'll be another early one. Goodnight!

p.s. the lovely gingham tape strips are courtesy of pugly pixel.

class curation pt 1

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I've been thinking about ways to make my future classroom fun, bright, and just somewhere a kid would be happy. If you haven't read my about section, I'm currently going for my master's in elementary education. I've always felt like the colors and decor can really affect the overall mood of a classroom (or any place you spend the majority of your day), and thus how you perform.

To make a long story short, in my one class we mainly talk about issues and how they'd be dealt with in the classroom. In public school there is always the issue of religion. And when I think of decorating, I mostly relate it to holidays. This forced me to start thinking a little more about decorating with seasonal elements and color palettes rather than Christmas trees and Easter bunnies.

I decided to make a series of five curations of things I've found on etsy that would be public school appropriate, kid friendly, and not bore me to tears. Four will be seasonal but I decided to start the first one off with general decor that would remain year round. Stuff like motivational posters, alphabet and number charts, classroom aids, etc. How many classrooms have you sat in as a student where you felt like you've been seeing the same cheesy quotes year in and year out because there's probably only a limited number of places who sell these things?

Well here is my collection of eye candy I wouldn't mind staring at everyday..

For a unique classroom environment that's a little more you and a little less standard, think indie shops, printmaking, and playful colors and characters.

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I think Modern Pop has the cutest selection of kiddie prints ever. I will definitely be snatching some of these goodies when the time comes.

I just thought I'd share this with you because I figured it might give some ideas to others in the teaching field, as well as mom's looking to decorate a kid's room. Next up will be a spring curation since everyone's got spring fever right now. I just wanted to get the basics down first. :)

Also.. I've been forgetting to mention that I'm involved in a sponsor giveaway right now over on one of my favorite blogs, One Pearl Button! Check it out to see what you need to do to enter!

a new kind of classroom

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I won't lie.. one of my favorite parts about becoming a teacher has always been getting to set up my own classroom. Not the only part obviously, but who wouldn't be excited about getting to customize the place where they spend most of their day? I'm sure people who have their own business could vouch for this.

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If I had a bajillion dollars, my little vintage heart would be contented to replace all the desks with these wood and wrought iron beauties from the 1800s. But keeping it a little more realistic, I've been thinking about what I can do to make this space mine. I plan to teach in a public school which makes the whole decorating thing a lot more challenging.

I went to private/catholic schools my whole life so no one took it offensively when Christmas trees and Santa Claus were displayed in every nook and cranny. Since it seems like most seasonal decorating revolves around holidays, I have to get a bit more creative and focus more on seasonal color palettes and changes in nature to perk up the white walls!

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All that being said, I've been intensely searching through etsy, looking for the right pieces to complete my ideas for a me kind of classroom. I don't want to lose my style amongst the same multicolored inspirational posters I've seen in every classroom from elementary school through high school. I also don't want to have bare boring walls just because I can't celebrate holidays. I've found some classroom gold so far and I've been collecting images so I can make a few seasonal curations with my finds. You can look for those in the upcoming weeks!

I'm really excited about all the great things I found. Etsy is seriously my new go-to resource for all things awesome. I don't know why I don't think to look there first more often!

Any tips for holiday-free decorating would be greatly appreciated! :)