Celebrate The Little Things!

First comment! Taking joy in the little things this morning! Big thank you to Dana from "Fun in First Grade" for stopping by and dropping me a line! I felt the need to throw some confetti so I decided to enjoy some fireworks instead. ;)

I am up and armed with a cup of delicious coffee this morning. Last night was another one of those "mind running 90 miles an hour while my eyes feel like they are sandpaper" kind of nights. O_O  My thoughts were on writing journals to integrate Language Arts into Science and History. So, I have decided to sit down and write some guiding questions. Another thought I have had is to create story map worksheets for my girls to complete as they work through a fictional or non-fictional book. One of the toughest challenges in reading is to summarize a book for a book report or research report. These worksheets would guide them through the chapter, integrate language arts, and support them in summarizing as well as prediction. So, two new things for my TO DO list. I will be posting the story map worksheet when I finish so you can tell me what you think! :)

One big goal that I have for this year is to create a Unit on American History. I have done quite a bit of research on curriculum for American History for my homeschoolers and I have to admit I am not jumping up and down about any of them. I have so many ideas of what I would like to see my girls accomplish this year so I thought I would work to create my own. This would be more of a guided curriculum that could be used in homeschool or even by a classroom teacher. Can't wait to get going on it! Perhaps you know of a great curriculum or resource for American History that you could share? If so, comment below! I would love to hear about them.

I hope you all have a great day!

Summer? What Summer?

"Teachers shouldn't make more money, they get a whole summer off!" "Teaching is one of the easiest professions, you get so many breaks!" Have you ever heard comments like this? I find myself chuckling and sometimes even laughing out loud when I listen to someone try to explain how easy teachers have it. Granted I am not pulling a brain out of someone's head and putting it back in, but I do have impact on what goes into the brain! To accomplish this important yet often underappreciated task, we teachers remain on the job from the time the sun comes up until the moment we finally get our brains to stop thinking at night. Let me give you a few examples:

~ The day after a teacher packs up her classroom, she is reorganizing her room with a brand new theme in her mind. Scouring websites, teacher stores, and blogs for inspiration all while filling up bulletin boards on Pinterest.

~ Tourists go to the beach for a vacation and unwind. The teacher in the group spends her time considering how to create a unit on erosion, collecting shells and sand dollars to give to her students, and thinking on how to integrate a beach unit into all subject areas.

~ Yard sales are opporunities for teachers to hunt down more books for the classroom library.

~  Manipulatives are made from kitchen supplies, cereal boxes into organizers, and pennies are pinched in order to create a learning environment for an entire group of unknown students.

Summer is not a time to rest, it is a time to plan for the new year! The few examples I have given do not even scratch the surface of a teacher's work during their "time-off." Yet, this summer has flown by so quickly for my family that I feel like I am playing catch-up all while preparing for next year. While closing up last year's curriculum, I am looking to make some changes for next year which I am sure I will be blogging about later. For now, I will rest in the fact that my endless efforts are going towards enriching the lives of my three greatest treasures.  What is some work you are doing this summer during your "vacation?"

New Beginnings

Hi there! My name is Leah and I have embarked on a new journey in bloggersville. Education and learning have been a passion of mine for many years... since I was old enough to hold a book. I was the student who could not WAIT for school to start back each year. I loved everything about a new year including the smell of my brand new textbooks and the sounds of my school hallways. There was nothing more exciting than packing my new backpack with all of my new school supplies. In fact, I would rearrange their placement in my backpack a half dozen times to get it "just right!" Books were my best friends and I wear corrective lenses today because I couldn't put one down once I had started. Darkness was just an inconvenience that could be fixed with a window and a moon or a flashlight under the covers. Okay I admit it, I am still this way. :)

My journey through education has taken a few twists and turns. I began as a student of Elementary Education before receiving my degree and certification for the Florida Department of Education. I worked in the public school system for several years before my health caused me to reprioritize my life. As a result, I became a stay at home mom to two beautiful daughters. During this time, I decided to use the passion I have for learning and my training to teach my own children. I now homeschool my girls and it has been one of the greatest yet most challenging choices I have ever made.

My family has now grown to three beautiful girls and we are preparing for a brand new year! I have decided to create a blog that focuses on techniques and resources the promotes knowledge retention. As I have a K-3, 3rd grader and 6th grader this year, these resources will span many different grades. Perhaps you are a homeschool parent or a teacher, I hope that you can find something that will be useful or interesting. Maybe it will just spark your own creative juices! I have found that teachers are the most creative and resourceful people in the world!

A season of new beginnings is an opportunity to be stretched, to grow, and to change. Though "change" has never been a popular word in my vocabulary (as I am a creature of habit) I have learned that growth naturally equals change. As an elementary teacher or even a mother, I would be so frustrated if a student remained unchanged from the beginning of the year to the end! So, here I am embracing this new season and I look forward to sharing it with you... Leah