Change Will Do You Good...I Hope

Change is not easy, we all know that, but it may be one of the greatest things for you.  This year, I am changing schools.  I will still be teaching first grade, but I will be setting up shop in a building unfamiliar to me.  I will be leaving my teaching family, my home-away-from-home.  This is a choice that I made, but it is still one that I am struggling with.  Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited, yet at the same time, I am so nervous and overwhelmed.  The mere act of setting up a classroom from scratch is exhausting to think about.  Plus, getting to know a new staff and fitting in is scary.  Have you ever felt this way?  How did you overcome these fears?
I have decided to take all of my nervousness and turn it into excitement.  This year, I get to start over. I get to relate to my students' feelings of nervousness on the first day.  I get to be the "new kid" that everyone supports (at least I hope).  Most importantly, I get to challenge myself to be my BEST self.

Are you resisting change or embracing it?

Being a Teacher Mom

Last night, as I was up nursing, at 2:30 am, I came across this article.  Since then, I have seen it all over social media. 

As a new mom who recently returned to work, from maternity leave, I get it!  Before I was even pregnant, I was searching for balance in my life.  Now, with an 8 month old that search is FAR from over.  
What do you think?  Can you be a present parent and educator at the same time?

In need of a healthy balance

Booo to germs!  My kiddos have been picking their noses and sneezing up a storm, and now I have caught a bug.  When this happens, I turn to every natural trick in the book.  These are my two musts when I start to feel crumby...

Cold Care Juice:  I love my juicer!  This recipe creates a glass of spicy cold care perfection.

Super Echinacea:  I don't know what it is with this stuff, but it speeds up recovery from a cold wonderfully fast!  

What do you do to stay healthy when germs are in full force around you?

10 Things I've Learned From Teaching

I am linking up today with Miss Kindergarten, for 10 Things I've Learned From Teaching.  I have to say narrowing down what I have learned to 10 items was very difficult, I have a feeling I will be posting about this topic again.

1. Make time for your self!  I struggle with this one every year, but it is the most important.

2. Always keep an open-mind.  We all have expectations for our students and families, but we can only control what happens in our classrooms. 

3. Remember to remain professional.  It can be very easy to participate in the gossip circus, but staying out of it makes you a stronger individual.

4. Find a buddy.  Having someone to bounce ideas off of, plan with, or eat lunch with is important.  Adults need adult conversation, right? (Keep in mind number 3)

5. Laugh!  Remember to enjoy the silly moments.  The silly memories help when times become stressful.

6.  Flexibility is your friend.  Your day could change at any moment, let go of the control and go with the flow.  You can still stick to your plans, just in a modified means.

7. It is okay to say, "No."  I am still learning how to do this, but it is imperative to know when you have taken on too much.  

8. Participate in at least one physical activity.  Teaching is mentally draining, having a release is a necessity.  I highly recommend yoga, as it addresses metal and physical release.

9. Kids eat pencils!  Seriously, this is no joke!  Each time you replenish the pencils they magically end up demolished or no where to be found.  Invest in pencil stock!

10. Save the drawings and notes, from students, in a big envelope, and save them for a BLAH! day.  You never know when you might need a little cheering up.  I turn mine into a class book at the end of each school year.

What is the number 1 thing you have learned as a teacher?