My Summer To Do List

• Plan book organized in a binder (done!)
• Order Math Pensieve on Zazzle with coupon (done!)
• Set up Math Pensieve
• Get ideas for math STARS centers (in progress)
• Read up on Writer's Workshop (in progress)
• Go through new math curriculum 
• Set up classroom 
• Organize books
• Beautify the teacher notebook
• Write welcome letters to kids
• Check out STEM units

...and probably 1,000,000 other things...but I have a month! I will be blogging about my preparations for all this things and more as I check them off of my list.

Because I needed more on my plate this year...

Hello and welcome to my blog: From My Mixed Up Files. I have lots of things to share (some of my own ideas, some borrowed ideas, and some stolen ideas) in the wide world of teaching. 


I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Communication Arts and Literature (grades K-8). I received my M.Ed. degree in Teaching and Learning a few years ago. I am currently going into my seventh year of teaching in the primary grades at the school I was first hired in. I have a unique teaching situation in that I begin a "loop" in first grade and have essentially the same class again in second grade so I am quite familiar with both grades 1 and 2. 


Each year poses new learning opportunities and this year is no different. I am currently waiting to hear what my position will be for the fall (and, yes, there is only about a month left of summer vacation for us) since I have just finished a loop and we had a few cuts due to enrollment. I was originally supposed to start again in first grade, but I volunteered to teach 2nd grade again, taking over a class for a teacher that was not tenured. Then, my principal was mulling a multi-age class of first and second graders. Now, I am back to square one, waiting and not knowing. I should know the second week of August, though, and I know that I could teach both grades.


To fill my plate even further, I am currently pregnant with my second baby boy and due just after Thanksgiving. 


So, naturally, I thought I'd start a blog to share some ideas from my classroom to yours.