Monday Made It {August 12, 2013} & Blog Hoppin'!

Do you hear that sound???

I definitely hear it....

It sounds like a clock ticking...Ticking down the last few days before I go back.  I begin teaching summer school on Wednesday and while I will really miss being home, I am also looking forward to getting back at it.

Today I'm linking up with two linky parties...First, Monday Made It with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics.

I spent a lot of time this week reading...I'm trying to get through Writing Circles by Jim Vopat and Word Nerds by Brenda Overturf before I go back to school.  Both are AWESOME books and I would probably feel more accomplished if I actually finished one book before beginning another, but I digress...

So here are two things I made this week, one for school and one for home.

For my door at school

Homemade sweet pickles with cucumbers from the garden

I did make a few other things, but they are in my classroom (I forgot to take pictures before relocating them) so I will post pics of those later.  :)  I don't know about you, but I'm a little forgetful these days....

Next, I'm excited to do a special link up this week with the gals from Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week '13!

What a great way to gather up some last minute ideas to feel ready for the new year!  (I purposefully didn't say "be ready" because I'm not sure if I ever really am...  :)

Today's Topic is "Let's Talk About Me!:  Meet the Teacher"

This will be my 6th year teaching 4th grade.  I came to decide on teaching as a career after "trying out" several others -- inside sales, real estate, employment recruiting...With all of this real life experience, I am proud to say that teaching is my passion and something I want to do for a really long time.

Source:  www.venspired.com

I have been a blog reader for at least three years.  I love the ideas and inspiration that I get from other bloggers and I know that I am a better teacher because of it!  I began blogging myself in March of this year and absolutely love it! 

This past June, I opened my TpT Store to share many of the resources that I have created.  Doing this has encouraged me to look deeply at my instruction and to try to improve on what I was already doing.  I feel that this has also helped me be a better teacher.

(Just a reminder that these writing Mini-Posters are 20% off at my TpT Store TODAY!  :)

 

Another thing that I am passionate about is WRITING!  This summer, I participated in the National Writing Project at UW-Milwaukee and blogged about my experiences.  (You can read about them by clicking on National Writing Project in my sidebar to the right...)  I am really looking forward to getting back into the classroom to try out some new ideas.

As an educator, I feel that it is my responsibility to keep current on the latest research and trends in our field.  That is why you will always find me reading a professional book or taking some class or the other.  I feel that doing these things keeps me fresh and energized for the job that I do every day.  I know many of you who read blogs and/or write blogs yourself feel the same way.  :)
               

Well, that's enough about me!  Can't wait to check out BOTH of these linky parties later today to gather some more ideas and meet some new bloggers.

If you dropped by,(and made it all the way to the end of this very long post), I would love to hear from you.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here!  :)