Updating!

For a teacher, there is never, ever enough time. I seriously feel like it flies by once the new school year starts! If I become sketchy on the blog in the next few weeks, I sincerely apologize! Hopefully that won't happen.

Anyway! My first three days at JMS were amazing. Wednesday was our first day, and it wore me out! I had eaten dinner, showered, and gotten in bed by 7:30 PM and I slept until 6:15 the next morning! But apparently that was just enough sleep to get me through the rest of the week, because I was just fine on Thursday and Friday!

I have a total of six reading classes. I'm teaching regular reading this year. My smallest class has 17 and my largest class has 27! In the class of 27, 20 of them are boys. I think that will be challenging because it's the last class of the day.... and 7th grade boys are so silly! I mean, they giggle like little girls. But they are so funny!

I'm teaching four students from my first school. It is good to see familiar faces! One of the girls was actually in my class. She is a sweetheart and I'm glad to have her again! She has grown up so much. She looks so much older than when she was in fifth grade! I hardly even recognized her.

My new school teaches through "Project Based Learning". Normally when people think of projects, they think of papers or posters or three-fold boards. That's not what this is. These projects are relevant to their lives-- they solve real problems and they make a product that reflects that problem. They learn the curriculum while making the project-- teachers rarely direct teach anything. Teachers facilitate workshops that review the material needed. The students realize what they need to know by looking at the project rubric, and they end up asking the teacher to teach them. It's a really neat concept and I'm really excited to use it. I think it will make the learning much more exciting for my students! I'm not going to share what our first project is quite yet.... but I promise I will soon! I'll give you the concepts though-- poetry and Texas regions. Bet you can't figure out how we're combining those! :) :)

Seriously though, this is the coolest school ever. It's a beautiful building, an amazing teaching philosophy, incredible & encouraging co-workers, and a very uplifting environment. I am so excited about this year! I think that after teaching at this school, I will never be able to teach in a "normal" classroom again!

I wish I could say there is more to update on, but really... there isn't. School has taken over my life the past few weeks! I spent last night with my girl friends at happy hour and shopping, and today was spent shopping with them again as well as painting. I bought two pairs of shoes today... I really need to stop that!! I'm a shoe addict. Besides that, my life is consumed with school!

However, one week from today a part of my life will be consumed with college football. I CAN'T WAIT! Roll Tide!

Day One... take three!

Two words the describe my first day at JMS....

Perfect.

Exhausting.

It's 7:30 and I'm going to bed! Middle schoolers wear me out. I promise to update on the beginning of the year soon! Look for one this weekend!

Click here to see the latest news video on my school!

Click here to see a tour of the school with my principal and superintendent!

First Day Jitters!!!

Tomorrow is the big day! I will officially be a middle school teacher at the largest net zero school in the country!!! I am so thrilled! These past few weeks have really gotten my pumped up. I was so nervous and anxious at the beginning of August, but after multiple days of trainings and planning, I am just thrilled! The staff already feels like a new family and I've made several friends. I have a few old students in my classes from my first school, so I am excited about that!

I am nervous about a few things. I am nervous about having "big kids". I think a part of me will miss elementary, but then again I've always thought I was more of a middle school teacher. I have heard from multiple people that seventh grade is the hardest grade to teach because the kids are the worst.... I'm just hoping that's not true! Ha! I am nervous, but overall I am just so so so excited!!

Tomorrow we start our first project. It's a school wide project, and throughout it all the students will learn about all of the different elements of our building. In my class, they will learn about our LEED certification, our pulper (which is awesome!), and they will write a profile for our school. I think they will enjoy it!

This school is literally like no other, and I am so blessed to be a part of it. I am so excited to see what this year holds! I can't wait to look back on this post in June to see where this year has taken me as a teacher!!! Wish us luck! We'll be changing the world starting in just a few hours!!!!

Go eagles! :)

PS. Isn't my new blog layout beautiful??? I love love love it! I think it's the perfect blend of Texas and Alabama! Thanks DiamondDollDesign!

JMS!

With the opening of our brand new school, there comes lots of news stations, articles, and videos. I'm going to use this post to link different articles and videos so that my friends and family back home can see it all! I will update this post as more articles and such come out. The school is beautiful and I am so excited to be working there!!! It has already changed my mindset as a teacher and I just can't wait to start on Wednesday!

Dallas Morning News Video

Irving Blog Article

CW News

Channel 8

WFAA Morning News

More clips will be on the news tonight! I will update later tonight or tomorrow.

First blog feature!

My first blog feature!!! How cool is that?!

My room so far....

This past week and a half has been overwhelming! We have learned so much! From C-Scope to PBL to ProjectShare to Interactive notebooking... the list goes on and on! But it has been so exciting to work with people who are so excited to be there! My room isn't completely finished, but here are pictures from what I've done so far!

Also, I'd just like to say that you know it's going to be a good year when you work with an entire school that is excited to be there. I mean, everyone is excited. I have worked at two amazing schools these past two years.... and I can already tell this will be miles and miles beyond that one. Our trainings have been overwhelming, but so exciting. When you're in an environment that is full of excited people who truly love their jobs, it makes all the difference. I can't even begin to describe how amazed I am with the people I will be working with! It's going to be a great year, for sure!

Happy birthday, Pops!

Whew! There have been lots of birthday shout outs this week! And today is no different! Happy 47th birthday to my pops!!! I hope you have a GREAT birthday! I'll eat a sprinkles cupcake for you!

Katie B!

Happy birthday to my Dallas bestie, Katie B!!!

Isn't it funny that we grew up twenty minutes away from each other, but had to move to Dallas to find each other? And isn't it funny that I did not like you (at all!) when I first met you (hey... you were mean!) and now we are besties?? I have loved getting to know you over the past year! I can't wait for more! I love love love you and hope you have the BESTEST birthday!!!

Happy birthday Charlie Bear!!!!

Happy birthday to my favorite little guy!!!

One year ago today, my little Charlie Bear was born!! I still remember the day Lacey told me she was pregnant! She came into my classroom one morning and said, "Heather! Guess what!!!" and I said, "Um... I have no idea. What??" And she got so mad at me and just kept saying "Guess! Guess!" I hate the guessing game, especially when I have no clue as to what I'm suppose to be guessing!! She finally said, "You're going to be an "aunt"!!!" And I started jumping around and screaming! I have loved that little boy ever since...

I went to see him for the first time the day after he was born. I could have sat there and held him all day long! He was so sweet and tiny and adorable!! I then went and saw him every single day for the first week of his life...

When my Charlie bear was a week old, his mean ol' parents moved him to Alabama... of all places! I was so sad to see him go! (It is just cruel to give me a precious baby, and then take him 12 hours away!!) Luckily, it was to Alabama, so it has been fairly easy to meet up. I went home in October for the Alabama/Florida game, and the Martin family joined us in Tuscaloosa! They met us for dinner Friday night and I could have held that baby all night long...

The next day, Charlie got to experience heaven on earth! (aka Alabama tailgating!) Of course, I dressed him up in the cutest crimson outfit!!

I saw Charlie Bear again over Thanksgiving, when Holly and I went to Enterprise to spend the first weekend with the Martin family!

I didn't see him again until spring break. Charlie Bear and his momma joined my friends and I in PCB for some beautiful days in the sun! He had gotten so big by then, I just couldn't believe it!

Unfortunately, I have not seen Charlie Bear in person since spring break. Thankfully, his mom and I skype often. I have gotten to see him crawl, walk, and so many other things. It warms my heart to see his little face on that screen giggling at me! And thankfully, he and his parents will be living back in the DFW area in just a month and a half!!! I can't wait to have him back!! (And even more so his sweet momma!!)

Happy first birthday to my sweet Charlie Bear!!!! I wish I could be there to love on you and kiss you and hug you, but don't worry... you will get plenty of that when I see you in two weeks!!! I hope you enjoy your tunnel and your book!! You have been such a joy in so many people's lives the past year! I can't wait to see what God has in store for your future. Happy happy birthday to my precious first "nephew"!!! Your favorite fake aunt Heather looooooves you to the moon and back!

Another Video

CBS 11 Dallas did a story on my new school tonight! I thought I'd post it so that everyone can see a little more of what my new school will be like. I can't wait to see it later this week! I haven't seen it since May, so it will be so exciting to see it finished! Click here to watch the video...

Senior Butterbean

When I was in kindergarten, we found out that a little surprise was coming along! My mom was pregnant and I was no longer going to be the baby! He arrived the beginning of my first grade year, and life has never been the same!!

Chase was always my little shadow. During highschool, I took him everywhere with me! This happened especially when my mom was sick. I hated leaving him at the house while we were able to go off and get our minds off things, so he went along with me everywhere! (I even had a few phone calls from my mom and grandmother around midnight saying that I better get my little brother home now.) He was my shadow and I loved it. I feel like I helped raise this kid during the times when my mom was unable to.

The following picture was taken the spring semester of my freshmen year of college... when I think of Chase, I still like to picture him like this! Really short, kind of chubby, and super young. But somewhere along the way, my little butterbean has grown up...
...and today he starts his senior year of highschool. It seems like just yesterday when I was the senior and he was always hanging out with my friends and me. But now, he is the big man on campus. It makes my heart ache a little to think of how grown up he has gotten. He is so tall and handsome, and literally the funniest person I know. (And that's not just me being partial! My friends would all agree with me!) While it's hard to believe he is a senior, I couldn't be more proud of the man he has become.

This picture was taken Christmas of my senior year. I was only 17 here... Chase is almost 18! It is hard to believe that he is currently older than I was in this picture!!

To Chase--- my little butterbean, my No-No--- I wish you the best senior year possible. I hope you live it to the fullest with no regrets. Be safe, have fun, and make tons of memories! Senior year can be so exciting and I hope you don't let a minute of it pass you by!! I ams o proud of the man you have become. I know that mom would be too! I'm sure that this year will be tough in some aspects without her there, but I just want to tell you that she would be so, so proud of you. I can just hear her bragging on you! You are her baby boy and her pride and joy-- she would have loved every second of this senior year (and she probably would have cried through the whole thing too, since you are her baby!) I know that she is smiling down on you from Heaven! Enjoy your senior yerar! I love you so, so much!!!!

(This was Chase and me sweating it out at Salt Like this past July in Austin! Best BBQ ever!)

I love Saturdays!

Today was a busy, but fun day! I slept in (probably for the last time this summer... sad day!). I then got up and worked on some "orders" I had. This included hand sanitizers, pencil buckets, a canvas, and supply buckets. I worked on that stuff all morning/afternoon!

Last night we got an email about my new school! We get to tour it Thursday and we get our keys Monday. We can only bring three boxes of stuff with us! What! I freaked out. As an elementary teacher, I have so much stuff. I worked today on minimizing it... Luckily, I got it down to three boxes!! (Minus my classroom library...) It's going to be really hard for me to get into a middle school mindset! Also, it said that we could only decorate bulletin boards and that there would be no hanging of things on the walls. I think I have two bulletin boards. I know that middle school teachers don't decorate as much, but seriously? Only two boards?! What am I going to do with all my borders?! Ha! I am going to need a new place for my creativity to be shown, since it apparently can't be my classroom anymore! Again, it's going to be really, really hard to get a middle school mindset. Have any of you made the transition from elementary to middle before? If so, what are your biggest tips? I'm starting to freak out!!

Tonight Scott, Katie, Holly, Ty and I went to dinner at BJ's. We love BJ's pizza! I hadn't been there since Valentine's Day, so it was so yummy to eat there again! They have deep dish pizza, so it is just so good! Ty and I split a meatball pizza, and I was nervous about it at first. Mainly because I hate spaghetti and it sounded like it was going to be spaghetti on my pizza! But it ended up being really, really good! Afterward, we came back to the apartment. Two of our other friends, Ian and Clayr, came over and we watched the end of Shark Week. (Is anyone else as sad as we are that it's over??) We also decided to make home made oreo cupcakes!!

We found the recipe here. They were so so yummy! But now we have tons of cupcakes and we don't know who is going to eat them all! I think we are going to take them to sunday school. I put a picture from the link to show you what they kind of looked like! (The best part was the oreo on the bottom!!)

Well, tomorrow is officially a "school night". We don't have school for two and a half more weeks, but Monday is back to good ol' training. I can't believe how fast summer went by, but I'm looking forward to getting back on a schedule! I just wish school started a little bit later! (Well, I guess middle school does start later than elementary.... yay for thirty more minutes of sleep! Ha!)

H-O-T!

I have gotten so, so bad at updating this blog. I apologize! Life has been so busy, yet so lazy at the same time. There are days when I'm running around like crazy, and there are days when I literally sit on the couch all day (which are the best days of summer!)

It's so dang hot right now in Dallas that it's really a pain to do anything. I think the high all week has been 109/110... that is INSANE. We are in a high drought and we need rain so bad!! I told my friends the other day that the next time it rains, I'm just going to go stand in it. It will feel so great!!! I don't think it's rained since the day we left for Alabama... way back in the middle of June. Sigh. I miss rain....

Summer has basically come to a close. Yesterday I helped Valerie set up her new classroom and today I helped Holly re-set up her classroom. (Her school got painted so she had to take everything down before summer.) I have been checking my email every day for the go ahead to go set up my own classroom, but I assume the school is just not finished yet. Sigh...

I start back to training on Monday. I have training Monday, Tuesday, and Friday of next week. I'm hoping we get into our classrooms Wednesday/Thursday so I can spend those days setting up the room! I then have training every weekday until school starts. Where did summer go? It went by way too fast! I'm so thankful for summer though. Teachers would die without it! I'm starting to get really excited about my new school though. I will be sure to post pictures asap!

So basically this was a super boring, long overdue post. Maybe next time I'll have something more interesting to write about! I have made lots of new crafts so I will post pictures sometime this weekend. My new houndstooth toms came in today too, and they are so cute. I'm pretty sure they are going to be all over the state of Alabama soon. I'm glad I will be one of the only people around here with them! Ha! (Speaking of, less than a month until football season!!)

Speaking of football season, this quote from USA TODAY gives me hope! "Last season's champion, Auburn, which returns only six starters, is ranked 19th. That's the lowest spot for a defending champ since USA TODAY has been administering the poll." - USA Today.

OK... back to Shark Week. Holly and I are addicted!!

My new dress! And new shoes!

Over the past week, I have been talking with a lady on Etsy who makes custom T-shirt dresses. She made me this Alabama dress... isn't it adorable??

Check out her Etsy store! She can make so many different teams! She hasn't asked me to write this blog advertising her store, but she was seriously so easy and great to work with! Check her out!

I can't wait to wear it with my new houndstooth TOMS!