Yes, I'm Still Alive! What I've been up to and some test prep literacy centers.

Hello, world!

Sorry I have been completely AWOL lately. I've been a little busy surviving my first year of teaching!!

This teaching thing is no joke! There are so many "firsts" to take care of. Teaching everything for the first time, learning what I like and don't like, what works and doesn't work, what to do and what not to do...the list goes on and on.
Anywho, I've (obviously) had to take a step back from the blogging world to get used to all of the craziness that is teaching and still having a life (as much as possible, anyway). 

I am currently on Spring Break (woohoo!) so I am coming out of my crazy-teacher-cave to say hi and share a little bit of what I've been up to. 

It would take so many more posts to catch you up on all that my fourthies and I have done this year. There have been ups and there have been downs. There have been crying days and there have been proud days. So, I will save that all for a post at the end of the year with some advice for newbie teachers or even just a good laugh for more seasoned teachers. 

For a glimpse, however, you can check out my TPT store. Though I am not able at the time to create as many new products as I would like, I have been posting the products I create for my kiddos and my classroom throughout the year. 
Currently, I just posted something I have been working super hard on lately- my "Grammar is Great" Literacy Centers. A week after spring break, my fourthies are taking The Big Test. You know the one. To make our review week more hands-on, I worked up six centers for my kiddos and I to work on. These are cute sorting activities for everything from parts of speech to fragments and run-on's. 

So I am off to enjoy the last few days of my break and two more crazy months of school. And then I'll be back for good!
In the mean time, follow me on TPT and Pinterest, two of my favorite places :)

Much love,

Back! (sort of)

Well, blogging world, it's been a busy summer already! I can't believe it's about to be July! So much has happened since I've been "awol" once again. In May I graduated from college (woop!) and we got our crazy, hilarious cocker spaniel puppy, Lewis. We began June with an awesome, much-needed vacay to Florida! The hubs and I spent a week in Sarasota with my in-laws visiting my sisters-in-law, one of whom just had an adorable baby!

The day after we got back (seriously!) I received the best news of the summer.... I got a job!

I am so excited to officially be a fourth grade literacy teacher. I think it is the perfect job for me. I love all things books, reading, writing, and literature-related. So these past few weeks have been filled with me obsessively preparing for my first year of teaching! I even attended my first teaching conference in Little Rock with my new colleagues! Ahh!

Can you tell I'm a little excited? I've been spending a lot of time on TPT, Pinterest, blogs, and in my classroom getting ready for all things fourth grade. And of course, I have been making my own things as well. Hopefully I will have those up in my store soon as well :)

This past week has also been VBS at our church. I've been teaching the 7 to 9 year olds group, which has of course, been a blast. It's so nice to "get back in the teaching game" for a bit. I haven't worked with kids since May! Which is a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time ;)

So that's what I've been up to! Been spending lots of nights contact paper-ing books for my library, scraping hot glue off the walls, and rearranging things in my room. It still has a long way to go...but I promise to put up some before/after pictures when it's finished.

So....any tips for a newbie fourth grade teacher? I'll take all the help I can get!

Happy summer! :)

 PS- Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin ;)