I always show up at a job interview with resumes and my (informal) portfolio.  It’s a bit like a scrapbook of my teaching career and classroom environment.  I’ve heard that it’s common in our extremely large district for candidates to show up to an interview with nothing, so I’d love to show you a quick glimpse of something fun and… Read More

I make room for “Community Time” each week and we love it! What is it?A time for kids to share a quick personal story.  First graders often share about weekend experiences, pets, or upcoming plans, but it can be about anything.  We listen to our friends, sit quietly, learn more about each other, and make connections to some of the… Read More

I’m working on a Word Work activity post, but still need to get some good pictures of my kiddos in action.  So, since I had a fantastic time at the Route 91 Harvest Festival this weekend, it got me to thinking about some of the things I’m passionate about in my life, besides teaching 1st grade. I say it all… Read More

We’ve started a “Welcoming New Teachers” Group at my school for both brand new teachers and teachers who are new to our school.  You can read more about the start of that group here:  Welcoming New Teachers  And, I’m always open for more ideas for our meetings if you have a great mentoring program in place at your school! For… Read More

So, I participated in #bhteacherweek16!  Look at me!!!!!  Two blog posts in two days!  It’s a record!!! I kept up every day and it was fun to see all of the different posts! This was the layout for the week.  Here are my posts from the week: Meet Me Monday…I shared a picture of me and the new hubby, Jabar! … Read More

The first week is finished and I’m soaking up football, sleeping in, and a three-day weekend!  I’m going to be adding pictures of my classroom to my blog finally, but I really wanted to talk about something I’m excited to start this year…an informal mentoring group for new teachers at my school!When I started at my current school in 2012,… Read More

I decided to give my Free Book Drawing Box a makeover this summer, to match my new room decor, and I thought it would be a great time to blog about my Friday Free Book Drawings! For YEARS, I was buying cheap, useless trinkets to put in my Treasure Chest because that’s what I’d always seen in Treasure Chests.  When… Read More

First of all, I was SO excited that my 30 Questions Freebie was selected as one of the ten free downloads on Teachers Pay Teachers last week!!  I posted some more freebies to celebrate new followers and I loved getting feedback that showed that people really appreciated my product.   Years ago, I used to put a question, conversation starter, or… Read More

My magnum opus is nearly complete!!  This year, I received a grant from the Junior League of Las Vegas for a Take-Home Checkout Library.  I was ecstatic when I received it and immediately began book shopping!  I wanted students to be taking home books that were engaging and targeted for their reading level, so I started buying and leveling books. … Read More