Hello, 2015!

Another year is in the books, and as always, I'm excited to be seeing the start of a new year. Last year will be remembered for its big highs and deep lows, but I know that everything happens for a reason, and I feel like I'm in a good place to start 2015.

And one place I plan to start is being a better blogger! So here's my Currently post for January 2015.

Listening - It's my daughter's bedtime here, and my husband has bedtime duty tonight. It's a rare moment when the TV is off, the dogs are asleep, and all is quiet in the house. I'm savoring it.

Loving - I think that New Year's Day may be my favorite day of the year because it is a fresh start where it feels like anything is possible. I often feel this way at the beginning of the school year, too, but I think I prefer this time of year because there's more predictability with everything. I already know my students very well; we've built our routines and expectations, and the only things that need to be changed are the things I *want* to change. It's an empowering holiday.

Thinking - A major reason why I haven't been blogging much lately is because of my Ph.D. program. It feels weird to be writing something that doesn't have a lengthy bibliography attached to it! I continue to be excited about my dissertation topic, though, and I've been thinking about it more and more. I plan to write about the role of social media in teacher professional learning. The short version is that I'm going to study how reading and writing about classroom practices through blogging affects teachers' feelings of effectiveness in the classroom (self-efficacy beliefs). I think connecting with other teachers through blogging and other social media has been one of the best moves I've ever made as a teacher, and I'm curious to find out if others feel the same way and what consequences it might have. One of my classes this semester is actually requiring me to blog about my research, so I'll be setting that up in the next week. It will be a separate blog as I doubt my classmates in other programs will really want to read about Eberopolis, but I'll share a link here if you're interested in following or learning more.

Wanting - I had 18 blog posts in 2014. Pathetic. I have a notebook full of ideas, so now I need to get them out here. My goal is to blog at least once a week, and as I've been getting other things in my life better organized, I think that's realistic.

Needing - I set some big goals for this vacation as far as getting myself organized for the new year, and so far, I've done a great job. For example, I already have 2 months of healthy meals planned for my family (written on sticky notes so I can shuffle them around when stuff inevitably comes up).

And I've been cleaning closets and creating a new workspace to boost my productivity in the new year. I even made my annual pilgrimage to The Container Store today! I just need to wrap up my remaining projects tomorrow so I can enjoy my weekend before returning to school on Monday. (I'm @eberopolis on Instagram if you want to see more about those projects...). 

Finally, my three areas:

YES to my health. I lost nearly 20 pounds between Labor Day and Christmas, and while my trip to see my family for the holidays reversed that trend a little, I'd like to continue to focus on my health in 2015. I've been doing Weight Watchers, and losing weight has been easy when I've taken the time to plan what I'm going to eat and track what I eat throughout the day. I'm ready to get back on track.

Maybe to becoming a morning person. I already get to work by 7:15 each morning, but I would hardly call myself a morning person. I read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod over break, and it has me thinking about whether I should try to get up earlier to add things like meditation and exercise to my morning routines. I'm thinking I'll try it for a month and see how it goes. (The book was good, btw. An easy read to be sure). 

I wish...I love my job--I really do--but I'm starting to feel like it's time for me to tackle a new challenge. I want to be able to work with other teachers to help them troubleshoot issues in their classrooms, improve their teaching, and use technology more effectively. I purposefully chose to go into an Educational Leadership PhD program for that reason; ultimately I want to teach in higher ed and/or become an administrator. I'm not ready to do all of that yet, but I wish that I could find an instructional coaching position or something similar that would let me work more directly with teachers while I keep working on my program. It might be time to start that hunt this year. 

Okay, I promise I will be back soon...I have a couple of other posts in draft mode almost ready to share about some of the new things I've been doing in my classroom this year. Hopefully you'll FLIP when you read them! ;-)

Happy new year!

July Currently

How did it get to be July already?!?!

I'm still recovering from 3 days of EdTech awesomeness at the ISTE conference and linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this month's currently.

Listening - My two-year-old has recently become obsessed with Sofia the First on Disney Jr. It's a cute show, but not my favorite of the toddler choices...not that I've become a connoisseur of toddler TV or anything...

Loving - I started a garden last summer, but it became somewhat overgrown when Georgia had its monsoon season last summer, and it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. This year, we're in a new house, and while I don't have the yard space (or HOA permission) for a full garden, I have space on my deck for a container garden. I'm growing bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, herbs, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and carrots, and they're really coming along! My daughter and I check on them every afternoon, so it has become a fun summer project.

Thinking - This was my first year to attend ISTE, and I learned SO much. It was overwhelming, exhausting, and inspiring, and I just need a little time to process it all. I'll start blogging tomorrow about some of the coolest stuff I learned.

Wanting - I'm moving into a new classroom this year, so I had to box up all of my stuff at the end of the school year. I'm hoping (*fingers crossed*) that it all got moved to the new room (in a different building on our campus) so I can begin unpacking soon.

Needing - I'm a little panicked that it's July already. I have a lot of projects that are in various stages of completion, and while I know better than to think I'll get them all done, I'd like to check a few more items off my list before I go back to school in a few weeks.

4th Plans - I'm looking forward to a three day weekend with my husband and daughter. We don't have any big plans, but we may take Sydney to see her first fireworks extravaganza.

On a final note, as I prepare to move into my new classroom, I'm starting to think about decorating. The wall colors are very different in my new room, so my old stuff might not work. Here's a quick pic of the new room from my Instagram account:

I'd love to hear your color schemes/decorating ideas if you have any! The move-in and shopping spree will start next week!

Have a great weekend!

June Currently

Summer vacation is here! Woohoo! Technically, I'm not quite done. I have to finish packing up my classroom, and I still have a few things to finish for mailing out report cards, but the hard part -- managing 27 excited fourth graders before summer break -- is over. I'm on my own schedule now.

And still waking up at 5:30am sans alarm clock every morning... sigh...

Listening - I just sent my final report cards and test scores to the printer. Now I just have to stuff them into envelopes, but oh -- it's good to be done!

Loving - I was supposed to be taking two classes this summer, but the first one (a prerequisite for the second) was cancelled due to low enrollment. I took that as a sign (excuse?) that I'm supposed to take a break this summer, and I'm loving that. I have a huge "to do" list of things I want to accomplish, and it's a huge stress relief to know that I won't have to write any papers or travel to classes throughout the week.

Thinking - Many of my favorite people at work are moving on to new adventures next year, so it will be a very different place when I return at the end of July. I'm going to miss them a ton! Since I'm also moving classrooms, I'll have a very different environment with new neighbors. I like fresh starts and new opportunities, but I'm still sad to say goodbye to my current friends and neighbors who I'll hardly get to see next year. At least there's Facebook to keep in touch!

Wanting - My parents live in Michigan, and I haven't seen them since Christmas. The long distance thing didn't bother me so much before I had my daughter, but now I really want them around more and more. They're coming to visit next week and staying for 10 days. If I had my way, they'd move to Atlanta permanently. I'm so excited that they're visiting!

Needing - My newest obsession is the FX show "The Americans." If you haven't seen it, you really should. It's set in the 1980s, and it's about two KGB agents who are posing as Americans to spy for the Soviet Union. It's a really good drama with very interesting characters, and my husband and I have jammed through all of season 1 and most of season 2. Of course, because my eyes automatically close at 10pm, I fell asleep through an episode last night, and I have to catch up today so we can finish the season together tonight. Summer vacation can be so rough!

Summer Bucket List - I have lots of goals for the summer, but no "must do" tasks. So here are my three:
1. Read fiction - I'm terrible with this throughout the year, especially now that I'm back in grad school, too. I'd really love to read a couple books each week just for the fun of it. I miss doing that!
2. Finish projects - this is broad and includes a lot of areas -- school projects, home projects, knitting projects, organizing projects, etc. I love starting projects, but I'm not always the best at finishing them in a timely manner. I'd like to wrap up a few of those this summer so I'm starting fresh in the fall.
3. Relax! Juggling full-time teaching and part-time PhD work was really intense. I don't think I appreciated how hard I'd been working until the semester ended, and I realized how much more free time I had. Since everything starts up again in the fall, I'd like to just relax and take it easy this summer. No pressure to tackle everything on my possible to do list or anything like that. Less school work and more manicures, I say! That sounds like a great summer plan to me.

Of course, while the summer will be full of relaxation, I'm also planning to blog a lot more. I've had a big pile of posts banked up for a while now, and since I finally have my own schedule, I'll be back here pretty regularly. I hope that you'll stick around and leave me comments! I'm also going to be starting my summer book clubs tomorrow, so stay tuned for the first post about When Writing with Technology Matters!

July Currently & Goals & a Meet Up!

Oh, July! You seemed so far away a month ago. How could you possibly be almost here already?! Can't we add another month in between June and July? I really, REALLY want to hold on to June as long as possible. I'm really not ready to return to work in a few weeks...

Currently July

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh Boy! 4th Grade for the July Currently.

Listening: My little girl is almost 2, and she LOVES books. She also loves Pete the Cat. I took her to my favorite children's book store, Little Shop of Stories, to get the new Pete the Cat book the day it came out. Given that she knows and loves the song "Wheels on the Bus," it's a great book for her to "read" on her own.

Loving: Planbook.com. I signed up for the one-month trial to tinker around with it, and it's fantastic. I'll definitely be using it next year.

Thinking: that I'm much more prepared to teach the Common Core this year -- especially with math. I'm excited about implementing all of the things that I worked on this summer to get ready for math, and I'm optimistic about my year ahead.

Wanting: a longer summer break. There are so many things that I still want to do before going back to school, and I don't think I'm going to be able to get them all done.

Needing: a maid. I can't keep up with my husband, toddler, and two dogs. Once I go back to work, it may be time to hire someone to come in each week.

Tips, Tricks & Hints: One thing that helps me with time management is to try to group all of my like-projects together and work on them at once. For example, I have one day a week at school that I do all of my copying (or at least I did before going paperless!). I also spend one day working on plans for each subject (e.g., a day for math planning, a day for science, etc.) and a day for working on blog posts, etc for the week. This helps me use my time more efficiently and stay relatively organized.

July Goals

I'm also linking up with Jess at I {Heart} Recess for the first time for the monthly goals post.

Personal: I want to start exercising at least 3 times a week (baby steps). I return to work in a couple weeks (!), and I know with all that I'll be juggling this year between work and my doctorate that I will need to do better with exercise for balance and stress management.

Family: I want to squeeze in a couple more "date days" before going back to school. My daughter is in school year round, so on "date days," my husband leaves his office before lunch, and then we go out to lunch and catch a movie before picking her up. It saves us babysitting costs, and it's a fun way to spend our afternoon.

Health: A few years ago when I lost a lot of weight, the biggest change I made was that I consistently drank 64 oz of water every day. Now that I've gained back the weight (and then some), I need to start drinking at least that much water every day.

School: I report to our staff retreat on July 17th, and then pre-planning officially starts on July 25th. I need to figure out how I'm going to decorate my room before then and map out some plans for the first few weeks before then.

Blog/TpT: I'm hoping to wrap up my Paperless Challenge series in the next few weeks, and I have several new TpT products in the works. This summer has just gone by too quickly for me to finish it all!

Outside the Box: I want to find some easy and tasty breakfast and lunch recipes that I can use throughout the year. I do a fairly good job cooking healthy dinners, but I am not consistent the rest of the day. I often forget to eat breakfast, and then I don't make the best choices for lunch either. The more I plan ahead, the better prepared I'll be. And this justifies spending more time on Pinterest. Win-win!

Southeastern Bloggers Meet Up!

Have you heard about the Southeastern-area blogger meet up? It's about time that those of us in Georgia and the surrounding areas get together, and I'm super thankful that Stacia, Amanda, and Jivey from Collaboration Cuties and Ideas by Jivey have  organized something for us. If you are close to Atlanta, I hope you'll join us for the meet up on July 20th. It promises to be lots of fun.

Click on any of the images below to connect with Jivey's blog where you can RSVP.

I hope to meet lots of other fabulous teacher bloggers there! Click the button below to RSVP.

Currently June (?!)

Oh, how I love to start the month with Farley's Currently over at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade -- especially when I actually remember that it's the start of the month and don't have that revelation about a week in. :)

Here we go...

Listening:  I got to see Sara Bareilles perform at a small Atlanta venue on my birthday a couple of weeks ago, and wow - can she ever sing! She's been in heavy rotation on my playlist ever since.

Loving: The first couple of weeks of summer vacation are always the best because it feels like there's so much free time ahead. A quick glance at my calendar would remind me that this summer is going to fly by very quickly, but for now, I'm thrilled to have a little breathing room before the hustle and bustle of another school year kicks in.

Thinking: Math is on my mind a lot right now. I'm finishing up my final project for my math endorsement (an algebra unit), and I'm joining multiple book studies about math-related books this summer. My students did very well overall on the year-end standardized tests, but I feel like I'm still scrambling to make sense of the best way to teach the Common Core. I need to figure out something that will allow me to differentiate more without creating oodles of additional work on my end. If anyone has the magic solution, please let me know.

Wanting: We bought a new desktop computer last year, and it was intended to be mostly for my school/blogging/TpT use. That worked for a little while, but my husband has slowly taken it over and claimed it as his. He's been working crazy hours (he's an attorney), and his work is often more deadline-oriented than mine, so I've given in. But now that I'm getting ready to start my doctorate, it might be time for us to give up on the idea of sharing a computer. I have a work laptop that I use sometimes, but it's got some crazy restrictions/configurations that limit the programs I can install, etc. For most people, it's not a big deal, but when you're a tech-geek like me, it's frustrating. So last week, I made a big pitch for me to get a new iMac desktop, and he agreed! There were some intense negotiations that went into the process, but in the end, we made a deal that we can both live with. I'm going to be responsible for generating the extra income to make the payments on it (we got it financed over 18 months), but between some tutoring jobs I'm taking and TeachersPayTeachers, I think I'll be able to swing it.

Now I just need to hold on for Monday when my precious new toy will arrive!

Needing: I need to get organized and prioritize what I need to accomplish this summer because there's no world in which I'll have time to tackle my ever-growing to-do list. I need to create some realistic goals with deadlines to keep myself reasonably on-task. I also need to cut out distractions like randomly checking Facebook or email or Twitter every 10 minutes.

3 Vacay Essentials - 1) Shade - I have the misfortune of being allergic to almost every type of sunscreen that exists -- including the ones that say they're hypoallergenic and made for sensitive skin. Put some of that sauce on me and stick me in the sun, and my body breaks out in a terrible, lobster-like swollen rash that is WAY worse than any sunburn I've ever had. So I stick to the shade as much as I can, and I visit my dermatologist every year to make sure that I'm not getting skin cancer. Not fun, I tell you.

2) Books - This used to be a huge ordeal before the advent of the Kindle. I like having lots of summer reading options, ya know?

3) Beverages - Hydration is important! And there's a whole slew of summer drinks that I could put on the list... But seriously, I've been drinking at least 64 oz of water each day of this vacation before I even touch anything else, so I think I'm doing well.

Big thanks to Farley for continuing to host this linky. Every month I find so many amazing blogs and learn lots about my fellow bloggers. If you aren't participating already, you should definitely link up!

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Have a great June, everyone!

Currently May & Life Updates (aka Why I've been a Bad Blogger)

How could it possibly be May 5th already? And how could I have possibly neglected my blog for a week shy of a month??? Yikes! Things have been super busy in Eberopolis lately, and to start that big update and get back in the swing of things, I'm like the 400th person to link up with Farley's Currently over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Listening: It has been raining the past two weekends. The weather has been great on the weekdays, but it's practically monsoon season once Saturday arrives. Given that I'm trying to start a vegetable garden, the rain is a bit inconvenient. Today I finally gave up on waiting, put on some rain boots, and went and gardened in the mud. My raised plant beds are now all set up, and I'm anxious to see how successful I'll be with my first garden. Thank you, Pinterest, for inspiring yet another project that I may or may not have time for! :)
Loving: Wrapping up the end of the school year is always so hard, especially once we hit this stretch after standardized tests when the weather is fantastic and the schedule is constantly interrupted with end of year events. I'm loving that the end is finally in sight with only three more weeks to go! (My students are done on the Friday before Memorial Day; I have two post-planning days the following week.)
Thinking: This year has just whirred by me! I've absolutely loved this group of students, and we've accomplished so much this year. It's hard to believe that we're in that final stretch.
Wanting: My classroom is, for lack of a better description, a bit of a mess. I've stashed all sorts of things in cupboards and storage units, and I really need to declutter. I want it all to be very well organized and accessible when I return in July. (Yes, July...the flip-side of finishing before Memorial Day is that the students will report on August 1, which means teachers report in late July...) The fact that I'm moving toward a paperless set up is helping, but there's still a lot to organize.
Needing: My summer wardrobe is so blah, and I've gained a few pounds this year, which makes my need to go shopping more necessary and less appealing. If I can just get through these next few weeks, I think I'll be able to go through my closet and get a better handle on things.
Summer Bucket List: I need to finish making my transition to going paperless, which means I'll need to consolidate and reorganize some files and break out the scanner for some of my paper files. I can tell already that this is going to be worth it in the end. I've emptied out an entire filing cabinet in my classroom already, and that alone has created a ton of possible storage space that I never had before. It's glorious.

I have several blog posts in the works for the next few days -- I think my blog hiatus is over, but I did want to share a bit about what's been going on that's left me MIA lately.
1. We became a 1:1 iPad school. April 15th was the day that all of the 4th and 5th graders in my school received iPads, and it's been very exciting. I've changed up a lot of how I do things to accommodate the full-time access to iPads, and I'm really happy with the results. It has also meant that I've spent a lot of my time troubleshooting and exploring possibilities and coaching my colleagues as they try out the iPads with their students for the first time.
2. I got accepted into a doctoral program! Starting this fall, I'll be working on my EdD at University of Georgia in Educational Leadership. I don't particularly want to be a principal or anything like that, but I would like to do more in curriculum leadership and teacher professional development, so this is the next step. I'm really excited about the program, but I'm a bit terrified over the time commitment -- especially with a toddler and all that I'm already doing at work. If I don't do it now, though, I probably won't get around to it until the little one gets MUCH older, so here we go!
3. We did standardized testing. Is there anything more boring and unnecessarily stressful than administering those tests?! I know my students were well-prepared, and yet, I have nightmares about those $*(@ tests every year. They really wiped me out this year for some reason.
4. Lots of long term projects got wrapped up. Between writing committee reports and finishing assignments for my math endorsement, I've had very little free time. In fact, I'm already three episodes behind in this season of Mad Men, and usually very little can stand between me and Don Draper! Things seem to be calming down a bit, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get back into a good routine and back to blogging more regularly. I've missed the blogosphere a bunch, and I have so many blogs I need to visit and catch up on!

So that's where May finds me. I hope all of you are doing well, and happy Teacher Appreciation Week! (I WILL be participating in the TpT sale, btw!)

Have a great week!

Currently March

Really? It's March already??? February sure did go by quickly!

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this month's Currently.

Listening - my daughter has moved beyond her Yo Gabba Gabba! phase, and she is now obsessed with Elmo. I don't let her watch much TV, but I have to say -- there's something pretty cool about her watching a show that I used to watch (and love) when I was a kid 30+ years ago.

Loving - my student teacher started role-reversal yesterday, which means that she is responsible for all of the teaching, planning, and grading for the next two weeks. I still have to oversee her work, but that is SO much easier than having to do it all myself. I'm sure I'll start to stress out about it towards the end once I process how little time I have left with my students, but for now, I'm happy for the break.

Thinking - my daughter turned 18 months old this week, and I'm blown away by all that she can do. Her vocabulary is growing out of control! Just in the last month, she's learned to say "Night-night, Mommy. I love you!" which gets me every time. She's also started to call her books by their titles when she wants me to read one to her. It's always an abbreviated title (e.g., "Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom!" is just "Boom Boom!" and "Moo, Baa, La La La" is just "La La La"), but it's very clear which one she's talking about. It's fascinating to watch her grow and learn.

Wanting - On Monday, every teacher in my building is getting a new iPad to prepare for our 1:1 roll-out. The following Monday, we're doing staff development on different iPad apps to use in the classroom. I'm teaching the class on the Evernote and GoodReader apps, so I've been doing lots of research and work for my presentation. As I've learned more and more about those two apps, I've decided that I'm ready to go paperless in my classroom. I have so many ideas about how to do it at the elementary level, and now that we're also adopting Edmodo as a school, I think I'll be able to pull it off. I'm going to be documenting everything about the process, and I plan to share lots about it in the coming weeks. I'm super excited about it!
Needing - My daughter is allergic to our dogs. She's had eczema and food allergies since birth, and while we've been able to keep that under control over the last year, I'm worried that she's developing asthma. She loves the dogs (and they love her), so I'd hate to get rid of them, but I can't keep up. They shed everywhere constantly, and I know that's aggravating her allergies. I either need a maid service to help me with the thorough cleaning once a week, or the doggies may need to go live with a relative. I feel like I'm constantly vacuuming, and it's exhausting.

Like: Awards - Not for me personally, but I like watching the Oscars every year, and I'm looking forward to watching more of the nominated films that I didn't get to see before the awards.
Love: Apps - I'm so amazed by all that an iPad can do. I'm over the moon about our 1:1 program.
Hate: Apathy - It infuriates me to no end when people don't care one way or another -- especially about important things that impact others.

So that's March! Be sure to link up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade, and if you're visiting me for the first time from her blog, welcome!!!

February Currently

Hello Blog Friends! I have been MIA for nearly a month now, and I'm so frustrated because one of my goals for the year was to blog more consistently. But much like my weight loss goal, I am not giving up, and I'm getting right back into things. I'll just pretend that the past month didn't really happen. ;-)

So what's been keeping me from blogging lately? Lots. And to make this laundry list of activity more interesting, I've decided to link up with Farley for the February Currently.

I won't explain all of it, but here are some highlights.

Loving my break. Boy, do I need it! These last 6 weeks of school have been really crazy. I've said goodbye to two students who were moving overseas (one to Tanzania and another to Costa Rica), and those students were immediately replaced by new students. I got a student teacher (who is fabulous, btw), and I decided at the last minute to apply to a doctoral program at UGA. Meanwhile, I'm working on three different school committees -- including one about our report cards that I'm chairing -- and I'm preparing a professional learning session for my colleagues as we prepare to roll out 1:1 iPads throughout the building. I'm still working on my math endorsement, and I'm thinking about applying for a new job as a mentor teacher that is opening up in my school. So needless to say, January was eventful!

As for my pet peeve, I really get frustrated when people make all sorts of selfish and disrespectful comments. Case in point: the comment section of an article about Obama visiting Atlanta this Thursday. Apparently he is visiting some schools as a follow-up to the State of the Union speech, and one of those schools is the one that my 18-month-old attends. She goes to a public school in my district that hosts an awesome 0-3 program and a pre-K. Now regardless of your politics, it's a big deal when a sitting president comes to your school. This a huge opportunity for a fantastic school in my district to get the national spotlight, and I'm excited that my daughter gets to be a part of it. And I don't think I will read the comments for news articles anymore. I'll just stick to the comments of my happy place in the teacher blogosphere.

Backing up to the "needing," as I already mentioned, I'm leading a committee about our current report card system as it's something that's been a challenge for us lately. Personally, I have a hard time with the technology that we're using to input grades and produce report cards. It's really inefficient, and it's an example of technology interfering with a process rather than helping it -- and anyone who's ever read this blog knows I'm not a technophobe! We also do standards based report cards every 6 weeks, and the shift toward Common Core has made it a bit more complicated. So here are my questions for you:

How often do you send home report cards?
What information do you report? (e.g., letter grades, percentages, rubric scores)
Has your report card changed due to Common Core? If so, how?

I'd really love to hear what other schools are doing as I gather information for my committee. Any feedback in the comments would be greatly appreciated! And don't forget to link up with Farley on the Currently!


Happy Monday!