Class Rules

I have been putting off creating “class rules” for my classroom. I wasn’t sure if it was too young for middle school or if by sixth and seventh grade the students already knew what was expected of them…

BUT I finally found some examples that I liked and used those as a starting point in creating my own. I knew that I wanted my rules to be simple and to the point…and not too baby. I also didn’t want to create too many rules for fear that students would just forget them…nor did I want the rules to be super wordy and end up confusing my students. So here is what I came up with:

I feel as though these rules cover pretty much everything and clearly state what I expect of my students. I will post these rules in my classroom for all to see, as well as go over them with my students at the beginning of the year. I will refer back to them as needed.

I am happy that I decided to create my own rules, especially since this is my first year of teaching. No matter what age students are, they need to know what is expected of them and know that they are held to a high standard.

Only 22 more days until the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! =)

Click here to download this poster –> Class Rules

Classroom Craft

The other day I was feeling crafty and decided to make something for my classroom.


I stumbled upon an unused frame and some leftover fabric from when I made my  jewelry board.

I had seen on Pinterest using old frames to make dry erase boards so I thought I would give it a try.  I taped the fabric to cardboard and placed it inside the frame (with the glass in it).

And voila, a cute, decorative, little dry erase board in minutes (…it literally took me 4 minutes)!

Not sure exactly how I will incorporate this into my classroom but we will see =)

What fun & creative classroom crafts have you come up with?

Daily Devotional

About 6 months ago my aunt bought me a daily devotional that I absolutely adore. My aunt is a very spiritual person and knew that I would love this little book as much as she did. The devotional is called “Jesus Calling” and is written by Sarah Young.

Each day there is a a paragraph or two describing something to focus on for the day. It includes great advice on how to become closer to God and live a faith-filled life. At the end of each passage it tells you where the ideas and messages from that day came from in the bible.

I love reading the book of psalms in the bible but have never gotten super excited about the other parts of it just because of the wording and how it is written. That is one reason why I love my devotional so much. All of the messages stem from different parts of the bible, but the author puts it in to words that I can understand and relate to personally.

I try to read this devotional every morning to start my day off right. It really does help me to put my life in perspective and remember what is important.

I was baptized in to the Catholic church as a baby and growing up my parents constantly emphasized the importance of faith and religion. We would pray together as a family before bed and before meals, and went to church together every Sunday. I went to a Catholic grade school where we learned about God and Jesus in our religion classes and went to church as a school once a week. However, it wasn’t until I was in high school that my faith really became my own.  I went to an all-girls Catholic high school and was blessed to have great theology classes including “Feminine Spirituality” and “Life Skills.” We also had a phenomenal retreat program and retreat director. All four years we had the opportunity to go on overnight retreats to connect with our classmates, strengthen our relationship with God, and grow in our spirituality. I enjoyed these experiences so much that I went on to lead these retreats after I had graduated high school and gone on to college. Leading was just as fun, if not better than being on the retreat.

My love for retreats continued, while in college, when I got involved with the retreat program at UD. I went on a retreat my junior year and loved it so much I decided to lead it my senior year. It was hands down, the greatest part of my college experience.

Being in Catholic schools my whole life (kindergarten all the way through college) has been a unique and great experience. It is coming full-circle now since I will be teaching in a Catholic school. My faith has always been important to me and something I take very seriously. Reading my devotional everyday is one small thing that I try to do to keep myself focused on what is important in life and strengthen my faith in God.

Do you have any special devotionals or books that you enjoy? 

Weekend at the Lake!

This past weekend I went to one of my best friend’s house boat at Dale Hallow Lake (it’s on the border of Kentucky & Tennessee). There was about 12 of us and we had a wonderful weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect and we spent most of our time boating, tubing, playing games, and relaxing on floats.

One thing I missed most during my four years of college was my high school friends. I know some people look back on high school with misery, but I was blessed to have a great high school experience. I met some of my very best friends during that time that I know will be in my life forever.

Summer has been so much fun reuniting with several of my friends, but in a few short weeks some of us will go our separate ways again. One of us is starting med school, one is in pharmacy school, another is finishing her degree in education, another starting law school, and one is finishing nursing school. I know I will be very busy, too, once school starts in August, so it was great being able to spend the weekend with these oh so special people! =)

We even were able to celebrate Scotty’s 23rd birthday while at the lake. What a special weekend it was, indeed! =)

Origami Owl: a charm necklace!

Since I just graduated from college, I went through a period where I received many sweet cards, graduation money, and a few gifts from friends and family.

One of my favorite presents that I received is called an “Origami Owl” necklace. It is super cute and is pretty much a charm necklace (instead of the typical charm bracelet). I am so excited about mine and even more ecstatic that it is “teacher-themed.”

There are a couple steps when designing your necklace:

Step 1– choose your charms: there is great variety and lots to choose from! (I picked an apple, books, a cross, and a blue stone to add a pop of color)

Step 2– pick a locket: the colors you can choose from are black, silver, gold, and rose gold. You can also pick a locket with crystals around the frame or a plain one. The lockets also come in 3 different sizes (I chose the large, plain silver one)

Step 3– decide on the chain: just like with the locket, the colors are black, silver, gold, and rose gold and also come in varying lengths (I picked the longest so that it would hit in the middle of my chest and lay like a locket)

Step 4– pick a plate (optional): these are plates that are the background of your locket and contain words like family, love, blessed, and faith (I picked a gold one that says inspire to tie together my teacher theme)

Step 5– dangles (optional): the dangles are similar to the charms but instead of going inside the locket, they hook on to the chain (I did not choose a dangle because I wanted my necklace to have a simple, clean look)

To find more information and see all that Origami Owl has to offer check out their website: Origami Owl

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Scott,

Happy birthday! I can’t believe you are already 23. It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating your 21st. I am so happy to not have to do long distance anymore and to finally be back in the same city as you. The last two months of being together have been so amazing and I know it will only keep getting better and better. You are my very best friend and I couldn’t picture having anyone else by my side but you. You are perfect for me and I thank God each and every day for blessing me with you in my life. I love you so much and can’t wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you in the future.

I love you and always will,
Lisa

Gift ideas for your man

After dating the same person for six and a half years, I have had to get creative with gifts. Scott’s 23rd birthday is this month and it made me think of the different presents I have given him over the years. Some of my favs include:

1. Make something- picture collage, scrapbook, no sew blanket, or make him a personalized build-a-bear…and never underestimate the power of sweets! What guy doesn’t like some cookies or his favorite cake baked for him?
2. Concert tickets – always a fun present…and you get something out of it, too! =)
3. Gift card- for something fun you can do together like your favorite restaurant or go to the movies
4. Technology- whether you want something small like iPod speakers or a car adapter to something big like a tv, iPod, or iPad- guys definitely love their “toys”
5. Clothes- I feel like I can never get Scott enough clothes. Plus I like when I get to have a little control of his style (good thing he agrees with my taste). I’ve bought him everything from basketball shorts, to polo shirts, to nice button ups. You can’t go wrong with clothes…just make sure you know what size!
6. Accessories- sunglasses, watch
7. Cologne- what guy doesn’t like to smell good? Some of my favorites are any of the Polo fragrances!
8. Shoes- guys are always in need of shoes…whether it’s sandals, Sperry’s, tennis shoes, or dress shoes most men can usually find a use for them
9. Wallet- Scott always loses things and one year before his birthday he lost his so I bought him a new one. I never realized how many different styles there were to choose from!
10. Something meaningful- for example Scott played football at the University of Louisville so I found a framed poster of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium (where he played) on eBay for a good price. He loved it and it’s something he will enjoy for years to come.

This year I lucked out with birthday shopping for Scott. While we were in Hilton Head we went to the outlet mall and shopped together for his presents. Even though it might not have been very “surprising” he was able to pick out things he needed and really liked. We found lots of good deals at the Polo Factory so Scott went to town picking out clothes. I also got him some nice golf shoes from the Nike store since he has started golfing again and was in need of a new pair. Now I don’t have to stress about what to get him and he’s happy as can be. =)

My Classroom!

It’s official! I have my very own classroom – something I have dreamed about ever since I was a little girl. I have made some progress in decorating it but still have a little ways to go…

[BEFORE]

[WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW…]

Thank goodness I had the help of my mom and Darla, Scott’s mom! They were the queens of the bulletin boards. I still have some more work to do but I am excited to see everything slowly coming together. =)

Classroom Decor

“To teach is to touch a life forever”

As summer is starting to wind down I have started setting up my classroom and getting organized. I received this adorable canvas from Scott’s mom (who is also a teacher). She found it at TJ Maxx – LOVE that place!

I have the day off from nannying tomorrow so I’m going to go to my classroom with my mom and try to do my bulletin boards. I will try to remember to take pictures and post them! Can you tell I’m a first year teacher and VERY excited? Who sets up their classroom in July when the first day isn’t until August 21st?! =)

DIY Wall Decor

I mentioned in my earlier post, My bedroom, different ways do decorate on a budget. One of my tips was to make your own wall art. Here are some examples I found on Pinterest that I absolutely love…

[framed napkins/scrapbook paper]

[framed fabric with monogram]

[framed paint chips]

[combination of empty frames and mirror]

[painted canvas]

[placing stickers on a canvas, painting over, then peeling off stickers]

Below are some of my own examples of painting on canvases…

Hope these pictures gave you some ideas and inspired you to create your own wall art! =)