counting the days.

June 5, 2012

10 more days til summer.

For me, officially, anyways.

8 days if we’re not counting the weekends.

7 days if we’re not counting the personal day I am taking this Friday for my friend’s wedding.

This pretty much makes me the happiest lady in the world.

So many people keep asking me when the school year ends.

They’ll ask: “So, when is school all done for you?”

And I’ll tell them however many days are left and then I’ll add that I’m super excited and that I love summer.

Like the other night for instance, someone asked, and I answered: “I’m done on the 14th. I CAN’T WAIT I AM SO EXCITED SUMMER IS MY FAVORITE.”

Or something like that.

“Oh, so have you had a tough year?”

I always seem to get this response from people. And I always wonder why. Did I say I don’t like my job? Do I seem like I had a hard year? It’s like they’re taken aback by my enthusiasum. Like a teacher isn’t allowed to like summer or something. Like we’re supposed to want to teach 12 months out of the year.

I mean, yeah there’s been drama (the “you’re not my best friend anymore” kind). And there’s been accidents (books ripped, paint spilled, and the other kind of accidents, too), and sickness (strep throat, the stomach bug, pink eye. All totally gross, I know.). And yeah, there’s definitely been lice (one girl got it 4 times– yeah, ya heard me right. 4 TIMES). But the truth is, I’ve had an amazing year with an amazing class. Both this year and last year my first graders were incredible. They’re funny, they love learning, and there’s no other people I’d want to spend my weeks with September through May.

But as awesome as teaching is for me and as much as I love it, the fact of the matter is I just love summer more. No doubt about it, it’s just THE BEST.

I thought everyone knew that.

So when I tell you summer is my favorite this doesn’t mean I’ve had a hard year.

And when I tell you I can’t wait for summer it doesn’t mean I don’t like my job.

Because when I tell you I live for summer it’s just me telling it like it is.

And that is all.

Summer rocks. It’s simply the honest to goodness TRUTH.

The best, most truest response to this question about the school year ending was given to me by a second grader herself:

“Are you excited for school to end?” she asked.

“Totally.” I responded. “I LOVE summer.”

“Yeah, seriously.” she said with a smile. “I mean, WHO DOESN’T??!!”

That’s the response I am looking for, people. Because seriously. WHO doesn’t?!

 

14 Comments · Filed Under: children, life, summer, teaching ·

weekend!

March 30, 2012

Do you ever just get a feeling that it’s going to be a good weekend? You know that feeling, right?

I have that feeling today. Like nothing can get me down.

I think it’s partially because this week is finally over, partially because of the sunshine, and partially because of this song I discovered:

It’s a good weekend song. I’ve been snapping my fingers and doing my nanner dance to it all week.

Love love love.

“Cause If she wanna rock she rocks, if she wanna roll she rolls… oh na na na na na na na na naaaaaa.”

Yeah, that’s a good happy song. Give it a listen!

– – – – – – – – – – –

HOW precious is he??

I bought my tickets to Charlotte this week!

Little Luke will be just about 5 weeks when I meet him.

!!!!!!!!!!

My heart is still bursting with joy for my friend. And this little guy just MELTS my heart.

– – – – – – – – – – –

I am constantly in awe by all the amazing blogs out there in this world wide web. I keep finding new ones I love and people I connect with and I just can’t get enough. I recently found Nicole and The Neesby Lookbook and she’s hosting a girl party Monday to meet and greet with kindred spirits. Kindred spirits, you say? Sounds like my kind of party!

If you want to join to here’s a link to all the details!

– – – – – – – – – – –

And in some final news, I stayed late last night at school because our Spring Open House is coming real soon and my perfectionism is coming into full swing. This is just something that I’ve accepted about myself and in the teaching sense, I’ve actually decided it’s a good thing. These parent events can be really stressful, but also really exciting because you get to show off all the awesome stuff your class is doing. And it’s worth it, you know?

Anyways, I came up with this ridiculous poem for Open House and I thought I’d share it here. The kids will be coming in with their parents and walking them around the room/showing their best work on display so I came up with this little ditty for fun:

 

Welcome to our 1st grade classroom where there’s so much to show and tell!

Use these clues to show your families the things you’ve learned so well!

 

The first stop is the place we meet to greet our friends each day.

We say “good morning”, give high fives, and POP! is a game we play.

 

The next stop is the board that tells the month and day of the year.

You record the days in school here too– are we far from the end or near?

 

Next show the box that is filled with books of stories that are “just-right” for you.

Explain the steps of the Daily 5 and show them word work too!

 

And just in case you want to show how good you are at math

Walk on over to the morning message board and help fill out our graph.

 

And science too! A table filled with things we’ve learned and done.

Check out your plants, there’s magnets too, and books about clouds and the sun.

 

There’s so much more! Our walls are filled! So take a look around.

Show off your hard work at your desk, your families should be proud!

 

BOOM. Well aren’t I just a real live Shel Silverstein. I worked a whole hour on it so I hope it’s a hit.

– – – – – – – – – – –

HAPPY WEEKEND, my dear friends. For certain, I am wishing you the happiest.  ♥

 

9 Comments · Filed Under: blogging, friends, life, music, teaching ·

my favorite children’s books: picture book edition

February 16, 2012

The Snowy Day + The Relatives Came + Caps For Sale

Sylvester And The Magic Pebble + The Very Hungry Caterpillar + Madeline

Swimmy + Chrysanthemum + Corduroy

Where The Wild Things Are + The Napping House + Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel

The Boy Who Grew Flowers + Fredrick + Pinkalicious

Amazing Grace + Owl Babies + Thank You, Mr. Falker

A Chair For My Mother + Enemy Pie + Hey, Little Ant

Miss Rumphius + Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge + Shortcut

Blueberries For Sal + The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog + Guess How Much I Love You

Frog and Toad + The Polar Express + The Snowman

Fletcher And The Falling Leaves + Flotsam + The Legend Of The Indian Paintbrush

Owl Moon + We’re Going On A Bear Hunt + The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big Hungry Bear

Henry’s Awful Mistake + Wave + The Little Yellow Leaf

The Curious Garden + A Sick Day For Amos McGee + Lost And Found

Knuffle Bunny + Ish + Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon

So I went a little crazy with this list, but I could hardly help myself. Once I get started I just can’t stop. In fact, if time allowed, I think I could keep going for days. Put me in the children’s section of the library and it will be hours before I come out. There are just so many phenomenal picture books out there, and being an elementary school teacher and serious book lover, I’ve seen (and read) most of them all. This is a collection of my favorites.

They are the books I would absolutely recommend to a parent and without a doubt read to my students.

They are wonderful.

They are meaningful.

They are funny and encouraging and heartwarming and happy.

And children LOVE them.

Isn’t that the truest test of all?

15 Comments · Filed Under: books, children, teaching ·

thoughts for a tuesday.

November 8, 2011

Well, hello, Tuesday. I see you’re back around the block again. Tuesday is such a random day. It’s better than Monday, but not as good as Wednesday, which is nowhere near as good as Thursday. Anyways, here are some thoughts to keep it real:

1. Slowly, but surely, the artwork is going up in the apartment. Curtains are done, and projects are coming to a close. On Saturday I did a DIY paper pom-poms projects that came out pretty awesome. It’s cheap art, and I love it (picture below is pre-finished project). All we need to do now is put up the nice curtain rods. Then, I’m hoping to get out a mini-apartment tour for your viewing pleasure in the next week or two. Mostly though, I’m excited to sit back, relax, and enjoy it once it’s finished!

 

2. Last night I went to a book club meeting. It was just a catch-up meeting, so there was no book to discuss, but even if there was, we only ever talk book-talk for under 10 minutes every time (if that). We’re mostly in it for the wine, and the cupcakes Marilyn made last night weren’t too shabby either. Next up: The History of Love. I’m excited. I’ve been wanting to read it for awhile.

 

3. The dance party at school was {almost} a failure last week. Until I turned things around for the better. We invited the parents in to listen to the stories and dance along too. I could tell the kids liked having an audience for their storytelling, except NO kids would dance around the grown-ups. WHAT?! Well, the girls were shimmying and shaking a little, but the boys were glued to the floor. They would not budge an inch. After 2 songs, I said a nice thank you to the parents and we bid them farewell. I KNOW my kids were too shy to break it loose in front of so many parents, so once the door was closed, I turned up the music. It got pretty wild in the room, just as I suspected it would. SO I documented it and sent it to the parents, just for proof that they can and DO dance. The parents thought it was priceless, and it is. You can view the hilarious video HERE.

 

4. Last weekend I took a walk over the Longfellow Bridge to capture some fall pics of the Boston skyline. I loved walking in the cool air and the sunshine. I felt like such a Bostonian and feel so happy to live here. I’ve made it a point to document as many places around Boston as I can through instagram. You can follow me if you’d like at {nannerburns}. My sister once told me I spend more time taking pictures than actually living, but I beg to differ. I think I pay more attention to things now that I’m trying to photograph the everyday. This IS living. I notice things I would never have noticed before, and I capture images to remember days and moments. Memories fade, especially the simple ones like the walk downtown, or that random Saturday brunch in the South End. Pictures though, pictures can easily spark that memory again, and bring it back to you for years to come. Pictures are my favorite. Pictures are forever.

14 Comments · Filed Under: books, boston, life, teaching ·
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