My First Year of Teaching ... My First Classroom!

This is my classroom mid year ... maybe like December and January.

My lame storage closet and the computer center.

Christmas/Winter Themed Student Work and the Mail Area

Word Wall

Guided Reading Corner ... and TV 

(it was in front of a door to prevent my runners from escaping into parking lot)

Front of Classroom/ Circle Area

My Desk Area/Nitch :o)

Reading Groups/Small Group Instruction

Whole Group/Calendar/Weather/Circle Area

My Desk! :o)

Updated look ... Spring 2011 (above is the book/quiet corner)

Two rectangular tables are student desks/seats

L and R of Easel ... Small Group Instruction

33 days until School is Out!

Mother's Day Project

This is SUPER LATE but my first and second grade students made this for a mother's day writing project ... and they came out so incredibly cute! I thought I would share :o) I have pictures of my kids unique cards ... but I do not want to post their pictures online without parental permission. If I can get around to it, I will block out their faces and upload later tonight!

New Somebody

I cannot wait to begin dating again! I miss the feeling of new love ... of new infatuation ... of new experiences and new beginnings. I miss that new happy glow a girl gets when she is falling in love for the first time ... or in my case, this would be the second time. I am excited to make new memories with someone ... to go on new adventures and share new secrets. To enjoy being young and to meet new people/make new friends. I cannot wait to start dating someone again!

The only question is ... where is my new somebody?

It's True: You Never Forget Your First Love

These past couple of days have been extremely rough for me. I am not sure why, but I *seem* to miss Sean more than ever. What the hell is going on with me!? I mean ... I am super embarrassed that .... two years later (after we broke up ... officially) AND four years later (after all the bullshit I put up with) .... I am STILL crying over this boy. Seriously!? I mean ... I must toot my own horn and congratulate myself on ALL of the progress I have made. Truth is, I have come a LONG way and made TONS of progress. Bravo Christina, Bravo. However, I feel like I should have been over this boy eons ago .... especially considering all of the shit he put me through.

Am I the ONLY one who is going through this? I mean I contemplate on the regular why it is that he is the LAST person on my mind before I go to sleep at night and why he is often on the FIRST person on my mind when I wake up in the morning. It's like I am obsessed with him ... and unfortunately, he does not share that same enthusiasm. I cannot answer my own question of whether I cannot get over him because he was my first love or because I have a hard time of letting people go/moving on. I cannot answer my oqn question of whether or not I still love him ... or if it is the good times with him that I miss. I cannot figure all of this out ... but in my head - which is clearly not logical - I feel like the simple solution is to fall in love. With another guy. To date again. To throw myself completely into another ... so that there is no room left to think of Sean.

I get scared sometimes wondering if Mr. Right is out there for me. I get scared ... because I gave my ALL to someone who wasn't able or willing to give it back. I am convinced I will never love again ... and that's a shame because I have so much love to give. I wonder on what day ... at what hour ... I will meet my new love. And I wonder on what day and at what hour I will be over Sean. Will I ever get over him? I wonder ... All I can continue to do is to send love and send light .... then drop it.

It all begins and ends with Family

I am so thankful for my siblings! We may not always get along or see eye to eye, but the older we get the more we will need to depend on one another for strength, support and encouragement. My parents will not be with us forever, so if it comes to be that it is their time to pass, one another will be all thay we have. I love you Tony and Michelle very much ... my life would not be the same without either of you. Thank you for all the fights, laughs, tears, fun and memories during our years growing up together!

Happy Mothers's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Yesterday my family celebrated the unconditional love, support, encouragement and strength my mother gives to our family at Red Lobster for dinner. I am incredibly blessed to have Vernice as my mother ... I pray that one day I can be half the mother she has been to my own children. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

The Will of God

My plane ticket has been booked to the Bahamas. I got a new teaching job for next year - I will be teaching third grade special education across town. I have had some amazing moments with amazing people. There are thirty days until the end of the school year. I am almost done my first year of teaching. What a crazy ride the past couple of weeks ... let alone YEAR has been. Closing thoughts? "The will of God will never take you where   the Grace of God will not protect you".