Currently at Carol's Teaching Garden!

Okay, so I'm more than a week late, but I promise I have a worthy excuse. However, I'll get to that later.

First of all, I'm listening to our next-door neighbor mow his lawn. Since every property here is at least one "Green Acre," he's been busy for awhile. That means it's officially SPRING!!! as the grass doesn't grow much in the winter.

Do You Remember Green Acres?

Loving - my classroom has a chalkboard theme, and I have purchased several resources from other sellers to match it. However, every week I have been typing up plain old boring "I Can . . ." statements on white paper and posting them on my whiteboard. The principals around here require that these be large enough for the students to see and read from across the room, so that was a LOT of boring on my boards. However, I have been creating new, colorful "I Can . . . " statements with a chalkboards brights theme to match the rest of my classroom environment, and I'm really happy with the results. They're in my TpT store under "I Can Statements for Tennessee," but they'll work for any fourth grade classroom using the Common Core, since they are exactly the same thing. These ones are for math, but I have all the core subjects covered in my store.

"I Can Statements for 4th Grade Geometry

Thinking - about a lovely message I received from a chairperson for a Reading Conference in a nearby state. She sent a message through FB that she knew some teachers who followed my TpT store, and that she was inviting me to apply to present at the reading conference next fall! Now, I know that doesn't mean I would automatically get the gig, but it was so sweet to be asked to apply, and to know that there are teachers who recommended me! Sometimes this whole social media thing gets me down. It seems so impersonal, but this was a welcome friendly surprise!

What I Imagine It Would Be Like . . . Right?!

Wanting - my own lightbox to take better pictures of my products. I feel like I pretty much know what I'm doing when it comes to creating products, but since Pinterest changed its algorithms my advertising skills STINK!!! I have been following several other teacher-sellers as they discuss the lightbox set-ups they use, and I want to jump in and get started. Here's  a link to Tabitha Carrro's SmartPhone Marketing School's post where she talks about how she set up hers.

Needing - This is where I could easily break down and cry. Our beloved kitty Boots, a.k.a. "Mr. Fluffykins" has been extremely ill with pancreatitis. On one of his many trips to the vet this past two weeks, I honestly thought it would be our last day with him. He's had so many shots, pills, and force-feedings that I wondered if he would make it through. Just in the past couple days he has returned to eating and drinking on his own (a restricted veterinary diet, though), purring, and acting like himself again. He goes back to the vet again tomorrow, and I am praying he makes a complete recovery.

"Mr. Fluffykins" on the Mend

EGGS-plain my store name - It's pretty simple really. My first name is Carol. I love to garden and I think of my plants as my "babies" to nurture to their full potential. I think of teaching children in the same way. Each student is different and beautiful in their own way, and I can either help or hinder their growth based on my actions. So, I'd better learn everything I can in order to help them grow up to be their best.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my Currently! Please leave a comment! (I LOVE reading comments! It makes me feel like I'm not alone in the blogging world!)

Then head over to Farley's post and join in the fun!

OH Boy It's Farley

"See you" next time!

March Currently at Carol's Garden

This is my 100th post, so it's fitting that it should be part of Farley's March Currently. I'm going to write a bit "out of order" from Farley's template, so please bear with me.

I'm going to start with "Loving." Both my teenage children love Japanese anime, which is a style of animation popular in Japan. My daughter was anxious for us to watch a family movie (so difficult to find in theaters or on TV these days!) and convinced me to watch a movie called "Howl's Moving Castle" with them. I have to admit I was a bit reluctant, as I'm not into Pokemon, Undertale, or any of the other anime stories popular with the younger set, but I tried to keep an open mind.

Howl's Moving Castle

This is not a You Tube video, and has not been released in the U.S. yet, as far as I know. We watched it online (dubbed into English, by stars such as Billy Crystal and other well-known Hollywood talent) here. I was pleasantly surprised at how well-made the film was. (The animation is spectacular!) It tells the story of a self-involved magician who learns how to care for others, and that beauty is beyond skin-deep. My daughter loves it because the heroine is strong-willed and kind, always looking for the best in her circumstances, which are often unfair. It's an excellent morality tale, but also cute, and funny, with just enough action to keep my teenage son involved, too.

Crocuses Signal Spring Is Coming!

I am thinking about all the early Spring flowers I keep seeing along my drive, and wanting them to be everywhere. I've seen a lot of crocuses and daffodils, and I can hardly wait to see more. Spring has been such a tease lately. One day we have ice, the next day it's beautiful and warm, with the sun shining and the birds singing. Today we have thunder and pouring rain. I know the rain makes everything green, but I'm ready for winter to be over!

Great Smoky Mountains

Wanting - for my business to become wildly successful so that I can move to the east and retire to my garden and my writing. I miss the Smoky Mountains!

My 7 Social Studies Boards for U.S. and Tennessee History

Needing - to finish uploading all the resource links suggested by our social studies Teacher's Manual. I'm on the last chapter, and I know I will be so glad when I'm done and have all these links in one place. It's kind of like winter, though, because I'm so over it! I want to get back to being creative!

Listening - Rodney Atkins has a song about getting through trials. When everything seems black, keep on moving. There are angels all around to help you get back up on your feet. Just keep on moving and you might get out before the Devil even knows you're there.

What about you? What are you up to "Currently?" Head on over to the link up at Oh Boy Fourth Grade to post your own story. :)

Oh Boy 4th Grade

"See you" next time!

November 2015 Currently at Carol's Garden

With November come's the smells of pumpkin spice everything, plans for the Thanksgiving holidays (I can't believe I get an ENTIRE week off this year!), and the first real stirring of Christmas gift-planning. Please join Farley and me for this month's CURRENTLY!

Listening: Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring is one of my favorite pieces of music. This famous American composer based this beautiful piece of music on an Amish song, "Simple Gifts." I found a YouTube version with some lovely images.

Loving: so grateful for my family, my new job, and all the "simple gifts" God has given me.

Thinking: about my first observation in my new school. Soon I will have a ten minute walk-through, as well. Boy, it felt good to get through with the first one! I feel so much anxiety every time! How about you?

Wanting: to be able to eat all my favorite chocolate foods without gaining weight. Hah!

Needing: to find a new doctor for my kids. Since we have moved, it has been an ordeal to try to find a pediatrician or behavioral therapist who specializes in autistic children to see my son. They exist. They are just all booked up for several months. They also don't take phone calls after hours to schedule appointments. Since I don't get home until at LEAST 5:30 p.m. each day, I'm having a very difficult time trying to take care of this. So far I have called entire pages of numbers during my lunch breaks, all to no avail.

Yummy - Although I love the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, and the fresh cranberry sauce, my favorite has to be the candied yams. Yummy! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Now make sure to check out the other posts at the link-up at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!

Oh Boy Fourth Grade

"See you" next time!

September 2015 Currently with Carol's Garden!

It's past time to join the Currently party! I can tell I'm not the only one who has been busy with back-to-school! Facebook and Instagram have been loaded with posts showing teachers across the country preparing for the return of their classes.

I have been extremely fortunate this year to land in a fabulous school in a top-notch district. I have been so busy prepping for the move to my new town and school, that I've been away from my store and blog for awhile. I have posted a few pictures on my Instagram account, though. 

We're staying with my brother for awhile until we have time to find a new home closer to my school. In the meantime, I love watching and listening to the hummingbirds outside his back porch. They crack me up with their aerial battle over the sugar water.

These Little Guys Look Like Jet Fighters!

I love the fact that I am making time to update my blog! I love "seeing" you all!

I'm thinking about how much I love my class this year! My fourth graders have hearts of gold and truly care about one another. It is such a joy to be their teacher! I love this pep talk from Kid President, too!

Of course, I always want and need more time to do all the things I have planned for my classroom and for my own family. There's never enough time to accomplish all the things I want to do! Here's a picture of the first bulletin board I completed in my new classroom.

Three goals for myself include getting to bed earlier on school nights, getting all my school files fully organized, and getting ahead with my curriculum. Thankfully, my grade level is terrific about planning together, and we have aides to run copies, but I still feel like a first-year teacher in some ways.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading my Currently! Make sure to check out some of the other posts from Farley and the others at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!

Oh Boy Fourth Grade

"See" you next time!

Currently at Carol’s Teaching Garden

I’m listening to the sounds of the thunderstorm outside. It sounds like we’re inside a washing machine when the wind blows curtains of rain against the roof. I love the feeling of being safe and warm at home with my family while the storm passes. We also need this storm desperately, as our rainfall has been several inches below normal for the past couple of months.

July ALREADY?!!!

Loving: our puppy dog’s new haircut! Every year at this time we get our golden retriever shaved, until she looks like a puppy again. She’s much cooler and happier, too! I have to admit that it gives me a fit of the giggles to see her nakedness, though! Just look at her smile!

I’m thinking about my new school. I have been offered a new job in a new district, but it’s not completely “official” yet. The principal has recommended me to the H.R. department, but they have the final approval. I’ve submitted my transcripts, and now we wait. (Read: STRESSFUL!!!!)

Wanting: to get started in my new classroom, in my new school. I have so many ideas spinning around in my head, plus lists on my phone and on my computer. I can’t justify doing anything until the new job is official, though. In the meantime, I am trying to keep myself busy with other stuff, like standing in line at government offices for things like car registration and my kids’ health certificates (required in Tennessee).

Needing: to start weeding out everything that would NOT need to get packed to move, and nobody can do that except me. Ugh! I keep procrastinating (avoiding?), even though I know it will be so much easier if I just GET STARTED!

The last part of this month’s Currently is to tell what makes an “All-Star” teacher. I would have to say that my greatest teaching area strength is teaching students how to write. That’s what my teammates tell me, anyway. My students will tell you it’s teaching reading. Or math. Or science. Or social studies. Sometimes they think I should have been an art teacher, or perhaps a music teacher. Really I think it’s that my kids feel my enthusiasm for whatever we’re doing in class, and that’s infectious.

Thank you for taking the time to read my little blog post. Please take a moment to leave a comment below. It’s what keeps us bloggers blogging!

Then take a few minutes to visit Farley’s linky. You might find some fantastic new bloggers to follow!

Oh Boy Fourth Grade Linky

"See you" next time!

June Currently 2015

It's time to tell you what I'm doing Currently!

Listening: to Grand Canyon Suite by Grofe. This is one of my favorite works of music of all time. I was fortunate to have a wonderful high school language arts teacher by the name of Mr. Klevos. He taught us to appreciate great works of literature, art, and music from around the world.

During an after school club held in his room he would turn off the lights and have us close our eyes to “see” the story within the music. I still remember visualizing the sun rising over the rim of the canyon, the horse clip-clopping along, and the thunderstorm lighting up the sky.

The influence of this music, and the teacher who shared it with us, are some of the reasons I became a Humanities major in college.

Loving: the chicken soup with dumplings I made in the crockpot yesterday. I used a standard chicken soup recipe with additional spices, then added two cans of Campbell’s Herbed Cream of Chicken Soup once the soup was almost ready. Finally, I created dumplings using the recipe on the side of the Bisquick box, except that I added half a large chopped onion and a lot of poultry spice to the mix before adding it to the top of the soup. It smells wonderful and tastes absolutely delicious!

Chicken Soup with Dumplings, Plus a Glass of Heavily Iced/Watered Down Cranberry Pomegranate Juice

Thinking: about an interview I have this week to work at an open school. (Are you looking for a new job, too? For my series of interview tips, click here.) I really don’t think I’ll get this particular job, since I don’t have any training in that type of teaching environment, but I am curious to see the school and learn more about how it works.

What Does Self-Directed Learning Look Like in a Classroom?

From my online research it appears that open schools emphasize student autonomy and self-directed learning, with the teacher acting as a facilitator. It sounds interesting, and I can’t wait to see it in action!

My own district is already out for the summer, but of you are still in session, you might want to check out a fun little freebie I have posted here. 

Wanting: to lose some weight and get in better shape. Realistically, it’s not happening. Although I lost a few pounds due to my recent bout of stomach flu, I’m a stress eater, and I love my comfort foods!

Dessert, Anyone?

Needing: to get my daughter up so she can take a shower before her doctor’s appointment. Wish me luck, as it’s not fun to wake a teenager on summer vacation!

Wake Up a Sleeping Teenager at Your Own Peril!

Summer Lovin': local trips to Dollywood and Splash Country. I LOVE roller coasters, and Wild Eagle is so fun!

I also want to take my teenagers to Splash Country, which is Dollywood’s water park. We haven’t been there yet, but I want to change that this summer.

Finally, I hope to travel to Murfreesboro, TN on July 28-29 to help Michele Martin-Luck with a display booth representing/featuring a group of Teachers Pay Teachers authors-sellers. Michele travels all around the country setting up TpT booths at educational conferences. I participate through her (and her husband, Steve), but this conference will be close enough for me to visit. (I hope!)

Conferences with Michele Martin-Luck

Thank you for reading my June Currently! Head over to Farley’s linkup at Oh Boy Fourth Grade to read more posts by some of your favorite teacher-authors. Please consider donating to a worthy cause while you're there!

Linkup Here

Before you go, take a look at my sidebar for other topics that might interest you. Please consider following me on Bloglovin’, Instagram, and TpT, too! 

“See” you next time!