Y'all this is the cutest door...

OK!! I am in NO way taking any credit on this door.

This is the door of our AMAZING...and I mean amazing speech therapist Paty! I have only worked with her for two years and she blows me away! She is one of the smartest people I know! She works WONDERS with the kids!  I'm sure right now her cheeks are red!!! I just love her and well when she showed us her door I needed to show the world!! I'm in LOVE!! I will pass this door everyday and I will probably smile every time I walk by!! PATY!!! I LOVE THIS DOOR!!!

WOWZA...a blog award!!

Wow!!

I have been nominated by two amazing blogging friends! I am so stinkin' excited and very grateful!!

Thanks Jen from Teaching and Laughing
AND
Constance from Life with Ms. Learn

if y'all haven't checked out their blogs yet...go..now...stop all you are doing!!

To accept the nomination there are a few things I have to do:

1.  Link back to the blog that nominated me

2.  Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3. Answer the questions posted by my nominator

4.  Share 11 random facts about myself

5.  Create 11 questions for my nominees

6.  Contact my nominees to let them know I nominated them

SO I am nominating these awesome gals!!

1.Devona from Fourth Grade Eyes

2.Mrs. H from Just a Primary Girl

3. Courtney from Buttons and Bluebonnets

4. Lauren from The Sweetest Thing

5. Jessica from My Tales of a Fourth Grade Teacher

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I am VERY shy until I get to know you! Most people think I don't like them or I am stuck up...nope I'm just dying on the inside cause I want to run far far away!

2. I am a reader...LOVE LOVE LOVE to read...this summer I have read 10 books!! 

3. I have a passion for missions and kids

4. My favorite candy is Reeses. I would eat them EVERYDAY!!! Wait I do....

5. I am addicted to coke..I'm trying really really hard to stop but oh my goodness it's so hard.

6. I can quote almost every Friends episode..

7. We have all the Duck Dynasty episodes on our DVR

8. I am a craft junkie...I host a monthly craft night and it has been a blessing

9. I blush all the time..people just know what i am thinking by looking at my cheeks.

10. I am a crier...like I cry at EVERYTHING...my kids, a tv commercial, kind words, just sitting in my class...it's bad I might need some help!!

Ok these are the questions from Jen

1.       What grades have you taught and which is your favorite?

I student taught 1st grade, Kinder for 6 years, Second for 2 years, and now 4th!!

I LOVED Kinder 

2.       Why did you want to start a blog?

I started my blog to document my journey in 4th grade. It is something I am very excited about and can't wait to see how the year unfolds

3.       What would you be doing if you weren’t teaching?

Children's Ministry 

4.       What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

I am a vanilla kind of girl!!

5.       What’s your favorite subject to teach?

I love teaching Reading and my favorite time of day is Reading Groups!! 

6.       What is your favorite adult book?

ANYTHING by Karen Kingsbury...she is amazing! You should read one of her books!

7.       What is your favorite read aloud?

For the Kinders I loved Eric Carle and for my big kids we LOVED reading Magic Tree House 

8.       What’s your favorite part about summer?

Hanging out with my kiddos!

9.       What do you fear the most?

The world my kids or grandkids will grow up in. 

10.   Do you like change or are do you like to stay in your comfort zone?

Um...depends..My husband and I love to move we don't like to stay still very long BUT once I am in my comfort zone it is a struggle BUT I can get over it!!

11.   If you could teach any grade/subject, what would it be?

I love teaching I know I do not want to go any higher than 4th but if CRAFTS were a subject I would be all over that!!!

Questions from Constance

1. What was the most important book you have read to date and why?

WOW..hard!! I have loved Karen Kingsbury..she is a Christian Author and it always seems that God speaks to me through her books!! LOVE THEM

2. What is your favourite read aloud and why?

In Second Grade we loved reading Magic Tree house. The kids were so interested in them and it took them to a different place!

3. What is your favourite unit to teach and why?

I love SCIENCE...It creates a fun learning environment and the kids REALLY love it!

4. What is one item in your classroom that you could not live without?

My Mac Laptop!!  I left it at home one day and I was LOST 

5. If you could teach one extra curricular of your choice, what would it be? 

Arts and Crafts- that is one thing I miss about Kinder...oh don't worry 4th graders we will be doing Arts and Crafts!!

6. Your favourite literary character. 

I like Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House! I love the brother/sister duo and how they are curious and readers 

7. If you could move to another country, where would it be and why?

AUSTRALIA-hands down! I went there in HS and fell in love! They are so relaxed!

8. What is your favourite TV show to wind down to?

I love any of the Real Housewives....OR Duck Dynasty 

9. Your favourite cuisine.

I'm a steak and potato kind of gal!

10. If you could teach any grade level, what would it be?

I love teaching I know I do not want to go any higher than 4th but if CRAFTS were a subject I would be all over that!!!

11. What is or are your teaching goal(s) this year? 

To remember to TEACH children and not to a stupid test!!!

Ok these are the question I have picked for the AWESOME girlies to answer

1.What is your favorite teaching moment?

2.If you knew what you know now...what advice would you give yourself!?

3.What is your favorite book (teaching or not)?

4.What is your go to school snack?

5.What is the best gift you have ever received?

6.What is your go to item in the classroom?

7.What is your favorite quote?

8.What is your favorite place in your classroom?

9.What is your favorite blog you go to most?

10. What does your Friday look like after a long week of teaching!?

11. Where do you like to buy Teaching clothes!?

WOW!! Thanks once again!! 

What's that Sound!?

I don't know about you but I love teaching phonics. I don't know what it is, but it is fun seeing kids sounding out words and when they see a vowel combo or blend they KNOW it right away...weird I know but I still think it's cool!!!

Anyway...one of my former team members {tear} was saying how she wanted to do a phonics wall this year! GREAT IDEA!!! She is a Bilingual teacher and well this will just be perfect for her class. So I made her some cards!!

Y'all you can use these in so many different ways!!

The obvious way...a phonics word wall!

BUT...you can play games..you can do a matching game OR have kids draw a card and time them for 30 seconds and see how many words they can write OR give them a card and hunt through magazines for the sound OR you can play a version of I have who has....man there is so much you can do!

You can pick it up for a $1 at my TPT store! Ok side note...when I typed the amount this is what i heard..I got a dollar, I got a dollar, I got a dollar, hey hey hey hey....love the Little Rascals!!

Thanks for checking it out!!

Word Wall Love

I love Word Walls!!  Its a great teaching tool and you have so many fun games you can play!!

I am linking up for my first linky party...eeek so excited!!

I have waited so long to be brave enough to do this!!

Today I created a word wall for my new classroom
I will use it for vocabulary and common sight words for the bigger kids.
I made the chevron letters and have ribbon hanging down. We will have the
words on clothes pins and just clip them on!!!  It was very simple to do and
just made the wall POP!!! Hope you like!!

What!? I am teaching 4th grade!?

Hi!!
I am Tessa. I am very excited about making my first post to this blog!! I can't believe anyone would really want to read it!! CRAZY!!

Anyway...I am a new fourth grade teacher. YIKES!! I have always taught the little ones. I was a Kinder teacher in AZ for 6 years...then we moved to Texas and I taught second for 2. I thought teaching second was a stretch for me but NOW I am in fourth. OY!!!

When I found out I was moving to fourth I was devastated. I was mad, sad, offended, and I cried...for like 3 days. Yup like a little kid who didn't get her way.  I just couldn't believe it. Why would she move me!? I was rocking second grade..but you see the choice wasn't mine to make!

The start of the summer was rough. I was still mad and really tried to find ANY way I could to not go back. I pleaded with my hubby to find a new job ANYWHERE else...I was being that selfish...can you believe it.

As the summer went on God wrecked me! I'm not sure if you ever have had one of those moments but it was AWESOME! I didn't realize how ugly my heart was. I wasn't letting him in 100%. I was still living in the flesh and that my friends is not good. NOT GOOD AT ALL!!!

So I'm teaching fourth! I'm ok with it. I will do my best and have a great year. I created this blog for our journey. I'm sure there will be days where I want to rip my hair out! I know there will be days filled with lots of laughter. I know I will grow as a teacher. I will LOVE the stuffings out of those sweet kids.

 I just hope you might stay on this crazy train and see how it turns out!!