Liebster Award!!!!!

Hello everyone!!!

I came home from summer school this afternoon to the most wonderful news!!! Portia from Tidbits From Ms. Pitts was super awesome and nominated me for the Liebster Award!  The Liebster Award is an award for new and up and coming bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.  This is such an honor, especially because I am so new to the blogging world (even though I have been following teacher blogs for YEARS)!  This nomination has made my day!! 

Here are the rules that I need to follow: 

1.  Link back to the blog that nominated me.....check!
2. Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator.
3.  Share 11 random facts about myself.
4.  Create 11 questions for my nominees.
5.  Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers. 
6.  Contact my nominees to let them know that I nominated them.

Ms. Pitt's Questions:

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in the 1st grade.  My amazing teacher, Mrs. Meuse, was my inspiration.  I love children, I love learning, and I wanted to be able to instill a love and excitement for learning into others, oh and have a BLAST while doing so!

This is Mrs. Meuse, my inspiration!

2. What are a few of your favorite TV shows?

My husband and I love Duck Dynasty! I also love watching Big Brother, Awkward, any Real House Wives, and anything HGTV! 

3. How are you spending your summer break?

I am spending the first part of my summer break teaching iPads to 7th-9th graders (big age difference, but it's so much fun)!  This is my second summer doing so.  After that's over, I will be heading to St. Thomas with my husband and our friends to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary!

4. What educational websites or apps do you like for your students to utilize?

I cannot wait for my students to use these computer programs XtraMath, Footsteps to Brilliance, Padlet (Formerly Wallwisher), and Moby Max.  I also have a classroom iPad now, so I cannot wait to use Tools4Students, Sock Puppets, Comic Touch, and Max Journal.  Those are just to name a few.  There are a ton of great websites and amazing apps with fun learning games for the kids!!

5. Where are your favorite places to shop?

I LOVE Amazon, TjMax, Marshalls, The Loft, the Dollar Tree, Target, and Staples!

6. What is your pet peeve?

My pet peeve in school is when students are searching in their crayon boxes for something for an insane amount of time! That noise of all of the crayons, markers, and pencils all moving around simple just irks me!  Another pet peeve I have is when people walk on the wrong side of the stairway/hallway/side of the mall walk way! Is it just me? Haha

7. What makes the state you live in a great place to visit?

Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics....need I say more?  Ha! I don't really watch sports all that much, but it seemed like the right answer! I love Massachusetts. I was born and raised right outside of Boston, which has such a rich history!  The whole state is full of history and stories to teach the students and to take them to see places in person!  I am BOSTON STRONG!

8. What is your favorite subject to teach? Why?

I am a huge fan of writing! I love teaching students about writing and how to let their creativity shine through in what they write!  I love teaching creative writing, more specifically!  I have a B.S in Math as well as an M.Ed. in Mathematics Education, so I love teaching math too, but writing was something I struggled with as a child.  I had a tough time getting my thoughts out onto the paper, so I think that's why I enjoy teaching it more!

9. What's one new thing you are going to implement this new school year? Why?

I am going to implement interactive notebooks this year!  I plan on having 2, one for math and one for E.L.A.! I am oooober excited about starting this!! I have a friend who teaches 7th grade, and he uses them for his history classroom, so I started researching it!  I love the idea of having everything in one place and having the handouts and foldouts in there as well for them to look back in while working. Wish me luck!! ****(If anyone uses these for 2nd grade, please let me know! I am looking for suggestions!)

10. How do you manage grading papers where you are not left with stacks upon stacks?

I do a lot of grading, but I correct homework while the students are doing morning work and after I have completed the attendance/notes etc.  For the most part for math, we correct it together.  Some days there seems to be more papers than others, but I keep up with is as the day goes.  I also have a few students each year that are little teachers, and they love to use the purple pen to help correct simple papers!  They love giving the giant "C" on papers that are all correct!  I also have to credit my wonderful husband for helping with the correcting and putting stickers on papers! He's the best!

11. What random act of kindness have done in 2013?

I try to complete random acts of kindness all of the time.  Sometimes life gets in the way, but it's something that can be done if you put your mind to it.  While waiting for my car to warm up during a snowstorm after school, I cleared off a coworkers car! I also paid for the person behind me at Dunkin Donuts on Valentine's Day.  Most of my random acts of kindness occur in the classroom though!

11 Random Facts About Me:

1.  I love Country Music!

2.  I  have a serious obsession with Michael Jackson.

3.  I wish I wasn't tone deaf, so I could compete on American Idol (I even have a song picked out)!

4.  The first thing I look at when I look at people are their feet (strange, I know).

5.  I love eating pickles and cheez-its together (delicious combination, don't knock it 'til you try it)!

6.  I am a capri-sun junkie! I swear, I should still be a child!

7.  My favorite color is pink.

8.  I talk to myself like nobody's business.

9. I carry my grandmother's ashes in my purse so she's always with me (my friends think it's creepy)!

10.  I get aggrivated when people say the word often while pronouncing the t. AHH!

11.  I sometimes plan my wardrobe based on clothing styles I see on Pinterest!

That was so much fun!!! Now for my nominees!

And the nominees are...

1. House of Burke

2.  Shut the Door and Teach

3. Happiness is Watermelon Shaped in 3rd Grade

4.  The Organized Senorita

5.  Koonce's Corner

Questions for Nominees:

1.  What is your most favorite school/office supply?

2.  What has been your most favorite activity/craft?

3.  Where do you find your teaching resources?

4.  What are your top 5 favorite blogs?

5.  Do you have a Pinterest account or TPT store? (Leave the link!)

6.  If you could be given any one thing to help improve your teaching, what would it be?

7.  If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

8.  What is the last book that you have read?

9.  What are your favorite T.V. shows?

10.  What do you do in your free time?

11.  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?