Autumn in Seattle

...the air is crisp and cool. It smells of freshly fallen leaves, pumpkins, apples, grapes, and rain. Everywhere you go people have donned boots, scarves, thick jackets (but not yet winter coats), and colorful umbrellas. Coffee is always a staple in Seattle, but its consumption has increased dramatically during the entrance of autumn, if for no other reason than to have something warm to wrap cold fingers around. The temperature fluctuates between the mid-30's and mid-50's with a couple of frosty mornings here and there. Last night brought the first dusting of snow. People will stay off the roads this morning, but the snow will all be melted by evening.

Baking has become a delightful pastime for many, and muffins, cookies, and gingerbread have begun appearing on family tables and in neighbor's cupboards. The scents of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon waft through the air. 

Fires are lit in fireplaces and heaters are turned on. Golden, red, orange, and brown leaves drop to the ground, leaving bare branches exposed for the next three or four months. The evergreens flaunt their ever green boughs, promising to keep refreshing color in the scenery along the way. Dark falls earlier, making 4:30pm feel like 7:30pm and 7pm feel like the deepest of night watches. Strong breezes blow through the trees. Houses are shut up tight and cozy against the wind, for the air is crisp and cool...

I still live!

I know it has been a while since my last update. I must admit, these school year months are a bit difficult to write about, simply because I don't feel like any noteworthy events occur! Each day is much like the one before, and I certainly don't have any adventures. ;-)

I typically leave for school around 7am... sometimes a little before, more often a little bit after. Then I have a fairly uneventful 15 to 20 minute drive to school. Once there I settle in and putter around the classroom for 20 minutes or so before the kiddos arrive. Then my day is a whirlwind of teaching until 3:00. I work for a couple more hours before heading back home between 5 and 6. Then I read, cut things out for bulletin boards, or watch something on the Arts channel with the family I live with. Dinner is between 6:30 and 7:30 usually. After dinner we clean up and I head upstairs to read for a bit before heading to bed.

So that's it. :) That's my typical day.


So far this year has been quite a bit tougher than last year. I'm really not completely sure why... there are probably a ton of different reasons (most of which I'm hesitant to post on the web). I can speculate and try to figure it all out but when it comes down to it, this year is just plain harder. I feel really bad when parents ask how the year is going so far or if this year is easier... because my completely honest response would have to be, "No, this year is much harder. It really isn't going very smoothly at all." But I know that that probably isn't the wisest response. Please pray for me. I want to love this year as much I loved last year, but it is really difficult! Pray that no matter how difficult this year is, that I will love my students completely and that I will be an effective teacher who the Lord sees fit to use in my students' lives and in the lives of their families.

I'd love to hear from some of my midwest friends and family. I sure am missing you all painfully! God knew what a good thing relationships were when he created Eve for Adam. I am learning what a good thing relationships are as I seek to put down some little rootlets here in Washington. Pray for some good friends and relationships to grow as I settle in here.

Lots of prayer requests today, but I thank God when I remember you all, because I know that so many of you are faithful prayer warriors. As I remember your faith I am encouraged in this dark part of the country. I am encouraged because I can remember and know that God does have a people whom He has kept for Himself and who do love Him and seek after Him and the things of Heavenly nature instead of seeking fulfillment through the things of this world. May God bless each of you as you seek after Him and mature in righteousness and faith.

A few more pictures :)

Yesterday and today have gone much more smoothly. We actually made it all the way through every subject on the schedule both days!!! Granted, a few of the subjects were very abbreviated and not nearly as thorough as I would have liked, we got to them! :) Then today, after school, I got to hold a brand new baby for nearly 45 minutes! She was absolutely tiny... a preemie just newly released from the hospital. It was a good way to end the day.

A few more pictures of classroom things...

The following pictures are from the first day of school. I gave every student a piece of paper with the same lines drawn on each... (the dark black lines). Next, I invited the students to look at the lines and to finish drawing the picture that they saw living in the lines. I received all the papers back with quite a variety in pictures! Enjoy!

Weren't those great??? I've got quite the creative class, eh?

Then the clipboards I recovered this summer... :)

My customizable schedule cards that I found on TeachersPayTeachers.com. They are perfect for the room! :)

Finally, during spelling and grammar I allow students to ask me questions for sentence practice... I like to think that this will help them to develop writing complete and creative sentences, including capital letters and punctuation. So, how would you answer this question without breaking your student's heart?

The New Classroom! In pictures!

I can't believe that tomorrow is the first day of autumn! (I just love that word... autumn. It sounds so cozy and delicious! :-) )  September has been incredibly busy. I know that it typically is for most teachers, but I have just remembered how busy it can be. But, I have found time on this beautiful, cloudless, warm Saturday to make applesauce (to help celebrate the coming of autumn) and to post pictures of my new classroom!

I am so thankful for the bigger classroom! With 21 students this year, it would have been very uncomfortable in last year's classroom. I am also excited to think that I probably won't have to set up another classroom next year. After setting up three different classrooms in the past three years I can definitely feel my creative juices running low on classroom decor. Not to mention the time spent... and money spent! It's kind of like redecorating your house each year! Okay, maybe not that extensive. ;-)

Enjoy the pictures!

It feels so official! I have such a nice name card to go next to my door!

My class was too big to fit on one board so they had to get another half-board for me. Another day I'll have to post a picture of the artwork that the students completed on the first day for this board. It was pretty cool.
(Tricia D... I had to piece two pieces of fabric on the bigger board... and I had no one to help me match the swirls! Can't you move here to help me with things like this???)

Word of the day and verse of the year posted prominently on the door. :)

Looking in the door...

I like to keep a picture of my family close at hand. I've been missing them so much lately!

I found this adorable carpet at IKEA for $20. It's perfect for the room! 

I've been wanting to make little stools for my room ever since college. I was originally going to make them entirely from scratch, but then I found these black footstools at Target and just recovered the tops. They are pretty much the focal point of the classroom and are so very adorable! 

Looking left as you walk in the door. Those two cabinets are all the storage I have except for bookshelves. It's like a giant puzzle to get all my supplies organized and put away neatly.

I opted to forgo the detailed job board this year. I decided to just have three helpers each day and they can help me with anything and everything from passing out papers to carrying the basket for lunchboxes. So far it has worked out well and really simplified life for me. :)

My aide's desk. (Steph Z., do you recognize the little filing box in the corner? :)
The green soap pump is hand sanitizer. No big, clunky hand sanitizer bottles in this black, white and green classroom!

My class list posted by the door.

I didn't get the mailboxes I needed this year, so this will have to work as a filing system for this year. Not my favorite, (too much stuff!) but it will get us through the year.

Looking to the front of the room from the door.

Lots of bulletin boards at the front of the room this year.

And standing at the front of the room...

Looking from the front to the right...
(such a pretty, green view from my window. I'm on the second story so I don't see the cars in the parking lot. I just see the green, green, green of trees. Isn't God kind to give me this beautiful greenery to look at all day? And they are mostly evergreens so they'll be green all year!)

Looking from the front to the left...
Those bookshelves in the corner are my teaching bookshelves. One of the big projects this summer was consolidating all of the teaching resources from binders and folders and files into one spot, throwing away duplicates, and organizing it into a neat binder that is easy to look through. Even so, there is still a lot of material there and a lot to glean from when lesson planning. I also keep children's books on Egypt, and math and science textbooks and workbooks back there.

From the front left corner to the back right corner of the room. I'm standing in the classroom library while taking this picture.

And here is the library! It's organized, but not labeled.

These are my easier books. Picture books in the center and then starting from the left top the levels get progressively more difficult.

These are my series books and also my advanced books. I manage the library myself, so students have to read a little of the book aloud to me before checking it out of the library. I still haven't found an efficient way to monitor the books the students are checking out, so it is pretty intense for me. Ideas fellow teachers??

The same basic idea that I've used the past two years. This year I have library cards hanging from the clothesline and each student has their own card. I write down what book they are reading and they have to finish it before checking out a different book. At the end of the year they will have a list of all the books they read in class during second grade. :)

This was another big find for me this summer! I found it at Goodwill for $40! I'm using it to house my listening station so that it serves some purpose... that helped me justify buying it. ;-)

We study a couple Little House books, so this vintage desk is especially fun for my classroom. :) 

The library return basket. Students may put books they are finished with into this basket and I reshelve them so that I can make sure they are being put on the appropriate shelf for the level of the book. Cute basket, eh?

Please say hello to (working left to right) Sam, KangaBunny, Mr. Jingles, Mr. Owl, and Brownie.
These stuffed animal friends get read to a lot by the students... one of my ideas to help promote reading aloud. Hopefully these little reading buddies will help increase 2nd grade fluency!

It gets kind of dark in the library corner on overcast days, so this lamp casts a soft and pleasant glow.
This ADORABLE little flower decoration was one of my summer crafty things that I was able to do. Thank you to my sister, Evie, and cousins for including me on this project! If fits perfectly into my classroom!

Our math calendar board. Lots of skills and reinforcement here!

Our science board! We'll be doing several science experiments as a class and through them, we'll learn how to put together a science experiment display board for the science fair in the spring. The kids are so excited about science!

My technology for the year. The document projector HAS been super nice. It has been really nice to put books under it and read aloud and have students either follow along on the screen or just enjoy the pictures as I read. I'm still really enjoying the fact that I don't have to integrate a ton of technology into my lessons, but can let the lessons happen as they will and enjoy watching students use physical things to learn.

I sewed the skirt for the cart. Underneath are hidden all sorts of things. I had to hem up the skirt a little bit and iron it quite a bit before the first day of school. No wrinkles for me!

I found a new globe for this year! My one from last year was falling apart. And I recovered my clipboards... they are super adorable! I'll have to take a picture of them and post it. 

My literature bookshelf. I love the second grade literature curriculum!

Some old readers to decorate my literature shelf. :)

My box top jar. :)

Rules in the middle, things to do if you finish early on the outside. :)

My little sharp and dull bins. :)

The two girls on the left are in my class this year. They came in to say hello and see how the classroom was coming before school started. :) They are sweethearts!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! Please feel free to come and visit anytime!