Day 247

Back to work today. Call me crazy, but I'm not a fan of three-day weekends. You see, the day after a three-day weekend always reveals a little bit of information about the character of my scholars. Did they go to bed too late? Are they still operating in "vacation mode" ? I find I usually have to bring a little more of my game on these days than others - which is, of course, part of the many cool things I know I signed up for.

Today's bow was acquired at a Facconable outlet store in Riverhead, NY. 

Day 189

Here's a fab bow from Facconable I found for $15. I think another trip to Tanger outlets may be on the horizon. =) 

Day 160

So there's a few pictures for you today. Thanks for tuning in. So yesterday I had a random desire to completely change my look for awhile. A few years back I had actually donned a baldy for quite some time before I decided to grow it back and play around with different Johnny Depp inspired looks. So there I am with the hat, and how my students reacted when they saw me. I figured now's a good a time as any to get them used to adapting to change. Some things you have the power to change, others you don't. This is a small change that doesn't affect them, but how they respond to it (are they giggling and pointing, or do they just see it as another teachable moment) determines how ready they are for a much bigger change - a transition to the 7th grade. I'm excited for them to move up. I'm also excited to continue my training now that I have one less obstacle/distraction (my hair) in the way. I'm focused, man.

Today's bow was acquired from a Faconnable outlet in Riverhead, NY. I'm looking forward to going back there this summer and perhaps picking up some more. The last picture is of a clip-on I constructed using pieces of fabric from our students' uniform shirts. The 5th and 6th graders have to wear navy blue polos and the 7th and 8th graders wear a button-down shirt. I thought it would look cool as a double-sided bow. I think it worked!

Day 12

 I can't believe it's Thursday already! This week seems to be going by pretty quickly - and pretty smoothly I might add. Despite the visual anchor behind me, we're not multiplying fractions today kids! Well, maybe as part of review. We started our unit on capacity this week and my heart actually skipped a beat when I found an empty pint of mayo mixed with our recyclables. It's helpful to do more than just show a picture of what an ounce, cup, quart, pint and gallon looks like - so I started bringing in a few of these containers in from home, labeling them (and their customary equivalents) and sticking them onto my teacher cart for easy access. Perhaps I'll post a video next week showing you one of my favorite ways to practice customary conversions without pencil and paper.

Today's bow tie came by way of Facconable. They didn't donate this one, but at $15 at Tanger Outlets it sure felt like a gift. I'm kicking myself for not picking up some more.

On an unrelated note, there's a little bit more than a month left before I turn 33 on February 14. Can you guess what I want for my birthday? Yup, more bow ties. Join the cause and donate today!