I'm no fashionista, but my travel clothes are awesome!

If you walk down the street like this, it's time to head to the Lavandería

I wrote this post while enjoying a beautiful morning at the beach last month.  For the past 12 years, we have traveled to the panhandle of Florida to rest and relax as a family.  Sadly, this trip was probably our our last big trip as a family of 6 as our kids slowly start peeling their way off to college next year.  We soaked up the sun, the waves and the good times for seven glorious days.

While preparing for my beach trip, I though a lot about my clothing choices for my trip to Mexico.  Those who know me well know that I am not a fashionista.  I'm all about value, comfort and coordination.  I would rather have five of the same item in black than a closet full of colorful designer outfits.

Just really wanted to see this picture one more time!

When it comes to what I wear, the only thing I like to splurge on are shoes.  I'm not talking Manolos or Jimmy Choo's.  I'm talking about orthopedic shoes that last and support my need to be an active traveler.  My favorite brands are Keen, Chaco, Asics and Easy Spirit.  I probably have 8 pair of Keen sandals, flipflops, boots and clogs. They are indestructible and extremely comfortable.  They aren't pretty, but I can go for miles and miles in them.  When they get dirty, I hose them off.  Easy peasy!  When I was in Mexico, I packed my new Keen Rose Sandals, my Asics trail runners, my Chaco flip flops, my Easy Spirit heeled sandals and my Keds (as an emergency backup).  Every shoe was worn and my feet never hurt.  For Florida, I simply deleted the Keds and the Easy Spirit heels.  I don't do heels on vacation.  There's no dressing up around here (at least for me).

Left to Right: Chaco, Asics, Keds, Easy Spirit and Keen

In terms of the clothing that I took to Mexico, I was really very pleased with my choices.  Even with the water damage, I was able to work with my separate pieces of clothing well enough that I only did laundry once.  I did wash out some pieces by hand in my room, but overall what I packed lasted for three weeks.  Here's a mini-breakdown of my main pieces:

• denim bermuda shorts (for travel days, loved the pockets)
• denim capri pants
• khaki cargo shorts (would definitely suggest travel fabric next time, the cotton was a pain when it got wet at the pyramids)
• workout shorts (2)
• black skirt
• black/white long skirt
• 3 Athleta/Lucy swim dresses (best.ever.period.)
• 4 black workout tanks with built-in bras
• 2 cheap Target tanks for sleeping
• Black pashmina
• Black sweater
• Black zip up hoodie
• Grey light open sweater
• White light cardigan
• Mason (showing my Comet pride) hoodie

Lots of Athleta and Lucy dresses.  So versatile, quick drying and comfy!

Good socks are a must!

Awesome pashmina that I threw in my bag daily.

Light neutral wrap.  Wore this often.

Cheap, Old Navy bra tanks. I have like 5 of these!

One fancy dress from a thrift shop

Rain Jacket that was never with me when I needed it.

It took a leap of faith to give this place my wardrobe for three days.  Thankfully, I got everything back in decent shape.

Going Gaga for Google

Students are working together to write and edit sentences using the verb TENER

We have completed two full weeks of school now and I can honestly say that things are going very, very well.  All of my students have personal learning devices with them each day which has created lots of new opportunities. It has also created a lot of small stumbling blocks that we have to work through each day.  For example, what if my lesson plan is entirely based on using Google docs and the internet, but 3 students did not bring their devices? What if one student's device all of a sudden starts flashing and the keyboard won't work?  What if a student has never used a Google product before and is unable to keep up with the students who have been using Google for two years?  What if the document I labored over and scrutinized before posting to Google Classroom has settings that won't allow students to edit it?  These are little things that take time away from instruction every day.  I'm not bothered by them.  We are learning together as a class what works and what doesn't work.  I've had some fantastic days where we have used technology the entire time. I have had equally fantastic days where the Chromebooks stay in the backpacks.  It's a learning process, but I plan to try something new each week.  Students seem to enjoy using their devices to track assignments, write papers and share with others.  However, there have been a few students who have asked if I could please just PUT IT IN WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER! I meet every student where he/she is so that is never a problem.

Each student is practicing vocabulary at his/her own pace using Quizlet.

For me, this will be a year of much growth and re-structure.  My current way of planning instruction now must include the question:  Can I improve this lesson by using technology?  Will the results be better? Will students learn more? Will the amount of time it takes to teach the technology be worth the results?  I'm doing this constantly and am finding that I will make mistakes along the way.  Fortunately, our students seems to already know that every thing you do with technology is a "PILOT" program.  That's the world we live in today.  

We even got a shout-out from our district for having a collaborative environment.

A New School Year Begins

What a week it has been!  On Monday, all teachers reported to school for our Professional Development Day.  It was great to see everyone in spite of my discomfort from having to sit all day long!  While our administrators tried to get us up and moving as much as possible, it was still a long day!  Having just had vascular surgery on one of my legs, I was feeling the pain at the end of the day.  On Tuesday, we had our kick off presentation at the high school followed by a school meeting and lunch.  The remainder of the day was spent working in our classrooms. I left the school that day feeling overwhelmed by the amount of new information and technology tools, but optimistic for a great first day on Wednesday.

7th grade Spanish teachers are ready for a great year!

Kicking off the year with a motivational presentation by our Superintendent Dr. Gail Kist-Kline

We were up bright and early for the first day (except Molly who likes to sleep until the last minute).  Here I am with my two high schoolers and Megan who will be with me at the middle school this year.  Everyone was excited to see their friends and teachers.  At the end of the day, the smiles were still visible.  I think they've got this thing down by now. I also had a great first day meeting my new homeroom/family, my five classes of Spanish kids and my new research period class.  This year, I'm in charge of a Research Period which is essentially a guided study hall.  I love being able to work with kids to help them set goals and manage their priorities.  I look forward to having a little bit of a change in my day!  We ended the week exhausted, but content in our new grades and schools.  We'll see if that feeling remains when those alarms go off at 5am on Monday morning! Here's hoping that your week went as smoothly as ours did!

First day of 2015-16