Oh, hey! As I was reflecting on my week and my yearly goals, I thought about blogging. Then I remembered... I started that last year and clearly abandoned it! Well, I'm back! I decided that one of my goals should be sticking to my goals. 😂 A little catch up is a perfect way to start back on my blog, so here's what's been happening...
Plastic Panthers: Last year my students embarked on an incredible, eco-friendly mission. It blossomed throughout the school year and finally came to fruition over the summer/beginning of this school year. The students collected plastic bottles throughout the year, created posters and videos about the importance of recycling and the plastic epidemic. The students then created some truly incredible artwork using the plastic bottles and bottle caps to display in our school. Our final effort was fundraising for a water bottle filling station/water fountain. Not only did we sell enough reusable bottles for a filling station, but our incredible PTA gifted one to us as well. The boys and girls crushed it! The fountains and our art was installed over the summer and we had a ribbon cutting to open the space at the start of this year, thanks to my absolutely wonderful principal! It was a glorious event and I have never been so proud! Sadly, the pressure is on with this year's class. They're curious when the newspapers will be in for them. Eek!
New School Year: Going well and going fast! How are we almost in November!? This is the first year I've stayed in the same grade level/classroom for a consecutive year. How remarkable! I finally feel at home and was able to reflect on last year to make new plans and shifts for this year's lessons. I feel like I'm growing and becoming more effective. Of course, I'm also coming up with new things so I'm still exploring and stressing myself out as well! It's nice to have that balance however between familiar lessons and new, exciting things as well. Hopefully, the kiddos stay engaged and we can embark on our own special plastic journey starting this week... stay tuned!
Mr. Bing: My baby!!! For those of you who know me, you know my little cockapoo is my baby. Mr. Bingley, or Bing as we call him, has added to the excitement and business of a new school year. His eyes have been red and swollen for weeks. It looks horrendous and was clearly so uncomfortable for him. He was diagnosed with allergies and after a week of suffering, then a week of treatment, we were nowhere. Back to the vet we went. Allergies seemed to still be the diagnosis; however, we were going to try a new treatment plan. At this point, both eyes had become affected and were almost swollen shut. The new treatment over the next week (the third week at this point) still. did. nothing. Not only did I feel helpless and so sad for my baby, but I also had anger building up inside of me. I felt like I was wasting his time and was worried this would affect his vision. We went to a new vet who diagnosed him properly (hallelujah). We started a new treatment plan for the bacterial infection that had been getting worse over the past few weeks and now he is looking so much better! His itching has finally stopped, swelling and redness have decreased drastically, and he can finally lounge around the house without wearing the cone of shame. So happy my little buddy is feeling like his old self again!
Reading Goals: My bookshelves are overflowing, both at home and at school. I try to keep my summer reading from my personal bookshelf and then read all the kids' books during the school year. I decided I needed to be more efficient though and wanted to read at a quicker pace. I've decided to read at least 1-2 chapter books per month this school year. I created a list and have it posted by my desk as motivation. So far, I've read...
Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
*The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
Up next on my list will be...
*The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart
*The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill
*Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
*-These are books I'm rereading to create digital book companions. More on these in the coming weeks!
So glad I remembered I had a blog and we got to catch up! My new goal is to keep this more consistent. Until next week!
-Meghan
