Happy Resurrection Day!

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope everyone has had a great Sunday. I woke up early, had a nice (big) cup of coffee, went to church with my mom, and then cooked a delicious lunch on this Lord's day! Seriously... you can't go wrong with steak, stuffed potatoes, ratatouille, and coconut cake! I know I'm 23, but my mom still surprised my brother and I with Easter basket gifts. Mine included Twix bars, a new pair of earrings, and a Mississippi cookbook. It's been a lovely day celebrating my Savior!

1. Yes, I have a tattoo on my foot. Covering it up for teaching gets a little old sometimes, but I do love it! My dress made me feel like an Easter egg today :) 2. My new earrings and cookbook from my mom! 3. My mom also put these handmade goodies in my Easter basket. She is a high school art teacher and so creative! 4. Easter lunch. I really don't need to say anymore!

Yesterday, I spent my afternoon working on my first thirty-minute lesson plan for my field experience. It's on text features, and it's a scavenger hung folder activity. I got the idea from here, though my printer is broken so I am handwriting everything. Luckily, if I have a template my mom can run off copies for me at her school. It helps having a teacher for a mom! 

After making the activity, though, I realized we are probably going to have to cut one or two sections out of the scavenger hunt (there are 8 total.) I have to teach the lesson and they have to have time to do the activity... all within 30 minutes. And since it's my first one I'm teaching in the field, I'd like it to go smoothly in case my supervisor pops in!

I'm doing my best to take this Easter Sunday off from school... but I have three finals next week and my social studies unit plan due. I might take a nap and do a little bit of work, even if it's just making flashcards for finals. I have a perfect 100 streak going in my social studies class... I'd like to keep that up since her exams are the hardest. I feel like I'm proving something to myself every time I get a 100 back :)

Hope y'all have the best Easter Sunday ever!

P.S. I'm a total instagram junkie, so if you'd like to see more pictures you can follow me at h_barnes!

Well, hello!

Hi there!

While I am not new to the blogging world (I've held personal blogs for several years), I thought it was time I added a more "professional" blog to my posting regime. I get so many ideas from other teaching blogs and often turn to them as a source of inspiration. I've also been so impressed by the community between teachers on the internet, and I hope to befriend some teachers through this type of social media!

So, about me? I guess that's the logical thing to post about in a first post!

(I was so excited to get a laminated badge for my field experience! I'm a nerd!)

I'm Heather (or Miss Barnes as the kiddos refer to me!). I'm a 23 year old senior Elementary Education major in Mississippi. I will graduate in December with a K - 6 licensure (assuming I pass the Praxis II this summer!) Currently, I am in what my college calls Professional Block, a series of lectures in each content area that lasts half a semester. We are actually about to take our finals for that class this week! The second half of the semester is spent in Field Experience, where we spend 7:45 - 10:45 in an assigned classroom, and teach a series of 20 thirty-minute lesson plans. We also work one on one with a student who may need some tutoring. I am assigned to a 5th grade reading and social studies classroom in an inner city school. I met my students last week, although my teacher was out for the day. I did e-mail her later to find out what she'd like me to teach for my first lesson, so I have been working on a Text Features activity for them after hearing from her. I'm very excited about working with these fifth graders! I've also heard from other people who have been assigned this cooperating teacher before that she is EXCELLENT at classroom management. I'm excited to learn from her and take what she teaches me into my own classroom.

Aside from teaching, I love my pets. Most of my friends would describe me as a Crazy Cat Lady, and I'll gladly accept that title. I have two sweet cats and a dog. I also love to read - mystery and fantasy are my favorite genres, although recently I've also started to enjoy more historical fiction. I also love riding horses, crocheting, and going to Zumba! I have done theatre all through high school and college as well, and would love to keep it as a hobby in the summers through community theatres in my area. We'll see.

I'm really excited to venture into this community of teacher blogs. Encouragement, tips, and advice are more than welcome!