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!