Assess My Mess

Just kidding...there's no mess...in fact I am so proud of all my kiddos and how much they've learned since the beginning of school.

But, Friday is our report card day, so this week is all about making sure I have every item assessed and that all 1:1 assessments are current.

Anyone else have a hard time fitting in time to work with kids ONE at a time!?

Luckily, I have been using 30 minutes each Friday all year for assessment time while the kiddos work on one particular sound sorting activity, which means that it has not been as much of a scramble to get all of my assessments done. I still have a few kiddos that I need to check in with in both classes to make sure their info is current, but I think that is perfectly doable in the next few days.

Tomorrow I have a group assessment planned and for some reason both classes are ROCKSTARS at group assessments this year. I gave them each a "secret office" space to sit in when we do group assessments because I want to make sure they can't possibly copy off of anyone else. When I tell them we have a "secret office job" they actually cheer. I usually follow it with a quick fun activity that they can earn and so far they have a really good track record of being very quiet and on task during those assessment times. Tomorrow I am going to have them write the alphabet, write numbers 1-20 and draw the 7 basic shapes (square, circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, and hexagon). Since when are trapezoids and hexagons considered simple shapes?! I always feel like it's easier to grade objectively when I actually have a product to look at rather than just going on memory from what students do in class. With 38 kids and preggo brain, I need hard copies to look at in order to really evaluate their work and compare what kids should receive the various marks.

We have 3 marks we can give and I am not a huge fan of the wording...

+ consistently demonstrates
V has made acceptable progress
O more time needed


I usually think of the V as "developing" but I feel like the wording that is on our report card sounds more negative. Especially when kids are on the cusp of mastering a particular skill. If a child knows all but two sounds it's hard to say they have made acceptable progress because it sounds like "eh, they are doing okay..." when in reality they are SO close. Yet, I don't feel like I can give them a plus quite yet.


I assessed kids on their pattern recognition, building, and labeling today and most kids got +'s in all three. Yay! I so much prefer to assess something like that 1:1 rather than in a whole group because I feel like I can have more time to process the extent to which a kiddo really gets or doesn't grasp something. If only there were more time to work 1:1 with kids!!


I am hoping to have good attendance for the rest of the week so I can get a math test done and the other assessments that I still have. Then comes the hard part of filling out the behavior section on the report card. Always the hardest part for me because I waffle back and forth between thinking I am being too hard and too easy on kids. At least this year I have kept weekly data on how many sticks kiddos have kept/lost which will help in determining some of those criteria.


I am hopeful that I can enter a little bit of data each day for the report cards so that on Friday I can just relax. We are allowed to sign out and do grades from home, so if my reports are already done, then I basically have a day off to work on my dissertation stuff. I have a draft of my survey ready which I am really happy about and I think I am making good progress towards having a draft ready by Valentine's Day! Woo hoo!

Is it report card time for you? What is your grading system like?

Making the Rounds

Yesterday morning all of the teachers on my Kinder teams had subs so we could participate in a group observation deal along with our principal and the facilitator/trainer who has been leading our seminars on culturally responsive instruction. As many of you know, I am working on my doctorate and culturally responsive instruction plays a big part in all that I read and think about. I am really happy to be part of the trainings with  my awesome team and yesterday turned out to be a pretty good experience overall.

We were very stressed and skeptical until about Friday because we had been told that we would be doing this group observation, yet we didn't have any info on the schedule or who would be subbing or how it would all work out. Luckily, we each got our own sub for the whole morning and either Thursday or Friday of last week we got the schedule outlining when our particular lesson would be occurring. We only had to do a 15 minute "lesson" so it was more like a single activity with the kids, but we basically had to come into the class after our students had started the morning with a sub, teach for 15 minutes while the others watched, then book it out of our room to watch the next teacher do her lesson.... interesting.

No, really...it actually was quite an interesting experience.

We met in the morning with all of the peeps involved and each of us got to share what our lesson would be and what our goals were. As part of the training we were asked to select 3-5 children of color as our focus kids. We have been working hard to collect "below the line" information about these kiddos and paying particular attention to how they are doing in our classrooms, how engaged they are in activities, and what activities they really enjoy. Our lessons yesterday were meant to focus on really making sure these particular students were engaged. Typically, it's pretty hard to teach, think about everything going on in the classroom, problem solve, listen to all the stories kiddos want to share, and have an eagle eye for how each child is responding to what is going on and your instruction. So, the point of yesterday was to have 4 extra pairs of eyes on our focus children to help give us feedback on what they were doing during our lessons.

My lesson contained two parts and I thought both went pretty well. The first is a game we play to review our letter sounds. Normally I just flip through the cards that go with our program and say "what sound" for each one. The kids answer chorally and sometimes various kids don't participate or merely echo what they hear other children saying. Our team started playing a game with the kiddos where each child gets a letter card and the kids mingle, find a partner, tell their partner what sound their letter makes, listen to their partner, then trade cards and repeat. We have them use the frame "my letter says ___" for each pairing. This activity gives the kiddos a chance to be up on their feet moving around rather than sitting and just saying sounds like robots. It also builds in support for kids who don't know their sounds as well because their partner tells them a sound before they have to then share it with someone else. As long as they start with a sound they know, they have support from each partner before sharing their new sound with someone else.

The second activity consisted of our stretch and read practice from our phonics program. Usually I write words that contain our current sound on the board and we sound them out and read them fast together. The program places zero emphasis on reading the words in context or talking about what they mean. Yet, kids are bursting with shout outs each time we sound out a word because it's their natural desire to make sense of what they read. They want to say something about the words rather than just move on. I used to get frustrated and think that all the calling out reflected a lack of control in my teaching, but I decided to go with it instead of against it. I now give the kiddos time to turn to their neighbor and talk about each word. Yesterday I specifically used words that I could pair with prompts in order to make the words relevant to the kids. Each time we read a word, I gave them a prompt and asked them to share with a neighbor. For example....the word was "shop" and I asked them to tell their neighbor where they shop for food. Each time the kids were given the go ahead to talk the room was bursting with voices and it was great to get feedback from my teammates regarding what certain kids were saying and how on task they were. I use a bell as the signal that it is time to stop and the kiddos were really good about getting quiet when they heard the bell and getting ready for the next word.

It was kind of nerve wracking to have 4 people in my room watching at once. Plus my sub. Plus a parent in the hallway waiting for us to start an Art Literacy lesson after the observation. But all in all I thought it went well and I am really happy that it will count as my second principal observation of the year! It was also fun to see my friends' classes because I don't really know their kiddos and I never get to see them teach. Once we had all taken our turn teaching, we met again as a big team (with our principal and the facilitator) and debriefed our lessons. We were told it was not meant to be evaluative rather than the observers were focusing on kids and helping us become more aware of how engaged they were.

Our principal was very positive after the facilitator left and said we did a great job and that she is really happy we are her Kindergarten team. Yay for us! We really have been working hard with this training and I am glad that it shows. We have another training day on Thursday and the observations were supposed to be on Friday, but due to some scheduling conflicts we had to change our date to yesterday. I am glad it is over and behind us now!

Speaking of being observed...this afternoon I had a visit from the district Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He just strolled into my room all casual and talked with some of my kiddos about what they were working on. Usually he would come with the principal and he doesn't visit the building all that often so it was a bit of a surprise that he just showed up by himself. My kiddos were hard at work practicing being really quiet during their table activity so he got to see a great little snippet of our day and I was relieved about that. He approached one little guy and asked him about what word he was making and my student pointed to the wall where I have the letter and word of the week posted. Having our objectives posted is big in my district so I was very proud of that little guy for making me look good and pointing out that it was perfectly clear what word he was working on because it's the word of the week! Hehe.

Now it's time for me to work on my dissertation proposal. I am having new-found inspiration to try and get myself on track to have my dissertation finished by the end of this summer. I figure if I make great use of my time while I am on maternity leave and cuddling with my new little bundle of Sneaker joy that it just might be possible. I am picturing Baby Sneaker snuggled in the Moby Wrap while I type away at the computer. There are a few timelines that are not within my control regarding paper work that needs to be submitted to the university in order to get permission to conduct my study, but if all goes well I just might be able to pull it off. Otherwise I am hoping to finish by December, but September would be better!

Friend Makin' Monday

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 FMM: Short Answers

1. Mac or PC? Mac all the way
2. Do you paint your own nails? Rarely
3. Beach or mountains?  Beach
4. What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading?  Angel Makers...I am reading it for book club. It's not one I would have picked on my own, but I really like it so far.
5. Do you dance?  When no-one is watching.
6. CNN or Fox News? Neither
7. Do you ride a bicycle?  Not too often. My adventures in bike riding while in Amsterdam turned me off...
8. Do you get a yearly flu shot?  No, but this year the doc told me to since I am preggo and teach lots of little kids who are germy!
9. Best movie you’ve seen in 2012? I haven't seen any yet this year!
10. Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym?  At the gym.
11. Last airport you were in?  Portland Airport returning from Christmas in CT with my family
12. Married or single?  Married to a cutie
13. iPhone or Android? iPhone
14. Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures? In pictures
15. Favorite brand of sneakers?  adidas. I have many pairs ;0)
16. Do you like snow?  Yes. I don't ski or do any snow activities, but I sure do love snow days!
17. Do you have/want to have kids?  Have one cooking right now! Due March 31st with a baby girl.
18. Summer or Winter? Summer. No school and my birthday!
19. Do you know how to swim?  Yes, if you consider doggy paddle swimming.
20. Do you prefer to shop in store or online?  In the store. I prefer to try things on and have hated how most maternity clothes (that are reasonably priced) are available online only. I am growing every day, yet can't try things on before I buy them and have to pay to send them back! Boo!

 Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments! 

nest

I finally got to take out some of my nesting urges on my classroom. I left home at 6:30 AM this morning, stopped at Starbucks for a decaf latte, then headed to school. I was in my room by 7, which gave me time to prep for the day, gather things for next week, and do some organizing. My "office" area was previously a disaster zone and it is now looking somewhat better. I cleared away some of the clutter and utilized some of the file cabinet and storage space that I have.

There truly is no excuse for things being out and about in the room because I have a TON of cabinet space, but I feel like once things go into the cabinets I completely forget about their existence.

Not good.

Overall the space is looking better and I left today feeling pretty refreshed and organized. I was in the car by 2:50 because I had to get yet another blood draw which I had to get done before my class that started at 4:30. Considering I jetted out of there shortly after the kiddos got on the buses, I feel like things are very much in order for next week and the room is looking better than it has in awhile.

We have an interesting day on Monday which I will try to post about sometime soon. Right now though, my pj's and the most recent episode of revenge are calling my name!

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

snow...baby...inappropriate

Bullet points are all I am up for right now...

• Over the weekend we were supposed to get some snow. Hubs and I were in Seattle and we actually thought we might not make it back because it started to accumulate and the hilly roads were quite slippery. It hasn't been as bad in Portland, but it sure was snowing this morning while I was driving to work. Unfortunately it's not really cold enough for it to stick. We were all hoping for a delayed opening this morning, but alas, we just has buses on snow routes and a regular day. I had 7 kiddos absent this morning, but by the time PM Kinder rolled around, it was just raining and attendance was much better.

• Today was DIBELS day. I already got my scores back and they look great. I know DIBELS are controversial because they are only one measure of students' success, but it's always nice to see that my kiddos are getting the skills I am teaching. I still need to wait for the results for the 7 kiddos who were out today and I think a few of those kiddos are still pretty low, but all in all we have some smart cookies.

• Mr. Sneaker and I went to another ultrasound after work today. The doctor said everything looked great and we even got a 3-D picture which is really cool. Baby Sneaker is pretty darn cute! She is weighing in just under 3 pounds and it was nice to get some reassurance that her measurements are no longer "small."

• Today one of my students told me that I should not watch the Sexy and I Know It video because it's "inappropriate." So of course I checked it out on youtube and yes, for a five year old it is totally inappropriate. Makes me wonder why she was allowed to view it in the first place...

• Fingers crossed for some icy roads and a delayed opening tomorrow!! Snow dance snow dance!

Friend Makin' Monday

I think it's been a LONG time since I've done a Friend Makin' Monday post and it sounds good right about now.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Getting To Know You

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday? Saturdays are for relaxing! I really enjoy it most when I get to just hang out with Mr. Sneaker, maybe hit the gym, and eat some good food.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.  Desperate Housewives, Top Chef, Gray's Anatomy

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them? I like to take pictures, but I am not particularly good at it and really bad at remembering to get the camera out, so I'd say I prefer to be in them. I love when someone else catches some of my favorite moments in a great picture, especially when I am with friends and family.

4) Why do you blog? I started blogging because I like to write and talk about teaching. Then blogging became more about "meeting" other bloggers and stealing their awesome classroom ideas. It's a great forum for connecting with other teachers and learning about what their students, classrooms, and lessons are like.

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

facebook, yahoo, gmail, my blog (I use the links to read other blogs), What to Expect March 2012 Babies boards.


6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be? Kelly from She Wears a Red Sox Cap.

7) List a few of your favorite snacks. Chobani yogurt, cheese and crackers, apples and peanut butter, banana chips.

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind? No, Mr. Sneaker is allergic.

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without? iphone, MacBook, flat iron.

10) What’s your favorite drink? Diet Coke, but I am not drinking it these days...

11) Do you enjoy cooking? Sometimes. I used to want to be a chef and really enjoyed trying out new recipes. I feel like I have gotten lazy. I prefer baking.

12) Do you have children? Yes. Coming soon....3/31!

13) What are your favorite hobbies?  reading, running, dancing

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing? I'm shy until I know someone well. I often am a listener in conversations rather than a big talker.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?  I would want to be a little more daring.
 
16) Who is your favorite actor/actress? I don't really have a favorite...

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?  grew a baby...it's ongoing coolness.


18) Do you live near your family or far from them? Far :0( My family all lives in CT and I am in OR.

19) List three of your talents.  That's hard....writing....teaching....making sure celebrations take place!

20) What is your greatest attribute? I am loyal.

Now it’s your turn to share your answers.  Don’t forget to come back here and link up in the comments!
 Happy Monday!

Risky Business

I don't know if I have ever actually seen that movie in its entirety, but I know it for the famous scene where Tom Cruise dances to Old Time Rock and Roll in his white shirt, underwear, and socks in celebration of being home alone when his parents go out of town.

Mr. Sneaker left town this morning and I can relate.

No, I am not dancing my big belly around in my underwear, but I am definitely taking full advantage of being home by myself. I have been ridiculously bad about cleaning, doing laundry, and keeping our space organized in the past few months. But today, the nesting urge was in full swing and I have been hustling and bustling around my apartment in an organizing frenzy. I attacked my bathroom drawer which was a horrible mess of makeup, headbands, and toiletries all tangled up with my hair dryer, flat iron, and clumps of hair. Yuck. I woke up this morning just NEEDING to fix that hot mess and now it looks bee-u-tiful! I then proceeded to organize the rest of the bathroom drawers and bins followed by laundry and kitchen cabinet organizing. Then, I showered up and started to tackle some of my dissertation proposal work. I feel like I am in a pretty good place, but I am now reviewing statistical procedures in order to process how I will analyze data in a quantitative study and that should probably slow me down a bit :0)

I feel so productive!

The apartment is clean and I am a happy camper and I am gearing up to lay down for a bit and try to do my fetal kick counts for the first time. The doc gave me a little card that I have to fill out every day to monitor how long it takes Baby Sneaker to move ten times. Should be interesting...

Gotta get it done

As I sat in the waiting room for my appt. with the OB after work, I realized that I have to put in some serious effort to organize my classroom before I go on maternity leave. Despite the fact that my very good friend Jill is taking over for me (and she would never criticize my room or it's lack of pristine organization) I still have this feeling of urgency to organize the space that someone else will be taking over when I am not there.

I have my bookshelves arranged so that there is an area kind of separated off in the corner of the room by the door. I call this area my "office" and the kids aren't supposed to go over there. I don't actually do any work in there, even though that is where my desk is, rather I use it as a space to store materials that I don't want the kids to have access to. I have tons of storage space in my room (we are really lucky in that regard), yet for some reason, I have many supplies left in boxes from when I moved my supplies to my current school over a year ago. Then, when we officially moved back from Germany this past summer, my books came back and I added about 4 more boxes of books to the collection of boxes that is now taking over my "office."

Maybe it is that whole nesting thing that is starting to kick in, but I seriously feel like doing some major reorganizing and cleaning in there. The problem is, I have so many other things to do before and after school that I never get around to large scale organizing on school days. Mr. Sneaker is flying out very early tomorrow morning for a business trip, so I just may take a few hours (maybe more) to improve what's going on in that messy area.

I try to stay organized. Really I do. But, I am just not one of those teachers that has a specific place for everything who leaves everything just so before taking off in the afternoon. I just feel like I am trying to stay afloat with all the preparations and planning and meetings, and cleaning the room is not something that makes the to do list.

But, now that Jill will be in my space, I am starting to feel like it NEEDS to change. Unfortunately being close to 7 months pregnant is probably not the most ideal time to start a cleaning/organizing frenzy, yet I kind of feeling like if I have the urge, I am going to ride that wave and get it done.

Wish me luck with that.....

Also, one of my kiddos came in this morning with 2 boxes of cupcakes in a plastic bag and a note in her backpack from her mom saying today is her birthday.

::very big loud sigh::


(Please recall our birthday rules that I posted earlier this week which include NO CUPCAKES and please arrange birthday snacks with me in advance so I can make time in the schedule.....)

So, I told my little friend that cupcakes are not allowed, put them back in her backpack and wrote a note to her mom explaining that the rules went home at the beginning of the year stating that cupcakes are not allowed and that I need parents to give me notice if they will be sending in a snack. And, since she did not adhere to either of those rules, I would not serve the cupcakes. I apologized and said I won't make exceptions because let's face it, if I allow cupcakes in January, I will get cupcakes until June...

I didn't feel that bad about my choice to not serve the kids the cupcakes, but I did feel bad that this parent had already spent money on the cupcakes. I started to think about what her reaction would be when her child arrived home on her birthday with 24 uneaten cupcakes still in her backpack. So, I kind of started to feel a bit Grinchy.

I didn't serve them in class, because we definitely had a full day and there isn't time to stop and have a snack and then deal with the repercussions of kids who somehow lose the ability to listen after ingesting sugar. But, this child attends our extended day program during which the kids eat lunch. I consulted with the teacher who supervises those kiddos and after making sure there were enough cupcakes for kids in that group I decided to pass them out to the kids as they were eating their lunch. I revised my note (leaving the first part intact), but adding that I didn't want the cupcakes to go to waste so I served them to that group during lunch instead of our class.

I kind of feel like I wussed out on truly standing by my rule, but I don't want to be completely unreasonable about it. I just get really frustrated with parents who clearly don't pay attention to the rules and then get I defensive thinking that they are going to think I am being a pain by denying their child a birthday celebration in class. I was even thinking over break that I should send a reminder note home and after this week with two birthday incidents involving parents not giving me any warning about bringing cupcakes on the day of their kids' birthday, I think I definitely need to send that note home. My teammate and I talked about making our rules even clearer next year stating that birthday celebrations are conducted around our academic schedule and won't necessarily take place on a child's actual birthday and that if we are not given notice about the snack being sent to school that we will send it home because we don't have extra time to stop and have snack (especially in half day and especially sugar-filled snacks that make the kids crazy).

Ok, rant over. Next year, I'll just include a reminder on the monthly calendar that goes home so there is no excuse for not knowing the mean, grinchy, cranky birthday rules.

Back

As much as it was hard to go back to work today, it was really nice to see all my little friends. They were filled with excitement over lost teeth, new clothes and Christmas gifts. I thought they would be a bit more excited over my bigger bump, but I think they were a little too caught up in their own adventures.

I always like to check in with kiddos after a long break (or even a weekend) to see what they have been up to when they weren't in school. I had a lot of kids sharing about playing video games over break...not my favorite thing to hear, but there were a few who shared about reading books, getting books they were excited about for Christmas, and some interesting trips they went on. Both classes got right back into the swing of things and did great today. My PM class was more talkative...the AM class was pretty quiet. I wanted to review expectations and procedures, but they didn't really struggle to get back to it, so I didn't spend a lot of time reviewing. I will pop in some review here and there throughout the week, but overall I think we can just jump back in. Anyone else feel like there kiddos are just so grown up and capable all of a sudden? I have some math games that I have the kids do once a week where different levels of games are kept in color coded binders and the game sheets are in numerical order. Usually (as in prior to break), after correcting a game sheet, I would find the appropriate binder, locate the spot where the current page came from, remove the next sheet, and return it to the kiddo who needed it. Today I realized all the bending involved in that whole process and I decided it was time to have the kids get their own sheets. When I first introduced these math games to my kiddos, they never would have been able to manage opening binders, removing sheets, returning completed sheets to the right spot, and closing the binders. Today, with very little help, they did a great job. I easily passed off that part of the activity management to them and it was really helpful in terms of not having to bend over so much and being able to correct their work with less chaos. It's so awesome to see the difference between their capabilities on day 1 and now. They still have a long way to go, but it just proves how rockin' us Kinder teachers are. We make it happen!

The only real hitch to the day was upsetting a parent right off the bat. Well, to be honest, she annoyed me too, but it never feels good to know that a parent is not happy with you. We start the year providing parents with clear information about rules for how we celebrate birthdays in class and what foods are not allowed. The rules are as follows...

No cupcakes, cake, or ice cream
Please give us advance notice so we can plan accordingly to fit a birthday snack into our very full schedule
Check in to ensure an accurate head count of children in the class.

So...this morning when the kiddos were doing their morning work, a parent approaches me and says today is her child's birthday and could she bring a snack in later in the morning. My reaction may not have been super nice and I am pretty sure somewhat of a large sigh came out before I told her that no, she could not bring in a snack because I need more notice. She then turned to her child and said Mrs. Sneaker said she couldn't bring in cupcakes....to which I reminded her that cupcakes are not even allowed. I could tell she was annoyed, but I explained to her that we have rules that we provide at the beginning of the year and I cannot accommodate a birthday on such short notice (especially the very first day back after two weeks off). Our day was packed, but I also have students that don't celebrate and I need to make arrangements for where they will go if the other kids are having a birthday snack. I did tell the mom that if she wanted to plan the snack for later in the week we could do it and when she picked up her kiddo after school she asked if she could bring cookies on Thursday or Friday. I feel really bad because I don't want to come off like a snot, but if I break the rule for her, I am inviting more parents to break the rule and I just don't feel like it's THAT important for kids to celebrate their birthdays in half day Kindergarten...Yes, birthdays are huge, but it's also huge to sit down and create lesson plans for an already too short day during which every minute counts and I just don't feel the need to throw that to the wayside for a parent who didn't follow the rules. She blamed it on the break, but 1. I check my email over the break and had she emailed I would have gotten it and responded and 2. I probably would have told her that the first day back is not a good day to have a disruption to the routine...am I just mean? I was actually kind of proud of myself for standing my ground and not bending because usually I am a pushover for things like that.

What would you have said to the impromptu birthday parent?

What's New

I am not ready to go back to work tomorrow...anyone else with me on that? I guess I feel lucky compared to some teachers who already went back today and I am thankful that we didn't have school today, but I'm still not ready for tomorrow. Some things have changed since I was last at work (in terms of my growing belly) and it's getting a lot harder to move around. I am a bit worried about being able to do everything in the classroom that I need to do.

I've already warned my kiddos that I won't be tying shoes for much longer...I can barely tie my own and have taken to asking Mr. Sneaker to help me put on my socks and shoes and tie them.  He said he can hook me up with come Velcro ones!

Pregnancy changes everything, but I've had a few realizations in the past week or so...

• shopping is not fun when you struggle to remove your clothing and put it back on once you're done trying things on

• "working out" has a whole new meaning when exercising consists of walking at 3 miles an hour

• I am now smiling when I see the numbers on the scale go UP instead of DOWN

• Mr. Sneaker is a truly amazing husband. It's not that I didn't know that before, but I am seeing it in new ways. He cleaned our whole apartment yesterday and just made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. He helps me put on my compression stockings that I wear to prevent varicose veins as well as my socks and shoes. He helps to pull me up from sitting and laying positions because I can't quite do it on my own. And he gets the biggest smile on his face when he feels our little baby girl kick. 

•  Pregnancy pillows are the best invention ever! 

 My lesson plans are all set and I know that I will get back into the groove quickly. I know this week will entail lots of time spent reviewing procedures and routines and it will be so nice to see all those cute little faces again and hear their comments about my baby and my tummy growing. I think I am going to need a nap after school tomorrow, but hopefully it's a good first day back!

It's gonna be a BIG year

This is the year that will change my life forever.

In March, we'll welcome a baby girl into our family and life will never be the same...I am nervous, excited, overwhelmed, and really happy. I will be happier when she is out and healthy and send positive thoughts to my growing belly every day in hopes that wish is realized.

I always start the year with a reflection on some of the goals I made the previous year and set some new goals. I am not so much into resolutions because I feel like I pretty much live life the way I intend to, so I don't feel a huge need to change that. But, I do feel the need to set goals to keep myself on the track that I am on.

Let's take a peek at my goals from last year...

• Complete the half marathon in April! Check! I finished the race in 2 hours and 3 minutes and was super proud of myself and all my running buddies. They are still at it and have continued on to run other half marathons since, but being pregnant has put a stop to my running. I am thinking of signing up for another half in the fall as motivation to get back to running after the baby comes, but I think I need a taste of motherhood before I commit to that. 

• Complete Core Paper and Specialty Paper for my doctoral program-Done and Done. I completed my core presentation and defense on June 16th--a mere two days before I returned to Germany for the summer to reunite with Mr. Sneaker and make a baby. :0) Midway through the specialty paper, a committee at PSU decided that it would no longer be required, but what I wrote basically became the first 2 chapters of my dissertation proposal, so I am totally on track. I am now starting to work on my methodology section with the hopes that I can complete chapter 3 (final chapter of the proposal) before Little Miss Sneaker makes her debut in March.

• Start my dissertation research- Fail. This goal was a bit premature as we realized that it truly takes 4 years to complete all the program requirements rather than 3. We were led to believe it could happen in 3, but no-one in the cohort is quite ready to actually start research yet. We are all still working on our study design and need to get through the hoop of getting our proposals approved before we can start collecting data. I am looking at data collection next fall with the hope of completing the entire dissertation and finishing by Spring 2013.

• Read at least 1 book for pleasure each month (I loved this goal last year!)-Pretty sure I did this, yet I totally forgot about keeping track and writing down the titles of the books that I read. I am not trying to make excuses, but pregnancy brain has taken over and I am not nearly as organized as I used to be...hopefully I get my mojo back after the baby is born...ha! I'd really like to get back to making my way through that list of the top 100 books every young reader should read that I was working on in Germany.

• Post on this blog more frequently! Since becoming pregnant I can say for sure this goal has been a fail. I feel like I have not been posting at all and I hate that, yet I can say for sure now that being pregnant has this magical way of shifting one's priorities. I am LOVING my job this year, I love my kiddos and small class sizes, and I feel like I have a great groove going in the classroom. But, I don't always feel the need to post about it when I get home...I still read the blogs in my sidebar all the time and want to be part of bloggy land, yet I find myself just wanting to take a load off when I get home and I'm somewhat uninspired to write about teaching. Everyone has a rut every once in awhile, so maybe this means that Sneaker Teacher will make some changes in the upcoming year. 

 This year, I don't really feel like I have too many goals besides delivering a healthy baby. That is my main focus and purpose and all other things take a backseat to that. I have no idea what is in store for me as I enter the world of motherhood, but I hope that I'll be good at it and make the most of being home with my baby for 5 months before going back to work in the fall. I am so excited to meet my little baby girl in a few months. 

Professionally/School-wise my goal is to complete my dissertation proposal before Baby Sneaker comes out and to present and defend the proposal by the end of the school year. I think the summer will bring a bit of a break and then I hope to collect my data in the fall and then use winter and spring terms to analyze and complete the dissertation writing. It will be interesting to see how I can juggle being a new mommy, working on my dissertation, and teaching...

Happy New Year to everyone. Health and Happiness are my big wishes for everyone this year!