So I'm Teacher of the Year. WHAT?!

Yeah.  Craziness.  December 5th we had a staff meeting to find out who was the new Teacher of the Year, and lo and behold, it was ME.  *Cue the shock & awe, folks.*

Little ol' me

My silly team nominated me, and so did one of our fab Kinder teachers.  I was so shocked, I just stood there!  Someone made the comment that it was the first time they'd ever seen me speechless.  So true.  I always have a comment for everything, lol.

My principal had called my parents, so they were there to surprise me, and while my hubs was out of town for business (bummer), one of my besties who used to teach with me came up, as well.  So neat.

My principal and me

My principal created a Pinterest board for the new Teacher of the Year reveal.  Pretty funny because she always jokes that my classroom looks like Pinterest threw up in it.  LOL.

When she displayed the Pinterest board on the screen, I slowly started to realize that all the pictures she had pinned were of things I had created for my classroom.  It finally started to dawn on me that the new Teacher of the Year must be ME!  Too funny.

The comments with the Pins were taken from the application my colleagues filled out about me.  Wow.

Unique personality?  Check.  It's part of what keeps my students awake, I think.  Haha.

O.K., I didn't create this poster!  I believe I found it on

Technology Rocks Seriously's blog.  :)

So it's possssssible that I could be overheard saying "Ain't nobody got TIME for that!" multiple times a day.  Just sayin'.  (So this was a fitting tribute to me, for sure, lol.)

So yeah.  Pretty dang cool.  And now come the writing of the 6 essays, the observation, and the interview by a panel.  Say HUH?!  Yikes.  Excited about the honor, but a liiiiiiittle stressed about the rest!  :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the remainder of your time off.  This is the first somewhat-school-related thing I have DONE since December 18th, and I applaud myself!  :)

Here's to a great 2014 that includes good friends, good health, lots of love, and plenty of chips & queso.

XO,

Gayla

Top Ten Tuesday: Classroom Must Haves

I'm linking up with Courtney at Swimming Into Second (adorable blog!) for her Top Ten Tuesday!

This week's Top Ten is for the things you must have in your classroom.  

So here goes.

#1...My Smartboard

I get so frustrated when it's not working!  I am so used to touching the screen and writing on it.  It's the best.
I was the first teacher at my school to get one (wrote a grant), and now every classroom has one!

#2...Mr. Sketch smelly markers

These make my heart so happy every time I use them.  The kids always want to smell them when I pull out a new one, and I usually indulge them.  Who can blame them?!  These things are awesome!  And they write so bold and neat!

#3...paper chopper

I use this puppy all the time.  I don't call it a paper trimmer because this sucker doesn't trim.  It CHOPS.
Hard core, baby.  :)

#4...bright colored everything

My current classroom decor: lots of lime green and teal!

My old classroom decor.  Beach party!

#5...my Scotch laminator

This is the best purchase I made after hemming and hawing forever about whether or not I should buy it!
Wish I had bought it sooner!  It's perfect for small jobs like centers, task cards, etc.  I also like that it's a thicker lamination that what our school laminator does.  Plus, our laminator is usually on lockdown, and we have to wait for volunteers to come up and do it for us....no comment.  *ahem*

#6...my color printer

I have an HP something-or-other that also scans and all that jazz.  It prints fine, but it is a necessity!
We call it our "team printer," because the color printer in the office is pretty much off limits.
And frankly, who wants to walk across the building to get your stuff, anywho?!  I tell ya.

#7...labels (on everything)

Word Work & Work on Writing.  Labels!

Part of my class library.  LABELS.  They make me sane.  er.  SanER.
I also have almost every cabinet door/drawer labeled with my DYMO label maker.
(If only I was this organized at home...)

#8...my rolling chair

It looks something like this, but navy blue.  I am planning to recover it in a cute fabric this year.
This chair makes me happy.  I like to roll around in it.  I spend so much time controlling the SMARTboard for the kids, that it's nice to have a comfy spot to rest my butt.  :)

#9...storage bins

I love storage bins.  I worked last year to get more bins that matched or coordinated,
because I had collected so many random, mismatched ones!

#10...my teammates

This was my teamies and I at our Summer Conference before school started last year.
That's me on the right.  (So glad my hair has grown out some from when I chopped it off for Pink Hearts Fund!)
I don't know what I'd do without my amazing teammates.  They are SO fun to be with, and we are
constantly cracking each other up.  They make my job more fun and more bearable on those days that are
tough to get through!

So what are your top ten "must haves" in the classroom???

Go link up at Swimming Into Second!

Vacation. Hmph. But Monday Made It. Yay!

I'll be linking up with Tara at her Monday Made It linky further down in this post.  Please feel free to skip ahead if you don't feel like reading about my crummy vacation, lol.  There are some Daily 5 Freebies, so it may be worth it for you to keep reading!  ;)

Well. Hubs and I went to Mexico to celebrate our 5th anniversary, which was June 21st.

"Celebrate" turned out to be a loose term, as we both got sick. Yep. We arrived midday Sunday, I was sick by Monday night, and he was sick by Tuesday night. I spent most of Tuesday in the room, but Wednesday I was able to spend a couple hours at the beach and even some time in the ocean.

We stayed in Playa del Carmen at one of those fancy resorts. It was beautiful. The ocean is gorgeous there. Hubs and I discussed and both agree that the sand in Destin is nicer (white), but the water is nicer in Playa.

Another interesting thing is that there were like NO Americans there. It was nearly ALL Europeans. So I couldn't understand anything anyone was saying. :D

One thing is for sure: when you're sick and unable to enjoy your vacation very much, it sure does make you miss your child more! We both missed our boy terribly and couldn't wait to get back to him Thursday.

Here are a few pictures I managed to get (on my phone, sorry):

Do you like my double chin?  

Europeans.  Lots of em.

View from the bar by the pool, where we took cover during the brief rainstorms that passed through.
There was also a swim up bar, which was my fave.

I looooooove the ocean.

Alas, I'm still feeling miserable, but I'm thankful to be back at home, at least!  The worst part is thinking about how much money we spent on a trip we hardly enjoyed.  :(  Oh well, what can you do???

I did manage to get a few things made for school on our flights, which is where my Monday Made It comes in.  I usually prefer to link up with cute crafty creations (I love alliteration, peeps), but I was in Mexico, so that was a no-go.  Though I have several crafty creations in the works, yay!

Here are a few updated things I've made if anyone is interested, and be sure to click the image above to see Tara's and everyone else's amazing "made-its!"


Free Daily 5 Posters in Teal, Lime & Orange Chevron & Polka Dots:
(Click link to download on TpT; click image to enlarge.)

Free Daily 5 Posters in Black & White Polka Dots:
(Click link to download on TpT; click image to enlarge.)

My Teaching Binder in Pueblo Primary:
(Click link above to view on TpT; click images to view.)

My Teaching Binder in Chevron Brights:
(Click the link above to view; click images to enlarge.)

God bless you if you made it this far!  :D

XO, Gayla

Monday Made It: July!

I am sad to say that it's already July because July is almost August, and August is back to school.

However, I am NOT sad to say it's July because hubs and I are taking a trip to Mexico this month!  (Not the whole month...is that how that sounded?  Just 4 days.)  YAY BEACH and fruity drinks!  Can't wait, though I am already worrying about leaving the little man.  I know he'll be in great hands with our parents (both sets of grandparents are taking him part of the trip).

My view in 2 weeks!

We just celebrated our 5th anniversary, so our trip is really for that, so yay!  Last summer we drove to Destin for a few days, but we haven't taken a proper "fancy" trip for quite a few years (pre-pregnancy, hehe).

5 years ago

Anywho, I am finally joining in for another Monday Made It with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics!  I hope you'll stop by and check out all the fun ideas from different bloggers and/or share your own creations!

Friday, after I dropped off my little guy at the babysitter's, I came back home to find that our garage door was not working and wouldn't open!  Normally not a big deal, but our front door is also currently broken.  (Why does everything seem to break at the same time?)  So after trying (unsuccessfully) to break into my own house through the back door, side door, and by kicking in the front door, I decided to do something much more productive:  shop.  I used $50 in gift cards for new books at Barnes & Noble, got some new stuff for me and the little guy at Old Navy, and got some goodies at JoAnn's to make a burlap wreath (which I've been wanting to do for a long time).

Here's my first attempt at a burlap wreath:

Not perfect, but pretty good for my 1st try!  :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  Holla!

Super Teacher?!

Who has 2 thumbs and was named a Super Teacher in her district???
THIS GIRL!  :)

Funny story.  We were in the middle of the week with the 3 days of state testing, in which every student has to be like SILENT all day long, and of course, the kids are about going berSERK by the 3rd day.  So we teachers decided that the kids deserved to watch a movie.  I know, I know.  It was only April.  Plenty of learning left, but dang.  They had worked so hard being SUPER QUIET.  So anyway (I'm long-winded), I'm the techy person on my team, and I headed down to the library to work on getting the Streaming DVD working.  (Don't get me started on this piece of junk, lol.)  So I called my teammate and said, "Hey, go down to my room and see if it's playing."  I waited a few minutes, and called my room, and my PRINCIPAL ANSWERED.  Um.  Yeah.  I about had a heart attack.  Times 3.  She said that I needed to come down to my room right now.  I was FREAKING OUT, Y'ALL.

THEN, when I turned into my classroom, not only was my boss standing there, but so was our SUPERINTENDENT.  HO-LEE.  COW.  I had no idea what was happening, and I'm sure I looked like a dadgum deer in headlights.

Come to find out, he was there to give me an AWARD!  I had been named a Super Teacher for the district!  They gave me a t-shirt, a magnet, and a notepad!  (My students thought I was super cool.)  Hehe.  Then on Friday our Superintendent took all the "Super Teachers" to lunch and gave us plaques. :)

So, our G/T Specialist nominated me--how sweet of her!  Super Teachers are recognized for creating 21st century, innovative, student-led lessons.  Here is her nomination letter:

Gayla Cockrell is a second grade teacher at Lakeside. She consistently creates her own projects and activities, rather than use pre-made ones. Gayla builds in authentic extensions for the higher-level learners, while still preserving the "fun factor" and student-choice for her below-level learners. This makes differentiation appear seamless within her classroom, and protects the student’s feelings about their abilities among their peers, which is paramount for all learners. For their February research project, she created a Famous African American unit using the Super 3 research method, and student choice. First, she selected age appropriate websites and then developed QR codes to ensure that her learners are successful in accessing these sites with ease for research. Then she created a high-interest, kid-inspired activity for her students to use when taking notes, as well as embedded a vocabulary study for her students to collect new words and locate definitions on their own. Each quadrant of the research activity has a guiding question to focus their research from facts about their birth and death, the important achievements, and the relevance to the present. For the student product of this unit, she provides a list of technology products, art based products, and I Pad product apps, as well as allows her students to propose their own product. Each list has 6 choices, and all have been introduced to her students through prior lessons/units. Perhaps most importantly, the kids conclude their unit with a self-evaluation which asks them to consider their own feelings about their work, and allows them to make their own suggestions for improvement. This initiates the important task of independent reflection of effort at a young age.  Gayla is truly a super teacher at Lakeside!

This really made my year (it was a really rough year for me) and made me feel so appreciated.  You know, as hard as we work, it just feels good for someone to say thank you sometimes.  :)

I hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as I am!  (Assuming you are on summer vacation...)

Thanks for reading!

Five for Friday! April 12, 2013

I'm linking up!  On Friday!  It's officially Friday for another hour and 19 minutes!  Hallelu!  Click on the image above to visit Doodle Bugs Teaching and check out all the other links and her awesome blog!

Here are 5 random things from my week:

#1:

This is me posing with my just acquired (today!) Boho Birds Bulletin Board Set from Carson Dellosa!  They sent this pack to me for free after I commented over at Teeny Tiny's blog about how I wanted it!!  How awesome is that?!  I felt like I won a contest!  So anyway, all 88 gajillion pieces have to be laminated, and then I can't WAIT to find the perfect spots for these cuties in my room!  (More details and pics to come after they're up and gleaming in their cuteness.)  In the meantime, hop over to Teeny Tiny's blog post to see how SHE used the set in her room.  Plus, if you don't follow her blog, you are SO missing out.  LOVE.  HER.  (In a non-stalkerish way, of course.)  

P.S.  Click HERE to check out ALL of Carson Dellosa's Boho Birds stuff!

OK.  Moving on.  But seriously, I was SO.  EXCITED.  Thank you, Carson Dellosa!!

 

#2:

Did you see my post earlier this week about these cutie-patootie writing lap desks I just made?!  

AGH!  I really am not a very crafty person, but having my Silhouette Cameo (thank you, amazing 2A class!) has got my creative juices flowing a little bit.  And the kids are LOVING using these.

Check out my post HERE to see pics of the others with their fun phrases!

 #3:

HAPPY HOUR.

Twice this week.  Yep.  It's been one of those weeks.

Heck, it's been one of those years.  ;)

But can I just tell ya how much I love the ladies I work with???  They are fabulous human beings, I won't lie to ya.  Everyone should be so lucky to work with people who can make even the worst situation seem funny, LOL!

 #4:

SUBWAY.

I ate it for dinner last night and for lunch today.

It's ok.  I got different chips.  ;)  This, paired with my going to the gym last night for the HIP HOP CARDIO DANCE PARTY class (oh yes, you read that right), is surely going to cause those 10 pounds of tummy flab to fall right off.  Right???

#5:

COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER.

38 SCHOOL DAYS (but who's counting?)

Happy Weekend!!!

What Do You Think of My New Blog Header???

But seriously.  Is it too busy with the background?  It was driving me crazy that I didn't have a header, just a title, and I can't afford to pay a blog designer right now, though I'd love to hire Barbara at Ruby Slippers Blog Design!  Maybe one day...

But even if it's a little busy, I am proud of myself for figuring out how to put a header together all by myself!  I am NOT a scrapbooker OR digital scrapbooker, so go me.

Seriously, though--what do you think?  Is it cute?  Would less be more?

Happy 22 months to my sweet baby boy tomorrow!  (Sounds a lot better than saying "tomorrow's Monday," doesn't it?)

:D

Currently-January 2013!

Goody gumdrops, I am ONLY #377!  Sweet heavens!

Thank you to Farley for creating the beautiful template and for hosting!  Be sure to visit her blog to check out her awesomeness and to find some other awesome Currentlies...

Listening:  Enough said.  Silly men and their games.

Loving:  Yay!  My pantry is all cleaned up with no place to go.  I love being organized.

Thinking:  I love my students so, so much, but I am dreading having to wake up at 6:00 am again.  Oh, and I am dreading not getting to be with my son all day, too.  How long till summer again?  ;)

Wanting:  Things I've accomplished in the past 2 weeks?  Umm...aside from wrapping presents?  And blowing through about 18 boxes of Kleenex?  And ORGANIZING MY PANTRY?  (oh, wait, I mentioned that already, huh?)  Not much.  We've all been sick at our house.  Each of us twice.  Since December 14th.  Yes, it's been lovely.  (No, it hasn't, but I'm trying to be positive.)  

Needing: Don't we all?!

So here's my current to do list for the next 2 days:

~Organize baby boy's toys (first must buy storage for this)

~Put away Christmas decorations/take down tree (SIGH)

~Find a place for baby boy's books that does not involve adding another piece of furniture to his room (which will hold nothing else)

~Pick up guest room & get rid of the t.v. in there (that hasn't been plugged in since we moved in 4.5 years ago)

~Set up a workspace for myself in guest room (for Silhouette Cameo, laminator, etc.)

~Use Silhouette Cameo to cut out labels for newly organized pantry

~Do lesson plans for next week (minor detail)

~Attend niece/nephew's 15th birthday dinner tomorrow night (majorly cutting into my to-do list time!)

What?  Too much for 48 hours minus sleep?  Yeah, I thought so.  HELP!

One Little Word:  balance.  I don't have it.  I want it.  I need it.  My family needs it.  My son needs me! I need to spend more time at home and less time in my classroom.  There.  I said it!  Now I must make it happen!  Sometimes being a dedicated professional can be difficult.  ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy 2013!

Operation Organization!

Yay!  I'm linking up over at 2nd Grade Shenanigans with the Counting Our Blessings linky party!

I would really LOVE to get more organized this next year, especially at home!  (I'm pretty organized at school, except that my teacher desk drawers and big teacher closet are packed to the gills, though I know where everything is.)  (Oh, also--I haven't filed ANY papers since August, so there's that.  I'd take a picture of all the stacks of filing to be done in my classroom, but 1-I'm on vacation, and 2-I'd be too embarrassed.)  :D

Anywho, my house leaves much to be desired in the realm of organization/cleanliness.  My husband might use different words, haha.

Today I actually reorganized some of our kitchen cabinets and drawers.  Cleared out some of the bottles and infant spoons that little one isn't using anymore and reorganized what was left.

Next up is cleaning up all our lovely Christmas stuff, but then I'll move onto the pantry.  I found this on a great blog called Eat. Sleep. Decorate.

via Eat. Sleep. Decorate.

My pantry isn't that big, but I like a lot of the organization tools/ideas she used.  Click the link above to see the whole post and more pictures.

Here's how I organized my earrings and necklaces (a DIY project from a few years ago--I apologize for the awful pictures):

I got the frame at Goodwill for $4.00 and strung some twine on those little eyelet screws on the back.

I don't have a close-up for the necklace holder, but it's just a little 2x4 that I spray painted, drilled holes in, and then put in some crystal looking knobs from Hobby Lobby.  Good times!

TERRIBLE pictures!

Moving on...fave organization in my classroom:

Library--black bins new this year from Dollar General--

I've since made larger labels so that the kiddos don't have to squint to see them!

I love the narrow bins from Really Good Stuff to hold thin trade books!  I wish they were either all in one or 2 coordinating colors (anal retentive?  me?) but I believe they just come in multicolored packs.  My school bought them, though, so bonus there!

Love the matching labels on all my math manipulatives!!!  Made these this summer after being inspired by Kristen at Ladybug Teacher Files.  She is amaze-balls, no?

Pop Tops storage.  LOVE.  I have another jar and label already made for Box Tops but haven't gotten around to it...argh.

I LOVE THIS.  My notebook paper goes on the left, clipboards on the right, and papers are turned into the bin on top.  YAY.  I also love the basket to store whiteboards--they don't slip and slide all over the place!  Isn't it funny how something so simple can make you so happy?  :D

Well, I'm (finally) off to bed.  We just watched 2 episodes of The Wire.  (We just started the series--I bought it for Hubby for Christmas.  It's interesting & intense-ish but not TOO intense, which makes my anxiety-ridden self happy.)

Best of luck to you all in your organizing endeavors!  Here's hoping for a more organized, stress-free 2013!  I know we can do it!

Better yet, join in on the blogging fun over at 2nd Grade Shenanigans by clicking below: