Something New week 3

Ok.. I'm a day behind on my something new... This was a crazy busy week, and I had every intention of posting this early... 


Week 3 (January 15-21):


I'm very proud of myself... This week my first STUDENT TEACHER joined my classroom. HE (yes, a guy! I wasn't prepared for that!) came by the school Tuesday afternoon because we had a work day. We had emailed a few times, but I'm glad we got to meet without the students there.  He came in bright and early Wednesday morning, and the kids were very excited! The majority of my class is boys, so I'm pretty sure they are ready for some football and manly talk. :) 


Since this is his first week, he just watches the students (and me) to see how we interact and figure out our schedule. It doesn't seem too long ago that I was a student teacher myself. Now, they are letting me train someone else! This upcoming week I'm going to let him ease into some of the non-teaching duties that fill my day: lunch count, lining up, walking in the hallway... He hasn't really seen me teach a math or science lesson since we had tests and reviews this week. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday, he'll be ready to teach math. 


Giving up control of MY students is going to be the most challenging part of this mentoring over the next few months. It will not be easy to let him be in charge with me not able to step in and take over.  By the middle of February, he will be teaching everything. 


I'm looking forward to what he will learn, what I will learn, and watching my students learn the remainder of this school year. 

Decluttering the Bathroom (cont.)

For the second day in a row, I am up before the sun.  Maybe that means I'm getting old, and soon, I can start enjoying early bird specials. I DO know it means getting more done. Yesterday (up at 4am), I got to work early and made sure report cards were ready to send home. Today (up at 6:30am), I finished my bathroom decluttering. 

UNDER THE SINK CABINETS

BEFORE

Under the Left Sink

Under the Right Sink

Don't you like my mini-Bath and Body Works/Mary Kay shop? :) 

UNDER THE SINK CABINETS

DURING

Nasal Spray from 2004! Yikes!! 

UNDER THE SINK CABINETS

AFTER

Remind me NOT to buy HAND SOAP!

ORGANIZED!

This project only took an hour! It's something I have been putting off for a long time. The Declutter Calendar was just what I needed to get motivated to   get this stuff done. I was so overwhelmed with all of my junk, that I didn't know where to start.  If you are feeling that way too, give the Calendar a try! It's not too late to get organized!


(I apologize for the empty spaces! But notice the clearer pictures, I downloaded a different app for my picture uploading!)

Declutter Your Bathroom Week

I've actually been anxiously waiting for this to appear on my Declutter Calendar! Bathroom drawers and under the counter cabinets get filled with a random collection of items... lotions, makeups, bobby pins, headbands, hairs, brushes, razors, Q-tips, you get the point. And since I am enjoying the luxury of a master bathroom, I have two sinks, which really only means MORE SPACE to hide junk! 


This week's decluttering is ALLLLL about the bathroom. Yesterday was hair do-dads, but there are EVERYWHERE. Today is toss expired skin care, but I'm gonna need a tow truck! (Sidenote: Teachers get lotions galore for birthdays, Christmas, end-of-the-year! i.e. I have A LOT! Do students think we stink?) Tomorrow is expired medication, but that also seems to rest in every nook and cranny.


I have a very busy night tomorrow: tutoring, dinner, and an education forum meeting for state standards. Which means I needed to combine some decluttering. Thursday-Saturday are declutter bathroom shelf or drawer. I have FOUR drawers and TWO under-counter shelves.  

Tonight, I tackled the four drawers!

Decluttering My Jewelry Box

Today's task on the Declutter Calendar: Declutter/organize your junk drawer. Somewhere along the way, I had already done that! I decided to declutter a different junkie place: my jewelry box. 

JEWELRY DISASTER

I found a lot of things I hadn't worn in a long time, and that's fun to find "new to you" stuff. Will I wear the pieces I normally wear? Probably, but it's the thought that counts. I may change it up a little. I was able to find some ways to display my jewelry, so that I can actually see what I have.  Obviously, my search engine of choice was Pinterest! 

Here's the (almost) final result.

I'm going to paint or cover the box. 

Not sure why these pictures are blurry... 

What do you think?!!?

To make room for my long necklaces, I had to move my scarves. 

I really love doing this organizing a little at a time. This way it ALL gets cleaned/organized, but I don't feel overwhelmed!  How's your decluttering going?! Share your achievements!

Something New (ish) week 2

I struggled this week for a something new, so instead...


Week 2 (January 8-14): 

I went bowling last night! I haven't done that in years. I am allowing this to be my something new(ish) because sometimes my friends and I get into a rut and do the same things every time we get together. I am proud of myself for doing something fun and something I would normally say... "ehhh.... bowling is dorky."  However, I bowled the worst game(s) of my life. Wii Bowling has jaded my outlook on my bowling ability AND I have a cold/ear/sinus something, so I'm blaming that too. My balance was WAYYYY off. I had a great time either way especially since it was COSMIC BOWLING.  You know that means black lights and 90s flashback music!


I also wore a pair of "skinny" jeans to work yesterday. Not skinny in style, but skinny in "I can't wear them because they are too tight". I was getting very discouraged about running/going to the gym.  Wearing those jeans yesterday was validation that something is working, even if the scale isn't changing. :) 


I'm so excited for my something new for next week! Can't wait to tell you all about it! 

Declutter Day

If you are following the Declutter Calendar, today is "declutter your nightstand drawer". I happen to have three drawers...

YIKES! I have a lot of junk!

I guess as I have moved around these drawers became a catch-all for JUNK... iPod covers, THREE dating books, sewing button kits, a charger for something, a LOT of change (the $$ kind)... One problem I have found with decluttering is... finding a place for the "extra" stuff!!

Who knew nightstands
multiplied $$?

NOW WHAT?!?!

Whew! I will admit there are still a few misplaced items in the bottom drawer, but I'm hoping as I declutter/ organize other places, I will make a place for wall hooks, curtain thingies, etc. 

All Clean!!

Whoa there, purse... 

Much better

Since I was in the declutter mood, I wondered why my purse was a disaster?! 

I cleaned that right up, too! 

YAY! 

(P.S. I am still fiddling with the spacing between pictures and paragraphs, etc. 

It's annoying me, but I hope it doesn't bother you too much!)

Something New week 1

Since this is blog post #3 for the day, I will keep it short.
Along with decluttering, I want to try something new every week. 


WEEK 1 (January 1-7): I ran/walked 8 miles! I had a great motivator and water boy(even though I glared at him the whole time!). I just might be ready for the Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon on February 17. 

I ran/walked 6 miles with my mom (on her bike) after Christmas! I'm getting better!!

I had another NEW this week, but I'll have to let you know what happens. It's nothing bad, illegal, or otherwise brow-raising -- just something I can't tell you about right now.  Only time will tell...

Sew What's New with You?

I will apologize now for the sewing puns that will occur over the course of this blog. This post will include a successful sewing project and an unsuccessful one. 

Here's the first! A zippered pouch for makeup, pencils, whatever...

Inspiration: HERE

My mom helped with this one.  Since I got my sewing machine for Christmas, I was eager to get started. Thankfully, I was at my parents' house to have my mom's help. Sewing with her reminded me of the times we spent sewing in the guest room in our 2 story house in Hickory, NC.  She let me pick out everything for a corduroy jumper I saw the pattern for and wanted to make.  It was mid-90s, so maroon corduroy was perfect for the apron/overall/dress jumper I wanted to make! I even picked out awesome buttons to accessorize my new outfit! I wish I had a picture because THAT was truly my first sewing project. This zipper pouch was fun/random... mom had some scrap fabric that I could use to practice. The inspiration had circles instead of squares, but as you can see from the lining, squares were already there... cut and sew straight lines. done. The zipper was tricky, but something I'd like to try again. I ordered fabric online from ... (guess the website...) www.fabric.com SO EASY, right!? I am anxiously waiting for that package to arrive... 


In the meantime, I went to Goodwill to see what they could offer me in terms of sewing or redesigning or doing something I have pinned on Pinterest! They have SHEETS (i.e. yards of fabric for a couple of bucks!) I picked out a few different patterns... one even has a Minnie Mouse ruffle, but I got it for the pink polka-dot fabric. Here's the rejected sewing project for this week... I will try this again, but with a completely DIFFERENT fabric. I'll let you comment on what you think it looks like... I have my own hypothesis.

Don't let my mistake ruin HER idea!

Alright... I won't let this disaster keep me from sewing. My boyfriend, wanting to encourage me, noticed how even the front and back bottom hems were... and guess what?? They will almost exact! Wow! Maybe I can sew... We shall see. 

New Year. New Blog.

This blog started as an assignment for my master's program.  Now, that I am the proud owner of a Brother sewing machine with a slight addiction to Pinterest  , I wanted to renew my blog.  This way I am not annoying anyone with post after post showing up on their Facebook wall... if they want to know what I'm doing, they can find out here! 


Also, I am keeping the name: CROCKER'S ROCKERS. I originally chose this name to refer to my students, but now I am going to apply it to what I make or do will be ROCKIN'! I have some friends who are bloggers, and they are much better at posting pictures and fun "web" things. I will do some trial and error.  I should know how to do accomplish these tricks... (please refer to aforementioned master's degree...in technology).  


I am not going to promise this blog will be everyday, but my goal will be at least once a week.  You'll get a nice surprise if it's more than that! 


However, I WILL promise that this blog will include at least one of the following:

• a new sewing project  (pass or fail - it will give you a good idea or a good laugh!)
• a before/after DECLUTTER project (one of my New Year's resolutions)
• a new "something" I accomplished (I'm going to try "Do Something New Every Week"... it will NOT be a repeat of sewing, cleaning, etc.)
• anything else I feel like sharing

Is this too much ROCKIN' for everyone?! I hope not! I'm excited for 2012.

EDUC 6715 Reflection

EDUC 6715 New and Emerging Technologies allowed me to analyze up and coming digital tools and resources, like Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs), online gaming, and online modules. I was most inspired by the power of MUVEs in the classroom. Planning and implementing MUVEs challenges me to learn more about the virtual world and how it can engage my students, while improving 21st century skills. Atkinson outlines four principles of instruction for virtual worlds: immersion, interaction, identity, and integration (p. 32).
The MUVE I found applicable to my students was www.whyville.net and how it will support content learning and facilitate instructional agents. I was able to find several content standards that can be applied in the Whyville community. The Whyville News provides students’ the opportunity to write creative articles, how-to articles, and letters to the editor. What a great way to integrate the various types of writing my students will encounter throughout their lives (Atkinson, 2009, p. 31)! Like most MUVEs, Whyville also provides students with a salary and tokens for completed activities. This will strengthen their real-world math skills by maintaining a budget.
MUVEs also supply teachers and students the chance to be immersed in the online world, interact and identify with people around the world, and integrate content standards through a game-like simulation (Atkinson, 2009, p. 31). These four principles are paramount to prepare students for 21st century life and workforce.
This is my final Walden course, and I have learned so much about technology and digital tools. I have increased my reading of professional blogs to continue learning about new technologies. Since technology is also changing and evolving, I am motivated to continue learning and growing as a technology consumer. I am excited about my future in my classroom and in my school. Keeping my fingers crossed for a technology position to open up!


Atkinson, T. (2009). Second life for educators: Teaching and learning. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 53(3), 30–32