A Girl Can Dream- Christmas Wish List

Hubs work trip means personal time for me. I took some time to create a Christmas wish list. I am by no means expecting these items, but they sure are pretty to look at! What's on your Christmas list this year??

Christmas List by hnbormann

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Although it is not yet Christmas, it is still cold outside, which I LOVE! I mostly love it because my favorite clothes are cold-weather clothes. I am a big fan of layers. I love all clothing that comes along with coldness--coats, jackets, scarves, hats, boots, etc.

We had a really great weekend with this really cold weather. Friday night, we were invited to a Tacky Christmas Party by some of our friends from our Sunday School class. It was absolutely hilarious! The host and hostess were extremely gracious and so sweet to have us. It was my first time to try egg-nog, and it was awesome. What made the party even more tacky is that it was held before Thanksgiving. Theirs was the only house in the whole neighborhood with Christmas lights. Here we are dressed in our homemade tacky sweaters...

Saturday, I slept in until 9:15am!!! I cannot even remember the last time that happened. It was glorious. What made it even more sweet was that when I came meandering out of my slumber, I realized that hubs had been up and cleaning for about an hour and a half. He's the greatest. I made the bed, and that's about all I helped with. Then, I met my mom to shop and go to lunch. And later that day, we all went to my parents' house to watch the Aggie Football game in which we ran out of time... Matt and I finished the night by shopping for some new furniture, because we are moving in mid-December! Goodbye little one-bedroom!

Today, after church, we made some furniture purchases that I am really excited about! Our new place will have a second room that we are going to use as an office/guest bedroom. We went back and forth on whether to buy a new couch, pull-out couch, bed, etc. and we finally decided on a BEAUTIFUL daybed from PB. It's from the Raleigh collection, which I love. I hope I can decorate it as pretty as PB did. We also bought a new rug for our new hardwood floor-ed living room. Also from PB. The catalog pictures are below...

The weekend was completed with our first Starbucks of the season. They even gave Avery a "puppy-latte." She LOVED it!! What a diva. I guess she takes after her momma.

I hope you had a great weekend as well! Stay warm, and get excited for Thanksgiving [and Thanksgiving break]!!! Am I right, teachers??

Nutcracker Market

Have you ever been to the Nutcracker Market in Houston? If not, it's worth a special trip. It is known as  "A Shopping Wonderland," and that it is. It is the kind of place that young girls Ooh and Ahh about, and by young girls, I mean all women. It only comes once a year and only for four days, but my oh my is it packed!!

I went yesterday with two of my roommates from college. It was a very fun little reunion, because we don't live very close to each other. We don't live particularly far from each other either, but in this season of our lives, it is hard to get together.

I went in knowing that I wanted to find new stockings for Christmas this year. I tried to put blinders up on most everything else, because I was trying to be good. It is easy to not be good there. I found these cute stockings and these letter ornaments that I will use, in place of having them monogrammed. I felt like that was a good decision while trying to stay on a budget. 

I also found these adorable, nordic patterned "Ho Ho Ho." These very well may make an appearance in our Christmas card this year or maybe in my classroom closer to Christmas time. Or maybe both? Either way, they will be used, and I am very excited about them!

I bought a few other things, but they are gifts for other people, so I am not going to post them on here yet. All in all, it was a great day with great friends. If you have never had a chance to go, make a point next year to make it there. It will be worth your while.

Ahh... Fall!

Hello October. With one week left before the end of the first nine-week grading period at school, and three more weeks of volleyball, it seems as if I am finally getting the hang of everything. Better late than never--am I right? Even with everything going on this fall and all the talking (in class) and yelling/talking loudly (in volleyball), I am still healthy and have a voice, praise the Lord! Not sure how else I would keep functioning without Him. So many fun things have been happening in October. I had Back-to-School-Night, we joined a new Sunday school class, lots of Aggie Football, and I have cooked a lot and crafted a lot because my husband is amazing and let's me do those things at home. Here are a few highlights:

Back-to-School Night
I loved getting to meet so many of my students' parents. I was so anxious before the night began, but I had so much fun and was reminded again why I do what I do and why I love it so much. 

My [surprise] Birthday Party

Matt planned a 70's-themed birthday party for me at the Roller Rink. I was completely surprised and overwhelmed by how much he had done to keep it a secret from me. It was perfect.

Texas A&M Aggie Football
First of all, being in the SEC is so much fun! We have loved getting to cheer on our Aggies this fall while tailgating in Spence Park. I don't think it will ever get old. We are ready for some more home games!

Decorating and Crafting for the Fall

I am loving the burlap placemats I made for our breakfast table to go along with our fall decor. So simple, so easy, but so cute! (if I do say so myself)

Sunday School Class Picnic
When we first joined our church, we joined the Newlyweds or Close class, and we graduated from that class after a year. We have recently joined a new class, called Journey, which is a perfect name for it. We are making new friends that are also on this 'journey' called marriage.

My 8th grade volleyball teams had their District Tournament this weekend. One of my team's came in 2nd place! It was a very exciting day. I have learned a lot about being a person of impact, a coach, this fall. I am so proud of the way these young girls can want something so badly and try so hard for it. I have loved coaching, and I am looking forward to our last two games and then on to the next sport--cross country. It has been a very busy and very fun fall so far, and it has only begun! Our home is ready with decor, I am ready with my wardrobe, and now I am just ready for the weather to turn cold. I hope you are enjoying the beginning of fall as much as I am! 

Leave an Impression: Tips for Teachers

After almost three weeks off from writing a post, I am not even really sure where to start, so I'll start here and see where it takes me...

 I am reminded every day that I am doing exactly what the Lord has planned for me to do- teach. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, not all teachers can say that, but I can say it very proudly and very truthfully. The kids I teach are between 12 and 13 years old. They are hysterical, outspoken, overly confident, quirky, mature, impressionable. God also added being a volleyball coach to my plan this year, and that is where my challenge has been and the reason for the three-week-no-post. I have been given the opportunity to coach girls that I taught last year when they were in 7th grade, and now as 8th graders I love that I have been able to get to know them in a different environment. Yes, coaching is a different environment from the classroom, but no less impressionable.

When people think of "coaching," so often winning and losing comes to mind. I played volleyball when I was in 8th grade, too, and I remember that being important to me. But now, as a coach, it really doesn't seem like the deciding factor. Of course I want my teams to do well, but recently I have felt other priorities being placed on my heart. These kids, my classroom students included, need a place in which they feel safe, they need to feel cared for, and they need to be encouraged. Those are my priorities. I want them to succeed, but winning the game, or making a 100 on a test may not be attainable for some, so I want them to succeed at something that is attainable. I love nothing more than the face of an athlete who has worked so tremendously hard at trying to over-hand serve in practice, and she makes it over the net for the first time in her life. My goodness, God is so good! What a success! That's a "win" in my book. I love seeing a student practically jumping out of his seat because he couldn't wait to show me that he did all of his homework the night before, and then when he realizes he didn't miss a single question! To me, another "win."

Without intending to do this, I guess I just want to give a couple of tips to new teachers. I am a new teacher myself, so by no means am I saying that I have it all together. These are just my thoughts typed out:

Encourage. Be your students' greatest advocate. They need your support. Set goals for them, or help them set goals, and give them reminders of the fact that you are confident in them and in their abilities. Encourage them to do their best and be their best. One wall of my classroom is devoted solely to this...

Celebrate the small victories. Just like I stated above, a victory does not have to be perfection, but a small goal that gets accomplished. Remembering his/her spiral every day for a week. Being the first one ready to work one day. Finding his/her own mistake rather than being told. There are so many small victories that you can celebrate in your classroom if you will just take the time to notice.

Talk to your students. I mean like REALLY talk to them. There are so many students that will walk the halls all day long without ever being greeted or talked to by an adult. They want to be talked to. They want to be noticed. You get them on your side when you talk to them. When they walk into your classroom, greet them. It is easy to sit behind your desk between passing periods, but try not to. When the bell rings for the end of class, I tell all of my students to "have a great day!" and mean it. I now have it posted above my door (as suggested by a student last year).

Establish routine. Kids work better and do better when they know exactly what is expected of them (and let's be honest, so do you). When they have down time, you can lose them. Every day when my kids walk into class, they have the same routine--put their cell phone in its assigned holder on their way to their desk, then they write in their agenda, get out homework from the night before prepared with questions, and then "Title and Date" their notes for the day. This is every single day.

Have I mentioned that I love what I do? Here is a picture from the first day of school that I never had the chance to post. Go Eagles! I hope you are having a great week, and remember that in everything you do, you are leaving an impression. Make it a good one.

Classroom Bulletin Boards

The countdown is now at 3 days. Wow! This summer really flew by. I have been up at the school all week with all the other teachers for Staff Development. Today was our last work day before kids come Monday, but let's be real... I'll be there tomorrow, too. My to-do lists (yes, plural) seem endless. When I cross off one thing, I seem to add at least two more. That being said, I am very excited about my new classroom, and I am excited to reveal a little bit more of it.

My Technology/App-themed bulletin boards...

The Instacram and iCal boards are inside my classroom, and the Notes board is right outside my classroom and is a place to put schedules, tutorials, etc. For each of the boards, I backed them in black butcher paper and then with black burlap. Since burlap has holes, I didn't want the board to be seen through, hence the butcher paper behind it. For the borders, I used a thick (probably 3 inch) burlap ribbon. My hopes are that they do not get worn and torn as quickly as paper borders do. The apps in each of the corners were painted by yours truly in attempt to recreate the apps we all (including my students) know and love to use on a daily basis. The Instacram was penciled on white poster board and then cut and glued on blue poster board. All the contents on the boards are laminated, again in hopes of preventing wear and tear, but we'll see how they hold up all year.

I have also been very good about trying to link-up when ideas come from another source. This idea, however, came to me one morning while driving home from church. I must have been praying for good classroom ideas that morning. I wanted the boards to have some sort of theme, and the goal was to have something that they could relate to, so hopefully this theme has accomplished that goal.

There will be more to come on classroom specifics and the first week of school soon. Happy Friday! :)

All the Small Things

Blink 182, anyone? Don't judge.

Today was my first official day back to work. To recap a little, last spring I taught 7th grade science, and I found out on the last day of school that I would be moving to 7th grade math. I loved science, but math just clicks. I have always been a math person, and while teaching kids is my passion, getting to teach kids math makes it even more fun. So, with the moving of content area comes the moving of classrooms. This week, I have been up at the school trying to get a head start on my new classroom. Everything seemed to be getting decorated very slowly... until today. I really got quite a bit accomplished today, but I am still not totally finished, so I will not post everything now. For now, I am going to showcase some of the things that I believe are either essential or just plain cute. Whenever I am asked about my philosophy of teaching, I want to respond like this...

Okay, just kidding (kind of). I really am into cute classroom decor and if you know me at all, you know I am into organization. Now if my husband was reading this, he may beg to differ--sometimes I fight with my closet, but I say it's an ORGANIZED mess! :) My organization mostly comes from being a planner and having many planners. (See what I did there?) These two items are two things that I believe are absolutely essential. I have to give a shout out to Erin Condren for making merchandise that speaks to my heart. Her desk calendar and her teacher's lesson planner are the two things I am talking about.

If you are wondering, these are NOT the only two calendars I keep, but maybe that's for a future post. However, these are two of the most important. The desk calendar brings just the right amount of color and uniqueness to your desk without being over the top. As for the lesson planner, it is every teacher's dream. It has tabs, two-page monthly spreads, pocket folders, zipper pouches, graph paper, notes pages, and on top of all of that, it is customizable. Perfection. Next on my list of small things in my classroom is my assignment board. You will get a full view of the board when I post more of the classroom, but going along with the "small things" theme, here are the cute days of the week printables I found. Once I printed them off, I laminated them, and cut out magnetic strips to put on the back of them.

 Have you seen this pin on Pinterest? It is called a "teacher's toolbox." You buy this small, plastic toolbox from Lowe's or Home Depot, and instead of filling it with nails and other manly stuff, you can store highlighters, staples, and paper clips (and whatever else!) A friend of mine made one first and told me I should, so I did, and I really like how it turned out! There are lots of templates you can find online by searching "teacher's toolbox," but I had a lot of time on my hands, so I decided to create my own labels using scrapbook paper that I had. Here's the finished product:

Are you starting to notice a theme in my classroom? I promise I really didn't go over the top with the seafoam color and chevron print (I hope). This next thing may be nothing new to teachers, but I love it and think it is great for classroom management. My mentor teacher had them, and I thought they worked great, so I borrowed the idea from her. Start with empty and washed out aluminum cans and color code them according to your different classes. Then, place popsicle sticks in them with all of your students' names on them (one student on each popsicle stick), and during class instead of choosing the same three students that continue to raise their hands while allowing the rest of the class to get away with not working a problem on their own, you choose a stick out of the can... randomizing! These are very easy to make, and another "essential" in the secondary classroom.

One of the last things I am going to preview before the classroom reveal is some of the cute posters I have hung. They really all speak for themselves. 

I literally laugh out loud when I see the "Please raise your hand if you 'mustache' a question." AND "Chill." Gets me every time. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a few of my favorite things from my classroom so far, and I am excited to reveal more in the days or weeks to come. Good luck to all of my fellow teachers who are also setting up classrooms!