Blog? But why? There are so many out there!

As my first post I wanted to explain my justification of existence in this Blog-o-sphere.

To give you a little background, I am a twenty-something, recent graduate, with a passion for education. 

I was one of the "lucky" ones that nabbed the first teacher job I applied to. I wasn't as lucky as it may seem. I worked my tail off for that first interview. As my grandma would say, I "put all of my eggs in one basket." After my first interview I called, wrote, and "dropped by" to check on the status of my interview. I literally would write a Thank You letter after each of my 3 interviews and mail it to the principal, just to keep my name out there a few days after the interview. Can you tell I really wanted this job? 

FINALLY- after 3 months of hard work, I signed my contract. 2nd grade, at my favorite school in the county. I was in heaven! (And still am!)

Teaching has been my passion since a young age. My grandmother was a teacher and I truly looked up to her. For my 6th birthday my mother bought me a chalkboard for my room. That's when I got hooked to all things teaching.

My first year of teaching was... how can I say this mildly... difficult. Not only was I BRAND NEW to the grade, BRAND NEW to the curriculum, I was in a BRAND NEW school, with a BRAND NEW principal, and a BRAND NEW group of kids. Nothing can really prepare you for your first year. Almost all year I felt as if I was struggling to keep my head above water. FAIR, IEPs, 504's, PTO, papers to grade and parent-teacher conferences. Over Winter Break I had to make a change. I decided to work smarter NOT harder. Enlisting in the help of a jubilee of books, Pinterest, and iPad applications I managed to get a hold of myself, and my class. 

My students weren't demons after-all! It really just took a little extra effort and organization on my part. The rest of my year was a breeze! 

I wanted to create this blog to share the wealth of knowledge I gained in trying to organize my classroom, and organize it all onto one blog. Anything I find, that works for me or others, I will share.

I hope you subscribe and enjoy! 

Ciao!

Melissa