Teacher Reflection

A wonderful friend of mine asked me to share 3 things that I was surprised by when I started teaching. She is a professor and writer and will be speaking to seniors (future educators) and community members in the spring. She was pretty picky about her plea. She did not want any happy, frilly, foo foo stuff. "I was surprised by how much love and joy I found in teaching." NONE OF THAT the email said. She had that covered. She wanted the true surprises. The things parents, professors, the community, these college students, etc would really be surprised by. 

I made my list and it was harder than I thought. I  really am surprised by the joy teaching gives me. I am surprised almost daily. I am surprised how quickly I forget the stress/behaviors/meetings because each day is a fresh start....just like parenting. 

But I did it! I chose 3 and here they are. Let me know if you agree or what you would add!

1. Email. OH MY GOODNESS. The emails.

I receive at least 20 emails every.single.day. to my school account. Some are county, some are ads, some are parents, some are team, some are sweet and some are never read. The emails, while convenient and much easier to track than the paper notes of yesteryear, can be quite overwhelming. Especially if you sometimes respond in your head and forget to send the actual email. :) 

2. Not everyone will like you. 

It does not matter what you do or who you are. You simply will not be able to please everyone all the time. I know this is a life thing, but maybe teachers think we can. You know, because teachers have magical powers. We think we can make everyone happy and that is exactly why I would really like for our future teachers to hear this one over and over. Just do your very best every day. 

3.  Stress eating is real. 

This is actual footage of my first year vs the current year. HA! Seriously though, you need a stress outlet and you can't let it be your family. You must find your thing that helps you let relax-exercising, writing, blogging, doodling, whatever. Stress can sneak up on you. It builds a little tower inside of you waiting to collapse. The outside of teaching universe does not realize we carry it all-every student, parent, grade, plan, colleague issue, email, to do list and so on-right there on our shoulders. It's a lot. Find your thing and remember to make time for yourself. 

I know there are so many others I could put on this list, but these are the chosen ones for now! This also reminds me that it is time to send my new teacher friends a hug and a happy! 

Have a great week everyone!

TPT Giveaway!!!

Have you heard the news? Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Monday and Tuesday sale!!! I don't know about you, but I have a few LOTS of items (math games, STEM lessons, clip art, fonts, etc) on my wish list. 

Thanks for sharing this graphic, Comprehension Connection!

TPT has gifted me a $10 gift code to share with one of my readers. I'm so excited! I'm making it super easy, too! 

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win the $10 gift code! That should help make a dent in your wish list! Happy shopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wonder Giveaway!

I have been counting down the days until Wonder would be released! I loved reading this book (both times) and am hoping the movie at least half way lives up to my high expectations! I'll be heading to a screening on Wednesday and will be sure to let you know. 

Oh wait....why don't you meet me there? I'm giving away free advanced screening passes! Click the link below to claim an "admit two pass" to see the film this Wednesday, November 15th in Atlanta! 

Hope to see you there! 

http://www.lionsgatescreenings.com/WONDERATLMMR

In the meantime, check out the trailer! 

Santa's Toy Factory

 

Image Credit: ©2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. ©2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] 

North Point Mall has partnered with Mattel to introduce a new holiday adventure that will be memorable for the entire family. Santa’s Toy Factory will open on November 11 in the center court area of the shopping center. M is SO excited to see the Thomas & Friends toys while T is all about the Hot Wheels! They can't wait to give toys a try for themselves! I'm excited to see it all and know that there will certainly be something for all of the kids on my holiday shopping list! This super shopping mommy is also very excited about seeing North Point Mall decorated for the holidays. 

Here's a bit more about Santa's Toy Factory:

Image Credit: ©2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. ©2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

Santa’s Toy Factory is designed to empower creativity through an interactive, immersive experience to meet Santa. Within the 1,600 square-foot space, young guests will have the opportunity to “test” new toys in Santa’s Factory before they get delivered to all the boys and girls on Christmas morning. After they “test” the toys, they visit different stations to digitally design, build and paint toys from Mattel’s iconic brands including Barbie^®, Hot Wheels^®, and Thomas & Friends^™. The grand finale, of course, will be meeting Santa himself for photos and to share their holiday wish list.

“We are proud to be partnering with Mattel to bring this new, one-of-a-kind holiday concept to life,” said Nick Nicolosi, general manager of North Point Mall. “We are always looking for ways to introduce new brands and experiences to our community and can’t wait to showcase Santa’s Toy Factory this holiday season. We know our guests will embrace it.”

The experience with Santa’s Toy Factory is free-of-charge and photo packages begin at $39.99. To make reservations to ensure quicker access, please click HERE. If you'd like more information, please visit www.VisitSantasToyFactory.com. North Point Mall is located at 1000 North Point Circle and is home to a plethora of high-quality tenants including American Girl, Lego and the Disney Store.

Check out these One-Day Special Events Too!

You Can Be Anything Barbie

November 12, 2017 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Center Court

Image Credit: ©2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. ©2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

Thomas and His Super Station

November 25, 2017 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Center Court

Image Credit: ©2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. ©2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage

December 7, 2017 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Center Court

Image Credit: ©2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. ©2017 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

Get Social with North Point Mall & Mattel! 

Twitter: @NorthPointMall  @Mattel 
Instagram: @northpointmall @Mattel 
Facebook: @NorthPointMall @Mattel 

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with www.blogginmamas.com & North Point Mall to share these free family events with my readers, and am being compensated for this partnership. All opinions expressed are my own.