Memory Jars

This post should have happened around New Year's, but to me summer vacation was always more of a fresh start than New Year's Day. My brain has always run on a school calendar, even when I wasn't taking classes, so I guess it's a good thing I became a teacher. But, even though this was my New Year's "resolution" I think it could be relevant any time of the year you wanted to start it. It started when HelloGiggles posted a BuzzFeed article on Facebook called "Here's What You Should Do Instead Of Making New Year's Resolutions."
The article talked about decorating a jar to fill full of memories throughout the year. The idea is that next New Year's Eve, you sit and read through all of the things you put in the jar throughout the year and feel proud.

So my friend and I set a day to decorate them for ourselves and our moms.

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Unicorns and Bacon

My good friend Stacy threw a party for our friend Elena. Elena's birthday coincided with the end of the school year, and she's leaving us to go to college next year, so we wanted a big shindig! Stacy, in all her creative awesomeness, themed the party Unicorns and Bacon. So, of course, I went to Pinterest to comply with the theme!

Photos and recipes below!

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School Year Highlights (2014-2015)

I realize it has been almost an entire year since my last update. 2014-2015 was a hectic awesome year. Actually, probably my best teaching year so far. So, I'll just give you the highlights here.

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Mommy to Bee

My friend and coworker just had a darling baby girl! So I took the opportunity to throw her a baby shower. Right as I was trying to decide on a theme, my friend from high school, Alison over at The Handmade Shindig, posted these adorable Bee decorations. I took the idea and ran with it!

 

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Busy Summer

Wow. It was a busy summer. My mom recently purchased a new condo, except it's only new to her. It's actually about as old as I am ...and so were all the appliances.

We spent most of the summer on small projects around the house which I will catalog here.

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Odes to the 8th Grade

When I was student teaching at a junior high, my master teacher had the students doing a poetry unit that ended in Odes to the 8th Grade right as the school year was ending. I thought that was really genius. It gives students a chance to reflect on the last year or so and to create an art form most don't attempt on their own. So I've used it at my final project the past two years. Last year I meant to post it, but never did, so I'll share examples from both years.

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Ignorance of CCSS

Ignorance is bliss! Right? I'm pretty sure, right now, that other people's ignorance will cause me ulcers.

I believe in the Common Core Standards. And I believe that a lot of people who are against them are so due to ignorance. The internet is a vast and wonderful place where people can find an article that says anything they want to hear. But journalism requires fact-checking and citing of sources. So does a good English paper.

I recently came across this article, "Listen to the Fools," on Facebook.

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