August Currently!

It's Labor Day- quite possibly a teacher's all time favorite holiday, besides Christmas and Spring Break and Thansgiving...

But somehow Labor Day is just so perfectly timed.  Who couldn't use a little break before boosting into September?  {Speaking of the fact that it's September, I actually named my file Currently August because mentally I thought it was August... and I just realized that, well, it's not August anymore... while I was typing this...

BUT, it's September now.  And time for all things pumpkin, scarf, and boots!  Bring it on Fall :)

Hop on over to Farley's blog to check out this month's currently!

Listening... I'm on my way home to South Carolina from Seattle!!  I may be crazy to travel like this on a must needed rest weekend.  But when I studied abroad in Spain five years ago, I met some amazing friends.  And we all live all over the country and once or twice a year we meet up in someone's home-city and have a reunion.  This time it was Seattle!  I needed the laughs, perspective, and nature and feel reenergized and renewed heading back to the real world.  Thank you Delta Wifi for providing me with work time :)

Loving... Travel.  My hubby and I are travelers.  While he didn't make it to Seattle with me, we're always planning our next trip.  Seattle also reminded me how much I love to see new places.  Looks like we will need to start planning when I get home.  Life's too short not to see the world, right?

Thinking... About what else?  My teaching team is amazing and we collaborate frequently to plan for our week.  They save me so much time and effort!  I already had great ideas for the week when I went to check my school e-mail this morning.  Thank the Lord for great support!

Wanting... Some {I'm making up a word- I know} comfiness for my classroom!  We need a few chairs and pillows to spruce it up.  Right now it feels very... sterile?  Not the vibe I'm going for.  But funds are necessary for comfiness factors... so all in good time I suppose...

Needing... a dresser!  Enough with folding clothes on the floor!  I'm ready to be an adult!  Now the real question is, which comes first... the dresser or the comfiness?

3 Trips... All dreams of mine and places I plan/hope/need/beg to visit in the next five year!!  Has anyone ever done any of these??

Well, I'm off to read and take notes for the week!  We're devouring Frindle and loving discussions focusing on the power our words have!

Happy SHORT week!!

What I Learned in Vegas at the TpT Conference

Link up with A Burst of First the share your Vegas Story!

Oh my word!  It’s been three days since I left Vegas and my mind is still reeling!  I cannot believe what an amazing opportunity it was to be there, learning from the best.  In the true TpT spirit of sharing, I wanted to share some of my major take-aways. 

Even the best are still leaning

Sitting in Cara Carroll and Erica Bohrer’s session, I realized, they still have lots to learn too.  In the middle of the session, Cara learned a new way to make Product Previews that was way faster than the way she had been doing it.  Whaaat?  You don’t have it all figured out either?  TpT is "new" and we’re all learning the “best” ways to do things.  There’s still plenty of time to learn more.  I don’t know about y’all, but each time I make a new product, I learn something new.  I realize now, that will continue!

We’re all in this together

I couldn’t have gained over half of my knowledge at the conference if it wasn’t for talking to other TpT'ers.  I love how open and willing everyone is to share.  It also shows me that the conference doesn’t have to be the only time we share.  When I have questions, I can take them to the blogisphere.  We can work through them together.  This is a group effort and everyone supports it as such!

Loved loved loved meeting Catherine from The Brown Bag Teacher!!

There is not enough time and sessions

There was SOO much more I wanted to learn and see and explore.  I wish I could have gone to every single session and talked to everyone.  Just like I would love to spend more time working.  I can’t do it all and so reading about other people’s experiences, talking to other bloggers and TpT'ers, and doing my own professional development will have to be enough.  It’s okay to not do it all and to not know it all.

It was SO nice to catch up with Martina from Mrs. Cahill's Class

Sometimes, you’re doing it the best way, even if it feels like you’re not.

Some things I do, I feel like there has to be a better way.  And I realized at the conference, whatever works for you IS the best way.  Other TpT'ers and bloggers are creating in Powerpoint like me (or Publisher or Notes- please don’t ever try to create in Word!) and working through clip art issues and sizing issues and coloring issues just like I do.  It was a great affirmation that I’m doing what I need to be doing.  

We are all teacher nerds ;)

I won a free commercial font license, y’all!! From JEN JONES!  Oh my word… SO exciting!  No big deal or anything, but I woke up this morning to an e-mail from Mrs. Jen Jones.   

AH!  Now, my husband looked at me when I told him all this and said “wooooo” in the most sarcastic way possible.  But I can literally feel your excitement for me through the screen.  Being surrounded by people who share your enthusiasm and care for teaching and blogging and TpT like we do is just amazing.  I’ve never been in a school where all the teachers share that level of enthusiasm, and so the energy at the conference was just unreal to me.  Everywhere you looked, you could meet people ready to share their brilliant ideas and discuss what they’re doing.  Sigh.  Is it July 2015 yet??  

P.S.  My phone decided it wasn't going to take any more pictures during the conference but I know I have pictures with some amazing bloggers such as Molly from Lessons with Laughter.  If you happen to have any pics, please send them my way!!  Muchas gracias :) 

Summer Siesta

It's time for a nice little Summer Siesta.  I'm hanging up my hat and taking a two week break from all things teacher-y.  It'll be the first time in a while, and I'm looking forward to reading a lot, (teachery and non-teachery), body surfing, enjoying some wine, spending time with family and friends, cooking, and making a job out of applying sunscreen.  I am ecstatic to be going to Vegas next week for the SDE Conference of Differentiated Instruction AND the TPT Conference!!  I cannot wait to meet everyone.  Happy and safe travels to all who will be traveling! 

To see a little bit of our travels, be sure to follow me on Instagram! {@appleslicesteacher}

Muchas gracias!!

Dachau Concentration Camp

Hey teaching friends, have you read Prisoner B-3087 or Night or Number the Stars or The Diary of Anne Frank?  You probably have a good idea of what these books have in common, besides being powerful teaching tools- but why am I writing about them?  Good question.

Right now the holocaust is of special interest to me because my husband and I recently traveled to Munich, Germany.  While we were there we visited Dachau Concentration Camp.  Holy cow.  What an experience.  Was this my first choice in places to visit?  No.  "What about a beer tour?" I tried to convince myself.  But as the days ticked by, I realized I couldn't be here and not go.  A place with so much history and so much to learn should be visited.  Should be shared.  And so here it is. 

Before traveling to Germany, I finished reading the book Prisoner B-3087.  This book has an amazingly powerful message and is a great read aloud for the classroom or for book clubs.  Reading the book and then traveling to some of the places mentioned really brought the main

character, Yanek's, story to life.  Dachau (pronounced Da-how) is the final concentration camp that Yanek is sent to, before being freed by US soldiers.  When you walk in, you're "welcomed" with a sign over the gate that states, "Arbeith macht frei" (work makes you free).  Yanek talks about seeing this sign as he enters a concentration camp.

During World War II, there were as many as 2,000 prisoners in one of the 30 barracks at Dachau.  You can see just one the barracks in the picture below. Prisoners would share the bunks with so many people that they had to lay bunched together on their sides. 

The "roll call" field in front of the barracks.

Bunks in the barracks.

Seeing the places that you've read about really brings it all to life.  

And wow is it scary.  

 

This is a shower room that was also used as a gas chamber.  The room I was standing in was the undressing room where prisoners would have to undress, not knowing if they were walking into a shower room or a gas chamber.  "Brausebad" above the door means "shower room" but the Nazis were known for playing tricks on their prisoners. 

 

From the shower room, you walk into another room, the crematorium.

I have learned so much this year- but I think that traveling here really showed me how important it is to see history.  I knew a lot about the holocaust, had read a lot, and had heard many stories- but being at Dachau enabled me to understand so much more.  It made me think about history as a teacher.  How important field trips are, how much learning can be done outside of books, lessons, and worksheets.  I loved this quote I found towards the end of our time at Dachau.

Each of us today is shaping the background history of tomorrow.

History is powerful and I can already think of so many things I want to share with my little learners.  So many lessons and messages.  How are you shaping the history of tomorrow? 

Munich, Germany

Just a few pictures from my trip to Germany!  Details about our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp coming soon.

 

The Traveling Teacher Checks In

I really feel like I should change the name of my blog these days... The Traveling Teacher really would be more fitting {as a side note, do you know that in British English the word traveling is spelled with TWO l's?  Travelling just doesn't look right}.  I am LOVING travelling {ha! sorry!} around the world these days.  And I really do feel like using the word "world" to describe my travels is fitting(ish).  In the past two months my hubby and I have been all over our Spanish Island, Mallorca, to Barcelona, Madrid, Belgium, London, and Georgia, USA.  In TEN days we will head to France {ahhhh!} and visit Paris and the Champagne country for our {please pretend I'm shouting right now} HONEYMOON!!  What a year this has been :) 

Our travels up until have been uh-mazing.  In every city we visited we ate delicious food, explored museums and enjoyed the"feel" of that particular city.  They all have a "feel" ya know?

I'm looking forward to hanging here for the next ten days... getting work done, sharing what I've been learning about teaching ESL, and unpacking and clean-clean-cleaning!

Just a few pics from our journeys.

And speaking of traveling, I have to admit to y'all, one of my fave places to visit is VEGAS!  Annnd, speaking of Vegas-  Who else will be attending the TpT conference this July?  I am getting sooo excited to be there.  I'll be getting in Wednesday and spending Thursday at the Conference on Differentiated Instruction.  Anyone want to join me for dinner and a drink on Thursday evening?

And in other news... I have something new and exciting in the works!  Be sure to stop by later this month for more details :)