I know I'm late to this par-tay, but I have had no time to even think about doing a Currently until this moment! Work is so crazy busy right now...well was, because I'm on Spring Break! I totally need this, too. Not going anywhere, and I'm happy today to just do whatever I want to do! So let's get to it - what am I up to Currently? Check it out!
Listening to....Ed Sheeran's whole album The whole thing is great. I love all the songs on that album.... Thanks Holls for the recommendation! Currently I love Afire Love. I don't know, just love it. Check it out -->
Loving that I'm not at work! I am sitting here, listening to Ed Sheeran, watching Live with Kelly and Michael, and writing a blog. Cup of coffee right next to me and no where to be and no where to go. A cruise would be nice, but I'm also fine just staying home, relaxing, catching up, and cleaning my apartment. I do have lots to do for work - it will only put me ahead going forward, but I want to work on a product for Book Clubs for my TpT store and I need to get ready for our Family Writing Project which begins the week I get back. Be sure to check out BigTime Literacy for deets about that school stuff! Thinking...Scientology is nuts I didn't really know much about scientology until last night, but I watched this HBO special on it and it's crazy. I mean, it isn't even a religion but they pressed the IRS and basically filed all these lawsuits against them - inundated the IRS with lawsuits so the government would declare them a religious group and exempt them from the $1million + that they owed the government. And the Scientology "church" won! Again, I have about an hour and a half worth of knowledge about this, but it's crazy! Wanting a new mayor in Chicago I don't think Chuy is going to be able to pull it off, but it would be awesome if he became mayor. He wants an elected school board, he wants to collaborate with the people of this city, and it doesn't seem like he has quite the agenda that Rahm does. It's a crazy time to be a teacher right now - Pearson is ruling our profession and the state departments are bullying us into taking standardized tests (by telling us they will withhold our funding if we don't administer them). It's even gotten to the point where it's being proposed that Colleges of Education will be judged on the test scores of the children who are sitting in the classrooms of their alumni. Read that again. Colleges of Education will be judged on the test scores of the children who are sitting in the classrooms of their alumni. Ridiculous. I know I'm getting slightly off topic here, but it's just insane that our profession is being run over by money (Pearson and whomever else is profitting on our students and their data) and and as a collective whole, teachers aren't speaking up. Having Chuy as a mayor in Chicago would at least be one step in the right direction to do what is right by teachers and students.
Needing to fix my car Last saturday I smashed my car into the posts of the El Tracks. My car is a hot mess - cracked windshield, smashed back bumper, and my front bumper also has some issues. Plus it's a mess inside. So embarrassing....this is one thing I have to get attended to over this break. EGGS-plain your name This was actually my first blog - before BigTime Literacy. I named it after that song Good, Good Life by One Republic. I do have such a good life and wanted to keep a record of all the awesome things that this life has to offer me. Some personal stuff goes on my literacy blog, it's most of that stuff will be here. Now that the March Slice of Life Story Challenge is over, I'm hoping to write on this blog at least once a week, in addition to the writing I do over on my other one!
Alright well that's all for today. If you like what you've read here, be sure to follow me! and Happy Easter! I hope you have a great weekend (and that it's a long weekend!) and thank you to Farley for hosting us once again!
Well hey there! It's time for my fave linky of the month, Farley's Currently! It's such a great time to share what is going on with each of us and make new blogging friends! Good, Good Life is new to Currently, but the blogger behind it isn't. You may already know me from BigTime Literacy! What you don't know is that my blogging roots started here - I began writing as I was completing a Whole 30 food challenge. I loved blogging, but after the challenge ended, I struggled with what most writers do: What do I write about now? I realized I wrote a lot about teaching, which is how I started BigTime Literacy, but I wanted to continue to write here too, sharing my personal stories and pictures of my family and friends. And honestly, writing with less of a filter. My teaching blog is linked up with my school district so I need to keep that much more professional, but sometimes I just want to be funny and drop an F-Bomb - I did get my beginnings teaching in middle school, after all! I just had the blog redesign done by Kassie at Designs by Kassie and I love it! I hope you'll follow my more personal stories here at GGL! And now, without further ado, let's get on with Currently!
Listening to...Sugar by Maroon 5
This video has made me absolutely LOVE this song. It's so so so so good (and how how cute is Adam Levine with those glasses?) Last weekend Hektor showed it to me and I seriously watched it like 10 times before the weekend ended. Check it out, I promise you'll love it too! Loving my new blog redesign! So I love Kassie - and now that she's done two blogs for me, she totally knows my style! I love the pink and gold, I love the Chicago reference with the little heart, I love glitter - totally cute! What do you think? Thinking about hosting a book club! So I was thinking about hosting a virtual book club - it will probably be over on BigTime Literacy, but I heard about this great book at a conference a few weeks ago - Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Hattie, the author, did a huge analysis of 1,000s of studies and found the highest-yielding strategies that teachers can use to maximize learning. So, anyone interested? I am doing the Slice of Life writing challenge all of March, but maybe in April or May? Or perhaps summer break? I was thinking we'd all read, and then I'd host a linky every week so people can join in with me!
Wanting Chuy Garcia to make Rahm a #OneTermMayor It's no secret that Rahm is a 1%er guy who doesn't think with the middle and lower class in mind. Kinda like a lot of the people running our government and it's particularly clear with education in mind. The reformsters want to do away with public schools (Rahm closes 50 and then has plans to open 22 charters in their place?) If you've done any reading of Diane Ravitch, you know all about the downfalls of charters and beginnings of the hopes to privatize public education. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, get Ravitch's book, follow her blog, and look up the Badass Teachers Association. And check out Chuy's education platform here! Needing the weather to warm up! I'm so over the cold and crappy weather. Days of no sunshine and grey skies - I want them behind me! February in Chicago has been so cold, so I'm hoping for a warm up in March. I feel like spring and summer are so far away...how will I ever make it to Spring Break (which doesn't start till Easter!)
Spring Break Plans No plans to travel - so I'm happy to be home and relaxing and spring cleaning! Just found out that I'm going to Spain in 2017 with a former student and my best friend and her students - so as far as travel plans, I'll take that! And before I go, just have to share a super funny meme I found on Instagram:
If you don't follow @teachermisery, get on it. Whoever runs that account posts the most hilarious things! Seriously though, what a complete waste of web space and news! Did you know this made World News last night? Really....there's nothing better going on? I hope you'll follow my blog! And make sure you head over to Farley's blog and link up your Currently!
So I was browsing blogs and came across this little gem: Ladybug's Teacher Files. This teacher does a Currently blog each month, and it's something I think would be a great staple. Enjoy, and see her blog if you'd like to join!
Listening to Glowing by Nikki Williams I love this song. While it's not the Blurred Lines summer 2013 anthem, I love it because I would love to find a great love....one that makes me feel like I'm glowing.
"A million hearts, you're the only one....who lights it up, like I'm glowing in the dark." Love. Loving Chicago My family was just in town for a long weekend and we got to do and see lots of the things we remember from our childhood. Stacey and I went to our childhood houses, to a Sox game, and ate Aurelio's. The pinwheels on the Jumbotron at Comiskey: if that's not nostalgia (for me anyways), I don't know what is. Love that I get to call this amazing city my home.
Thinking that I'd love to have a kid someday I guess I used to always say to one of my friends, Heather, "If I have a kid someday...." and now, I have decided that I hope I do. Now, I'm not going to rush into a relationship that doesn't work for a baby, but hopefully the right guy - you know, the one that makes me feel like I'm glowing? - well, hopefully he's out there and wants a kid, too. After a weekend with my two nieces, I can imagine that it is probably the most rewarding thing you can do with your life - to see your kids experience all the things you did as a child and to live vicariously through them. I know it's a ton of work, which is why I will not do it alone, but one day....yeah. Cross your fingers.
Wanting a call from a friend I have a great group of girlfriends, spread out all over this country. Each of them is important to me and I love them dearly. Some I talk to daily, and others rarely, but no matter what, we always pick up right where we left off. They are always there for me when I need them, but I'm trying to plan a trip to see a certain someone and I'd really like to hear from her. Are you reading my blog, bff? If you are please call so we can figure out air!
Needing to eat clean As I sit eating ice cream, (I know, wtf?) I realize that this weekend, while great to see family, has also led to some pretty crazy and over-the-top eating. I wanted to show my sister's husband a great time in Chicago (first-timer!), and let's face it, there's lots you have to eat: a roast beef sandwich, deep dish pizza, a chicago-style hot dog, just to name a few. Well, the jig's up and it's time to clean out the fridge (my sister already tossed the mayo from 2009) and get back to the kinds of food that make me feel good and energized.
Tips, Tricks, or Hints: Be Humble This can be hard when you're passionate about a topic. Like me and teaching reading. I get all excited and know lots and want to share everything I know, but it's good to remember that no one likes someone who wants to sit on their soapbox and tell you everything about everything. So, let's remember to be modest and that everyone knows lots of stuff about lots of different topics. Listen and appreciate.
Did you like the Currently blog? If you did, you can find directions for it here. Also, stop by the gal's page who created the idea. You know how they say if you put it out into the universe, it will be yours? Well, my friend whom I was waiting on called as I wrote this blog. Excited to see Seattle at the end of this month! What else can I call on the universe for? : )
