Meet the Teacher 2011

Hey sweet friends!  Had my first day of school today and WHEW…I.am.BEAT.  LOVE my new littles and I can’t wait to share with you some fun first day activities, but in the meantime, here’s a little more about me…

That’s me & Mr. Spouse {aka: Coach Carroll}.  I’d love to show you a family picture of all four of us, but my boys refuse to play nice with the camera, so here they are, all by their lonesome.

Oh how I LOVE these two TOTALLY different, absolutely adorable little men.  Landon {left} is my oldest and about as sensitive and tender hearted as they come, but don’t let that sweet disposition fool you…he’s got a WILD side, for sure.  I guess that comes with the territory.  He’s definitely ALL boy!  Then there’s my sweet little bit…Grant {right}…and OHMIWORD.  This child gives me a RUN for my money.  Lawd.  He’s as fiesty as the day is long, but dang y’all….this child has me wrapped around his little finger. 

I love ALL three of my boys *almost* as much as I love the Lord.  I love iced tea and Sonic cokes, pasta & coconut cream pies, reality TV and Lifetime movies, and sleeping in ‘til 7 {yes…I consider that “sleeping in” thanks to my 6 am early risers :)}When I’m not posting here at The First Grade Parade, you can find me journaling all my family memories at Life with Team Carroll or writing about my adventures in the kitchen {pretending to be a domestic goddess…HA!…far from it!!} over at Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour.

How long have you been teaching?

This is my {gasp} 10th year teaching!  Surely I didn’t graduate THAT long ago?!?!?  I taught Kindergarten for 7 fun-filled, absolutely EXHAUSTING years, then I switched districts to be closer to home and got a job teaching 2nd grade.  What a Godwink that was!!  Totally changed my life!  When our school downsized last year, I was moved to 1st grade and this year will be my 2nd year in this grade level.  And dang y’all…it’s my absolute FAVORITE!!!!

You might not know…

that I: auditioned for the Mickey Mouse club when I was in the 6th grade…have a true phobia of frogs…like to slice the corn off the cob BEFORE I eat it…love listening to HLN on my Sirius when I’m driving…have HUGE Hollywood crushes on Jack Nicholson & Steven Tyler…have a salt tooth, not a sweet tooth…prefer rainy weather…was proposed to in my Kindergarten classroom, 3rd year teaching…love scary movies…read my magazines back to front…organize my groceries during checkout {boxed items, canned goods, frozen foods, veggies & fruits, etc…OCD…YES.}…loathe everything about flying…was in labor for 24 hours with Landon {and my epidural wore off by push time!!!!}…don’t eat breakfast, but could totally eat cereal for lunch and dinner…would totally pursue photography if I wasn’t teaching!!

What are you looking forward to this school year?

EVERYTHING!!!  HA!  Seriously though…I’m looking forward to feeling like I’m on my feet this year.  Last year was my first year in first, so I was learning everything as I went.  This year I’m looking forward to “knowing” what’s going on and what I can do to improve.  And I’m SO excited to implement so many of YOUR fabulous ideas that I’ve been bookmarking and saving throughout the year!!! 

What do you need to do to improve?

Oh my.  Where do I start?!  Ha!  Hands down, I need to be more organized.  Last year, when you walked into my room {namely, my desk}, it looked like ADHD threw up all over the place.  My number one goal this year is to be more organized. I’ve been SO inspired by Rachelle at What the Teacher Wants and Jodi at Clutter Free Classroom.  And I’ve found some awesome organizational tips & tricks via Pinterest.  That was my number one goal this year and so far, so good :)  Until the ADD kicks in, of course…

I wannna rock out at Daily 5, too, because last year, well, nostsomuch.  I mean, I did it…and I thought it worked pretty well…but I KNOW it could’ve been better! {If you have any can’t-live-without Daily 5 resources/blog posts/websites, PLEASE send them my way!!!}

What teaching supplies can you NOT live without?

Post-it’s, flair pens, and binders are at the top of my list!  My SmartBoard ROCKS my face off.  I LOVE notebooks…lots and LOTS of notebooks.  And even though it’s not necessarily a “teaching” tool, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE planners/calendars! Can’t wait for my new Erin Condren Life Planner to get here….can’t come fast enough!!!

Even though I should go to sleep right now, I’ll spend the next few hours pouring over your blogs!!  Hop on over to Blog Hoppin’ & link up!  Can’t wait to “meet” you!