Tagged and a Mother's Day Freebie Idea

We have been tagged by Kimberly at http://loveofteachingkimberly.blogspot.com! She has an adorable blog and we are so excited to answer her questions!
Here Are The rules:

* Post these rules
* Answer the 10 questions that the tagger posted for you.
* Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag
* Tag 10 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)



1. Why did you become a teacher?
Lisen-I was actually going to school to be an accountant (what???) when my junior year God basically smacked me in the head and let me know that he would rather that I be a teacher! I put in a frantic call to my parents who supported me changing and with some fancy class arranging I managed to graduate only a semester late! It seems that no one else in my life was surprised when I switched my major though! I had always worked with kiddos and I'm SO glad that I finally realized what I was supposed to do for a career!
Katie- I honestly have never considered a different career. Since I was little, I would play school in my room. Confession: When I was younger, we lived down the street from an elementary school. My friend and I would actually "dumpster dive" through the dumpsters on the last day of school to get trash gems to play school with.

2. If you could have any piece of technology in your classroom what would it be?
Lisen- Uuummm...I'm not really sure! We are actually extremely blessed in our district and we have just about every fancy new thing that comes along! I'm sure we will have Ipads before too long, (we actually have a grant in right now!) but I would love to have those today...
Katie- I have to agree with Lisen. We have a lot when it comes to technology. I do wish that we had more laptops in our classrooms and wish for the ipads.

3. Favorite Snack:
Lisen- I should say some type of fruit, but really it is anything with chocolate and caramel or chocolate and pb.
Katie- Hahaha! Snack? As in singular, just one?? (I've been sitting here for about three minutes trying to think of just one...pathetic!)I am going to go with gummy bears. BUT, they MUST be Haribo gummy bears.

4. What are your plans for summer?
Lisen- Veg out with my twins (10 month old girls), travel to Texas, Florida, and a family reunion in Iowa on my husbands vacay time, and hopefully spend some time with girlfriends!
Katie- We have swimming lessons and gymnastics that the kids are signed up for. There is also talk about going on a family vacation with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law and their kids. Otherwise, I honestly use the summer break to get my house organzied for the 9 month tornado that blows through my house during the school year. Sorry, nothing too exciting.

5. How do you get ready for a new school year?
Lisen- This is my 11th year teaching and while I still get excited about redoing my room and changing things up I COMPLETELY rely on my trusty Back To School To Do List! After having my girls my brain seems to be on slow motion so I will be really referring to my list for next year to make sure I don't forget any of the important things that need done before kiddos show up!
Katie- What? We have to get ready? Some years, we luck out and we can keep our things up from the previous year, so decorating isn't as time consuming. When I actually have to start from scratch, I spend probably two days in my classroom staring at the walls and then go home. Seriously though, most of my time is spent getting material labeled and getting the low down on the cherubs from their first grade teachers.

6. Favorite project you do with your students:
Lisen- Hands down, Gingerbread Houses! We always do a Holidays Around the World unit around Christmas and this is our culminating event. We all wear pjs, parents come to help, we practice our grade level song for the all school sing along, and we make gingerbread houses! I have kiddos who are in high school now who will see me and still talk about the Gingerbread houses being their favorite memory!
Katie- The Gingerbread Houses are VERY fun. I don't want to use the same answer as Lisen, so I suppose I will go with the activity we do to wrap up our nutrition unit. The kids have to bring in a healthy snack to present to the class and tell us what food group it is from. We also have excercise stations set up for the kids to rotate to. We video tape them with the flip camera and put it to silly music and then watch it with them (of course, Lisen and I are always in our Jane Fonda gear modeling the correct exercise form).

7. Funniest thing a student has said to you or asked:
Lisen- One little girl told me her mommy was going to get her boobies smashed (mammogram) and then also told me her mommy was going to the DR. to see if they should have some more babies in their family!
Katie- During an assembly, one of my students tied his shoelaces to the strings of his shorts....and he couldn't get them untied. He was just sitting there, on the floor, rocking back and forth. All I could do was sit there and laugh....like crying laughing (am I a bad teacher?). Just as I pulled myself together and was about to get up to help him, he got himself untied. Seriously though, I almost peed my pants.

8. Favorite drink:
Lisen- Starbucks white choc. mocha and around Christmas Peppermint mocha. I try to avoid spending the extra cash and make my coffee at home (not the same!!!) so when I splurge it is like a Calgon take me away commercial!!
Katie- COKE!! Hands down the best drink ever invented. Period.

9. Best teaching memory:
Lisen- Oh how to choose!!!! I think my favorite kiddo one is actually younger siblings telling me that they are going to "pick" me for their teacher when they get to 2nd grade. ( I love that they already feel so comfortable with me!) My favorite parent memory is a note that I got from a parent telling me that I would never know just how much I meant to their child and how their child had grown so much in the year with me! Totally a tear jerker!! I still have the note, and YES the parent was a former teacher!!!! I will SO write notes to my girl's teachers someday because I GET what a difference they make!!
Katie- Last year I got a card from a parent telling me how much she appreciated what I do for her child. She also expressed how much it meant to her that her daughter loved coming to school everyday and that she didn't have to worry about her. As a mom that meant so much to me.

10. What is your goal for next school year?:
Lisen- My goal is to totally change up our 2nd grade theme and start fresh! All 3 of us are so excited and bubbling with ideas for a new theme. I also want to keep the excitement going the whole year and to try to avoid the end of year slump! Personal goal- to somehow become on top of everything instead of feeling like I am running around in circles trying to do everything perfectly! ( I need to learn to adjust to the fact that with children I no longer have the time I used to, to do all the school things I want to!)
Katie- Ditto on the theme. I always have such huge goals and then get so overwhelmed with trying to reach them that I end up sabotaging everything. So, I will just say my goal is to be realistic.

Here are the 10 people we are tagging:
Kelley at http://buggyforsecondgrade.blogspot.com/
Leanne at http://spendadayinsecondgrade.blogspot.com/

Sandy at http://soaringthroughsecond.blogspot.com/

Amber at http://applegirlamber.blogspot.com/

Lindsey at http://theteacherwife.blogspot.com/

Amy at http://www.stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/

Lisa and Beth at http://madeintheshadeinsecondgrade.blogspot.com/

Kristin at
http://ateenytinyteacher.blogspot.com/

Alisha at http://thebubblyblondeteacher.blogspot.com/

Denise at http://sunnydaysinsecondgrade.blogspot.com/

Here are the questions:
1. What made you want to become a teacher?
2. What is one thing you would change about your school?
3. What is your favorite teaching product?
4. What can you not live without in your classroom?
5. What is your favorite thing to do outside the classroom?
6. What is your best memory of teaching?
7. How long have you been teaching and what grade/grades?
8. What would you do if you weren't a teacher?
9. What will you be doing this summer?
10. What is your favorite thing about blogs?

As blogging newbies we can't wait to see your answers and get to know you better!

We also have a Mother's Day freebie for you. Click here for the freebie.

If you use the freebie we would LOVE comments!!!! Thanks!





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