Fancy-Free Life: Catch-Up & Girls' Night Out

Holy Moley, is it really the last full week of September already?!

This month has flown by. Seems like just yesterday I was sending out postcards to my brand-new students over the summer... and here we are now... almost one whole month into the new school year! This year has been a huge adjustment on several levels. With transitioning to the Common Core curriculum, learning the expectations of a new administration, and adjusting to a completely DIFFERENT group of children, I feel like I'm treading water... just tryin' to stay alive!

While these big changes are slightly challenging, they aren't necessarily bad changes at all. The new curriculum gives teachers so much more flexibility in our planning and let's us flex our creative muscles a little more. The new administration is really helping me to reflect on my teaching practices so that I can give my students the best teaching possible. My group of students is completely different from my group last year (gosh, I miss those kiddos!), but my new group is challenging me to grow more as a teacher as well because I'm trying new methods and teaching styles to suit the needs of this highly active group. So all in all, these are GREAT changes... just exhausting at the same time :)

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Becky turned 30! Her sister, my cousin Steph, planned a surprise dinner at one of the classiest restaurants in town. Becky thought she was coming to have dinner with Steph... and when they were brought to the table, she found three of her closest friends there to celebrate as well. I love the expression on her face when she realized we were waiting for her!