Saturday, October 8, 2016

I've got plans for you...

So...what happened?

It's impressive! I had all of these dreams about writing weekly and becoming amazing at blogging, and then boom! I got pregnant and now it's been almost 3 years, yikes!

 It's funny how people still pin this blog or I look back and wonder how I can make it work again. It really made think about how once you put in the hard work for something it doesn't just disappear. So yes, I had a son in 2014 and he is for sure giving me a run for my money now that he's a toddler! It is amazing to watch him grow and learn though. My teacher mind is completely over joyed when I realize that he can count with one-to-one correspondence.

Professionally, my life has changed quite a bit as well. Our program was moved to another site this year because in a couple of years we will be the first all dual language school in the district. Talk about being proud- but that just makes my heart happy! I am still teaching 1st grade although I have a new partner. My previous one retired...lucky gal! She does however still come back and help  me on Thursdays. The last year has been kind of crazy with me having the realization that teaching is so much more and can go beyond our own classrooms. I received an award last May and that opened up so many doors for me. I just recently found out that I am in the Top 5 in the state and could potentially be the Teacher of the Year for the state. Now, if you know me you'll know that I hate getting attention and being "praised" in front of people. My highly sensitive self has a really hard time taking in all of that energy. And I typically would never even write about that. But, this is kind of what kick-started the whole idea of blogging again. I was sitting in the middle of my interview (over Fall Break) and I just sort of thought "why don't I blog more? Why haven't I updated my TPT store? What is holding me back from going in all the way?"

So, bare with me as I try to navigate all of this and figure out what my next step is. Even if I don't win the whole thing I still have this amazing opportunity to represent our state and become an advocate for what I'm passionate about. Which obviously, is language acquisition and programs that help our community and students see what an incredible asset language learning can be. I also would like to start a network of Spanish teachers that teach in a Dual Language or Spanish Immersion program. I've met so many wonderful people in the past 3 years through conferences and other gatherings, that I wish I could've referred them here so that we could continue our conversations. My goal is to post about once a month about something "big" happening in my classroom that deals with the language piece. Please share this with colleagues and friends who might want to be part of this journey with me!