Category: being me

I have been nominated by some wonderful bloggers a few times to do the homework meme blog that has been going around.  Each time I have resisted but I have then found myself quite enjoying reading others’ posts and getting to know them better.  Since I am also on bed rest right now, I figured it would keep me busy for a little bit as well.  SO thank you to @classcollect among others for nominating me to blab about myself.

So what is this thing?  A nomination requires some reflecting and some fun at the same time. The requirements include:

• Acknowledging the nominating blogger(s) – so thank you so much Amy for throwing my name in the mix, others have as well but I am too pregnant to remember who!
• Share 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you
• List 11 bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little “link-juice”
• Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and notify them

11 Random Facts – hmm, hard for me to do because I live life very openly.

1. So the first one should be that I live a very transparent life, in fact, I tend to share more than many would.  However, I like to reflect openly and honestly and I think it has led me to where I am today as a blogger, teacher, and person.
2. I only started a fashion blog because I hated the way I was dressing and was feeling very slumpy.  So now I have to actually think about what I wear before I leave the house and I pride myself on the fact that I re-use a lot of my clothes in new ways rather than just buy new stuff.
3. I fell in love with Brandon almost right when I met him, however, I thought he would be the one that got away so I was shocked when he broke up with his girlfriend and then started to date me 9 months later.  We moved in together the first night we confessed our feelings and have now been together almost 13 years.
4. Our first 3 children were with different levels of help from fertility.  I chose to go public with it on this blog because I knew I was not alone in this struggle and also chose to say goodbye to the child I lost on this blog.  Hard things to post about but a relief when I hit publish.
5. I have always loved writing but had no intention to ever tell anyone about it.  Several college professors told me I should publish something but I scoffed it off.  I am humbled to have a book coming out sometime soon from Powerful Learning Press and terrified that no one will like it.
6. I sing constantly and majored in music in Denmark, I love karaoke but have super low self esteem when it comes to performing in front of others.  Think shaking hands and close to passing out before I speak or sing.  Brandon is the one that makes me do it and I always have a great time busting out Black Velvet or Sweet Child O’ Mine.
7. I wholeheartedly believe that we can change the world.  While some may think this is a just a silly notion that teachers have to preach, I really try to live it.  If a kid leaves my classroom wanting to come back the next day I believe that plants a seed of change.  We may not be able to see the change we make, but we can plant the seed.
8. I am honest to  a fault and it gets me into sticky situations.  I believe in telling people how I feel rather than telling others but that does not always go over well.  So I have been trying to find the balance between my own bluntness and the American tendency to skirt around the issue.  It is a constant thing in my life and my husband helps me with it whenever I turn to him.
9. I am an introverted extrovert which means I have no idea how to handle new social situations.  This is also why I don’t go to many conferences because I am afraid I will not live up to people’s expectations.
10. I am terribly sarcastic in my sense of humor but thankfully my husband thinks I am funny.  I am not really, he just brings the best out in me.
11. I am very protective of the people I love, including my students.  I have been compared to a lion mother protecting her cubs, which can be both good or bad.

Now to the questions Amy posted:

1. What Disney Character would you be?  Oh dear, most of them are fairly one dimensional.  I was always drawn to the story of Peter Pan, not because I wanted to stay a child forever but because I wanted to fly.
2. 2. What is the coolest app you have read about or use?  Oh dear, I am awful at this too.  I love the Mailbox app and currently I am unfortunately using the contraction timer app a lot.

   3. Have you ever skyped in your classroom?  All the time!  We mystery skype, we do the global read aloud, we give book recommendations, we bring in authors and experts.  I think Skype is one of the easiest tools to use to bring the world in.

   4. What twitter chats do you follow?  I am terrible with chats because my life gets in the way, but I do love #titletalk, #nerdybookclub, #edchat, #5thchat and #wiamigos.  The hashtag #nerdlution is making me very happy as well at the moment.

   5: What is the best thing about teaching?  The kids!  Hands down and the never-ending challenge.

   6. What is your favourite Stationary item?  I am slightly addicted to good thin ballpoint pens, luckily Brandon shares my same obsession so we are not allowed to go to an office store.  It gets expensive.

   7. Cake or Ice Cream?  Cake all the way, but Danish ones all the way.  I miss our bakery culture so much.

   8. House Pet: Snake or Ferret?  Neither.  I am a cat person but we have a gerbil right now.

   9. Favourite Movie?  Stand by Me or Sound of Music.

   10: Best gift you ever got?  My husband.  Lame I know but he seriously had made my life so much better and it is because of him I have the incredible life I have right now.

   11. Why did you want to become a teacher?  Because I wanted to make sure another child never got bullied the way I did by a teacher.

I will not list 11 bloggers to make answer these questions, but will give the challenge to you!  Please join the meme if you want and let me know so that I can get to know you better.  And to help you here are my 11 questions for you:

1. What is the last book that you passed on to someone else to read?
2. The one song you secretly or not so secretly want to sing at karaoke?
3. If you had to pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
4. What do you wish your administrator would notice?
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
6. What holds you back in pursuing your biggest dream?
7. Why do you think you are a lovable person?
8. If every day had an extra hour in it, what would you do with it?
9. The last song you turned up in your car or house was?
10. What is a secret talent you may have?
11. Your favorite animal and why?

So there you have it, a little bit of fun from my bedrest.  Let me know your answers.

The shortlists of the 2013 EduBlog Awards have been released and I certainly was humbled by my nomination in most influential blog post as well as best individual blog.  But please don’t vote for me.  There are so many others that have have done more for education as a whole than me.  I am not at my peak yet, nor do I wish to be, so instead perhaps vote for the ones I nominated or whomever has touched you or made you change something.

Most Influential Blog Post:  John T.Spencer’s “Be Present” blog post.  I read this before I started this year and this has been my mantra for the year.  Not just in the classroom but in my life.  I turn off my computer, leave my phone somewhere and focus on those incredible kids in front of me.  Be present indeed has influenced me in so many ways, I hope it will do the same for you.

Best free webtool for me continues to be Kidblog (although Edmodo is close behind).  This blogging tool created by teachers allows me to peek into the minds of my 5th graders every week and brings the world in for us in a meaningful way.  Thank you Kidblog for creating such an incredible product.

Best Group Blog for me has to be The Nerdy Book Club – this daily blog brings together some of the most passionate and inspired educators, authors, and writers that share their ideas, opinions and passion for all things reading.  Thank you to all of those who continue to contribute and inspire me every day to be a better reading teacher.

Best individual blog:  I found myself once again thinking of a post John T. Spencer wrote again today, he is a must read for any educator that cares about anything.  So not only does one of his posts get my nomination for most influential post, but his blog also gets a nod for best individual blog.  Please add it your daily read.

Best edtech resource/sharing site.  While I turn to many of these throughout my week, Larry Ferlazzo’s is sheer insanity.  The breadth of what he shares on a daily basis makes me suspect that he is not just a teache rbut actually a robot churnin gout useful information.  whatever he is, I appreciate all that he does and all that he shares.

Best Librarian/Library Blog.  Not only is Shannon Miller one of the most inspiring and kind women I know, she shares so freely on her library blog that anyone would be a fool to not want to be one of her students.  You want to see students doing crazy cool things with books and tech, head over to Shannon’s blog for her Van Meter Library.

Best Twitter Hashtag.  While I love many hashtags: #Edchat, #Wischat, #GRA13, there is one that has helped my classroom year after year and that is #comments4kids created by Bill Chamberlain.  This hashtag is meant to get students’ comments on their blog posts, to bring the world in, and boy does it ever.  It is partly thanks to this hashtag that my students’ blogs have had more than 300,000 visitors!