Summer Classroom Furniture Finds

I know it is still July and I should be lounging around, thinking about anything but school, but this is when I get most excited about school. With the summer ahead of me I have time for new classroom projects, researching new ideas and scouring Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration for next year. First project of the summer was transforming three discarded book shelves from dingy, sad, hand printed shelves into a teal dream. A little wash and paint goes a long way. I can’t believe my luck that my mum came across these beauties for free at her school. […]

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Flexible Seating for Flexible Learning

As a new school year approaches I am preparing for new challenges and new adventures. This will be by first year teaching 2nd grade, so there is a lot for me to learn before my students come through the door for the first day of school. This summer, besides pouring over curriculum to familiarize myself with the differences between 3rd grade and 2nd grade skills, I am also preparing my classroom space as well. Deciding on classroom layout is one of my favorite things to work on over the summer. It is a time when all things are possible and all […]

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Spain Reunion 

The other night almost all of the teachers who traveled to Spain this past February got together for a little reunion. It was great to see travel friends I haven’t seen since our trip. Getting together also reminded me how lucky I am to be in a school district that supports and understands how important global education is to our students. We started the evening at our school’s library. Everyone had a chance to share different ways they brought the trip back to their classroom. There were iMovies, Power Points and other presentations that immediately brought me back to our trip. It was […]

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Sagrada Familía- Classroom Connection 

Happy Friday! Before we jump into another weekend I thought I’d share a fun travel teachable moment from this week in my classroom. I could not have asked for a better connection to my recent trip to Spain. This past weekend in the Sunday Boston Globe, there was an article in the travel section about La Sagrada Familía. Thanks to my mum and dad (who still reads a print paper these days?!) I was made aware of this perfect connection to my recent trip to Spain. Thanks mum! Big color pictures of the famous basilica and a short article filled an […]

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Spain School Visit 

The absolute highlight of my trip so far has been the visit to the private school. There is just something about being in a school, and talking, or attempting to talk, to students and watching teachers in action that I love. After arriving at Colegio International Alminar, we started our visit with a mini presentation put on by one of the teachers, Mercedes. She explained the school mission, what a typical day looks like and answered our many questions about teaching and school life in Spain. Then it was off to the classroom. We broke up into small groups so […]

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