Saturday Snapshots: Ireland & Currently July

I wasn't going to participate in this linky (only because I felt like being completely lazy couch potato when I woke up this morning), but I realized I have NEVER shared a few of my 400+ pictures of when I toured Ireland.  So, after breakfast, coffee, and a couple hours of The Plague on The History Channel, I have finally overcome my laziness... a little.  I've labeled every picture with where it was taken incase you would like to do further research... I'm going to try to keep this brief!

In June/July of 2011, my brother, his {then} girlfriend, and I went to Ireland for two weeks.  We took a 12-day all Ireland tour via Paddywagon Tours.  This tour was packed with amazing people from around the world.  If you're under the age of 50 and love a good time, I highly recommend this tour group!!!  We started in Dublin and, basically, worked our way around Ireland and ended in Dublin.  So. Much. Fun.  I'm going to move on to the pictures.  If you have questions, please ask!

Beautiful, no? 

Derry is full of history... very sad history.  If you know anything about Ireland, you know that religion (Catholics and Protestants) has been a conflict for many, many years.  There are walls and fences that separate Catholics and Protestants.  While there, I took a Derry Walls tour... so incredibly sad, but it is a beautiful place.  Oxymoron?

Very cool!  The legend goes that the columns are the remains of the causeway that was built by an Irish Giant and a Scottish Giant across the North Channel so they could meet and fight! :)

More walls to separate the Catholics and Protestants.  We took a Black Taxi Tour while in Belfast and learned a lot!  They, too, have a very sad history that continues today.  While you can travel between sides, there are still gates that close and lock every night.  This is to prevent people from going into people's houses at night to murder them.  

 Are these not absolutely gorgeous??  There were huge fuschia plants everywhere!

I went to the top, but couldn't bring myself to kiss the Blarney Stone after the people in front of me.  Yuck! 

(Eww, I was a tiny bit heavier here)  This is possibly inappropriate to post, but you can't go to Ireland without touring the Guinness Storehouse!  So much history and information!  Guinness, in it's singular form, is not a favorite.  

Farley's Currently July

Everything is pretty self-explanatory!
Listening: - I'm a history buff... I can't get enough!!!
Loving: - I don't have cable or satellite at my apartment.  It's just too expensive, so I'm soaking it up while I'm house sitting! :)
Thinking: - My Vistaprint is supposed to arrive today (our mail here stinks).
Wanting: - I am not a fan of summer.  I love the time off, but I hate to sweat.  Living in the south, you sweat no matter what you do.  I hate it!
Needing: - I need a little motivation to do anything today. :)
Tips: - I don't have graphic software to make a lot of the amazing images you see on blogs; however, I am able to use Powerpoint to layer graphics, text, etc. over images.  It works pretty well!

As a reminder - my GIVEAWAY starts bright and early Monday morning!

June Currently

It's my birthday month!!  I'll be 28 on the 23!  How can a poor, single teacher celebrate??  Ideas?

It's that time again, time for Currently!! :)  I've linked up with Farley.  You should, too!

Listening: I love watching the news...  Does that make me weird?  :)
Loving: For the last week, I've slowly been packing up my room.  I'll post sad pictures soon.
Thinking: Another teacher and I decided to go to school yesterday to get some work done.  While I was there, I graded a year's worth of writing for their cum folders, and graded a few other things that needed to be entered into the grade book.  I'M DONE!!  All I need to do now is submit the grades (which I can never remember how to do... ever.)!
Needing:  Literally, my coffee is on the coffee table and I have yet to reach for it.
Vacay: I have no idea what essentials one needs!  I'm too poor to vacation! :)

April Currently {New car??}

Listening: I'm still at my brother's.  What is one reason I love visiting the bro?  He has satellite!!  I'm not willing to pay for cable or satellite on my own, so it's great being able to watch The History Channel when I go home to my parents' or visit the brother.  I'm SUCH a nerd when it comes to history!! :)

Loving: I haven't slept in too late on my spring break, but knowing the option is there, is amazing! :)

Thinking: New car?  Why, yes!  I went to Navy Fed. yesterday to apply for a pre-approval and got the amount and interest rate I wanted!  It feels great to have amazing credit! :)

Wanting: It's hard to want when you have what you need.

Needing: BUT, I do need the insurance company to call me back.  I'm in a sticky situation.  I'm still covered under the parents' policy in SC, but this new car will be registered in NC.  I need to know if I have a window of coverage or if I will have to sit there at the dealership and get new insurance!

Advice: (Not the advice I was supposed to give, but I'm not known for following the rules all the time.)  I know a lot of new teachers want to reach absolute perfection their first year (I'm not one of those teachers).  Very few can... and those who try, stress themselves out to a point of it being unhealthy.  Just chill.  Do what you can in a day's work and GO HOME!!  The work isn't going anywhere... it will be there tomorrow.  Relaxation and sleep will be your best friend. :)

Link-up with Farley!

Teacher of the Month

I had a great surprise on Monday.  During the morning announcements, I heard my name called as "Teacher of the Month" as nominated by my peers.  It was completely unexpected.  I had my class quiet, because I knew one of my students would be "Student of the Month" for 5th grade.  When they heard my name, they all yelled and cheered.  It was really sweet.  I do love those kids!  I just wanted to share my happy moment! :)

[Updated to include Currently]

March Currently!

Listening: Pandora Adele channel... I couldn't survive without Pandora!  Well, I could but my life would be very quiet.  They just seem to get it right with my mood every time! :)

Loving: I was asleep before Wheel of Fortune was over last night.  Knocked out!  My mom called me at 8:30 to congratulate me on getting TOTM, and that conversation lasted maybe 30 seconds before she told me to go back to sleep. :)  14 hours of sleep feels great!

Thinking: I love my Keurig.  I never get a bad cup of coffee.  I love being able to have more than one cup on the weekends.  When I become rich (from teaching, haha), I'm going to put a Keurig in my classroom, so I can have more than one cup! :)

Wanting: I read Safe Haven in two days over Thanksgiving break.  I have been waiting for the movie!  Now I just need someone to go with me!!

Needing: Planning science always scares me.  We have been covering ecosystems for 2 weeks.  It's going really well, but it still scares me.  This coming week we will look at terrestrial ecosystems.  The following week we will cover aquatic ecosystems/make terrariums.  Eek!

Like: Feeling relaxed - thank you 14 hours of sleep!

Love: Coffee - it's not an addiction.  It's true love!

Hate: Clutter - yet, it seems to never leave my classroom.  If I clean one area, I just find it has move to another area.  Ick!

Link up with Farley!

January Currently (on time, too!)

January Currently!  Head over to Farley's blog to link up!

Most of these are self-explanatory, but I will go over "Needing" and "OLW".

Actually, Loving: My Clemson Tigers kicked a field goal with two seconds left and beat LSU 25-24!  It was amazing!  Check out our coach, Dabo Swinney, after the game!  Such a great man!  (Video Link)

Needing: School consumes me, and it is not because I cannot keep up.  I just have nothing else to occupy my time/thoughts/energy.  I don't live near family, and all of my friends are people I work with (and I love them dearly).  I'm making it sound worse than it is.  I do find time with my friends to enjoy life away from school, but I'm looking for something... I can't find the word... reliable? predictable?  I can't explain...

OLW: I just need to trust in all aspects of life.  Actually, I would rather not get into this one.

I hope everyone has a great first day back at school whether you have professional development, a work day, or actually have the kids!  The rest of you that don't start until later: I'm SO jealous. :-)

Great Things are Happening! (November Currently, too)

It has been a great week! :)  Tuesday, we had a Math Parent Night.  We had an average turn out, but it was fun!  A few of the teachers dressed up, and some students dressed up, as well.

Friendship Bracelet Update:

When I introduced the bracelet to my class, I decided to call it a "friendship band."  It has been amazing.  I can see and hear a noticeable difference with the way my students have been interacting.  They are saying nice things and really giving words of encouragement.  It's great!  I don't remember if I put this in the initial post about it, but I've decided to graph our progress (the number of students who wear it), so I'll be able to hit on graphing/charting skills.  Woot!  

Matter Unit:

I am so proud of myself!  I made it through the matter unit I planned.  My class tested yesterday, and I graded the tests last night.  THEY WERE GREAT!!  Wooooot!  I'm proud of them, too! :)

Importance of Fun:

I feel that when you have good classroom management and your students know your expectations, it's really easy to have fun with your class.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  Thursday night, I went around and put "Go Tigers!  Beat Duke" posters on several teachers' doors.  (Clemson is playing Duke tonight.)  One of those teachers decided to put the Duke mascot in my room yesterday morning.  Some of the kids and I were going back and forth about who would win.  It was fun and funny. :)

I also decided to put my tiger tail and ears on my TV and told the kids that the Tiger was watching them and would pounce on any inappropriate behaviors.  They ate that up! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  We're getting close to Thanksgiving!! :)

November Currently!

Giveaway Alert! :)

Go over to Amanda's Blog (Teaching Maddeness) and enter her giveaway for a CUTE "Maggie Tote".  I would actually prefer you don't, but if you're interested you definitely should! :)

September Currently - It's Football Season!

September marks the beginning of football season!  It's probably no secret, if you've been following my blog a while or have read the "About Me" page, that I am a HUGE Clemson Tigers fan.  It's my home and my alma mater, and there is nothing better than football.  I cannot express in words the experience of tailgating at Clemson and attending a game in Death Valley.  If you're within driving distance and have never been, go to a game!! :)

My favorite things this month are Clemson University, my class ring, and Clemson Football!  The first picture is of Tillman Hall.  It was built in 1891 and is the home of almost all education classes on campus.  The second picture is of my Clemson University class ring.  Graduates around the world instantly recognize this beautiful piece of Clemson tradition.  The final picture is of Death Valley during an evening game.  Isn't it beautiful?  I love my boys!! :)

Teaching in NC, I am surrounded by UNC, Duke, and NC State fans.  On Friday, I gave my students a brief history of Clemson University.  They started out making smart alec comments, but by the end, they were pretty impressed.  It was neat.  One student said, "I'll pull for Clemson this weekend, but that's it!!" :)  It warmed my heart.  

I thought I would leave you with a couple of the videos I showed them.  Enjoy and GO TIGERS!! :)

Before every home game, the band gives a mini-concert on the outdoor amphitheater.  It's great for families and free for all!

This is the video that is played on the JumboTron as the players are getting off the buses and gathering at the top of the Hill.

Click to linkup!!