NEATE..... And a quick update

It's that time of year again.... The Fall New England Association of Teachers of English conference. I've spent the last two days immersed in everything teaching, which I totally needed. I was starting to get too comfortable in the classroom and hope to incorporate more innovative things (like reader response journals for the novels we read and improving our close reading skills).

In more school news, I spent one of my preps this week with the other 7th grade ELA teacher to map out our school year. I didn't realize how much had to be squeezed in!!! Right now I'm working on non-fiction with my students until mid-November. Then comes the sprint. I have so much to do between November and January.... It should be interesting. I'll post the whole schedule next week.

This week the hubby and I added a new member to the family... a new car! My hubby has always owned crappy used cars so it was time. We bought a 2008 Jetta VW!!!! My dreams have come true. I've always wanted a Jetta and now we have a bright red one :-) We pick it up tomorrow after work so I'll be sure to post pics!

Other than that, it was a very relaxing weekend. Got the new "Real Simple" and "Yankee" magazines so I had to read those cover to cover. Also corrected my butt off since end of first quarter is this week!!!! Now hubby and I are watching the Food Network (Pumpkin carving contest and then a special Iron Chef).

Hope everyone has a lovely week!

Bad girl!!!

Sorry ladies and gentlemen... I've been a bag blogger (again!!!). I'm still alive and surviving life as a teacher (a little too well?). I had open house last week and it went very well. I made sure to wear my power suit, my heels, and pearls to look the part and I think it really paid off. The parents were not thrown off by my "youthfulness" and actually were quite responsive to what I had to say or suggest. I got to meet about a third of my student's parents/guardians, which is really good for our urban district.

We are starting our new unit... non-fiction. I passed out our first major project of the year, the biography book report. The students have to choose a biography and then a visual piece (choosing one of the four I gave them ranging from creating a front page of a newspaper, an all about me poster, or even a life-size model of person they are reading about) that they will present to the class. I'm giving them over a month to do it, with the presentations starting the week of Thanksgiving (I figured why start something new that week... I'd rather hear presentations the three days before the break).

Other than that, things are good. Tonight is a ladies night... Rosie the English bulldog and I are watching girly movies and relaxing while the hubby watches the Red Sox game with the boys. This weekend is a nice long weekend so I'm planning on picking a few pumpkins for the entry way/porch, restocking my teaching supplies, and maybe making a special trip to Nordstrom for some more wardrobe updates (shhhh, don't tell Dougie!!!) With the winter quickly approaching, I need more appropriate attire :-)

Also, bonus time at Clinique... I'm so behind so I must make a trip. Is it worth it? I don't need anything right this moment. Perhaps a new lipstick?