Meet the Teacher

Well.. I officially linked up with I'm Blog Hoppin' this week!

(http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/) --I'm not super great at adding a link, so I figure adding the website is the next best thing!

Here's the deal: Everyday there's something new to blog about and once you get on their blog, you can check out as many other teacher blogs as your heart desires! Since today is all about "Meet the Teacher Monday" - here is my contribution!

Tell us a little something about you...

I'm Lindsey and I am so ready for my classes to start! I teach music and I have been bombarded by adults over these past few professional/work days, and I am ready for some smiling faces! I live in an historic house in a medium-sized town that is almost 100 years old! (I'm LOVING it!) My hubby and I have been married for close to 3 years now, and along the way, I found the sweetest pug, Wrigley, who is a daily burst of energy. Then about a year and a half ago, we adopted her "big brother" Pete, who added just the right amount of personality and love to our growing family. (Pete and Wrigley look absolutely nothing alike, and are pretty much as close to opposite as I could've gotten with them both being pugs.) "Real" kids are planned for the future, but probably later rather than sooner at this point.

How long have you been teaching?

This is my fourth year of teacher music. My first year was the biggest challenge so far, but I have an inkling that this year may run a close second. (More to come on that in later blogs.) I taught PreK-12th grade in a very small school, and it was exhausting! It was also 40-minutes one way from our home, which didn't do much for my car or my marriage. We powered through (we the marriage, not the car - she didn't make it), and I was able to find an elementary position in town. It was a traveling position and I stayed there and LOVED it for two year, but I transferred this year and I hope it can be just as great. It has a lot to measure up to though.

You might not know...

Teaching wasn't my initial career choice. Growing up with parents that were both teachers/coaches, I decided that by high school that I didn't want none of that cake. I saw the long hours, disrespect (by adults and kids alike), and financial burden it took with my siblings and I. When I got to college, I had full intentions of becoming a wedding planner. Didn't last long. By the first semester in, I had already talked to the music ed. advisor and gotten enrolled in choir and never looked back.

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

I'm most looking forward to a fresh start. In all honesty, I'm very nervous about some of the negative energy in the building, and I hope that it doesn't last all year. I have had some really discouraging days this past week, and it's not going at all like I expected it to. That said, I refuse to let anything stand between my happiness (and sanity). I will choose to make the effort every single day to make this year worthwhile for the students and myself.

What do you need to improve?

There's always something I'm thinking about that I want to improve. Summertime is usually my time to focus and reflect on what went well and what went poorly. I want to make sure my students know more about the classics. Composers, classical music, everything! Yes, I realize there are only so many hours that I see them, but I will cram everything I can get them to grasp into their sweet ever-growing brains before the year's up.

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

Love my Sharpies. I seriously cannot do a project without color-coding everything. Each grade level has its own color that I've continued for the past 3 years. It works, and I'm slightly obsessed with it.

Of course, I keep a healthy stash of Dr. Pepper around at all times. It's a sad, sad addiction.

I cannot live without my office supplies. Labels, markers, pens, post-its... Everything has it's place!

My SmartBoard is a-mazing! Every class will have a "Musical Moment" (or a "Martian Moment" since I'm all about my space theme this year... Guess I should decide that within 24 hours now.)

Books, books, and more books! It's another crazy addiction, and my husband cannot understand it. I'm doing my best to find him some good ones though. He claims he's not a reader, but I'm working on him.

Hope tomorrow brings just as much fun with Talk Teacher Tuesday! Have a great week!