Well friends I am finally back and I am so excited to share that I have my first ever teaching job. I will be teaching 1st grade at the school where I went to elementary school and also the school where I became Ms. Cara. I am so excited to start this adventure. This is truly my dream job!!  If you have any first grade tips I will be happy to hear them. I also finally graduated college and I am so happy and proud!

For the past few weeks I have just been working in my room and finishing up my teacher test. I have one more and I will feel very happy when they are finally over. My classroom is a large mess right now and I can not wait to share pictures with you when it is all finished.

For the past few days I have seen so many people posting about getting early copies of The Marvels by Brian Selznick (September 15) and Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate ( September 22) . I am so jealous of the people with these copies and I can not wait to get my hands on these books. 

Happy Reading Friends :)

Ms. Cara

BIG NEWS

Things have been a little crazy lately and that is why  there have been a lack of blog post. WOMP WOMP WOMP! But big changes are coming to my life and I truly can not wait to share these things with you! I am hoping that this weekend will be the perfect time to share all of the changes!

Miss you all,

Ms. Cara

Hidden

Yesterday while at the college Library that I tutor at I picked up the first graphic novel that I have truly enjoyed! I am not a massive fan of comics and while I love that the students are loving them I love few things more than a real actual novel! 

I picked up a book called Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier .This is the story of a grandma telling her Granddaughter about her experience growing up during the holocaust. This book had so much real emotion and brought me to tears several times. The story was truly brought to life through the pictures and it was kind of magical! 

The story is a fast read and a great companion for students who are reading books such as The Book Thief, The Diary of Anna Frank and Number the Stars. I think my favorite part is that the story is not all sad. It is the story of triumph and growing up in a scary time. It is a story of hope and being stronger than one every thought they could be!

This is a book that I feel I will keep in my heart for years to come. It is a story that shows what great strength can from love and hope!

Happy Monday,

Ms. Cara 

New Books

Since it is teacher week at Books A Million and teachers get 25% off their purchase I treated myself to three sweet, fun, and wonderful books. I love to spoil myself with a good book!

I bought The Skunk by Mac Barnett, The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat, and Inside This Book by Barney Saltzberg. I am so glad I bought them and each are so unique in their own way. I heard about many of these from John Schu’s twitter @mrschureads and his blog Watch Connect Read.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some fun new books? Have you read them? How do you use them in   your classroom?

Happy Wednesday!

Ms. Cara

Blair Turner's Very Busy Box

      Saturday I receiver the first Very Busy box from Blair Turner paper! Oh my goodness was it the very thing that I have ever gotten in the mail!!  I love a good paper product, but wow it had so many great things. 

It came with…

a thermal coffee mug

chocolates

a pencil case

two mechanical pencils

two poppin pens

a shopping bag

two blair turner pads of paper

notebook tabs 

a papaya lipgloss 

large day of the week clothes pins

The packaging was flawless and I was so so excited to open it. I think my favorite thing was the Blair Turner pad that said “ You can do anything, but not everything. “ I loved this. Sometimes as an educator and a woman I need to hear that. I can make big changes and make an impact but I have to learn to take everything one thing at a time.

To learn more about the Very Busy Box or to learn more about Blair Turner paper visit her website. She has amazing products and I can not wait to purchase more and get more Busy Boxes.

Happy Monday!

Ms. Cara

Powerful

In every classroom there is a student that really changes the dynamic of the classroom. A few months ago, our classroom got that student and so many thing have changed since then. This little boy causes for a lot of distractions and can sometimes startle the students, but we love him none the less. I have pray for this student every night and often stay up at night thinking of ways to help him. 

Today will I was on Facebook, I saw this article and it really struck me. I encourage you to read it and just do some self reflection of your own classroom. I think you will find it to be a powerful experience.  

       Here is the article. Enjoy this Dear Parent: About THAT Kid !

Have Courage and be Kind, 

Ms. Cara 

Graphic Novels, Learning to love them

     Recently I read an adorable book in the Babymouse series. I had never read any of these nor had I ever read any graphic novels. I personally not a fan, but I am starting to like them more and more. I found that I love Babymouse. Many of my third grade students are reading these books and they find them so funny. I found that I love the sassy sarcasm that Babymouse brings to the book world. I plan on buying many more. 

I really have never given graphic novels much of a chance. I am now reading the book El Deafo by Cece Bell which is a book about little girl and how she deals with being deaf. I also plan on reading the book Sister soon.

How do you feel about graphic novels? I am hoping that I can grow to like them more. Kids love them! 

Read On, 

Ms. Cara