Oh Yea...Liebster Baby!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award…woop woop! Thank you soo much  to Angela at Southern Fried Teaching for nominating me! This is my first blog award!!!

They love me!! They really, really love me!

For those of you bloggers who are new, or have lived under a rock for a while, the Liebster Award is a pretty big deal. It’s the Egg McMuffin of buttons that new bloggers wanna grab for their sidebar.

Lol, not really…but it is pretty cool.

Here is the dealie-oh:

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, what is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn't that sweet? Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.

3. Choose 5-11 people and link them in your post.

4. Go to their page and tell them.

5. No tag backs!

Now that you are up to speed, here goes…..

Let’s get Random, with 11 facts

1.  I do everything left handed besides iron and use scissors because my mom taught me those things and she is a righty.

2.  I once spent a whole summer watching E! True Hollywood story

3.  If I could go back to college for free, I would study archaeology.

4.  I have been 5ft 11 since I my early teens.

5.  I was born with my thumb in my mouth.

6.  I can have a full conversation using only movie lines.

7.  My initials are E.T, and my sister told me to “phone home” every day until I was about 12.

8.  I have had the same close friends for over a decade.

9.  When I am bored I create on Photoshop

10. I am addicted to linky parties, frozen apple juice and romantic comedies.

11. I am terrified of rollercoasters, pools deeper than 5 ft and public speaking.

12. I am sometimes bad at following directions.

Questions from Southern Fried Teaching

1.What is one of your favorite teaching memories?

It would have to be my teacher ticket recovery story. My first year, I taught 5^th grade in Houston, Texas. I wanted to get my kiddos a treat so on the way to work I stopped at Walgreens. As I BARELY pulled out of the store parking lot a cop swooped in (sirens wailing) and pulled me over. It was the end of the month so of course I was his/her next “quota ticket”.  

*eyes rolling*

The cop comes to my car and gives me the whole “license & registration blah” ….

Sidenote: It may not sound like it but I was pretty polite. I was confused and REALLY tryna figure out why I was pulled over.

As I reached for my information, I guess he caught glimpse of my work lanyard and polo.

“Ma’am are you a teacher?” 

I say yes and continue to look through my junky gloveless compartment.

When I look up, the cop tips his hat (LITERALLY) and starts to walk away.

“Thank you for all you do. Make sure to click your lights on.”

Whaa?? No ticket for me.

FYI: I smile EVERY time I tell someone that teaching got me out of a ticket.

2. What is your favorite school lunch?

Confession: I NEVER really eat school lunch, but my favorite that I have seen as a teacher is Frito Pie. Frito Pie is literally a bag of plain Frito’s with chili mixed in. I thought it was the most horrible thing I have ever heard of but the kids seemed to love it.

3. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Lots of things! I am a BIG Sudoku nerd, I play around on Photoshop, blogstal-browse….um I am a big reality TV junkie, and I like to crafts, mainly with crayon art. Oh and two words: SOCIAL+ MEDIA (o_O)

4. What song gets you up and going and puts a smile on your face?

I have to choose one? Gaaahhhhhh!!!! I think right now it would have to be “Go Get It” by Mary Mary.  I love the message it has about pursuing your blessings.

5. If you had to give any advice to a new teacher, what would you say?

I would have to say ask questions and do not be afraid to ask for support. College does not prepare you for every scenario. Each classroom is case by case. It is important to keep that in mind.

6. What is a simple review activity that you do in your classroom?

As a simple check for understanding we use the Parking Lot. I ask them simple questions about what we learned that day, or a review and they respond on a post it. The Parking Lot Anchor Chart has cars and lanes for them to place their post-it response.

7. What is the best teacher gift you have ever received?

I went back and forth about whether I should have made this my favorite memory, but I decided it was a gift. I was relocating from Houston to go back to school, after my first year as a teacher. I was feeling pretty down (read my teaching testimony for more info) about how my first year went. I bummed around for a day just to detox, not taking any calls or watching tv.

The next morning I realized I had a missed call. I checked my voicemail and it was from Mrs. T, a parent of one of my students that year. Ms. T called to thank me for being her daughter’s teacher.  She felt her daughter had grew so much and she appreciated the classroom culture, environment and my teaching style. Ms. T thanked me for making her feel like she was more involved in her daughters learning and predicted that great things were coming for me as I journeyed back to the East Coast. 

That message was my favorite gift… I will never forget it.

8. What is one piece of advice you really wish you could give to parents?

There are ways to reinforce student learning and social skills at home and on weekends so that when students return to school, especially from breaks and holidays, it does not feel like they have been reprogrammed. Learning is not just Mon-Fri between 7:15 and 1:55. 

9. What do you love about blogging?

I love the connections I have made as a blogger this short time I have been exposed to the blogoshpere. And even though we barely know each other, I have soo many bloggy buddies I call unofficial mentors -who-don't-know-it, who have been through what I have been through and can give me so much useful advice and cool ideas. What I love most is I have learned so many “tips of the trade” from these teachers, who are not only statewide, but are also nationwide. There is definitely learning happening in you guys classrooms. You rock!

10. How do bring laughter into the classroom?

I have to be honest. I am a big geek. And it comes across in my classroom, just as much as it has in my posts...and in person with my friends/family. As a teacher, my creativity always pulls a laugh in. If I wanna do a little jig to get my point across, I will. I sing (break out in song), I rap and make sound effects. We do classroom culture cheers. WE ALWAYS KISS OUR BRAINS. I wear thematic clothes. Whatever it takes. I also encourage the students to participate. And I feel in turn, they are themselves and not afraid to make mistakes because I am myself. We have rules and expectations (Our Class Core Values) but I make sure they know that learning (and growing our brains) can be a fun thing to do.

11. What is your favorite book to read to your students?

Did somebody say book? gahhh!!!!

I am going to preface my response with this:

I do not have just one favorite book to read to my students. 

But if I “just have to” choose one, it would be “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. It is such a motivator. I read it at the end of every year, no matter what grade I teach. It was read to me my senior year of high school and it just stuck with me.

My Nominee’s

1.  Sarah at The Wanderlust Teacher

2.  Reddishann at The Reddish-Brown Crayon

3.  Dominique at Mommy at the Teacher’s Desk

4.  Kim at Life Over C’s

5.  Katie at Glitter Glue & Giggles

I chose these people because I love their blogs design and/or content, resources and tips. I have blogstal-browsed each and every one! I love bloggers that are "down to earth" for lack of better words at the moment. I provided a link to each blogger so that you can check them out!

Questions for my Nominees

1. What inspires you to blog? 


2. What food are you proud you tried, but would never eat again?

3. How has your teaching style changed from your first year?

4. What person, in any place or time period, would you trade places with for a day?

5. What do you hope readers take away from your blog?

6. What is the best teacher gift you have ever received?

7. What are three items you cannot live without? Why?

8. If you could choose one subject to NOT teach the remainder of your teaching career, what would you choose and why?

9. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?  

10. What book character would you be and why?

11. If you could choose one song as the theme song for the 2013-2014 school year so far, what would it be and why?



Nominee's.....if you ACCEPT please comment and let me know. I will hop on over to your blog and check out your responses when you are finish. Make sure you read the Liebster info at the top of this post.

Before I go, check this out.....

I wouldn't be me if I didn't "do up" my own little button.

XOXO.