Liebster Award!

Natalie over at The Polka Dotted Chirp was kind enough to nominate me for the Liebster Award! It is much appreciated and I am happy to pass the nominations on!
 

Here are the requirements:

Questions for me:

 1. Where did you go to college? How was it?
I went to Florida State University in Tallahassee. I really liked the small town feel of Tallahassee and loved the old red brick look of the campus. It has a lot of very pretty walking paths with big trees overhead.

2. What is your favorite movie and why?
I am a bit torn here. There are a couple of favorites I could pick! I think I will have to go with Love Actually. I watch it any time I have to stay home sick. I love all of the different storylines and how they are all connected. It’s a must-watch if you haven’t seen it yet!

3. If you could go on a shopping spree, where would you go and why?
I would probably have to pick Barnes & Noble. I have always loved to read and could always use extra books for both the home and classroom libraries!

4. If you could visit anywhere in the United States, where would you go and why?
I would go to Wisconsin. I have a lot of family there and I always enjoy visiting, especially when it is cold and snowing!

5. Where do you teach and what makes it awesome?
I teach at an elementary school in Florida. We are one of the biggest elementary schools in the district and have a great faculty and staff. Everyone is friendly and it is a very welcoming environment.

6. Name two things that makes your job awesome.
I love seeing the kids get excited about learning. Everything is new and exciting, it's great to see. I also love to see how far my students come in a year's time. It's always great to look at their portfolios and see how hard they have worked and how they have grown.

7. Name two things that make your job (at times) frustrating and difficult.
I have been an add-on class for the last two years, so I don't always end up with the same supplies as the other classes. It can be a bit frustrating, but people are usually willing to share and I have ended up making some resources that I will use for years to come. I have also been in a portable classroom for the last two years. I've been very happy to have my own classroom, but sometimes the size made things a challenge! My projector was on a rolling cart, so whenever I used my Mimio interactive whiteboard it needed to be recalibrated, sometimes several times during a lesson if someone was moving around! 

8. Do you have any pets? Tell me about them. If not, what pet would you have if you had to choose? 
I have a cat named Maggie. She is eight years old and a very shy girl. I adopted her when I went off to college and she has been a great companion ever since.

9. What is your favorite recipe?
My mom makes the most amazing bacon-wrapped chicken with a cream cheese and mushroom sauce! We have it every year on Christmas Eve (and only on Christmas Eve as it is pretty up there in calories!). Everyone looks forward to it!

 10. If you weren't an amazing teacher, what job would you choose?
I would want a job where I can create something. I used to be a floral designer when I was in college and would probably choose to do that again if I didn’t love teaching so much!

11. Name on simple pleasure that you love in life (like fresh flowers or a big diet coke!)
I absolutely love root beer! Regular, diet, doesn't matter!

12. Bonus Question: What is your favorite thing to do during the summer? 
Teaching related- I like to make some of those classroom projects I’ve been pinning all year!
Non-teaching related- I like to get big stacks of books from the library and read during all of our Summer rainstorms. There have been a ton this Summer so I’ve gotten quite a bit of reading done!



11 facts about me:

1. I have had the same part time job since I was a junior in high school! I work in retail and have been fortunate enough to be able to transfer stores whenever I have moved to a new city. During the school year I just work one evening, but during the Summer I work the 5 a.m. shifts! It's a good way to make some extra cash and I enjoy the work, especially setting planograms.

2. I love to knit and cross-stitch. One Christmas I knitted or cross-stitched gifts for my for my whole family. It took forever and I don't think I will ever be able to find the time to do it again!

3. I love Irish dance! I have been to see Lord of the Dance five times and could definitely go again if the show comes back to town!

4. When I was in first grade I wanted to be an orca trainer at SeaWorld. I was very disappointed to discover that the trainers all had degrees in psychology instead of marine biology, so I decided to move on from that dream. Yet here I am, many years later with a degree in psychology... hmm...

5. I used to play the violin in middle school. I was in the school orchestra and competed in a few competitions.

6. I am originally from England. My family moved here when I was four and I have been back to visit once in high school. I would love to go again!

7. I have a terrible fear of spiders! Unfortunately something about my first car seemed to attract them, there was always one crawling across the windshield or dangling from the ceiling as I was driving. I drove in a constant state of paranoia for years!

8. For my first year of teaching I drove 40 miles each way to school! I started in April at a school in a different city and had to drive along this one-lane road in the dark. There were no streetlights and people were always right up on your bumper. I am a bit of a nervous driver anyway (I blame it on the spiders!) so it was a very uncomfortable trip every morning! Luckily I was transferred to a different school that is very close by.

9. I used to be a floral designer. I really loved designing while I was in high school and college. I still love to make arrangements, but my favorite will always be bow-making! I am always trying to find things to add bows to in the classroom!

10. I have a very clever cat! Maggie can do tricks on command. She can sit, stand, shake my hand, jump up or down, and speak. We are working on "heel," but she doesn't seem to like that one very much!

11. I love Jane Austen! I have read Mansfield Park and Pride and Prejudice more times than I can count and am always willing to read either one again.



Here are my nominees!
Secondgradealicious
The Short and Sassy Teacher
Primary Teaching Resources
The Meek Moose
Excelling in Second

 
Questions for my nominees:

1. If you could pick any grade level/subject to teach, what would it be and why?

2. What is your favorite book and why?

3. What is one food you couldn't live without?

4. If you could visit any foreign country, which would you pick?

5. What is the best piece of teaching advice you have received?

6.If you could trade lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?

7. What is one thing on your Summer to-do list that you haven't gotten around to yet?

8. What is one TV show that you never miss?

9. When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?

10. You just found $100 in an old coat pocket, what do you spend it on?

11. If you could choose to win any award (Oscar, Grammy, Olympic medal, etc.), what would it be for?