Throwback Thursday

To kick off The Teacher's Desk 6 100 Follower Celebration and as part of Throwback Thursday hosted by Mrs. Carroll over at The First Grade Parade, I am reposting my FIRST ever blog post.

FEB. 20, 2013

For years I hosted The Teacher's Desk website. I hosted Paragraph a Week and housed an archive of 100's of classroom ideas for teachers in grades 5 and 6. It began as a small website on a local ISP in late 1996 with a goofy web address. Then along came Geocities and I uploaded my site there. Still called The Teacher's Desk, it still had all the same content and a goofy web address. Sometime around 2003 Geocities combined forces with Yahoo and personal websites were not going to be accorded the same luxuries without a price. It was then that I invested in my own domain teachersdesk.org and began paying a monthly fee to house what for years had been free. Great!

Except that after time that monthly fee began to weigh on me, especially after I saw that there were new companies offering FREE websites with terrific features. In 2012, I took the plunge. I closed the teachersdesk.org and began porting things over to Google. The classroom website came first. Many of the once free items from The Teacher's Desk are now being offered on Teachers Pay Teachers, some still free; some for a price (reasonable, I might add). Still other items are being updated and will be featured here on the The Teacher's Desk 6 blog.

I started out creating this blog as a means for parents, students, and me to be able to discuss the books we were reading in my Language Arts classes. I didn't like this really but it was a blog topic and I wanted a blog; however, I just let it be for quite some time. Today was a snow day for St. John School. I puttered around the house, finished all the chores, and started playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook when it occurred to me: Why not update that blog you opened last year?

Here it is! I'll be posting classroom ideas and activities on a regular basis. Feel free to borrow and share. I invite your comments, responses, inquiries, etc. Just one rule, please: give credit where credit is due. I promise to follow the same.

Thanks for joining me here at The Desk,
Angela
teachersdesk@yahoo.com

July Goals

Looking back at my June goals, I didn't do too badly! But I didn't too well, either. I did relax and not feel guilty, I did spend lots of time with my family, and I did read lots for enjoyment. However, I did not become physically active, I did not take a break from school, and I did not finish all the TpT products that I have started. Fifty percent isn't too horrible! Just horrible! I promise myself that I will do better in July.

I'm once again linking up with Jess over at I {heart} Recess for her monthly goal linky. Here goes:

PERSONAL: I have been in a bad place with my spiritual life; therefore, this is a top priority for me this month. I find when my spiritual life is in order, the rest of my life follows beautifully!

FAMILY: We've been spending more time together, but I'd like them to come to my house more often as a family unit. I have my niece overnight a lot (she'd move in if her parents would let her) and my nephew comes about once a week. I'm working towards having them ALL over to dinner at least once a week... starting today!

HEALTH: Notice I was much more specific this month. Instead of saying "get more physically active" I specifically said what physical activity I was going to strive for, and I made it plural: WALKS, not just one! I sit entirely toooooo much... it's the computer's fault!

SCHOOL: My new assignment is teaching gr. 8 English, on top of grs. 5 and 6 Language Arts et al. Soooo, I've been doing some planning and reading. The teacher who was to have originally had this group assigned two books for the kiddos to read over summer. Now I must read and make preparations for using them... not what I would've chosen (one is about the Hatfields and McCoys; the other is about Slavery/Mammouth Cave). I'll work with it and make it work for the kiddos. Step one will be to get the two books read... PRONTO!

BLOG/TpT: My blog? It's taken on a life of its own... a FUN life! TpT? I just need to keep at it. I've got several TpT projects in process, several I just finished, and several more in mind. Here is one that I FINALLY finished. It's a Power Point Slideshow that features Newbery Award and Honor Books. It is meant to accompany the VERY FIRST product that I offered in my TpT store, the Newbery Award Book Report. Mind you, I did not have to create this from the ground floor up, I just had to tweak it as a store offering. I've actually used both products in my classroom since around 2005... oh, what a procrastinator I can be!

Newbery Award Power Point Slideshow

Newbery Award Book Report

OUT of the BOX: Hmmmm? Not sure I was ever in a box! That's why my family thinks I'm eccentric, my students think I'm crazy, and folks think I'm weird. LOVE IT!

Happy July,
Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

July Currently

I just love the Currently linky hosted by Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade! If you're not yet a part of it, head on over and link up. It's a great way to meet tons of wonderful education bloggers.

Here's my July currently:

LISTENING: It has been muggy and rainy here for the past ten days. Everything and everyone is moist! YUCK! I've been running my fan and my window A/C constantly, along with the dehumidifier in the basement. Can't wait to see next month's electric bill! However, I am not really complaining because six months ago I was freezing my backside off, stuck in the house because of foot and half of the white stuff in my yard... soooooo, bring on the heat but could I please have some sunshine with it?

LOVING: Need I say anything?

THINKING: I got a phone call last week from my principal who explained to me a major scheduling problem he was having and asked me ever so nicely if I would teach eighth grade English. What was I thinking when I said YES? I've been consumed with reading the ELA CCSS for gr. 8 and trying to figure out what materials I have on hand, what I can create, etc. I'm actually excited, chiefly because when I had this group of kids in sixth grade, we were a great combination!

WANTING: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Keurig! I have just the single cup unit, but it suits me fine. I can only drink one cup at a time. Last year I discovered the brew over ice beverages Southern Sweet Tea and Hazelnut Iced Coffee. This year is lemonade! I've gone through two boxes and that's in only a little more than two weeks. I'll be broke by the end of summer if I keep up this pace. LOL!

NEEDING: I sit at this darn ole computer toooooooo much! I need to get up and move, go for a walk or something! The exercise would help my arthritic knees, BUT what am I doing right now? Yep! See what I mean?

TIPS, TRICKS, OR HINTS: I have a tendency to start too many projects at once, whether it's in the house, for school, or for TpT. When I focus on just one at a time I get it done more quickly and with less frustration. In the long run I save time by doing one at a time. Now if I could just remember this (she says who has three blog posts begun and two TpT products in process all at the same time).

Happy July,
Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6