Happy ( SUPER EARLY) Monday Friends! I can be up this late because I am student-less this week as we are on spring break. Even so, it is super late and I need to get to bed. But before I do I wanted to link up with Farley for Currently.
Listening: I don't really like reality television that doesn't involve some level of talent, like The Voice and DWTS. But this gypsy show really sucked me in over the summer and now I am hooked! The things they wear and the way they talk....oh boy!
Loving: That's just an obvious given. Who doesn't love and welcome Spring Break? :)
Thinking: The estimation packet should be ready to go later on today. So check out my Facebook page later on for a giveaway! :)
Wanting: It has definitely warmed up from the crazy winter. Most of the snow is gone. But I was hoping for at least 50- 60 degrees all week. Mama needs to spray paint! :)
(PS: So I woke up this morning to SNOW ON THE GROUND! GRRR! Looks like mother nature is playing a little April Fools joke on us here in Central Michigan.)
Needing: Checked out my TPT wish list over the weekend....it used to be full of activities...now its full of things to make those activities myself. It's exciting and overwhelming all at once. :)
Advice: My BBF ( best bloggy friend) Angela over at Hippo Hooray For 2nd Grade was featured on Amanda Maddens blog Teaching Maddeness this past week for her budding bloggers showcase. Angela said something that really resonated with me and that was, to be true to yourself. She said something about writing the way that you talk...so she doesn't use y'all in her posts because she is a cheese head and we just don't use that kind of language up north. It made me laugh because I want to use y'all so bad ,but anytime I write it I just feel like I am trying too hard.
I wanted to include Angela's advice because I think it is so important and it has really helped me this week. But I also wanted to add my own. It is hard for me sometimes to not get down on myself or think I have nothing to offer just because I only have 168 followers and someone else has thousands. It is hard for to not get down on myself when I put something on TPT and it doesn't sell like I thought it would. It is hard for me when I read peoples blogs and they seem to really have a niche in the blogging community, like "oh they are the go to person for math", or "they really seem to have 2nd grade nailed."
Sometimes I think I should give up on Diving Into 2nd Grade.
But, I think about the reason why I started blogging in the first place...it is because Pinterest opened this door to a whole teaching community I didn't even know existed. I saw all of these cool ideas and projects and products and I thought " Hey, I want to join in on the fun!" I had, what I thought, was a cute classroom with fun, engaging activities and other teachers blogs have just taken it to the next level. Teacher bloggers have really changed my classroom and my teaching for the better and I want to be a part of that.
Really, my advice is for me. But I hope, if you are struggling with some of the same thoughts as me, that it helps you too.
(Ok, so I woke up this morning to some really awesome comments that made me feel great. So I just had to add to the positive end of my paragraph about remembering why I started a blog. Teacher bloggers are SO helpful and kind to one another. We are so willing to help each other out and I think that is awesome. I think those doubts that I was talking about above plague everyone from time to time. But, like I was reminded this morning, we have to focus on the things we HAVE going for us and give ourselves a little credit. )
