Tag Archives: Teachers

My Friday Favorites 03.31.17

Posted by Maureen in My Favorites and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Friday! Here is my roundup of the things I’m loving this week.

On TV – Last night’s Grey’s Anatomy episode reminded me why I loved the show when it first began. From the first moment with a Meredith voiceover talking about her Mom, to the doctors disagreeing over a patient’s treatment because the stakes are so high, this was old school Grey’s Anatomy! It even felt like it was shot in a reminiscent way (an elevator door coming between possible love, a daughter following her mother out of an ambulance) so it did not surprise me when I realized that it was Ellen Pompeo’s director debut. What was the rest of Ellis’s sentence??? Tell Meredith not to……what do you think?

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On the Page – Do you want to know genius storage tricks? 17 ways to add color to every room? To read a moving story about a family and their late father’s bucket list? And to see Octavia Spencer’s fun spring wardrobe? Check out Good Housekeeping’s April issue.

GHK040117_051On the Web – This is the time of year that I am not always thrilled at work. As a teacher, the “standardized testing season” can be long, unfulfilling, and demoralizing for students and teachers alike. Every teacher should read I Can’t Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems by Sara Holbrook. The poet admits that she cannot answer questions on a 7th grade standardized test about poems she authored. Teachers – just breathe! It will all be over soon! (Sidebar – don’t forget your fitbits!)

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On Instagram – Nothing says spring like the flood of rainbow colors on Instagram! My pick this week is the wonderfully color-coded bath accessories displayed by The Organizing Store. This deserves all of the heart-emoji smiley faces and rainbows you can type!

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On the Playlist – Bon Jovi’s This House is Not for Sale album, as I prepare to see them tonight in concert! I’m liking this new album, but, I can’t wait to hear them sing their oldies including my all time favorite Bon Jovi song… drumroll…. Who Says You Can’t Go Home!JBJ_touronsale_bnr
Hope you have a great weekend! Let me know some of your favorite things AND what you think Ellis Grey wanted to tell Meredith in the comments below!

My Friday Favorites 07.29.16

Posted by Maureen in Color-Coded, My Favorites, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

On TV – I just discovered OWN’s new drama Greenleaf. I caught up on demand and watched live this week. The Greenleaf family runs the Calvary megachurch in Memphis. This drama is filled with scandal, deceit, cover-ups, and family secrets. In the latest episode, Grace got the evidence she needed against Uncle Mac, the verdict in the Officer Daniel Nelson case was revealed, and tragedy struck again in response. This week’s episode started with a disclaimer that it was filmed in January and it understood the topic of crimes committed by and against the police were even more relevant today.
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On the Page – Better Homes and Gardens August issue takes a look into a home that’s created great work and display spaces, new recipes for green beans, beautiful hydrangeas, and how to pack a throwback 1956 picnic. 

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On the Web – I could not stop laughing as I scrolled through Glamour’s article, 20 TV Shows to Watch on Netflix When You’re Feeling Stressed. Parks and Recreation, Gilmore Girls (returning in November!) Grey’s Anatomy… the Riggins GIFs!! Anything on HGTV – I know there have been times when I click on HGTV and go about my business in the house as if I flipped on a radio. My only addition to this list would be One Tree Hill. What would you add to this list?

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In the Garden – I’m very proud of myself this summer. I decided to cut my spending money on fresh herbs and try to grow some myself. I have the absolute opposite of a green thumb so this was a daring experiment. I picked spearmint, basil and cilantro. The basil and spearmint have taken off! I have fresh basil in my salads and fresh mint in my water everyday! The cilantro…. hasn’t done as well. I need to research that one a little more. Since I’ve had 2/3 success, I think I should try a few more so I can completely stop spending money on herbs. I found this chart from Country Living and I’m printing it and hanging it on my fridge! At first I thought there were no cilantro tips, until I took a closer look, and saw it says to look at coriander. 

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In your Coffee Mug – I love coffee. I love ice coffee. I love cinnamon. I love that Starbucks is sharing this recipe so I can make this at home and not spend $5. 

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On Instagram – So, I’m switching schools next year and teaching a grade I haven’t taught in 20 years! (yay and gulp!) I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to organize my classroom library. I first saw this pic on @teacherspayteachers (one of my favorite websites.) It inspires me and gives me so many ideas! The photo is originally from @kindercraze, so of course I had to check her page out and you should, too!

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What things are you loving this week? And how do you keep your fresh cilantro alive?!? Leave me a comment and let me know! Have a great weekend. 

Teacher Binder

Posted by Maureen in Organization and tagged with , , , , ,

This semester I am teaching my first college course.  I was a classroom teacher for years, for all different age groups, before switching to the non-profit arts sector eight years ago.  I have really enjoyed being back in the classroom, especially at the college level. The course is an elective for Elementary Education majors that concentrates on integrating the Arts across the Curriculum.

Lesson Plan Binder

Before the course started, I organized a binder for class with the syllabus on the first page and the following sections:

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In addition to the syllabus; I write a lesson plan for each class.

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This course concentrates on the pre-school through third grade age group. I try to incorporate a lot of different visual arts elements to teach counting, shapes, and colors.

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Are you currently teaching this age group?  Or have your own children this age and would like to know more about how to incorporates the arts in their development?  I have many lessons and activities that use visual arts, music, dance, and theater to enhance learning. Leave me a comment; I’d love to share ideas with you!

My Friday Favorites 07/27/12

Posted by Maureen in My Favorites, Recipies, TV and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

On TV –  To be honest – I have some catching up to do this weekend on my DVR from this week!  But I did watch the finale of  The Bachelorette  it was Jef with one F over race car driving Arie.

My pick for favorite is:

  • Live! with Kelly –  Tuesday was the last day I ran home to watch my DVR (see last week’s Friday Favorites for the details) My childhood friend Michael Buckley, @buckhollywood,  co – hosted Live! with Kelly for the whole hour.  He did an amazing job!  Highlights for me – asking Emily (of Emily and Jef with one F) what her strategy was to make this engagement work (ha ha – loved it!)  eating crazy, mysterious  foods with a smile, and seeing his whole family in the audience!  As the Governor of CT tweeted him, #CTGrown.

** I hope you are enjoying my new page –  My Color TV – check it out for more TV talk from me**

On the computer –

  • TEACHABLE MOMENTS – Letter to Parents  – as a former teacher I understand and appreciate this!  I tip my hat to the countless individuals who go into the classroom each year – you are inspirational!

On the page –

In the Kitchen –

On my twitter feed –

I would love to hear about your favorite things this week.  Leave me a comment and tell me about them!

As always, thank you for stopping by and reading.  Have a great weekend!