project'ing

that's prah-ject-ing. like the act of completing projects. maybe i made up that definition. and word for that matter. but deal with it. its exactly what i need to do. complete projects. not just write them off into the abyss of my neverending "to do" list.

at the risk of sounding silly, here is my "to actually do very soon" list:

1. work wardrobe: i pride myself on my shopping abilities. i am an absolute pro at finding versatile pieces that work both at school and in my social life, and also translate through multiple seasons.  i sometimes impress myself with cost efficiency as well. sometimes. however, and anyone who lives/works/hangs out with me can attest, i occasionally look homeless. not dirty. just little orphan annie-esque. so to prevent that, i really just need to organize! catalogue all available outfits, create a way to keep track of what ive worn to avoid close repetition, and donate all unnecessary items. knowing in advance what ill be wearing and that ill look presentable and put together makes the entire day start off on a good foot. speaking of feet, it will also hopefully cut down on how many times they pace around my room in the morning. getting me to work on time :)

2. classroom environment: i am obsessed with the things i find online and in real life that teachers do with their classrooms. and im determined to get a few more of those great ideas into motion this year. over last summer, i organized my face off. everything was labeled, color coded, numbered, assigned, catalogued and in the exact space i wanted it by the time kids showed up. this year, my focus is on overall environment. a few big ideas in the works - first, "have you filled a bucket today?" my schools new guidance counselor incorporated the idea with our staff this year and its a great way to increase positive interaction. not sure yet if i want it to be a homeroom thing, or grade-wide. once i finish project'ing, i will post details.

next, "yo! ms. l's RAPS" which is a play on an old mtv show. you know, back in the day when they actually played music? anyway, im working on tweaking the logo, but the RAPS stand for the steps my students should take when responding to an open-ended writing prompt. hopefully, with it posted around the room, taught/modeled/practiced at the beginning of the year, and the catchiness of it - students will remember and use it! again, details to follow.

finally, "that's my jam!" which is probably my favorite. using teacher-selected theme music for each curriculum week, students get the chance to earn jam time at the end of each class period. for example, if everyone completes the classwork productively without any major interferences, the last five minutes of each class time (aka passing out homework/packing up/getting in line/socializing) are accompanied by music. theme music - which is where i get to be really corny, laugh at my own plays on words AND listen to the things i like. think "king of wishful thinking" for the king arthur, sword in the stone week. genius! clearly i have a lot of work to do before september 1st.

3. the room: ugh. least favorite. my bedroom has legit not been cleaned out in forever. there may or may not be dinosaur fossils under my bed. ive done the whole "youre growing up, get rid of the kiddie stuff" clean and the "its time for college" clean and even the "moving in with the boyfriend and then getting engaged/married/never living here again" clean. well, no use crying over spilt vodka. thats old news. clearly, im back. but hopefully not staying for much longer. so it really is time to just make a day of it and say buhbye to the baggage.

now, considering its practically midsummer already, i need to get my ass in gear. granted, im "working" this summer. ha. even i wont attempt to defend myself. im getting paid an obscene amount of money [thankyou state-funded grants] for four hours a day, four days a week. which leaves me a whole lot of spare time. so cmon d, vamanos! lets get this party started, right? updates to follow on my hopeful progress.