Currently- Is it seriously October already???

I seriously cannot believe that it is already October and that 6 weeks of school have passed. 

October is by far my favorite month of the year for so many reasons. I love fall, my birthday happens on the 6th, all things pumpkin, etc. This October is going to be extra special too because I get to go to my first ever Texas Aggie game at the newly improved Kyle Field with my super amazing boyfriend! He graduated from TAMU and I cannot wait to have this experience with him! 

My school year has been beyond amazing so far. I am in love with my new school, colleagues, and principal. Moving schools is never an easy process but I am so glad I took that chance and that my new principal was willing to take a chance on me. I also had no idea how much I was going to love teaching 2nd grade. I told someone the other day I am not sure if I could ever go back to teaching 1st grade. 

I know it has been over a month since I last blogged, so I thought the perfect way to get back in a groove would be to link up with my good friend, Farley. 

Just don't mind the typo... I didn't save the file in Powerpoint...only as a JPEG. That will teach me. :)

Five for Friday + Teacher Week + Currently

I am joint all sorts of wonderful link-ups today and I thought what better way than to do them all in one! Here goes my Five for Friday, Teacher Week, and Currently link-up plus a little extra! 

It has been so great getting back into the blogging groove via Blog Hoppin'. I so love the blogging community and I know you all make me a better teacher. 

If you would have asked me this question I for sure would have said Math. I absolutely loved team-teaching last year and teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies to two different groups of first graders! However, being self-contained again this school year I had no idea how much I missed teaching Language Arts. 

Maybe it is because I am in second grade now and these kiddos already have a pretty strong reading foundation, but I am loving teaching Language Arts again. At my school we use the Daily 5 framework in grades K-2 and I have loved launching it with my students! It amazes me how independent they are. We have already built enough stamina for Read to Self and we are over halfway to Work on Writing. :) I am one very happy teacher! 

 I am also linking up with Farley for her Currently party. I know it is a little late, but better late than never is my mantra! 

Listening- It's fun to dream about the big day and I just love seeing all of the gorgeous dresses. Granted, I will never be buying anything that expensive but I sure can dream. 

Loving- So glad that it is a 3 day weekend! My school year has been awesome but I am so exhausted. I need some time to rejuvenate. It is also nice that my boyfriend will be home for the weekend too. That sure makes a girl happy! 

Thinking- It is always nerve racking making a change in schools, but I am 110% sure I made the best decision. I absolutely love my new campus and team! We are a small campus (13 staff member and 102 students) and it is the neatest place ever. I am the only 2nd grade teacher, but I think that is the change in pace that I needed. So excited to see how the rest of the school year goes! It also does not hurt that my new principal is absolutely amazing!!! So blessed! 

Wanting- I surprised by boyfriend with a trip to Las Vegas for our 1 year anniversary and I so cannot wait to go. I went one other time with my mom for my 21st birthday and he has never been before. I am so excited to make more awesome memories together. 

Needing- Fall to get her ASAP!!! I am so sick of the hot weather and humidity. I love Fall and the cooler temperatures, all things pumpkin, sweaters, boots, football, and the list could go on forever. It may not hurt that my birthday is in October too. :)

Goals- All three of them are pretty self-explanatory. I really need to prioritize and I know that will help me keep a healthy balance. I also need to learn how to say no but that is always easier said than done. I also need to make an extra effort to make time for myself. I think that is huge. 

I had no idea how much I was going to love teaching 2nd grade! My first grade level jump was from 6th grade to 1st grade and that was quite the adjustment. However, this time moving from 1st to 2nd has been amazing! I don't think I ever want to go back down. I just love how independent 2nd graders are. It has been awesome knowing where they should be since I taught first grade last year. It has made planning a thousand times easier. I cannot wait to see how the rest of the school year goes! 

I am eying a new teacher bag but I just cannot justify biting the bullet. I really want a quality bag that will hold up! Here is my current want:

Right now I cannot justify the price, so here is to hoping I possibly get it as a birthday present! :)

I love me some college football and I cannot wait to watch the Buckeyes dominate again this season! 

Who do you root for?

#teacherweek15- 5 Fun Facts

It is one of my absolute favorite weeks of the year...Teacher Week! I just love reading about others and their classrooms. So many of the ideas I get for my classroom are thanks to other great educators!  I know that I am a better teacher because of you all!

Today's theme is fun facts all about the teacher! 

one. 

This is year five of teaching and every year I have set up a new classroom. I have only taught in the same classroom once, but I had to pack up at the end of the year due to construction. You could say I am a pro at classroom set-up. I actually really enjoy creating a fun space for my students to learn in. All five of my years have been spent in the same district and on three different campuses. Here are some pictures from each of the past five years. 

 6th Grade Language Arts 

2011-2012

6th Grade Language Arts

2012-2013

This was the same exact classroom as the year before but we had massive remodeling happen during the summer. 

1st Grade Self-Contained

2013-2014

1st Grade Math, Science, and Social Studies

2014-2015

2nd Grade Self-Contained

2015-2016

two. 

I spend my summers working at a summer camp. I literally leave for camp the day I finish school and I return the weekend before our inservice week starts. I just completed my third year as a the girl's camp director and I absolutely love it. My camp friends are for sure some of my best friends! Fun fact- I actually met my boyfriend thanks to camp!

three. 

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday! I just love all things associated with it! My family has some fun Christmas traditions and I cannot wait to start my own traditions with my family one day soon! 

four. 

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a Capturing Kids' Hearts training and all I can say is life-changing. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one I highly suggest you make it happen. We created our social contract on Friday and they were so excited to live by it today. I cannot wait to see how this not only transforms my classroom, but my school and district too. 

 Don't worry...I already fixed my mistake. :)

five. 

I am a certified principal but I have yet to use my degree. My dream job would actually be working as a curriculum specialist in an elementary school and helping mentor new teachers. Who knows...maybe one day that dream will come true! 

Classroom Reveal 2015-2016

The moment you all have been waiting for...my classroom reveal for the 2015-2016 school year. 

My new school is itty bitty and I absolutely love it! We have one teacher per grade level Kinder-5th grade. I currently have 16 second graders in my class. The former 2nd grade teacher who had been in my room retired at the end of the past school year. I did not think to take any before pictures of when I started to work, but I do have some photos of her classroom in May. I am excited for you all to see the difference. 

As soon as I saw the room when I went to observe in May I knew the first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the teacher desk. I also knew I wanted to bring my shelves with me and get rid some of the massive storage units. It was just too big for my taste. It was really neat during our Supply Night/Meet the Teacher when the old students would walk in my room and say how different it looked. Many of them informed me they loved it. I have a feeling part of that may have something to do with our seating options. :)

I cannot wait for my first day with my Second Grade Superheroes on Monday!

2nd Grade Superheros!

Be sure to head on over to Blog Hoppin' to check out some more awesome classrooms!

Once again I have taken a long vacation from this little ole' blog. I say I am going to do a better job and then life happens. 

I had a great summer. I once again worked as at the girl's camp director at the camp I grew up going to. This was my 3rd year to be in this role. This summer was extra special because my boyfriend was the camp director at the boy's camp. So glad we got to spend the whole summer together. 

If you remember I shared back in the spring that I am going to be teaching 2nd grade this school year at a new school. I am so beyond excited for this adventure and I am in love with my new campus! The teachers, parents, and kids are beyond wonderful! My campus has right over 100 kids total K-5 and I will be the only 2nd grade teacher. It is crazy to think that there were more kids in 1st grade on my last campus than what is the total number at my new school. 

That being said I have all been working on setting up my 5th classroom in 5 years. I am really hoping that I can stay put for a while this time. :) I promise to share a reveal soon, but in the mean time I was pretty happy with my bulletin board outside my room. Our theme these year on our campus is Super Leaders. My inspiration for the board came from here. 

Hope your classroom is going wonderfully! I love seeing all of the super cute classrooms. It is hard to believe that my 5th year of teaching will start on the 24th! Time sure does fly when you enjoy what you do!

I'm Back...Five for Friday!

I sure have neglected this little blog of mine! I was so excited to blog about my new adventure of team teaching in 1st grade this school year, but life has just been busy! It has been such an amazing year and I have loved teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies. I thought in order to catch you all up I would participate in Doodle Bugs Teaching's Five for Friday Party!

Guided Math has totally changed my classroom! I tried this last year, but my kids simply could not handle it. I love the opportunity that guided math allows me to change my instruction on a weekly basis. Some weeks I will meet with all students in small groups and other weeks I may only meet with certain students depending on the data I have collected. We have also been able to implement a ton of technology. 

Each week my students go through a total of eight math stations. Two of the stations are on the iPads (mini and big ones) and we also have a computer station. On the computer we use a website called Splash Math and I love it and the kiddos do too! I am looking forward to continuing to master the use of guided math within my classroom. 

Last week we took our 200 first graders to the San Antonio Zoo and we could not have asked for better weather. It was a little cooler, but the sun was out. Since it was cooler a lot of the animals were out too! It is also necessary for the teachers to stop and take a selfie with the animals too. (Just don't judge our selfie skills!)

This school year I have really enjoyed being able to teach Science explicitly. One of my favorite things we have done was during our Oviparous Animals study. My kids had no idea how strong an egg really was. We tried to break it in the palm of our hand, and then I stunned them and told them we could walk across them!!! They could not believe it! We only broke a few eggs but I have a feeling this is something they will always remember!

Besides school my life has been super busy coaching club volleyball. It has pretty much consumed my life for the past five months. I finally have my last tournament of the season tomorrow! I love coaching but I am so ready for a break because this season I coached two teams. 

There are also some big changes happening in the life of Miss Klohn. I am so excited because next year I will be teaching...

I will actually be moving schools within my district too. I am going to be teaching at our K-5 school that only has one teacher per grade level and about 100 kids total. I will also be self-contained next school year which I am nervous but excited about too. Be on the lookout because the blog will be getting a makeover reflecting my changes very soon! 

October Currently

Hi! It's the world's worst blogger here! If it was not for Farley I am pretty sure it would have been more than a month in-between my blog posts. Thank goodness for the Currently linky party to get me back in the groove! I promise I have lots of things I want to blog about, I just need to find the time to make it happen. 

Be sure to head on over to my store...it is 15% off until Sunday!