Teacher Tuesday: Lindsay Carter Edition

Special Update

This interview was done while Lindsay was about 8 months pregnant. I am happy to report that she gave birth to a healthy baby boy over the weekend. Campbell Carter was born on Saturday at 4:54 am. He was 7lbs 2oz and just perfect. I can't wait to meet that sweet baby boy. Just look at how precious he is...

 

 

Three years ago, Kinder and 1st were both losing a teacher and needed to find some stellar replacements. One of my besties, Nora, was the Kinder Team Leader and I was the 1st grade Team Leader. We interviewed 2 amazing girls and hired them both. The big question was, who gets who?

Lindsay and Kimmie are both stellar teachers and we finally decided Lindsay was the best fit for Kinder and Kimmie was the best fit for first. From the beginning it was love. I kind of like to think that Nora and I were like their sorority big sisters. We had so much fun breaking them in to the Beverly way of life, and they were both such assets to our teams.

Lindsay is an amazing teacher. She loves her students so much and spends a ton of her free time going to birthday parties, soccer games, and dance recitals. She knows the value of knowing her students outside of school. Parents and students alike love Mrs. Carter and think of her as a part of their family.
Lindsay just started her maternity leave and I will miss seeing her precious face around school. She is a fellow partner and crime and is always up for doing something silly and fun. Our most recent adventure was our "Reindeer on That Beat" performance featuring Lindsay as Rudolph. 

Get ready for a treat! You are about to hear from the amazing, Lindsay Carter! 

How long have you been teaching? 

6 years

What is your classroom decor? 

I have a lot of bright colors in my room. It's fun and exciting, just like Kinder!

Lindsay's room is so bright and cheery. I love going in there and her kids love learning there.

What is your favorite story about a student? 

My favorite story is a new one that has just happened this year. The most precious little boy came back from the restroom with a wet t-shirt. Now, in Kinder coming back from the restroom with a wet shirt could really be anything. So, the little boy comes up to me and says "umm Mrs. Carter, I fink I forgot to aim or sumfin and well, the stuff from my body just keep going and going. I fink I need to go change or sumfin."

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

My favorite lesson is teaching kids about other customs and traditions. We spend 3 weeks doing a Holidays Around the World lesson where we "travel" to different locations. During this time, that tricky little guy The Gingerbread Man has also run away from the classroom and he writes us postcards from around the world about his travels. As we get them, we make sure to track them on the map. It adds so much magic and fun mixed in with their learning of geography.

Look at all these postcards they collected this year. Gingy went to some really cool places! 

Check out some of the crafts they made while learning about different customs and traditions.

What inspires you? What is your strong?

My co-workers, especially my amazing team. I love seeing and hearing all of the wonderful things going on at Beverly. My team and I could spend hours creating and planning. We are really good at meeting the needs of our students and with kindergarten, the needs fall on a very wide spectrum, but it continuously keeps things new and exciting even for us!

What is your favorite Techy Tool?

I love the green screen. It is so much fun and the kids love it!

What is your favorite Caffeinated Beverage?

Dr. Pepper

What is your favorite school celebration?

Some might not consider it a celebration, but I love Open House. Throughout the year we have been saving samples of student work. At Open House, the parents are presented with a portfolio of all the work throughout the year. It is truly amazing to see how much the kids have grown. Not only do the parents see the growth, but the kids do too. They find it so funny to look at their handwriting, coloring or cutting from the beginning of the year. To me, it's a celebration of each child's hard work and success.

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

In my free time, I like to shop. It's not the best hobby to have, but I try and control it. I don't just shop for clothes, but home goods too! Oh, and toys for my 2 cute dogs :)

And I have a feeling she will be doing a lot of shopping for that cute baby boy too!

Tell us your best classroom management trick.

Starting in October, we have a holiday buddy that is "watching" our class. When a child is caught being kind, working hard, or being a good citizen, the buddy will magically appear at a child's table, locker or learning rug spot to deliver them a little prize. The holiday buddies eventually go back to "Holiday World" and we hope a new one comes with a new month. The kids constantly try and catch me moving him/her, but can't quite figure out how I could have done it. They also rush into the classroom or to their locker frequently to check if the buddy flew to them. It's really fun!

VIP picture of the holiday buddies. No one knows how they all got together for this magical picture?

Favorite teacher you've ever had?

My favorite teacher was my Kindergarten teacher. Kindergarten was only half day at that time and was extremely different than it is now. I don't remember what all I learned in her class, but I remember feeling loved and important. Oh, and also that she wore heels and pearls every day.

Who is your favorite children's author?

I love Mo Willems

Oh, how I adore a good Kindergarten interview. Camille and James are both hilarious and I knew they would love to tell me all about their sweet teacher. My favorite part was their advice for her as a new mommy. Perfect timing, Lindsay. I know you will take their words of wisdom to heart.

1. How old is your teacher?

C- 36

J- 25

2. What does your teacher do for fun?

C- Go to Houston and go to a wedding

J- Play soccer

3. What would your teacher do with $1,000,000?

C- Buy an automatic building with an automatic window shutter and door locker.

J- Teacher stuff

James and Camille might be right, but I think she would just do some down home Canton shopping! 

4. If your teacher wasn't a teacher, what would she be?

C- A Doctor! She is good at helping us when we are hurt just like Nurse Kriska

J-A Firefighter. She saves us all the time like that.

5. If your teacher was a fruit, which one would she be?

C- A grape because they are round like her belly. Don't forget she was 8 months preggo, y'all! 

J- An apple because it's sweet.

6. What scares your teacher?

C- Bats

J- Owls that don't have evidence and bump into her. Hmmm...I am not even sure what this means, but it definitely sounds scary.

7. What is something your teacher doesn't like?

C- Bad choices at school

J- Spicy candy canes

8. If your teacher could teleport, where would she go?

C- Alaska because it is sunny.

J- Kentucky because my grandma lives there.

9. What makes your teacher so special?

C- She helps us spell.

J- She is so nice.

When I asked about her husband Chase, they told me these earth shattering revelations:

1. He is a boy.

2. He likes fruits.

3. He likes to drive around town a lot. 

Baby Advice From James:

1. Watch out, it's gonna slobber A LOT.

2. It can't eat pizza, so don't give it any.

3. She should name the baby either James or Coopy.

Baby Advice From Camille:

1. You're gonna have to change its diaper.

2. You gotta make it sleep.

3. You can't just stick it in the car. You are going to need a car seat.

4. You gotta keep track of it. Maybe she should get a baby gate to keep in locked in place. 

LC, you have some stellar advice here. I hope this helps you out with that sweet baby boy of yours. I love you to the moon and am so excited for you and your growing family. Enjoy those baby snuggles! 

What's Up Wednesday: 1/11

What I'm Working On

College Week

Well, I guess I am technically done working on college week since it is happening right now. We are having so much fun over here with theme days, lessons about college, and career exploration. Here is a glimpse at our week of dress up fun and the connections to support college readiness!

Monday- The Road to College: Wear a spirit shirt from any of the schools that will lead you down the path to college. (Beverly, Hendrick, Clark, Plano Senior High School).

Tuesday- College Makes Dreams Come True: Wear pajamas!

Wednesday- A College Degree Lasts for Decades: Dress in your favorite decade attire (60's, 70's, 80's  etc.)

Thursday- College Spirit Day: Wear your favorite college shirt!
Friday- College Can Lead Me to My Future Career: Dress up as the career you would like to have when you are older! 

Heard Around the Halls

Back in October at an assembly, Mr. Porter (our music teacher) was on the mic and said, "I wonder where...". I know you're wondering why I didn't write his entire sentence. It's because I didn't hear it. A Kindergartener sitting in the front row screamed out, "UNDERWEAR?" and doubled over with laughter. It was so cute and I couldn't stop laughing because he couldn't stop laughing. I love working with kids.

A Counselor's Life

I am getting so excited to attend the LSSSCA (Lone Star State School Counselor's Association) conference in 2 weeks. There are a ton of amazing breakout sessions being offered and one of my favorite authors is presenting at the pre-conference learning sessions. Julia Cook is a masterful writer who writes stories that connect with students. They are hilarious and the kids always remember them from year to year.

Technology Tip

One of my sweet coworkers asked me to come help her with some tricky formatting the other day. She was putting a super cute border from Creative Clips around some text and it was distorted and wouldn't fit on the page properly. I walked down to her room and discovered the problem... the evil formatting monsters of Microsoft Word.

Dear Word, 

     I love you. I really do. You helped me get through college and grad school. You made writing 30 page papers a breeze and I appreciate you for that. But really, it's time to break up. You do nothing for me and my creative outlets anymore. 

Sincerely,

All the Teachers Who Like to Make All the Things

Ok so that's really silly, but I told her that I really only use PowerPoint to create things for counseling lessons and Teachers Pay Teachers. It is SO. MUCH. EASIER to work in powerpoint. This teacher has so many cute ideas and I keep telling her she needs to make a TPT store. Maybe she will now that she doesn't have to wrestle with the Word Monster anymore. 

Something I Am Listening To

Malcolm Gladwell: Choice, Happiness, & Spaghetti Sauce

I love Malcolm Gladwell's books and have read them all. I stumbled upon this Ted Talk that was filmed in 2004.

You can watch the entire thing. It's 17 minutes, but I'm not going to lie I was a little "lost in the sauce" for the first 5 minutes. Around minute 10, it all starts to come together with the realization that, "People don't know what they want." Then society begins to tell them what they want and they take it for face value without evaluating what would fulfill their own happiness.

Marketers realized that to make people think they are happy, you must make them turn their backs on what they currently like and give them something to aspire to...remember Grey Poupon. I think this is most evident through Social Media. You can't help but "want more" when you see what someone else has. Of course, we are only posting the best of times on our accounts, so I try to remember to look through social media sites with that filter.

The end message here is that we are all different. We cannot be forced into little boxes (or spaghetti sauce jars).  We shouldn't want something because someone says it is "special" or "the best". We should want it because we feel it in our hearts.

"In embracing the diversity of human beings, you will find a sure way to happiness."

UPlifting Inspiration

Motivation Monday: Just Breathe

Ok, y'all know how much I love my Apple Watch. I won't go on and on about it again, but seriously you need one!

Several times per day the watch vibrates and I anxiously check to see what fun text or email I have received, only to be disappointed by the "Time to Breathe" notification that has popped up. If you follow along with the breathing exercise, you get one minute to breathe while following a bubble that expands and contracts on the watch face.

\Over Winter Break, when the watch was new and I had all the time in the world, I did just that. I stopped whatever I was doing and practiced my breathing along with the exercise on the watch.

Then school started. I have snoozed or dismissed that notification every single time since January 2nd. Why? Do I not have one minute to take a second to decompress? Is one minute really going to matter in the grand scheme of things?

Research has proven that taking deep breaths will help you recenter and focus on the task at hand. I am going to try to do a better job of doing what the watch tells me to do. After all, it is pretty much a genius.

One of my sweet counselor friends presented at an Ed Camp recently and showed us her "breathing ball". She uses it at the beginning of guidance lessons to help students calm down and switch gears from the hustle and bustle of classroom life. She had us practice breathing along with her for 30 seconds and I could instantly tell a difference. I was better able to focus and listen attentively. It looks a little something like this and I will be buying one very soon.

This song comes to mind and was one of my favorites back in the day.

Life's like an hourglass, glued to the table. She's right. It doesn't matter what you do, time marches on. So why not own that time and do something for yourself. Ok everyone, take a quick second and breathe, just breathe.