senoracmt

My Serotonin is Store Bought

I am a migraine sufferer. They were getting so frequent, that my doctor and I were searching for a medicine that would make them less frequent… enter Effexor. It helped cut down on my migraine days… but had a surprising side effect for me. I was feeling down and had no idea! I thought the anxiety and blah that I felt was just how I had always felt… until I felt GOOD. This year’s back to school was completely without the sense of impending doom that the end of summer usually brings! Last Sunday, no Sunday scaries!

This bottle of serotonin boosting magic wasn’t even on my radar because I just thought how I felt was normal… but the last three years have done things to us as educators. I wasn’t myself, but it was like the frog cooking in the water… it happened slowly and I didn’t notice how different I felt.

My classes aren’t perfect. They’re never going to be (kids are humans and so are we)… but it has been a great start to the year. We have done 7 days of class and I feel like things are off to a great start. If you have started back, I hope you’re feeling the same. If you’re still waiting to start, I hope you have an amazing first few days.

I’m looking forward to digging into Somos, Huellas, and Señor Wooly with the kids this year. I am also looking forward to sharing some new songs of the week I’ve been working on! (If you are thinking you’d like to try some new things, TPT has their annual Back to School Sale starting on Tuesday, August 29 and ending Wednesday, August 30. Use code BTSBONUS23 to get 25% off!!

New songs:

Hablando por hablar

Si quieres, puedes

Estoy vivo

París

Plan A

Llorar y llorar

Huellas:

Huellas 1

Huellas 2

Published by senoracmt

I began teaching Spanish in Illinois in 1994. I have taught levels 1-4 in a small rural high school, 8th grade introductory Spanish, Biology 1, and 101 and 102 at the community college level. My Spanish classes are partnered with the community college to offer students 8 semester hours of dual credit on completion of Spanish 4. In 2011 I met Carol Gaab and Kristy Placido and have since co-authored the book "La hija del sastre" with Carol Gaab and authored the novels "La Calaca Alegre", "Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritos." "Vector," "48 horas","Bananas", "Sostenible", and "Papálotl" through Fluency Matters. In 2006 I became National Board certified and I have been serving as a mentor both for candidates seeking certification in world languages other than English and a virtual mentor for candidates in all certificate areas. I completed my Masters degree in Spanish education in 2011 and did my research on the use of Understanding by Design to create meaningful cultural units for the language classroom. I am a frequent presenter on this topic, please consider me if you are interested in a workshop on backward design. In 2013 I was named the ICTFL Foreign Language teacher of the year and in 2014 I was selected as CSCTFL's teacher of the year. In November of 2014 I was lucky enough to be one of the five finalists for the ACTFL National Teacher of the Year in San Antonio, TX. What a "Cinderella" experience! You can reach me via email at carrie at somewheretoshare dot com.

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