It has been a great summer! A lot of times I have a big trip in June and a conference in July and those two things (which I love to do) have me in a state of serious anticipation and anxiety as I pack/plan/prepare… This summer, I had two long weekend conferences and zero “big trips”. It was glorious!

Another big change for me this summer was my “side gig”. I have worked for Fluency Matters and then for Wayside Publishing, and this spring I got laid off from that job. At first I was really in a panic… that was my security blanket for SO LONG. But as I got out of school in May I realized it was actually a gift. I had the whole summer to focus on making products for Somewhere to Share (we launched more than 45 and our goal was 32!!), spending time with family, and doing my favorite summer housewife things like canning, making home made pasta, and freezing stuff from my garden. Will I miss my job making resources for language learners with Wayside? Yes. Will I throw all of that energy into making things for Somewhere to Share? Also YES!

Now that it’s time to go back to school, I am all set! I have my new Erin Condren plan book!!! (These things aren’t cheap, but this is my one teacher splurge of the year, I just can’t find any plan book that I love as much… and I know I could just plan online, but I like to be able to HAND WRITE things). My first week is all planned and ready to go… and that means so am I!!

But, as you know, it can be exciting to get back and also very, VERY hard to give up summer life. My kids are grown and gone, but when they were little, my excitement about seeing my students was tempered with regret that our lazy summer days were going to disappear too. Now that I’m a dog mom, my dog snuggles are about to get cut short and that is pretty hard to let go of too!

Last week, I did a PD series called Teeny Weeny PD. You can sign up by clicking on the link to see the recordings of all of the sessions: Before the Bell, The First Day, The First Week, and Back to School Basics. The sessions ran from 15-20 minutes and were so fun to make! Maybe they’ll help you find a back to school routine that makes it easier to rip off the bandaid! PLUS in the resource folder, there is a coupon for 15% off at somewheretoshare.com/shop so you can get a little discount on any resources that might make your life easier!

I also shared two freebies last week. First was Two Truths and a Lie. This is what I do when my students come back! It’s a great way to get to know them and to build community in the first week of class. There are instructions in the free packet and also in the Teeny Weeny PD sessions on days 2 and 3. The second was Dad, How Do I? in Spanish and in French. It is a free two day lesson plan that can be used face to face or as a sub plan. In 2020, Rob Kenney launched a YouTube channel where he plays the role of dad for kids (and adults) around the world teaching them things they may not have a role model at home to teach them! I love his mission and I hope that lots of kids find his tutorials useful!

My rising seniors are such a wonderful class, I really look forward to what the year holds for Wildcat Spanish in room 305! Keep an eye on our instagram @somewhere.to.share for our fun follow ups and games and, if you want some assurance that you are not the only teacher with wildlings in your classroom, check out @wildcat_spanish, our classroom account… there won’t be any instructions or tutorials there, but you’ll see the full, uncut real-world view of my room!

Have a wonderful start back to school (no matter when you go). We are so grateful to be even a small part of making your year go more smoothly!