Friday Favorites Classroom Edition

Today I'm linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erika today and sharing some favorites from my classroom. After all, it's my most favorite room in my school :)

Want to know what's my favorite?

My classroom door is my favorite. And it'll be even more so my favorite when I take pictures of my favorite kids (my students), and attach those photos to the door, so it'll look like they're holding the balloons. 

Know what else is my favorite? ...having a mom who will help me decorate my classroom is my favorite. I loved our time together yesterday! Spending time together is one of my most favorite things to do.

Look! She even sat on the floor to help me fix up one of my most favorite parts of my room.

And speaking of my classroom, here's some of my favorite parts...

Look at this side of the room. All of those bright colors are my favorite! Ignore those boxes and papers to the left. Those are most definitely NOT my favorite! They've been taking up valuable storage space for a year because the powers that be have yet to remove them. My favorite dream involves me disposing of them. But alas, I cannot, so I have to just "deal with it"...

This little corner of my room is also my favorite. I teach Special Education (my favorite group of kids to teach by the way), so every group in my room is a small group. I can't wait 'til my favorite group of kids in the school come back next week and I can start teaching my small groups at my favorite table!

Next up are my purple blinds. I'd like to tell you they were my favorite from day 1, but that'd be a lie. However, I must say... They grew on me last year, and now they really are my favorite. Plus it helps that purple is one of my favorite colors. And hey - It gives me new ways to hang posters. Grab a few clothespins and voila! My favorite blinds are now a showcase for all sorts of educational goodness.

Next up is my reading bulletin board. I love to read. It's definitely one of my most favorite things to do. And one of my most favorite things about teaching is finding ways to make kids who typically struggle in reading end up loving it. That's my favorite! This weekend I'm going to have Kinko's print some colored pictures of some of my favorite kid books covers on travel to add to this bulletin board. Then this board might just become my favorite!

P.S. I used a navy blue sheet for the background. It was only $2 at Walmart and almost completely covered the board. Sale prices are my favorite!

This canvas is one of my most favorite purchases of the summer. In fact, it's what gave me the inspiration for this year's decorative theme for my classroom, Oh the Places You Will Go. That Dr. Seuss book was always one of my favorites and when I saw this canvas as Target, I was ecstatic! I thought it paired well with my favorite reading board.

Another favorite purchase (from Target) was this globe. Want to know what my favorite part of this globe was? It's one of the few globes I've seen that do not include Sudan as one solo country (a current pet peeve of mine). Finding maps and globes that are geographically accurate is my favorite! 

My desk is my favorite because it's so HUGE, compared to the ones I had at DA! Y'all, this desk has room for everything I need and hey... Doesn't my favorite globe look great on the corner of my favorite desk? Oh, and look behind my desk. See that colorful filing system hanging on my blackboard? It's a favorite purchase from last year, which I'll use to file work/data from my favorite kiddos to help me when it comes time for the AAA and also for writing IEPs (two not so favorite times of year involving lots and lots of paperwork).

See the photo below? I was at Family Dollar yesterday and found these new favorite seating options for my kids. Aren't they cute?! They were only $5, but since payday (my most favorite day of the month) isn't 'til today, I only bought 3. These were my favorite of all the colors they had. I think the bright colors will go well in my favorite room :)

This world map bulletin board is another favorite purchase (from Target). I thought it'd go perfectly with my travel theme. I plan to hang a sign that says Ms. Nichols (one of my favorite titles in life) above it and then use the bulletin board to post fun facts about different countries throughout the year, since the majority of our 5th graders have to walk/line up by my room when they go to lunch, P.E., etc. and can see it. After all, travel, educating kids, and broadening their view of the world around them are all my favorites.

I took the pictures below the first day I visited my room last year. I remember going home and crying (definitely not my favorite), wondering how I could make something this horrible and messy (and soooo not my favorite) into something good. It's hard to believe my favorite room used to look like this!

But now... Now I think one of my most favorite things about my room is the transformation it's endured. It took a lot of work, and help from my two favorites (God and my mama), but I'm so proud of my most favorite room in my school now. And I can't wait 'till my favorite kids get to hang out with their favorite teacher next week ;)

6 Years Ago Today...

I remember the flight just like it was yesterday. It was the only time I was able to make a direct flight (i.e. no layovers) from the U.S. to Senegal. So needless to say, it was a long flight, full of time to sit and think.

I remember boarding the plane, being grateful for the empty seat next to mine so I could stretch out a little. I remember feeling a sense of nervousness deep in my stomach, wondering what my future held. I remember the lights being turned off as night time came and clutching my Bible to my chest and falling asleep that way. 

And then...

6 years ago today I stepped off the plane in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa for the very first time. And while the nerves were still there, a new feeling had been added. 

I couldn't explain how, but I truly felt I was home.

I remember my then roommate and our then school director picking me up from the airport. I remember driving up to my apartment building for the first time, taking a quick nap, and then heading to Dakar Academy for the first time too. 

I remember teaching at DA. I remember all the smiling faces that came through my classroom doors. I remember boys and girls who taught me almost as much as I taught them for 5 years.

I remember students whose short time in my care impacted my life more than they'll ever know.

I think back over those 5 years and I remember exploring the city, being in awe of bright colors, sandy terrain, and  interesting buildings. 

I remember loving trips to the fruit/veggie stands, getting my fill of deliciously fresh fruits and veggies. Mangoes anyone? :)

 

I remember trips to the Saturday market (although I liked the Monday market better), to outdoor clothing markets, and to the touristy artisan market too

I remember the food. Cheb and yassa and nems and... All of it so delicious :)

I remember the people. Oh the people... I remember their kindness and hospitality. I remember their love and generosity. I remember their smiles and kind words. I remember their beauty.

I remember co-workers, bosses, and friends.

I remember visits to churches. I remember worshipping with fellow believers, each in our own language, all praising the one true God.

I remember so many goodbyes. I remember learning how hard saying goodbye really is. Seeing those suitcases each time was always bittersweet because they meant both sad goodbyes and happy hellos.

I remember churches and families and individuals who partnered with me along the way, supporting my ministry in Senegal.

I have so many memories from my time in Senegal. Mention the country and I will immediately have a flood of memories fill my brain.

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since that day. So much has changed since then. 

I'm no longer in Senegal. And while I love that country I called home for 5 years and would love to go back, God clearly has other plans for me. 

When will I go back?

I don't know. God has the master plan and He hasn't filled me in yet. 

And honestly, I feel my time in the U.S. has only just begun. I feel God wants me here for a while.

Lately I've had an incredibly strong desire to "set roots" and reconnect with my home country, the country of my birth, the country I love and am proud to be a part of - the good ol' USA :)

But whether I'm here or there, I can pray. 

I can pray for the Senegalese believers, that God would strengthen their faith and give them the boldness to win their brothers and sisters for Christ. 

I can pray for the missionaries in Senegal - that God would bless their ministries and that He'd provide open doors and minds and hearts to hear the truth about the one true God.

And I can pray for the Senegalese who do not yet know Jesus as their personal Savior. I can pray that their ears will hear and their hearts will accept the Truth of the one true God.

So who knows what the next 6 years holds? 

I don't know, but we'll see :)