creative hair day

tee, Banana Republic Factory Store

Worthington skirt, JcPenney's

       Whew ... it feels so delightful to wear "real" clothes again. Last week was Bike Ed, which meant I spent 45 minutes outside each day and wore shorts a lot to deal with the heat.
        It's Spirit Week at school! I used spray-on color to put a few bright blue streaks in my hair to celebrate Creative Hair Day on Monday. I liked the blue streak better than I thought, so much so that I wondered for a bit whether I'd want to dye a streak into my hair. Not sure whether I'd get tired of it, however, and with dark hair I know I'd end up doing some heavy, hair-damaging bleaching.

     Fall intersession is only a few days away, which means my thoughts have turned to fun, creative projects that have nothing to do with work. I'm looking forward to doing some reading, baking, and maybe even making a tassel necklace. I also found a lovely little wood-and-glass terrarium at Ross on Sunday that I'd like to set up.
    What's something you're excited about doing in October?

two favorites & showtime

top, Banana Republic Factory Store

Joseph A. cardigan and petite trouser jeans, Macy's 

     This green tee got a lot of wear when I was in the classroom. Why? It's a fun color, has a work-appropriate neckline, has embellishment for a little something special, and is comfy. Definitely one of the best things I've ever purchased on my annual pilgrimage to the factory store. :)
      Pairing it with another favorite - this exuberantly patterned cardigan - made it perfect for work. I always read and hear that petites are supposed to go with small and shy prints, but I really yearn for the big splashy ones. ; )
      Today the students I've been working with this week will present their Aesop's fables readers theater. Having never taught readers theater in my classroom, I really appreciated the chance to experiment and add something valuable to my teacher's toolbox. The fables and scripts are very short, and at first I wondered, how am I going to stretch this into a week's worth of hour-long lessons? It turns out that it was very easy to find activities.  
     Some things I liked about readers theater: it is a great way to engage students of all abilities.  The performance aspect really helped student get excited. Students really built their comprehension of the story by repeated readings and examination of the text. In the classroom, sometimes I feel rushed to move on to the next thing, but I saw how valuable it was for students to use a familiar text. Also, it was gratifying to see the English-language learners grow comfortable reading aloud and experience reading with expression.
   P.S. The above photo makes these pants look crazily bell-bottomed, but I think that in real life they look more like this ... amazing what an angle can do. :)