simplicity

Style & Co. ruched-side tee, Jolt black pants, necklace - Macy's

Gap belt, thrifted

    This is one of those outfits that I liked while wearing it ... then I came home, took a few photos, and realized I'm undecided on side-ruched tees. I think the bunched fabric around the middle can be unflattering from certain angles.

    A few snippets from everyday life with 25 fourth-graders:

•     The wording "at least" stymies them. I wrote on the board recently that they needed to answer "at least" 3 questions, and was asked by multiple students how many they needed to do.
•     I was reading to the class from a book and they asked how old it was. I checked the publication date and it was from 2002. This was deemed "pretty old."
•     A weird-looking bug crawled into our room on Thursday and caused quite a commotion during language arts. I ended up grabbing a broom and swooshing it out the door into the grass outside. (One of my students offered to stomp on it, but in the classroom I am a bug pacifist.)

 

      A white tee  is always touted as a closet essential, but I've found that for some reason mine go unworn. My colored and patterned tees seem to be the ones I reach for first. I like the idea of them - so simple! - but in reality I think I avoid them because I worry that they're too plain. However, with this outfit I think the necklace and belt made this outfit look a little more pulled together.

return of the maxi

essential tee, Gap

necklace and INC skirt, Macy's

     Sorry for the slightly blurry face, but at least my outfit appears to be in better focus. ;) After languishing in my closet for a while, this maxi skirt is getting some use! So is this navy tee, which has also been surprisingly unloved. Is there anything better than pairing up two underused items of clothing for one outfit? Well, besides brownies, and true love, and a fresh pile of library books ... 

    Speaking of books, my class has reached a milestone - we just started the last read-aloud of the year! Previous read-alouds we enjoyed were "Silverwing," "Gregor the Overlander," and "The Golden Compass." It was a close race between the sequel to "Compass" and "Frindle," but "Frindle" edged out the competition, mostly because I pointed out that it would be tough to read a 326-page book by the end of May, while they had an excellent chance of hearing all of the much shorter "Frindle." At home, I've just started diving into "Daughter of Smoke and Bone," and have been enjoying it so far. I like to read before bed, and have been going to bed a little later than planned because I have trouble putting it down.

     Time seems to speed up as we approach the end of the school year. We're just about done with state testing, but I plan to spend a good part of my weekend putting together a mandatory binder about my math instruction and student data. The binder is just one component of a slew of new state-wide requirements for teachers. While I think the requirements need streamlining, I have to acknowledge that I've learned a lot from being required to look closely at my students' performance.  

P.S.: When I titled this post, this song randomly popped into my head ...

librarian PJs and eagle eyes

   

Gap dress, $20 after rewards and sale discount

necklace, Macy's

Maybelline Rum Riche ColorSensational lipstick

      Let me say this first: Hey, I'm wearing lipstick! And I even reapplied it post-lunch! And, I got complimented on the color. :)
      We now resume our regularly scheduled post: I am looking forward to wearing this dress belted, too, but for a tired Tuesday I went with the straight shift look (a.k.a. librarian pajamas). I've heard people refer to dresses like this as "pajama dresses," and this dress worn without a belt certainly qualifies. Most knitty things are way too unseemly-looking (read: clingy) in the back for me to wear them to work, but this is a nice substantial knit - so no worries there.
    I went into two fourth-grade classrooms on Tuesday morning to kick off their healthy eating project. I was a little worried that my lesson would be too basic, but I learned otherwise when I gave them a pre-test. Only 1 student from each class could name 5 food groups! We looked at choosemyplate.gov and they completed an "information hunt" worksheet to familiarize themselves with the benefits, nutrients, and recommended serving sizes for each food group.
    While I was circulating to help the students, one student asked me, "Is this site made for kids?" I told him yes, and asked him what he had seen that made him wonder. He pointed out that he had seen a three-letter word that started with "s" on the web page (see the page here). I told him that sometimes that word could be used to talk about whether you're a boy or girl, not other things. It kind of amazes me that of all the words on the web site, he noticed that one. I'm glad he asked, though!
     Every time I teach a lesson, it turns out to be a learning experience for me, as well. For instance, I realized after I worked with both classes that I should have modeled using the web site better and walked them through some of the questions. What looks easy to use to an adult is something else for a student. Not all students are reading on grade level, so I think they had some difficulty reading - which tells me it might be more fruitful to pull easy-reading books that have the same info. More work for me, but a better learning experience for the kids.

    

askew & outgamed

  Buttondown, passed down by mom

necklace and DKNY Soho jeans, Macy's

     
      I saw a picture of Katherine Heigl wearing a Stella & Dot necklace askew in recent issue of In Style magazine. I thought about that photo when I put on this necklace and realized the pretty blue beads were lost behind the collar.

Source: justjared.com via Carrie on Pinterest

     This looked OK in the mirror, but when I looked at the pictures I realized that the necklace gets lost against the plaid. I will have to retry this look with a solid-colored buttondown.
     A day in the life of a grad student: I have always been a procrastinator. Not a make-up-the-book-report-the-night-before type, but a professional avoider of necessary but not exciting tasks and assignments.
     However, I got outgamed the other day. I have a partner presentation due next Monday, and I e-mailed my partner about quickly meeting before class. She agreed.
     I got there a few minutes before her, so I took out my laptop and pulled up the spreadsheet, screenshots, and documents I had worked hard on all weekend. She arrived and didn't take out any spreadsheet, notes -- nothing. It became clear to me that she hadn't even searched the databases when she asked me how to find the databases.
    Um, this is NOT an assignment to start working on the week before it's due. To be honest, I only got work done in earnest last weekend (so I can't preach much!). It's also true that I'm not working regularly this semester, and she has a job, so I have a lot more time. But for whatever reason, I now feel marvelously well-prepared. Which is strange, but good.

February Freeze, vol. 8: things girls like

    I wore this necklace yesterday with a charcoal gray tee and jeans, and the necklace was a big hit with the first-graders I worked with after school. I had a few girls come up close and reach out to touch and admire the strands. The funny thing is, none of the girls said, "nice necklace" or anything like that. ... but those curious hands and eyes said it all. :)

     turquoise and pewter seed bead necklace (Macy's)

"Let Go" tee by Lim Heng Swee (Threadless)

cardigan (Forever 21)

Drew Barrymore

    I was belatedly inspired by two birds' inspiration monday post featuring Drew Barrymore. I have an absurd affection for graphic tees, and add in jeans? Um, this is what I wear just about everyday. I liked how the addition of a statement necklace can bump this outfit up a notch, from "this is what was cleaned and ironed" to something slightly more intentional.

    I thought the different shades of blue would be harmonious, but the necklace kind of gets lost against the graphic tee, so next time I'd try it with a different shirt. I considered sneaking this in as a belated Try-it-out Tuesday post for this week, but since a tee and jeans is what I just about live in, I'll be posting a more challenging outfit this week. :)