Two Birds, One Stone

I realized this weekend that time is quickly slipping away from my summer and I need to get some items from my Summer Bucket List crossed off already! 

I've been thinking a lot lately about my friends and how lucky I am to have each and every one of them.  So, I decided to write a few letters and I included a heartfelt surprise in each one! 

I decided to send letters to my friends Katy and Roxy.  They both had been eyeing a piece of the jewelry that I sell so I packaged one up for each of them with the letter.   It's only a small token of my friendship, but I think it's important that we tell the people we love and appreciate that we do love and appreciate them more often!

Summer Bucket List

1.Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 3 closets (one down, three to go!)
9. Try Yoga again (my friend Kristy invited me to go...I have been a slacker, but am still hoping to go soon!)
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups (meeting twice this week to talk about it)
15. Go to a concert
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition
17. Complete Family Trust Grant (changed from Foundation to Family trust b/c I missed the deadline)
18. Complete and mail in STAR Teacher Application

# 10 Write a letter to the editor

So I am finally able to cross off another item on my Summer Bucket List! 

#10 Write a letter to the editor my favorite columnist

Ok, ok, so I changed it a little bit.  However, since I am the sole proprietor of this list I reserve the right to alter any entry I wish at any point in time. 

Here is my email that I sent to Craig Wilson after the July 20th edition of his column "The Final Word".

Dear Mr. Wilson, 

Good morning!  I am an avid reader of your column- first turned onto it from a 3 day workshop spent talking and thinking about writing with Katie Wood Ray.  I so enjoy when Wednesday finally rolls around again and I get to delight in your stories!  It is my husband that makes use of the rest of the paper. 

Today, I happened to score a free copy (making this Wednesday EVEN better!) because I am in New Jersey serving on a multi state educator panel for ETS. 

The first thing that popped into my head after picturing your "altercation" with the man in the fancy foreign car was a poster I recently "pinned" to my boards on Pinterest that reads: I'm not bossy.  I just know what you should be doing. 

I am a teacher, a kindergarten teacher, and, when you spend the majority of your time, well, bossing around children all day it can sometimes make for a slightly troubled transition back into society.  Everyone should listen to me, obviously.  I've spent all day requiring 24 five year olds to.  It is hard to fight the urge to not tell others what to do when I am outside the four walls of my classroom. 

So, here's what I'm wondering, Mr. Wilson, what is your excuse? 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I have seen it all before.  The whole scene.  I know people do wrong and get upset when they know it and are being called out on it.  But, I can't help but wonder if some of that anger is based on the fact that YOU, or whoever is doing the calling out, is not the enforcer of the law! 

Because of your previous experience, I can empathize with the fact that you are a bit more sensitive when it comes to crossing the street.  But, I'm just saying I bet the rage filled driver wouldn't have had that reaction had you been in a nice blue uniform with a shiny badge. 

Maybe you were just doing your job as a citizen of D.C., or maybe you were just looking out for this man's safety, or maybe, just maybe, you were channeling your inner teacher and being a little bossy. 

Looking forward to next Wednesday, 

Lauren Alexander Lochel

Kindergarten Teacher

Sugar Creek Elementary School

2010-2011 Fort Mill School District Teacher of the Year

http://pinterest.com/mrslochel/

I was very excited that he not only wrote me back, but also found the humor in my email!  Here is how he responded:

I'll go with my "inner teacher!" Thanks for the laugh, Lauren...All too true...

Summer Bucket List

1.Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone (purchased said surprise, in search of the receiver)
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 3 closets (one down, three to go!)
9. Try Yoga again (my friend Kristy invited me to go...I have been a slacker, but am still hoping to go soon!)
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups (professional book in hand!)
15. Go to a concert
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition
17. Complete Family Trust Grant (changed from Foundation to Family trust b/c I missed the deadline)
18. Complete and mail in STAR Teacher Application

Thank You GCADA!!

The minute I was named District Teacher of the Year last September, blessings started flowing my way and they have yet to cease!  I couldn't be more humbled or grateful for the honor and the many accolades that have come with it. 

I put to use one of the BEST prizes this weekend!  Thanks to the Greater Charlotte Automobile Dealers Association, my husband and I enjoyed a 2 night stay at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.

Our mini vacation began by sleeping in on Saturday morning.  We had breakfast in bed then went out for pedicures. Yes, Mr. Lochel did too.....I hope the news that I blogged about this doesn't get back to him!  Hoping the holiday weekend traffic wouldn't be too bad, we slowly made our way into Asheville that afternoon.

Welcome to the Grove Park Inn!

The view from the front porch looking down

Our package included two tickets to a concert on Saturday night!  We had an amazing time, AND, I get to cross this off my Summer Bucket List!  Better yet, I actually recognized the singers.  I figured it would be a local band, which would have been great, but this was even better.  It was Joey and Rory!  They are a country singing duet who were discovered a few years back on CMT's "Can You Duet" show.

Mr. and Mrs. Lochel with Joey and Rory! 

They were much taller than they looked on stage!

We had an amazing breakfast on Sunday morning and spent the day by the pool.  We both got "sun kissed."

From the breakfast buffet......

Our dinner at one of GPI's amazing restaurants was also included in our package. It was an Independence Day buffet.  We had shrimp and lobster and potatoes and salad and local roasted veggies and so on and so on. 

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the Main Hall listening to a swing band.  We also enjoyed a tasty beverage called "Patriots Punch!)

We hated to leave on Monday morning but we LOVED getting to have lunch with my Aunt Lillian and Uncle Max who live in Asheville.  We also got to see my cousin Leslie, her husband Barry, and their son Bruce (the most well behaved and focused almost 3 year old boy that I have ever encountered), who were all in town visiting. 

So, as I blog today, I am thankful for many things; I am thankful for the GCADA, my husband, my family, and my country. 

Happy 4th of July!



Summer Bucket List
1.Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone (purchased said surprise, in search of the receiver)
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 3 closets (one down, three to go!)
9. Try Yoga again (my friend Kristy invited me to go...I have been a slacker, but am still hoping to go soon!)
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups (professional book in hand!)
15. Go to a concert
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition
17. Complete Family Trust Grant (changed from Foundation to Family trust b/c I missed the deadline)
18. Complete and mail in STAR Teacher Application

Summer Bucket List and Great Deal!

A few weeks ago I was inspired to create a Summer Bucket List.  And then, I posted an update about the "strides" I was making towards each item!

Well, I am happy to report that I can finally cross a few more items off the list! 

1. Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three (finished Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner.  Just decided what book #2 will be)
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone (purchased said surprise, in search of the receiver)
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition (starts THIS WEEK!)
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 3 closets (one down, three to go!)
9. Try Yoga again (my friend Kristy invited me to go...I have been a slacker, but am still hoping to go soon!)
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups (professional book in hand!)
15. Go to a concert (looked up ticket prices, thinking about Rascal Flatts)
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition
17. Complete and mail in Foundation Grant (letter of rec received from principal. Now onto finishing touches)
18. Complete and mail in STAR Teacher Application

Quite a long ways to go.....

Now, onto the Great Deal! 

I love a Sunday morning when my hubby and I can just sit and enjoy each others company, hot coffee, and the newspaper.  I knew I had to make a trip out later to pick up a new ink cartridge so I was browsing the circulars for Office Depot and Office Max to see if anything else caught my eye.  And something did!! 

If you are anything like me, you love for sets of things in your classroom to match.  I am this way about many things in my classroom, especially the take home binders.  I dread buying these each year because it's usually the biggest purchase I have to make with my own money.  To me, however, it's worth the sacrifice when I can look over to my counter and see all the lovely, matching binders sitting in a neat row!

And what do you know?  Office Depot has these beautiful white, clear view, 1 in binders on sale!  A set of 12 for $14.99.  I got my whole class set for just $30!  The ones I got last year were not nearly as good quality as these and were falling apart by the end of the year. 

So happy to have that taken care of! I love a good deal and hope that if you were looking for binders that this helps you too!

Making Strides

It's amazing to experience how setting goals can really motivate someone to do, well, most anything!  All I had to do for myself was create a little Summer Bucket List and it's all I can think about!  I want to cross off those items!!  The bad part is, every time I think about crossing one off, I can think of at least two more to add.  I guess that's the thing with "personal" to-do lists; they really are never ending. 

That's how it is for me in the classroom too.  Everyday I feel like there are endless amounts of things that I could be doing.  I could stay in my classroom until 9:00pm each night and STILL not get it all done!  It's those nagging feelings of "If I could just get ahead" and "I know there is a way to do this lesson better."  But, at some point, we all just have to say, "I've got to find some kind of stopping point because in truth, it will all be here waiting on me tomorrow!"

I made a quick trip up to school yesterday to see how my new neighbor was coming along in her classroom and to see the disaster that is my closet.  We got to chat for a while and I actually filled up an entire bag of trash to be taken out. I got a few things reorganized in my room and ended up just sitting and looking at it for a while.  I was envisioning and reminiscing all the fun and learning that took place last year and hopeful for the same in years to come.  I'm also thinking about rearranging things.  I love being at school and in my classroom.  It just makes me happy.

So, while I can't cross off anything else officially yet, I am making some strides on the Summer Bucket List:

1. Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three (half way through my first one...Book Club is July 2)
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee (kind of went backwards here as I had to call and actually complain about someone yesterday)
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition (took out one bag of trash)
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 closets (in-laws coming soon...better start with that closet!)
9. Try Yoga again (my friend Kristy invited me to go to a class with her next Tuesday)
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups (professional book ordered!)
15. Go to a concert (looked up ticket prices, thinking about Rascal Flatts)
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition
17. Complete and mail in Foundation Grant
18. Complete and mail in STAR Teacher Application (I haven't picked up either of these items since beginning them a few weeks ago.  Somehow, putting them on this list WILL keep me accountable for them, I hope!)

A Weekend Getaway

Toes in the water? Toes in the sand?  YES, please! 

And, of course, the teacher in me couldn't help but collect a bag of free manipulatives to take back to the classroom- seashells!  I am always on the lookout for that kind of stuff; free, that is!  I love getting shells, and maps, and postcards of any kind to share with my children that don't ever have the chance to travel.  I take for granted the many opportunities I've had to see the beach.  I am always surprised at the number of children in my class each year that have never been.

The minute my hubby left work on Friday, we hit the road for a weekend trip to the beach!  Our dear friend, and my sorority sister, Nicole, got married! 

Her destination wedding at the beach worked out perfectly for us too because I had been holding onto a free 2 night stay at Springmaid that I won back in September.

Cheryl, Roxy, Nicole, Lynn, Crystal, Katy, and me!

It was a great weekend with friends, one that we promised to repeat!

Summer Bucket List: I've got quite a ways to go!!
1. Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 closets
9. Try Yoga again
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups
15. Go to a concert
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition

Summer Bucket List

Ok, so I am totally inspired! 

After reading this blog, Creative Spice, written by my friend and future teacher, Lyndsey, I wanted to make my own "Summer Bucket List!" 

It's important that no matter how busy we get professionally, we remember to take care of our own souls! It's important to have a little fun and make life more interesting. I've definitely "grown" in that regard.  As my family and friends can attest, I am and always have been, a homebody!  It's just recently that I've felt more comfortable traveling and really experiencing new adventures. 

I attended a State Teacher Forum last February and nearly fell out of my chair laughing at one of the speakers.  Matt and Jenny Reeves are the founders and directors of Frazee Dream Center in Greenville, SC.  Matt and his wife began this center as an afternoon hang out for underprivileged children that needed role models, a safe place to be, and a snack. They have worked hard to turn their dream into a reality at the center and now offer free resources to these children in the community. He spoke very charismatically to us, a group of 80+ teachers, as a leader in the community that spends hours each afternoon with our students. 

His biggest advice?  "Just be interesting!"  He encouraged us to live our lives to the fullest, because through that, we will bring so much more to the table when teaching these children day in and day out.

So, even though my summer is pretty much booked up, I decided to start thinking of what I could do and put on such a list to be, well, more interesting!

A trip to the beach?  Read a few books?  I don't know, these seem a little safe.  But, what teacher doesn't love having a list and crossing things off- so on the list they go!

Summer Bucket List
1. Trip to the beach
2. Read a book, or two, or three
3. Start a new tradition at home
4. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone
5. Give a good report to a manager about an employee
6. Extreme Makeover: Kindergarten Closet Edition
7. Begin writing a children's book
8. Clean out all 4 closets
9. Try Yoga again
10. Write a letter to the editor
11. Write a letter to a friend
12. Go on a picnic
13. Start a blog
14. Learn about Guided Math Groups
15. Go to a concert
16. Finally beat my husband at a game of Clue: The Office edition