Pre Birthday Friday!

The lovely ladies of the ELC sure know how to make a girl feel special! I walked into my classroom to sweet birthday decorations and yummy birthday treats! I even had a special visitor bring us lunch from Tin Star with dessert!

A big thank you to Trout and my other Gellner half... thank you for making my birthday so special, for all the sweet treats, and birthday messages. Here are a few pictures from my pre birthday Friday at work.

What I've Learned!

Being in the education field has taught me a lot! Here are some things that I have learned from this profession.

1. Waking up early in the morning isn't difficult. It is staying up beyond 9PM that takes some effort.
2. The words "walking feet" are used daily but for me it references the amount of miles that are put on these shoes.
3. Reverse psychology can easily be used on both children and adults;)
4. Kids may know more about the iPhone than I do.
5. Bubbles and tails are to be performed daily.
6. Giving up caffeine at the start of the school year is a form of insanity.
7. You have to be passionate about children. Who knew?!?
8. You must have patience or quickly learn to obtain it.
9. I am not as little as I thought as I do not fit in a cube chair :(
10. Kids are motivated by music.
11. Over and over you hear "fake it until you make it."
12. You are in control of your attitude.
13. We teach academics but more importantly we teach character, respect, and responsibility.
14. I could gain 100 lbs working in this job. I love all the tasty treats that are brought in for teachers and staff.
15. Children learn through consistency.
16. I love having optional summers off.
17. Sunrises are absolutely beautiful. Previously I had not had the opportunity to see the morning's beauty.
18. Traffic is lighter at 6:30 in the morning.
19. Too many things keep us from recess... hundred degree temperatures, potential rain (as if it ever rains again), coyotes, etc.
20. While each day is another adventure... I am exactly where God wants me to be!

There is no "I" in TEAM!

Meet the Special Education team!

Wishing all the fabulous teachers a wonderful week back with the kids. While each day is absolutely another adventure... I am exactly where God wants me to be! Enjoy a few pictures of our classroom set up.

Welcome to the ELC

School's Out & "Smiling You" Moments!

Today was bittersweet. Monday was our last day of school for the 2010-2011 school year. The kids stayed until noon and then we were left to clean, pack up, and say our good-byes. This year working in the education field truly changed my life. I had amazing teammates and six very special kiddos. While I have never been so ready for the summer to come, I knew that it would be difficult to say good-bye.... even if it is just for the summer. This year was more challenging than most as it was extremely difficult work, but the payoff of caring for these kids was worth so much more. I gave a small good-bye gift to my teammates to remind us all of the "smiling you" moments in the ELC.

Here's to the loving and caring of students as they all have exceptional gifts to give... to my amazing teammates who go above and beyond to provide an environment filled with success and love for some pretty fabulous kiddos:) Here's to my first year of teaching and for many more to come!

Memorial Day School Parade

Friday morning, Hedgcoxe Elementary celebrated the upcoming holiday with a Memorial Day School Parade. We adorned our red, white, and blue, waved flags and pom poms as the kids and staff honored our troops.

What an amazing and fabulous Friday celebrating our troops! Happy Memorial Day. How will you be celebrating yours?

Destination Vacation Sped Party!

Today we celebrated the birthdays of two lovely ladies in the ELC including Trout and Red Headed Gellner or Diane and Jes as they are probably known better to the outside world. The theme was Destination Vacation! Each month our Special Education Team celebrates the birthdays for that specific month. I had the privilege of hosting this month. We had an absolute blast. Here are some pictures from our party including the ELC party decor.

Happy birthday celebration to my amazing co workers!

Teacher Appreciation Week!

This has a fabulous Teachers Appreciation week (minus the sickness going through the class). Each day we've received fun gifts including breakfast, teacher lunch, sweet treats and snacks, cute notepads, and even flowers! Today our Kindergarten team leader dropped off a few beautiful bouquets for each ELC lady. Aren't they beautiful? It was definitely a sweet thought and so nice to be appreciated!

So here's to this week and to celebrating Teachers!

Yes It's Ladies Night! ELC Style:)

Tonight was our ELC Ladies Night. I am so blessed to work with such amazing women... we do absolutely have a ball in and out of the class room. Tonight we enjoyed some very tasty treats including yummy queso, Eddie's White Sauce Pizza with Chicken, and sopapilla cheesecake. Each time we get together, the host will make a choice on the movie and tonight Wallace chose the Proposal. I have seen it several times and I seriously love it... It absolutely makes me laugh until I cry. Plus now I think we may have a classroom dance. Thank you Betty White and Sandra Bullock! Who knew that "chanting" could be so hilarious:)

Here are a few fun pictures of my fabulous ELC ladies.

Here's to Trout, Garrett (Red headed Gellner), Wallace, and myself:) Happy ELC ladies night out:) How did you enjoy your Friday?!?!

ELC Celebration Week!

This week the ELC celebrated six wonderful birthdays. We made special birthday treats from triangle birthday hats, participated in shared writing of birthday cards, enjoyed celebration exploration like bubbles, balloons, streamers, gift wrap, etc. We also tasted delicious treats including cake, cupcakes, pudding cups, chocolate cookies, and teddy grahams. Here are a few pictures from our week of celebrations!

Each Friday the ladies of the ELC enjoy a Friday lunch together. This week we enjoyed southwest chicken tacos from one of my faves... On the Border.

Look at these amazing tacos. They were so yummy.

This was definitely a week to celebrate... a week of lots of happenings. While things are constantly in motion in the education field... I can for sure say that regardless what the future holds in regards to my position I love these kids and am so thankful to be with my team and my six very amazing kiddos!

ELC as a KEY Party Place!

Today on this fun fabulous Friday we celebrated a very special birthday in the ELC. Nurse Key has been such an integral part of our room and our team this year. We were so very excited to do a little something special to help celebrate her big day.

Meet the ladies of the ELC with our favorite nurse!

A little birthday decor!

I am absolutely so incredibly blessed to work with such an amazing team! A team of women who truly love what they do and the kids they work with. Here's to many more celebrations and memories made in the ELC!

Spring Has Sprung, Snoopy Dinner, and Changes in the Air!

Welcome Spring!

Spring has officially sprung here in North Dallas. Spring Break is right around the corner... and by around the corner I literally mean we have a half day with the kiddos tomorrow and then it is one full week of rest and relaxation! While I do not have any large travel plans, I do have several fun lunch dates with sweet friends... and I could not be more excited about it. But before my week off officially begins we had a few fun things this week at school that I would love to blog about. We enjoyed a fun lesson on the ocean and crafted cute projects like stamp fish bowls and crayon relief color pages. We read books including One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Commotion in the Ocean, and Rainbow Fish. The week following Spring Break we will enjoy a week of birthday celebrations. You heard me right. We are having a full party week:) It will include balloons, candles, birthday hats, sweet treats, and of course lots of decorations. I am so excited!
Monday night I attended the twentieth anniversary of Chez Snoopy.

The school cafeteria was transformed into a western cafe where Dickey's BBQ was served. Each third grade student then had the opportunity to operate the restaurant from wait staff such as the hostess, waiter and waitress, and manager, chef, and so forth. The kids were fabulous. What an amazing opportunity for students to gain real life experience and responsibility plus the food was absolutely delicious. Two thumbs up for great food, great wait staff, and great friends to dine with including two of my favorite teacher and TAs. Here is the cute invitation that was sent out.

In other news, I have finally made a decision about my second job at the church. While the main goal was to gain further experience in the education field, there were just a few too many obstacles in my way. I truly felt God was really sending me a message. Talk about the irony. This picture... while not the cutest of me... was taken by one of the kiddos I teach on Wednesday nights and look at the painting in the upper right corner. I couldn't say it better myself. It says, "I need to make the wise choice!" So this past Wednesday was my final day in childcare at the church.

I will for sure miss the sweet faces of those kindergarten through second graders that I saw each week/weekend but am happy to be going in a different direction and focusing and saving my energy for those six kiddos I teach on a daily basis. And just as a side note, I never realized how excited I would feel to teach one of my little girls another word. She says "hi" and "eight." While this may seem of little significance it seriously means the world to me. Life is definitely about small victories but they are victories none the less.

I am definitely excited for all that is to come after Spring Break. I hear that the school year really takes off as time absolutely flies. I am so excited to move forward in my process to becoming a full time teacher and all that will lead to. For now, I am excited to enjoy our last day of school and half day for the kiddos before a week long vacation. I wish you all such a wonderful time and of course more blogging and changes to come.

Love,
Alicia

The Farmer in the Dell!

This week has definitely been an interesting week... a week filled with lots of happenings, lots of subs, and lots of projects about farm animals. You heard me right. This week our curriculum is all about the farm and the animals that reside there. This has been such a cute week of lesson planning and shared craft activities. I love these shape pigs and shape tractors. I think they turned out super cute. Only 5 days (or 4 1/2 since Friday is a half day for the kiddos) until Spring Break. I am so thankful for this upcoming break as it will be a wonderful opportunity to get some much needed relaxing time. I am looking forward to many mornings of sleeping in and lunch dates with sweet friends.

How are you planning on spending your spring break?

February Facebook Refresher

February seventh through thirteenth...

February 7th: Alicia Zellner went back to school from a 6 day weekend, picked up her almost full functioning vehicle:), sat down for dinner with the hubs and watched a movie... a great way to end her Monday and a good start to her week. Have a great one!

February 8th: Alicia Zellner could handle another mid-week vacation. Potential Ice Day tomorrow! It's getting cold:) brrr!



February 9th: Ice Day number 5! Plano ISD closed! Beautiful outside but enjoying the view from nice warm apt. Ok time to buckle down and get some studying in... Maybe a movie or two!

So I have decided that reading blogs seriously put the biggest smile on my face! No wonder it is my favorite hobby!

... And who knew I would be learning how to do math from early childhood all the way though twelfth grade AGAIN?!? Math was NEVER my strong suit. Oops! Another 40 pages and I am done for the day!

Alicia Zellner says, so studying is complete for tonight as I have only 60 pages until this book is 100% FINISHED! YAY! I did not get out of my pjs once or step foot into the cold, lots of oreos and Dr. Pepper were consumed, no television until now was watched, and it's officially time for some mac and cheese. I say a pretty productive-ish day:) HA!

February 10: Alicia Zellner is excited about today! Ready to enjoy a lesson on hot and cold... Enjoy some hot chocolate with marshmallows... Then some painting with a twist! Happy Thursday!



Alicia Zellner says, seriously painting with a twist rocks my socks off! What an awesome girls night with such great friends!



February 11: Alicia Zellner is excited about a fun girls movie night with her work ladies! We will be viewing psycho 1 and 2 while enjoying yummy treats such as queso, 7 layer dip, pizza, and strawberry short cake for dessert! Yay!



Had a fabulous night! Now off to bed and hopefully sleeping in if the dogs will allow... I have Sally and her sweet little girl Harley coming over for a fun ladies afternoon tomorrow!



February 12: What a fun day with my Gathings girls! Now ready for a fabulous date night with my hubs! Enjoying some wonderful buca di beppo for dinner! Yay for such a wonderful Saturday!



February 13: Alicia Zellner spent a wonderful morning in church then served in joyland serving 3 year olds with her husband.



Now back to finish some buca di beppo for lunch, watch some movies, blog and spend some time with my cute fam of four!

ELC Ladies Movie Night!

Tonight the ladies of the ELC enjoyed a fun fabulous Friday's ladies movie night! For weeks we had been planning a relaxing girls night out that included a lot of tasty treats including queso, 7 layer dip, pizza, and strawberry short cake and a Psycho Movie Marathon. What a fabulous time! Here are a few pictures of our evening!
I am so thankful and blessed to work with such amazing ladies. So here's to the next ELC ladies' night out!

Teacher Tidings!

The week before Christmas vacation has been absolutely amazing. We have endulged ourselves in tasty treats, festive dress, and fun holiday craft projects with the kids. I truly do love being in the teaching field. This week our school has gone retro for the Christmas holiday. We've enjoyed wearing jeans, Christmas shirts, both retro and tacky sweaters, and even an offer to dress like the Brady Bunch. So enjoy some festive pics of our Teacher Tidings!

Thursday afternoon, after an amazing staff holiday lunch... our school announced it's Teacher of the Year! I couldn't be more excited about the results as it was my teacher Shannon Wallace who was named. I couldn't think of someone more deserving of this title. Plus who better to present the flowers to her other than her two very excited daughters.

Wallace with her congratulatory flowers

After the award, it was the time that we had all waited (and planned) for... the Snowman gift exchange. Let's just say that it almost went south, but my ladies know how to hold their own and went home with the snowmen coffee mugs.

Wallace and Garrett with their mugs... and sweet Emma!

The results of our exchange!
Oh and I love love love my new snowman:) Thanks Jess!

...

PISD scheduled a half day for Friday. It was a day for parties, our All Day Cafe put on my the Sped Team, and a day to exchange lots and lots of Christmas goodies. These were some that I had given... including cute monogrammed polka dot ornaments for each teacher, homemade chocolate covered pretzels, hot chocolate, apple cidar, and a red/green stockings.

Teacher Gifts

Our New Festive Decorations

So here's to wonderful tidings of teacher joys and to having two wonderful weeks off. Until the New Year...