Teaching is taking over my brain.

It's all I think about. I think about how I'm going to get a job, what my classroom will look like, the classroom management strategies I plan on using, all the way down to what MY desk will look like. All of my spare money is spent on teaching books and childrens' books.

So far, my Christmas wishlist looks like this:
A laminator
A Cricut
An assortment of children's books and teaching books from my Amazon wishlist
..and a fancier all in one printer.

That's it. It's pathetic. Taking over my brain I tell you.

Although I must admit the class I spent an hour with yesterday, seriously made me reconsider my career choice. I've never received so much sass from a 5th grade class before. The class I had the rest of the day made up for it though. I'm 24, telling me I still look like a teenager gets you on my good side I guess(specifically, I was told "You look like you belong in the 15-19 age bracket").

Besides, I suppose one bad day in 3 months of subbing isn't that bad. But seriously, what is wrong with kids these days? When did it become okay to mouth off to teachers? I grew up in this school district, and I know it wasn't something we did back then. Most of us have one moment when we "almost talked back", were reprimanded for it, and were determined to never get that lecture again. I swear, these kids have balls of steel nowadays.

Giveaways, I like em'.

So lately, I've been entering a lot of giveaways, and signing up for sites that giveaway free stuff. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said it has become an obsession. It all started when I got sucked into McDonalds Monopoly. I never win anything, but I cannot for the life of me avoid playing.

I've discovered Winnit.com while watching Nick Lachey talk about it on Rachael Ray one day. The lowest unique bid wins a variety of prizes from Bare Minerals products, iPods, or Nintendo Wiis. It costs a dollar per bid, but if you bid the right amount, you could win an auction for a tiny fraction of what it would actually cost. They give you $5 to start.

Meanwhile, I signed up for swagbucks. You can get swagbucks just for using their search engine for your day to day searches. I also got a decent amount of swagbucks for buying a domain name from GoDaddy, so I'll just say now that my blog's name will be changing in the very near future. So far I've redeemed a total of $20 in giftcards from Amazon. Giftcards that I will be using to buy more teaching books so I can effectively make sure my future students are aware that Jersey IS NOT the capital of New York State.

Combined with subbing, these horribly addicting sites are the reason I have failed to update recently. Blame them.

P.S. If you sign up for Swagbucks or Winnit.com through those links, you'd be helping me out too.

Can we call you Ms. S?

"Can we call you Ms. S?"
No you can't call me Ms. S. My last name is five letters long and is a common noun. It's a word you use when you cover the solar system. It's mostly likely written on a button on your keyboard when you go to Computers. Your teacher probably claims that you don't put enough of it between words. If you can remember the first letter, you can handle the other four.

I'd understand abbreviating my last name if it was something hard to pronounce or ridiculously long. My last name is Space. If you call me Miss S, then I should be allowed to refer to you as Lazy all day. Especially if I've been in your class before. Don't do it.

Also, I really hate having to initial and sign things like planners and agenda books. I dislike it so much that I am seriously thinking about purchasing a customizable self inking stamp from Etsy. Seriously.

my current job.

I'm a substitute teacher. Not by choice really, just necessity. My interview skills need to be vastly improved before I can nail myself an actual teaching job. Apparently, I need to put my time in as a sub just like everyone else. In reality though, it's an awesome job. I don't have to go home and grade papers or write lesson plans. Plus, I feel like a celebrity as kids chant my name in the halls.

Also, what other place could I hear the following statements?
"You look like a pretty dinosaur."
"You make-up looks like a monster. [followed by insane giggling]"
"You're too pretty to be a klutz."
Also, my last name was made fun of the other day. Good to know kids haven't changed since I was in fifth grade [..and no, my last name did not come from outer space].

I hear, "you're tall" at least three times per class I'm in. I might be 5'8, but my dependable two inch heels aren't given the credit they deserve. All children seem to think tall people are in some secret competition with other tall people. Personally, I really don't care if you're brother, or grandma, or dog for that matter, is taller than me. Really... my ego isn't bruised, kid.

These little things are what make up for me getting 6:22 am wake up calls, and being stressed out during Tuesday night bowling because the sub caller ALWAYS calls then. Do you know how hard it is to hear your phone when bowling pins are furiously being knocked down by small spherical boulders?

By the way, isn't 'Island of the Blue Dolphins' the best book ever?

fickle, fanciful, and free.

In an attempt to explain who I am, I would like to analyze the three vocabulary words I've chosen to describe myself with.

fickle; likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable
I cannot for the life of me make a decision. Well, I can, but only after I bounce back and forth a few times. My taste and music varies by the day. One day, I will be reciting every word of 'Gangstas' Paradise', while the next day I'll be planning a trip to the Grand Ol' Opry for my love of country music. I changed my major three times in college, landing me there for six years. A few of those majors I had several times. Finally I graduated with two bachelor's degrees; on in History and another in Childhood Education. I've got TONS of hobbies, which I juggle on a regular basis. Painting, jewelry making, blogging, scrapbooking, card making, cupcake decorating, and crafting in general are just to name a few. I guess I need variety to fill in all that spare time I have as a substitute teacher. Too bad I can't just have a career as a karaoke goddess.

fanciful; marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience.
That definition makes it sound negative. Boo to you Merriam Webster. Occasionally I'll be led by reason and experience, but isn't life a lot more fun when you don't? My imagination is one of my most favorite things about me. It's where my creativity comes from. It's what makes me think I'll make a good Elementary school teacher. Sure, I may daydream a lot. I plan for things that may never happen (like my wedding for instance). I just like to think that things can always get better.

free; not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself
Essentially, I suppose, I'm free to be me. Sometimes I'm weird, but it's who I am. My quirks are what makes me, me. We're all free too be whoever we think we are. I choose to be fickle and fanciful(and basically just a nice person too).

What do you choose to be?

the first post.

This is me. I used to have another blog. This was me. I wasn't happy with the image of myself I was portraying. I realized I could be searched for by my whole name. As someone looking for a job as an elementary school teacher, I didn't really want a slew of posts about alcohol and hangovers clinging to me. I drink occasionally, but I don't drink to the point I should have a blog seemingly devoted to it. I just graduated from college, and I guess I'm still trying to figure out who I am. I know what I want to do with my life. I just need to figure out how I'm going to get there. Meanwhile, I know three things about myself:

I am fickle.

I am fanciful.

..and I am free.

Stay tuned to find out why.