Liebster Award!

Wow... so here I was finally breathing for a moment after running around all day relaxing, and I decided to check my email. I had a notice that there was a new comment on one of my blog posts, and as I read it, I see that it's telling me that I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Jo Anne from Teaching in Cardigans.

Needless to say I was completely blown away that someone would nominate me. I mean, I've only been blogging here for about a month and am just now really starting to meet and get to know all you other fabulous bloggy people too, which I have been enjoying immensely. So first and foremost, I must give a very huge thank you to Jo Anne for the nomination.

As for the rules for accepting the award, I need to:
1. link back to the blog that nominated me (see the link above)
2. Nominate 5 to 11 blogs with less than 200 followers (I'll list those at the bottom of this post)
3. Share 11 random facts about myself (I'll do that next)
4. Answer the questions my nominator has posted for me (I'll do that after my random facts)
5. Create 11 questions for the people I nominate (I'll do that after I answer my questions)
6. Let the people I nominate know they have been nominated.

Okay...so...here are my 11 random facts:
1. I have 8 tattoos (and plan on getting at least 5 more)
2. I was in a sorority in college (I'm a proud member of Delta Delta Delta)
3. I have been to the Daytime Emmy Awards (sadly it was not the year that Susan Lucci won...she lost the year I went, but Mr. Rogers did get the lifetime achievement award and Elmo was there too so...)
4. As a kid I was on the Nickelodeon show "Wild & Crazy Kids" (and they even used a clip of me in their commercials.)
5. I've gone on 7 cruises (2 to nowhere, 2 to Canada, 1 to Bermuda, 1 that went to St. Johns, Martinique & St. Maarten, and 1 that went to the Bahamas & Key West)
6. I am beyond petrified of spiders (I saw one in my bathroom 2 years ago and to this day still check the corner he was in to make sure he hasn't returned even though I killed him upon discovery)
7. My college history thesis was published by a research journal and accepted for presentation at a national research conference (The thesis was called The Alamo as a Pyhrric Victory: The Mexican Experience in the Battle of the Alamo.... yeah, I know...it's a mouthful to say)
8. I'm 28 but only just got my drivers license last year (it's a loooong story)
9. In elementary school I got to perform for Pope John Paul II (I was in Bell Choir and we got to perform for him when he visited New York...I still have the blessed rosary beads he presented to us all)
10. I am OBSESSED with YA fiction (especially anything dystopian)
11. I always save ticket stubs from anything I go to (movies, concerts, shows...all of them get saved and put into special scrapbooks...in chronological order cause I'm OCD like that)


And now for the answers to the 11 questions my nominator wrote for me:
1. What was your most memorable teaching moment?
My most memorable teaching moment so far would be when I was an assistant teacher and my one student finally passed a math test for the first time. He was my lone student who always caused behavior problems in class and no matter what interventions we tried, he never passed a math test. I started working with him after school twice a week and he seemed to really blossom from getting the extra attention. I'll never forget the smile on his face when he saw the passing grade (an 82%) and said "Wow, I did it" It was seriously the best teaching moment ever.

2. What has been the most exciting thing you've done this summer?
Getting things ready for my classroom for this upcoming school year...I graduated with my MA in elementary education in 2009, but the economy in Vegas has been so bad, it's taken me just about 4 years to even finally get hired at a school this past January and that was as a substitute. I got hired by a charter school for the upcoming school year as a 4th grade teacher in March and have been using this whole summer planning out my theme and getting things ready for my room.

3. What was your favorite TV show as a child in the the grade you teach?
It's a tie between Ren & Stimpy and Are You Afraid of the Dark.... I was a total Nickelodeon kid in 4th grade

4. What do you keep in the trunk of your car?
My trunk is a testament to my OCD nature... I keep a small storage container in it that has my emergency roadside kit, an umbrella, a first aid kid, a flashlight, and a blanket.

5. Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I'm not sure if I ever really decided. Ever since I could remember, including all the way back to PreK, all I've ever wanted to do was teach. I've just never even considered another career choice because I can't see myself being happy doing anything else.

6. If you could have had the starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?
I would love to be Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.

7. What are your favorite books about teaching?
Right now The First Days of School by Harry Wong is like my teaching bible, but I also loved Black Ants and Buddhists by Mary Cowhey as well as Experience and Education by John Dewey. I am also dying to read The Book Whisperer, Teach Like A Pirate, and Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire.

8. If your house was burning down, what three objects would you save?
My phone, my laptop, and my Nikon camera

9. What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie?
I would love to put "Cherish every moment" into a fortune cookie.

10. What is one item you should probably throw away but probably never will?
My cap and gown from my Masters graduation

11. If you had to give up a favorite food, which would be the most difficult to give up?
Chicken...definitely chicken. I eat it at least 3 times a week.


And now for my nominees....

1. Teacher's Take Out
2. Science Teaching Junkie
3. The Teaching Chameleon
4. Chalk Dust & Cheerios
5. First Grade Fascination

My questions for my nominees are:
1. What color is your car?
2. What is the funniest thing that has happened so far in your teaching career?
3. What is one piece of advice you would give new teachers when it comes to Parent-Teacher Conferences
4. If you could travel back in time and live in any other time period, what would it be and why?
5. What was your favorite book when you were 10 years old?
6. What is your favorite subject to teach?
7. What is your favorite thing you have done this summer?
8. Which came first, the chicken or the egg and how do you know?
9. Do you have any pets?
10. What did you love about school as a child?
11. If you could only choose one thing to teach your students this year, what would it be?