The Yarny Teacher

It's getting colder and I decided it was time to try and crochet a piece of clothing. I usually stick to things that can be done quickly (like hats or fingerless gloves) and blankets. However, I was feeling adventurous. After searching Pinterest for some good ideas, I came across a pattern by Lilla Björn. This Whirl Mandala Cardigan looked warm and snugly! You can find it here . I've used the materials that I had available, but see that changing the type and weight of yarn would be beneficial. Starting small at lunch while at work - Still working on it! Added blue as a continuation when I ran out of the other yarn. A size D hook can be such a pain to work with. Small hooks just aren't my thing!  I'm still not finished and don't know if I ever will be! Here's hoping to finish it soon! 

After reading the article from CNN by Kelly Wallace  Will #MeToo be a turning point for younger girls, too? I did some thinking. It's an interesting piece on how the #MeToo could trickle down to school aged students. Wallace makes some good points and it made me reflect on my teaching career. In my classes, is there a change in middle school? I've taught both middle school and high school now and, even in my own growing up, can see how there's a definite change in attitude of female students. It's not only the students who face issues either. For anyone, it is difficult to try to gain respect, power, and authority. Female teachers, especially young ones, are often seen as fluffy or "puppy". They're too young to know what the education world is all about. While it does take time to build up respect and standing, it seems harder to do it as a female. There are also "boys clubs" among teachers. I've yet to see an influx of female administrat...

I've spoken about getting rid of my desk in favor of using two tables. It allows me to streamline some of my materials, get rid of junk drawers, and have leg room. I never sit still, so having leg room to stretch is amazing! If I'm lucky, I'll have a new desk chair next year that will also allow some fidgeting. *fingers crossed* So here are some pictures of my "desk" set up! Enjoy! Let me know what you think 😃

It's a heat wave! 23 degrees! Well, at least last Wednesday was! Here's my much delayed post Last week the temperatures began to plummet - hello effects of the bomb cyclone. This led to school being closed on Friday and lots of indoor work over the weekend! So with the balmy 23 entering the area, it feels like a huge heat wave.  Schools can also be a bit nippy - using my handy classroom warming techniques to stay warm! (Some of these are "off the record" lol)  The wet paper towel over the thermostat.  This works, but gets freezing cold once the paper towel has dried out! Also, it is not recommended by our custodial staff  Little portable heater under the desk. I'm not sure if we're supposed to have them or not. However, the offices all have some under their desks or in their rooms - so I decided to give it a try. So far, so good! I use an extra piece of fabric left over from my bulletin board to trap most of the heat in so it doesn't mess w...

I was blessed to be able to move into my grandmother's family farmhouse over a year ago. It came with a furry guard - Charlie! He's a big fuzzball who is quite content to curl up most of the time. However, this fur baby can be quite mouthy! Dinner must be served on time. Does this make me a crazy cat lady? I hope not! He does have a "girlfriend", a second cat that I just adopted just before Christmas. Bridget doesn't often make an appearance - but she has an amazing backstory. Part of a feral cat colony and TNR program, she turned out not to be feral! Here's wishing her a long and comphy indoor life! Charlie loves to play with yarn as I crochet - sometimes projects take longer than expected 😺 His antics may appear from time to time.

 With the temperatures dropping and the weekend having highs of 0 degrees - the windchill is just too much! Saturday looks like it will be spent curled up on the couch with some new patterns to try out! My last batch of projects included fingerless gloves. Easy to whip up and super popular with my teacher friends (our school can get a little chilly in the winter). Here's hoping to find a pattern that'll work well with some the yarn in my stash!

After teaching for 3 years in the Middle School, this year I was transferred to the High School. The room included a huge metal desk that would be great in a normal sized classroom. My room and several of the other Special Education classrooms, however, are half that size. Plus, I wasn't using my desk the way that it was intended. Several drawers ended up collecting junk and being catch-alls for things I didn't know how to store. It was time for a change. Enter Pinterest. Many pins and youtube videos later, I deduced that all I really needed was to have an organized desk surface and 3 drawers for the things that I use on a regular basis. The rest could be stored in the cabinets along the back wall.  The result was two tables put together and then wrapped with some fabric I had purchased at Wal Mart a while back. Under one of the tables, I have a 3 drawer rolling cart (no locking) with extra pens, pencils, sticky notes, and my chromebook.  It's been a month s...

Hey there! I hope that everyone is staying warm so far this winter season. The temperatures have been rather frigid this week in upstate NY! After graduating from Keuka College in 2010, I've been teaching at various schools and subjects. I've been blessed to have been teaching at my old hometown school for the past 4 years. Now in year 5, I'm excited to be able to apply for student loan forgiveness at the end of the year! This year, I'm teaching grades 9-12. While it may be a challenge, it's a fun one! Most of my students I've had in Middle School in previous years. It's been amazing to see how these kiddos have matured and grown! I decided to start a blog to share what I've learned crafting and teaching! Hopefully, you will be able to be inspired by what I do 👩