Budding Bloggers Showcase: Mrs. Jones' Desk

Hi, everyone!  I'm Julie, from Mrs. Jones' Desk.  I'm so excited to be here and want to say THANK YOU to Amanda for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself and my blog!  I live in WI with my husband and our dog, Millie.  We were just married in June, and have spent the summer enjoying married life.  

This will be my fourth year teaching, and my third school district!  Somehow I've managed to stay in first grade the entire time and absolutely LOVE IT!  I'm starting at a new district this fall so have been busy learning new curriculum and getting settled into my new school.  I made the switch to be a little closer to home and to be in a bigger district.  I'm excited to see what new adventures this position will bring!

I absolutely love reading and love teaching reading even more.  My classroom is largely centered around reading.  I have a library of well over 2,000 books all broken down into categories and organized into their own color-coded and numbered bins.  I think it's safe to say that during an unannounced visit you'd be likely to find my kids reading!  If we're not reading we're having fun in some other way - working in small groups, doing a project, playing a math game, or even dancing!

I've met some of my best friends through teaching and they are definitely my go to on any tough day.  It's so nice to know that they're only a walk down the hall or phone call away!  Them, and Chili's.  It by far my favorite restaurant and my husband and I go there often!  

I've been busy getting my new classroom ready and have been stalking the Target Dollar Spot like crazy for any new and fun teaching resources.  I'm a sucker for all of their bins and other organizing tools.  I can't stand to have things out of place at school {my house is often another story!} and those color-coordinated bins are a lifesaver!  I've got quite the stockpile for any organizing that needs to be done.  But, I am starting to get a little jealous of other rooms that have some kind of color theme and am starting to think the primary colors might need a make-over.  I see some spray painting in my future...

I absolutely strive for my our classroom and everything we do to be built around my students.  I'm constantly re-arranging and re-thinking to make things work best for them, not me.  The irony in my blog title is that last year I actually gave up my teacher desk!  It was taking up too much space so I made do with just a little space of the counter in the corner!  Lately I've been reading up on Whole Brain Teaching and implemented a few techniques into my classroom last year.  I am IN LOVE with it and can't wait to do more this year!  I love it when my kids are engaged and having fun learning!

Thanks for taking time to read this!  I'd love to have you stop over to my blog and become a follower.  I'm hoping to reach 100 followers by the end of the school year and would love for you to be one of them!