ALL I WANNA KNOW IS HOW FAR YOU WANNA GO

Kings of Leon concert last night, a nice mid-week break from reality although waking up at 5:20am was a bit harder than usual this morning. Also a nice break from school-teacher-fashion-reality to wear a sequined mini skirt with shiny red heels.

BEING HERE

My classroom beginning to turn into a small forest, leaves on the walls and tree art from last week, plants on the windowsill, even our Daily Math I'm writing in fall colours on the whiteboard. Every day walking into my classroom feeling calm and comforted, it's really got a warmth to it, made complete when filled with twenty-one little happy faces. Decorating my apartment hasn't even come close to how fun it is to decorate my classroom. Cannot wait until October for Halloween decorations...

 Skirt: Gap, Dress worn as shirt: TNA, Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Belt: Vintage



IT TAKES AN OCEAN NOT TO BREAK

Shirt: Gap, Pants: American Eagle

Getting to bed at 3:30am and then being woken up by a fire alarm / evacuation. Going to Urban Fare for coffee in an oversized tshirt and my moccasin slippers and my glasses because we weren't allowed back into the apartment for a while. Walking to the library only to find out it closed two minutes before I got there. Spent some time aimlessly shopping, avoiding going back home, buying a longsleeve shirt I thought would be good fall attire, dyed my hair a darker blonde thinking it's a more suitable seasonal colour, made Alphaghetti for dinner, watched the sun set. Too many things on my mind right now.

THE CITIES WE LIVE IN COULD BE DISTANT STARS

A Pro-D day yesterday, to contribute to my professional development by visiting two art galleries, The Vancouver Art Gallery and the Bill Reid Art Gallery. Wish my students could have come with me though. Art is so inspiring, interesting, enlightening. And then later last night, bowling. Fun, not entirely inspiring, the shoes are ridiculous. You'd think someone would come up with a new design by now. Not entirely enlightening the fact I only bowled one strike, weak. And not entirely interesting learning that if the bowling ball holes are too big for your fingers you will drop it behind you when winding back your bowling arm...

Skirt: Douglas Coupland for Roots, Shirt: American Eagle, Shoes: gross

I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH MY REVELATION

Pants: American Eagle, Shirt: Gap, Jacket: Talula, Scarf: Club Monaco, Bag: Kate Spade, Shoes: Calvin Klein

Perfect Canucks pants, am I right?

YOU GOTTA CRY WITHOUT WEEPING, TALK WITHOUT SPEAKING, SCREAM WITHOUT RAISING YOUR VOICE

Skirt & Sweater: Gap, Shoes & Ring: Aldo, Nail Polish: Joe Fresh

You have no words to tell me what's wrong. You can't write to me. Sometimes you cry when you want to smile. Sometimes you smile when you want to cry. You are bursting with energy, with nowhere to go. Now imagine you are six years old. Every day in class spent trying to understand a student that I cannot. Every day that student trying to understand me as well as the entire world. Week three of an incommunicable impasse.

THERE'S NOTHING TO DO BUT I DON'T MIND WHEN I'M WITH YOU

Coat: Wilfred, Shirt: Gap, Pants: American Eagle, Shoes: Nine West

Taking it easy and trying to recharge for the next week of school. It's a lot to start a class, routines take time getting used to, I feel like I'm figuring things out just as much as my students are. Valuing opportunities to have some downtime, playing with toys and making crafts. The importance of breaks in the day, sometimes I yell out "freeze! Now dance like monkeys!" and we all stop our work and rock out for a bit. Little mindless activites are absolutely necessary to keep your sanity. Finding times this weekend to relax, going out for sushi and watching the Canucks hockey practice and eating grilled cheese and walking the dog around Steveston. Sometimes it's not really the things you do but who you do them with. Some people in my life have no idea how amazing they've been.

 My teacher daybook & an apple cupcake from a student's birthday

 Organized toys

Friday's art project: student faces

Vancouver Canucks training practice 

Meat & Bread grilled cheese 

New fall clothes, Pants: American Eagle, Sweater: Gap



LET'S SEE COLOURS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN

Autumn means autumn-inspired art projects. A mega-easy one is colouring doilies with markers and running some water over them. Turn them around a couple times and all the colours mix together, like maybe an autumn leaf would look like while it's changing colours throughout the season... We used only autumn colours, which pretty much means no blue allowed (I used to say purple and pink too but then one day some student brought me a leaf with purple and pink hues in it so we agreed a little bit of purple and pink would be ok). Let dry over night, tape to a string, hang above window. So easy. Much like this outfit today, cropped hoodie over dress over skirt.

With ankle boots. Super easy.

Hoodie: Garage, Dress: Urban Outfitters, Skirt: Talula, Boots: Aldo

A SONG TO KEEP US WARM, THERE'S SUCH A CHILL

Dress & Ring: H&M, Bag: Kate Spade

Had to close my windows this morning in my apartment. That autumn chill, cool enough to make me want to stay indoors and curl up with a book. Also had to layer my outfit today, one light dress on top of the other. Not sure what it is about this season. Changing colours of leaves. Sweaters and knit tights and boots. Hot chocolate and turkey and stews and pies. Thanksgiving and Halloween. Plaid shirts and jeans. Blankets. Rain. I just love it.

THE WIND IT TAKES YOU WHERE IT WANTS TO GO

Back to school... Twenty-one little faces every morning. Was never sure whether teaching was the right thing for me. Thought that my creativity would be stiffled in a classroom. Seems the opposite actually, my creativity at an all-time high when I am able to teach it to someone else, especially to such excited and adventurous six- and seven-year-old brains. Even the most basic things come alive in our classroom. Like arranging class rules in a sort of Scrabble way. Like the sink corner with glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs that keep the plants company. Like school supplies almost decorative there are so many. Like the reading corner turned nature hideaway. Like all these little things I never realized were so artistic-outlet-y until I had my own classroom.

YOU'RE GONNA MAKE MISTAKES YOU'RE YOUNG

Yesterday spent spraypainting picture frames. Today spent hanging picture frames. And moving desks around. And moving bookcases around. And taping up more maps. And getting books from the library. And finalizing student placements. And getting rid of a really dirty carpet (gross). And staring at my big leaf that still hasn't been hung... Think I'm gonna write the word PATIENCE up on the board and leave it there all year, just to remind myself when I start to think and this and this and this and this... Gotta set the example, which is what this whole week will be - how to listen, how to read, how to share, how to wash your hands before lunch, how to ask a question, how to clean up, how to play on the playground... Sometimes the best teacher is just a great role model.  

IT REMINDED ME TWICE THAT I WAS ALIVE

Perhaps one of the most perfect days of summer yesterday. A morning hike up The Chief, an afternoon swim at Brohm Lake, and an evening of junk food and watching tv on my computer, all with some amazing people. Not sure why I was so bent on getting out of the city for the long weekend, thinking back to Québec and Toronto and New York, camping in the States and laying on the dock in Osoyoos, did a million things this summer but none of them involved my hometown. Seems quite right that the end of an unforgettable two-month holiday is spent in Vancouver.

I DON'T MIND THIS WASTED, SHADED DAYLIGHT

Blouse: Gap, Shorts: Hollister, Sandals: Old Navy, Shades: Ray Ban, Bag: Coach

Always thankful for sunny day. Enjoying the last few days and nights before school starts, even a walk around the seawall seems a luxury. Funny how as soon as September begins in Vancouver, there is just a little chill in the air. Won't be long before I can't wear sheer blouses like this without something overtop, or underneath...