The Leibster Award

I was nominated for The Liebster Award by Rachel from The Special ABCs. I feel so honored that she thought to nominate me.

The Liebster Award is given to beginning bloggers to help acknowledge up and coming blogs. Upon receiving the nomination, the blogger answers 11 questions to help their followers get to know them better. Then, I will have a chance to nominate 11 other bloggers!

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?

I started blogging in December of 2012 when the teacher I was working as a Teaching Assistant for introduced me to TPT. You may know her as Anna from  Simply Skilled in Second. She was an amazing mentor allowing me to teach here and there so I would have some experience. I started creating my own products to sell and she told me to start blogging to promote my products. I just didn't like how my blog looked for the past 3 years so I barely posted. I really wanted to start sharing the things I am doing in my current classroom so I decided to get my blog updated. Thanks to Lindsey from LPaulldesigns or better known as Thriving in Third.

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?
PASSION. Just like my name I am very passionate about teaching and everything that has to do with teaching.  I wish I had more time to be able to really share more and read all the wonderful blogs.


3. Is there something you learned late in your blogging journey you wished you knew before?
I wish I could have started networking with teachers sooner, by joining link ups and blog hops. My goal is to connect more with people and post more.


4. What is your favorite pastime other than blogging?
   I love to do ZUMBA! I have always loved to dance since I was a little girl. Zumba is a great way to not only workout but to have fun and make great friends. I have 4 instructors that I take classes from and we have all become best friends. They want me to get certified so I can substitute for them, but it costs between $200-$300 and that's a lot on a teacher salary. :-/  One day I will save enough money to get certified since I love it so much.

5.  How many hours a week do you dedicate to your blog/TPT?
 It truly depends what is going on in my life, but usually I can spend all Saturday and Sunday between creating products, posting on my Facebook Page and try to blog, which I need to get better at.

6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy most?
 I love reading blogs of second grade teachers since I learn new ways to teach the content of 2nd grade. I also love reading literacy blogs since I am passionate about literacy.

7. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from all the amazing teachers sharing their classrooms and how they teach, which makes me want to share what I've done and connect with these amazing teachers.

8. Which post that you've written are you most proud of?
  The post I am most proud of right now is my Chinese New Year  post. I am proud of this post because its the first real post of what I was doing with my students, and pictures of my students doing the activities. Ideally I wish I could do posts like that one once or twice a month.

9. Is there a post you have been planning to do but have been postponing it for a while now?
Like I said in the previous question I wish I could post what I am doing in my classroom once or twice a month. I need to pick 2 dates where I share everything we have done in all subjects.

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
  My favorite aspect of blogging is the connecting with teachers from all around the world. I love learning new and fun ways to do things in my classroom through other teacher's blogs, and I like being able to share my ideas for them as well.

11. Which idea from a blog would you like to try yourself?
I will actually be trying to have my students complete their final writing sample, personal narrative, by using a lesson by Mrs. Lemons from Step into Second Grade which has the students write about their friend and uses the story Getting Ready for Second Grade Amber Brown. I wish I could have used it in the beginning of the year, but I know my students will still enjoy it.

Now I nominate these wonderful teacher bloggers:
Kayla from K's Classroom Kreations
Megan from Snapshots of Sixth Grade
Kellee from Stomping Through First
Teacher Twinkle Toes
Jessi from Wild West by Jessi
Rainah from Fit for Firsties
Melanie from A Trendy Teacher

The Rules to Receiving this Award are:
-Link back to the blog that nominated you
-Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator
-Nominate 5-11 (blogs with followers less than 200 followers) and link to them in your post
-Contact the nominees and let them know they have been nominated