The Adventures of Room D4: Five: A Survey

I love being a connected educator. I love to read, connect, share, question and grow as a learner.

As I was learning, I came across a blog post from Mari Venturino. She wrote about reflection and simply looking at our goals and dreams. Her challenge to the masses was a Five: A Blog Survey.

Below are my "Five" and the categories came from Mari.

Five Places I’m Dying To Visit

- ISTE! One day, one day I will get there and share and learn so much!

- England-I had a pen pal growing up from England and I have always wanted to go

-Japan- I am seriously dying to see their Cherry Blossom Festival. In my ELA class, we read a book set in Japan and it brings in the history, culture, and mystic of Japan. I want to see it myself.

- Peru- My husband and I had a trip to Peru all lined up....then we discovered we were pregnant. We will try to get there soon!

-Elvis Prestly's house- yes, this may be a strange one in the mists of all the others; however, I have a bucket list my mom had and this was on it. I would LOVE to fulfull this for her.

Five Tasks I Do Every Day

- Teach! Whether it's my students or kids, I am always teaching something.

- Show that I care, through words, hugs, texts, and other affections.

- Text, tweet, or vox with my best teacher friends. This technology has pushed me to be a better educator and I am lucky to have such a wonderful PLN.

- Play and laugh with my family. Time is every fleeting and I try to take the time to BE with my kids and hubby.

- Relax. I have to take a little time for me. This may include reading, having tea, hanging with my husband, or heading to bed early!

Five Talents I Wish I Had

- Cleaning: We have two littles, two and nine months. There is NO time for cleaning. NONE. Nope. No. No way. No how. (my hubby spoils me with a cleaning service!)

- Patience: I have a TON of patience for my students and classes. I wish I could transfer more of that to my kids and husband. It's almost like my classes suck all my patience I have.

-Cooking: My husband is an AMAZING cook. Even when it seems we have little to nothing in the fridge or freezer, he can create the most delicious dishes. Sadly, I do most of the cooking and not as creative or good as he.

-Photography: I LOVE taking pictures. LOVE it. I sometimes secretly wish I had a side job as a photographer. I have taken a handful of photography classes and wish to take more. If only there was time!

-Writer: I teach English. I write a journal and a blog. I wish I was simply better at it. I wish I had ideas to write a novel or educational handbook or something. I love to write and reflect, I just wish I could fill the pages that would help, inspire, and/or entertain.

Five Leaders I Wish I Could Work With

- Jon Corippo: This man does it all! I remember the first time I met him (Fall CUE, 2012) and I was wowed! WOWED! He pushes me to be better for my students and for me!

- Rafranz Davis: Rafranz is the epitome of learning, teaching and mentoring. I learn so much from her every single day! Her blog is a plethora of knowledge that I always let sink in and move/change me. I am lucky to call her friend!

- Dave Burgess: I love Teach Like a Pirate and all the other books from Dave Burgess Consulting. His book saved me at a time I truly thought about leaving education. I recently had the opportunity to hear him speak and then meet him! IT. WAS. AWESOME! He even remembered me from Twitter (WOW!). If I could work along side him....I would definitely pay for a ticket for that!

- Cheryl Morris: Cheryl is AH-MAZING! She does puppets, flipped learning, she does it all! And with such style! I am so grateful for her and teaching me so much about flipped learning and teaching in general.

- Doug Robertson: He is the weird teacher. I am too! If I had the opportunity to work with him....oh the damage, I mean fun we could have! OH! And the learning that would take place! Me and the students!

There are SO many others!! SO many out there that truly inspire me!

Five Twitter Hashtags I Love

- #CaEdChat: Educators across California that come together to share, discuss, and uplift one another. Sunday nights

-#Flipclass: Home of the flipped classroom. Join our weekly chat about techniques, trials, successes, and more!

-#Tlap: I love Teach Like a Pirate. It saved me and my career at my lowest. When I need a fast paced, super inspiring chat, I head to #Tlap

-#GeniusHour: Genius Hour changed my classroom, so when I discovered there was Genius Hour chat....SOLD!!

- #edtechteam (formerly #gafesummit): Like most teachers, I LOVE Google and GAFE! This chat brings it all home.

Five Blogs

- My Paperless Classroom- Sam Patterson

- Edutopia

- CUE Blog

- The Tech Savvy Educator

- Rafranz Davis

Five Phrases I Have On Repeat

- FAIL= First. Attempt. In. Learning

- When you love, you take your chances of being hated by speaking the truth.

- "Some pursue happiness, others create it." Unknown

- If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." Maya Angelou