Category: Blog challenge

Posted in Blog challenge, Me

Blog Challenge Part 10

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I’m continuing with my *never ending* Blog Challenge today. I really have enjoyed looking at different topics!

I left off covering topic #18, and today I’m writing about #19 and #20.

19. My worst habits

Well, I’m a worrier by nature. I do think I’ve gotten better at worrying less as I’ve gotten older. That being said, now I think I worry about “bigger” things rather than “smaller” things. I guess with age you do learn not to “sweat the small stuff,” but I sure do worry about other bigger things…Also, how can you have kids and not worry?

Also, I am type A in most aspects of my life, but I can procrastinate on things that I don’t want to do…and it’s usually small things like put away a stack of papers, pack a suitcase, or tidy up my closet.

Lastly, I play with my hair a lot. It’s a nervous habit that turned into just a bad habit!

20. Where I want to be in 10 years…

Retired. 😆

Seriously.

I’m finishing up year 21 in education, and I really don’t see myself going past year thirty. The “practical” part of me even likes the “math” of it…At the end of my 30th year, the kids will be 22 and graduating college (assuming it takes them four years). So, we can all check off big milestones.

I’ve loved my time in education, and it’s been the perfect job for me. I’ve learned so much, met so many great people, taught so many great students, accomplished so much professionally and more.

Could I get to that 30th year and decide to go one more because it will make my pension better? Yes…and I just might. Our retirement system has changed a bit. It used to be 52 years old and thirty years gave you a pretty optimal pension, but now I think it’s 55 (or a combo of age + years if you started teaching later). I know more and more people who are retiring at 27 years which is when you can start getting a pretty good pension. I have a few years in Missouri, so my thirty years would be 27 if I retire then.

But, for me, 30 is the goal. Then, I will be ready to do whatever I want…whenever I want!

I was just talking about the first day of school with some students. Even in August of 2020 when we started the school year virtually, I still went to school and sat in my classroom. I’ve had a first day of school in a classroom for over 40 years! I didn’t want to end the streak.

I’m not sure what I will do when I retire, but it would be nice to have more free time and do what I want. I sure hope Travis and I have raised good, productive kids who are ready for their own bright future, so we can enjoy ours (but be there for them whenever/however they need us to be). I’ve always dreamed of spending the month of February somewhere warm, travel a bit more, not be in a rush to drink my coffee in the morning, and more. I think I would be open to subbing. I honestly didn’t think that would be the case, but the money is good, and of course you can pick and choose where you go and whose classroom you sub in. After my mom retired, she worked at the public library. That sounds like something I’d enjoy as well. We’ll see.

I still have eight years go to, but I’m proud of myself for sticking with education even during some really tough years. I’ve earned two Master’s degrees, had various classroom jobs, held leadership positions, and more. I help provide for our family, and have modeled for my kids what it’s like to have a career and balance home life as well. It’s been the best decision for our family. Plus, I get the extra time at home with the kids on breaks and in the summer.

I know students sure have changed my life for the better, and I hope many can say the same about their time in my classroom.

Year 1 to year 21 sure escalated quickly!

I hope your week is off to a great start. It’s been a busy one for us, but I hope to be back with two more posts this week.

Posted in Blog challenge

Blog Challenge Part 9

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday.

Today, I’m picking up where I left off in my blog writing challenge…

…and talking about topic 18.

18. What am I afraid of?

Well, I’m not a huge fan of spiders or things that slither! Also, I can’t say that I love heights. I wasn’t always afraid of heights; that’s something that’s developed as I’ve gotten older.

That being said, when I saw this prompt, my first thought was losing someone I love unexpectedly or something happening to my kids.

This prompt is timely given the tragic event in Louisville on Monday. This sad news hits so close to home for us. I honestly don’t know how to really process the anxiety I’ve felt the past couple of weeks. First, the Covenant School and now this. As a mom, it’s been hard for me to let my kids out of my sight. As a teacher, I’ve felt on “high alert” the past couple of weeks. Just a year ago, we ended the school year reeling from the aftermath of Uvalde. It’s really hard to believe this is the world we live in.

Trav’s family knows what it’s like to unexpectedly and tragically lose his dad, and I pray events like these will never happen again. We need more than prayers though. We need voices to be heard, and we need change.

While we’ve had beautiful weather this week and the sun has been shining, the world feels pretty dark right now.

I know this post is serious, and while I hope my little corner of the internet is a happy place, I never want my blog posts to feel out of touch with reality.

Posted in Blog challenge

Blog Challenge Part 8

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday. I hope your week is off to a great start.

I’m picking up where I left off with my blog challenge…

…and tackling topics 16 and 17.

16. Dream Job

I know teaching might not be a “dream” job to some…but it is what I always wanted to do. My mom was a middle school Language Arts teacher. I always “played” school with my Barbies. I remember helping my mom grade spelling tests and thinking I was so cool. I always had good English teachers, and really never thought twice about being anything besides a teacher. Also, it’s a wonderful profession for raising a family. I’m home with the kids on snow days, on breaks and in the summer. While I have definitely had some difficult years, I really do think this is what I was meant to do.

Obviously, my dream job would be to hit the lottery…and never work again…haha

That being said, if I really had to start over, I would love an at home editing type job. I think it would be fun to read and edit content written for publication. I always wished I could be an author. I guess this blog takes the place of that dream just a little bit. When my mom retired, she worked at the public library. I could definitely see myself doing that a couple days a week when I retire (in less than 10 years!)

That being said, if I didn’t have to work, and could just volunteer, I would spend my time in schools…probably elementary just to help out wherever needed. I’ve never been able to do that since I’ve spent over twenty years with high schoolers. I think it would be fun to help teachers whether it’s make copies, help with testing or reading groups, serve lunch, go on field trips, and more. I would also volunteer at the Humane Society and hang out with dogs all day. Is holding NICU babies still a thing? I would hold a baby all day long if I could.

What’s your dream job?

17. Favorite Childhood Book

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading. I’ve shared before that both of my parents were (and are) readers. That habit was modeled for me often and from a very young age.

I loved the Madeline book when I was little. I even had two dolls. I got the second one because the first one I carried around so much it was dirty…and I think was missing an eye.

See…I really loved my Madeline doll.

Other reading memories:

In elementary school, some of the first books I remember listening to my teachers read to the class were Island of the Blue Dolphins in the 3rd grade and Z for Zachariah in the 4th grade. Dear Mr. Henshaw is one of the first books I remember checking out from school library. I also loved Ramona and Amelia Bedelia books; they are perfect for young readers.

I loved the Babysitter Club series. Loved it. I remember buying the books whenever a new one was published.

In middle school, we read Where the Red Fern Grows in 7th grade and The Outsiders in 8th grade and enjoyed them so much.

In high school, my 9th grade English teacher assigned The Great Gatsby to read over winter break, and I didn’t enjoy it. Then, I read it again in college, and I absolutely loved it. (I also made note that when I became a teacher to never assign a book for students to read over a break) 😉

In college, one of my favorite classes was all about young adult books. Every week, we were assigned a book to read, and then we created lesson plans for the books. We read: The Outsiders, The Giver, Chocolate Wars, The Great Gatsby, The Call of the Wild and more.

My first year teaching, my 9th graders read To Kill a Mockingbird. I had never read it which is pretty surprising to me looking back since it’s such a classic (9th grade) book. I had to read it to prep for the unit, and I loved it. Freshman still read this book although many teachers have started using the graphic novel. Of course, I prefer the original, but I will say the graphic novel does do it justice and holds the kids’ attention.

Guess who is a “bad” English teacher and doesn’t love teaching Shakespeare? This girl! Also, I haven’t read a single Harry Potter book, but I distinctly remember the 2004-05 school year, and I had so many students who loved those books. Obviously, they are still popular, but so students who never loved reading really loved those books. Hayden has read the first few, and he really enjoyed them.

I’m very grateful that I have a love of reading. Whether I became an English teacher or not, I think I would still be an avid reader.

What was your favorite childhood book?

Posted in Blog challenge

Blog Challenge Part 7

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Today, I’m continuing with my blog challenge and covering topics #14 and #15.

14. What is in my handbag?

When I saw this one, I thought it sounded familiar….and realized it’s because that’s also one of our Not Just a Mom topics…but not until August! I carry different purses different times of the year, so that will be fun to look back on this post and compare.

Anyway, I have three purses that I tend to carry this time of the year. My big purse that holds all the things, a crossbody if I don’t need to carry as much, and then my belt bag if I’m really try to be more minimal with what I carry.

In my Barrington tote, I have:

  • my wallet which holds cards and money (of course)
  • two smaller bags

The two smaller bags (which I’ve had forever):

  • White/pink bag: hair ties, lip gloss, Airpods, toothbrush, a few gift cards
  • Multicolored bag: hand sanitizer, medicine, wet wipes, cloth to clean sunglasses, and a few other odds and ends

Also in my purse I have…

  • Two pairs of sunglasses (the smaller black pair, I tend to wear if I’m wearing a hat)
  • My Invisalign compact (pink) + light up compact mirror (light blue), rubber bands
  • Kleenex
  • Hand lotion
  • Hair brush
  • Pens
  • A pair of socks — this is more of a winter thing, but if I’m wearing boots, sometimes I want socks and sometimes I don’t.

Last but not least…

  • my Kindle! I never leave home without it.

The other purses…

  • I love the cross body with the interchangeable strap. I tend to carry this one April -September before switching over to my larger bag for fall/winter months. This bucket bag holds quite a bit, and I use it some on the weekends when I can just pull out what I need from my bigger bag. I feel like I carry less in the warmer months, and maybe that’s because I’m also home more in the summer and don’t need to have everything on me all of the time.
  • For example, this weekend, when we were out of town for Hadley’s competition, I left my big purse at home, and just put what I needed (the essentials) in my cross body. It holds quite a bit…and that weekend, I even threw in some snacks for Hadley as well as a few extras like some things she needed for dance.
  • The belt bag is perfect for if I go for a walk or a sporting event. I do laugh every time I see it because there’s a small stain on it from a drop of guacamole that missed my mouth in Mexico this summer. I’ve tried to rub it out, and it just seems to stay. It’s probably not noticeable to others, but I notice it!
  • If we are going somewhere “nicer,” and I want a smaller bag, I have a few clutches or even a small black Kendra Scott crossbody that I will use the most.

15. Timeline of my day:

Well, I’ve done quite a few “Day in the Life” posts, so I will keep this answer pretty simple:

  • 6:00 wake up
  • Quiet time with coffee, blogs, news until 6:45
  • Get ready and make lunch
  • Wake kids ay 7:15 (and help with whatever they need)
  • Leave for school 7:45.
  • School from 8:00-3:30 (sometimes 4 or 4:30)
  • Pick up kids from school at 4:00 (if they don’t have after school activities)
  • After school activities: practices, games, dance, errands (if needed)
  • If there aren’t many activities, I try to workout 3 days a week.
  • 6:00 start dinner
  • Work on blog post while dinner cooks
  • 6:30-7:30 dinner (varies day to day)
  • After dinner, kids do homework, sometimes we have pick up from activities
  • 8:00 shower and skincare
  • 8:30-10:00 watch tv, relax if there’s time to do so
  • 10:00 bedtime and read for a bit

**Of course, every evening is different. There are times we don’t even get home until 7:30, eat dinner, help with schoolwork, etc. I do the best I can to cook Sunday-Thursday (with leftovers once or twice during the week). The slow cooker is a life saver at this point in my life. Thankfully, the kids are pretty self-sufficient, and help around the house. I do feel like I’m constantly playing “catch-up” on the weekends. So, when we have a busy weekend last last weekend, I often feel “thrown off” during the week trying to get caught up. Oh well, I always say “blessed to be busy!”

This month, for Not Just a Mom, we are sharing Day in the Life: Weekend Edition on March 13th.

When I started this “blog challenge,” I wasn’t sure how many posts I’d have to cover it…and I still don’t know! 😆 These topics have been fun to think about though.

Posted in Blog challenge

Blog Challenge Part 6

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday.

It feels like spring around here, and the sunshine and warmer temps have been nice.

Today, I’m picking up where I left off in Part 5, and continuing with my blog challenge.

I’ve covered topics #1-11…

…and today, I’m going to write about #12 and #13.

12. If I won the lottery…

Seriously, whenever we buy a lottery ticket (which isn’t often…but we do occasionally buy a ticket), I always say that I’d buy a private plane with my lottery winnings. Travis is always a buzzkill and tells me I could lease a plane because buying one isn’t fiscally responsible. It’s my money, Trav…I will spend it however I want. haha

Of course, I’d donate to charities, pay off loans, buy Travis a car (fun fact: he’s been looking at a car off and on for a couple of years —but his 17 year old 4Runner with 250k miles just keeps on ticking…and he’s not much of a car guy), buy a beach house, donate to my school district, my church, the Humane Society, travel, treat my family and friends to a vacation, and more.

Does one invest lottery winnings? If so, I guess I should do that too.

But…a private plane always pops into my head. How great would be it be, especially having family out of town, to just have that luxury to go wherever you want whenever you want?

Favorite Quotes:

I actually wrote this post over two years ago with some of my favorite quotes. They still ring true.

I had a note on my phone with favorite quotes that I would add to whenever I heard one I wanted to remember it. I’m not sure what happened, but it’s not on my phone anymore…which I am bummed about. Thankfully, my November 2020 post is one to look back on, and I guess I can start a new note on my phone of quotes I want to remember.

So—if you won the lottery, what would you do? …and/or what’s your favorite quote? Maybe I can add it to my list!

Thanks for reading,

Posted in Blog challenge, Me

Blog Challenge: Part 5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Today, I’m continuing on with my “Blog Challenge” and answering…

Prompt #11…

Most Proud Moment:

Not sure if this means a time I was proud of myself or proud of others, so let me tag all the bases…

That being said, per usual, it’s difficult to write about myself, but my first thought was that I was proud of myself when I finished my second Master’s degree…

I completed it in about a year and a half while the kids were really young. My school was a part of a grant, and I had less than two years to complete the Reading Specialist degree that went with my literacy specialist job. I didn’t have to have the degree, but the tuition was free and the program was all online. The kids were two to three years old during that time. There were many late nights where I’d write papers and submit assignments through those years. Travis was Super Dad during that time too. I always think about the opportunities I’ve had in my career thanks to my two Master’s degrees. They’ve opened a lot of doors for me, and I’m grateful that I took the time to complete them when I did.

Also, I was proud of myself when I made the decision to move to my current school. I knew it would be hard to say goodbye to a school I was at for 12 years with so many wonderful friends and then start fresh in a very established school. That being said, I knew it was the right call for my family. The kids were just starting school, and I needed to be on the same schedule as them in the same district. An added bonus is that my current district pays more and the drive is less. The first year was a major adjustment, but the second year was much easier. The years are definitely flying by…it seems like yesterday that I started there!

Moving on…

I’m constantly proud of Travis. He’s a hard worker and is just an all around good guy. He continues to work hard for our family, and has really accomplished so much in his career. Everyone who knows him know what a great person he is, and they always tell me so. I joke that it’s hard being married to someone who is so perfect when I’m a hot mess. lol

Of course, I’ve been so proud of him for coaching cross country both at the kids’ school and for the club team. As his wife and also as a teacher, I know he’s making an impact on so many kids’ lives and he doesn’t even realize it. That’s the best kind of teacher.

Also, of course I’m proud of my kids. Parenting is such a tough job, and they aren’t perfect. We’re doing the best that we can, and so are they. That being said, I see them interact with their teammates, support their friends, use their manners, and try their best, and I’m proud of them for that. I’m grateful that they’ve stayed true to friendships and know that it’s important to be inclusive, and that’s come really naturally to them. Also, they’ve both gone through things, especially Hayden, that haven’t been easy, but they’ve persevered. I hope they always know how proud we are of them.

I didn’t have a lot of time for this post, so these are just my quick thoughts…

Thanks so much for reading!

Posted in Blog challenge, Holidays, Kids

Bloganuary 1.29.23

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Sunday! Well, we went from cold temps to temps in the 50’s yesterday…and then this upcoming week looks a little messy. Yep. It’s definitely the end of January.

Yesterday’s Bloganuary topic was: describe your perfect birthday cake.

Well, we are cookie cake people, and we are also Bundt cake people.

I did not grow up eating cookie cakes for my birthday, but now I think everyone knows that’s the expectation. I’m sure I’d had a cookie cake before, but I think we started buying cookie cakes for celebrations in the summer of 2010. My brother was with me at Sam’s Club and saw the double decker cookie cake. He said we should get one because it was June and his birthday combined with Father’s Day for Travis…like we needed a reason to justify it. haha

For years, we just bought them at Kroger, but then for quite a few years now, we’ve gotten them at Great American Cookie.

We are so lucky because we have a friend who makes cookies and cookie cakes too. They are delish.

This year, Travis got my cookie cake from Insomnia Cookie. It was so good…and I liked how small it was because I have zero will power when it comes to cookie cake! Plus, it was the right amount of icing.

See…we are big cookie cake people!

Love a cookie cake.

So, this prompt got me thinking about the kids’ birthday cakes through the years. For their first couple of birthdays, I had a Lexington and then KC party since we were in KC for Thanksgiving. Then, from the ages of 4-10, we always had two parties: one for their friends and one for family. I know it may sound crazy, but I just didn’t want to force family to come to Chuck E Cheese or have tons of kids running around our house since they have a November birthday.

The year they turned 11 was Covid 2020, and I had already told them that around that age they were getting older and too busy to keep having two parties. So, we’ve naturally just gone back to one party with friends…and who knows how much longer that will last.

Anyway, there were quite a few years that I made their cakes…and while I would consider myself novice and cake decorating, it was always fun.

1.

When the kids turned one, we had family over. My friend’s sister decorated cakes on the side, and she made their smash cake and cupcakes that were laid out in the shape of a one.

When we went to KC for Thanksgiving, my mom made them big cupcakes as smash cakes too.

2.

My mother-in-law decorated cakes for years and years when Travis was growing up. So, when the kids turned two and we had a “Oh TWO-dles” party (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), she made their Mickey and Minnie cakes for their party.

Again, when we went to KC, my mom tried her hand at fondant, and made a cute Mickey cake. We also did cupcakes with Oreo Mickeys.

3.

When the kids turned three, my mother-in-law made their cakes again. The kids were very into the Sprout Channel and all of those shows. She made Chica from that channel as well as Calliou for their cakes.

4.

When the kids turned 4, I was inspired by my friend’s sister who made the one year cupcakes and smash cake. Also, thanks to Pinterest, I made a Curious George and a Hello Kitty cake for the family party.

For the friends party at Chuck E Cheese, I made the Thomas the Train and Elmo cake. These were some of my favorites that I made.

5.

When the kids turned five, I made Frozen cupcakes and dirt cupcakes for their indoor pool party with friends. For the family party, I made a Frozen cake and construction cake. Props helped make the cake even better! When I was looking through photos, I found this one with brownies that I guess I made on the day of their actual birthday. So many sweets in November!

6.

When they turned six, I made this football cake for Hayden and Power Rangers for Hadley.

7.

For the kids 7th birthday, they had their friends party at a tumbling place, so I made cupcakes and then bought the cupcake toppers off Etsy. For the family party, I ordered this gymnast made out of fondant for Hadley’s cake, and then made a football/baseball/basketball cake for Hayden.

8.

When the kids turned 8, they actually had an outside birthday party with friends. It was a mild early-November weekend, so we made dirt cups instead of cupcakes. Then, closer to their birthday, for the family party, I made a volleyball cake for Hadley and KC Royals (#8 Mike Moustakas) cake for Hayden.

9.

For their 9th birthday, the kids requested ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins, so that’s what we got for their (bowling) party with their friends.

This was the year that life caught up with me, and I realized it would be easier to let them pick out cookie cakes for family parties. It was fun seeing what designs they chose. Of course, Hayden loves basketball, and what girl doesn’t dream of going to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower?

10.

For their 10th birthday, they talked me into a slumber party (girls upstairs, boys in the basement!) We went to an indoor place for them to run around and play soccer and volleyball. Then, we came home for pizza and cookie cake before movies and bedtime.

Hadley’s slumber party cookie cake was perfect, and Hayden wanted Homer on his cake!

This was the kids’ last year having a family party, and I was going to order a Bundt cake. That being said, we had quite a bit of cookie cake left, so I just bought the kids each a mini cake then we had the leftover cookie cake with family.

11.

November of 2020 Covid was still rampant. We took advantage of online learning and had an outside birthday one Friday afternoon in November. Again, I picked up mini Bundt cakes, so they wouldn’t spread their germs (which honestly seems like it should always be that way…haha)

Then, I just picked up one cookie cake after realizing two cakes were too much the previous year.

12.

After going to a trampoline place with their friends, we got pizza and had cookie cake. Then, on their birthday, my brother and his family came over for Bundt cake.

13.

This year was much the same as last year. They went to Activate Games with friends and then we got pizza and had cookie cake.

On their actual birthday, we had a nice dinner out, and then stopped by my brother’s house to share the Bundt cake.

That was a fun walk down memory lane. I’m big on birthdays and always want my family, kids, and friends to feel celebrated!

What’s your ideal birthday cake?

See you back here tomorrow for Monday Memes!

Posted in Blog challenge, Me, School

Teacher Talk Tuesday

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I hope your week is off to a great start.

Confession: Instagram is my favorite form of social media. Instagram stories are what suck me in …and sometimes reels.

Anyway, over the past year or so, I’ve started to follow a few educators who are mostly English teachers, and today I’m sharing a few of my faves to follow.

Momfessionals:

@momfessionals:

I read Andrea’s blog every day and have for years. She’s a busy mom of three, and a middle school math teacher at a Christian school in McKinney, Tx. On both her blog and social media, she shares about her life, her family, her home, and her classroom. She occasionally shares lesson ideas, teacher tips, and classroom organization. She will share “Doodle Town” coloring pages too! Both her blog, and her Instagram are fun to follow!

Update: Coincidentally, Andrea has a Teacher Tuesday post up today too!

Educator Andrea:

(@educator_andrea)

I’ve been following Andrea for about a year. She’s a public high school English teacher in the San Diego area. Her reels are so fun…she often shares classroom scenarios and how they differ at the elementary, middle, and high school level. She’s so sarcastic which I can appreciate, but it’s evident that she cares so much about her students and is creative in providing them with a variety of learning opportunities. I actually earned my last PD hour this year when I joined her online session, and heard her chat about “Connection and Culture in Secondary ELA.”

Her website has digital resources and merch. She’s even on Cameo! Anyway, I always enjoy her stories and teaching advice that she shares with her followers.

My Teacher Face

@myteacherface

Dr. I is a hoot! She’s been an English teacher for 30+ years. Her reels as “teacher 1” and “teacher 2” are so funny. She says she’s been both teachers at some point, and I can probably say the same! She also has the coolest light up board behind her when she shares the reels. She put a strip of LED lights in between the border and uses the remote to make the board different colors. I just thought that was a fun idea.

The Daring English Teacher

@thedaringenglishteacher

Christina is a HS English and Journalism teacher. She shares so many great lesson ideas like engaging end of novel activities, goal setting, prepping for a sub (her sub binder is 100!), and writing tasks.

Laurencella

@laurencella

I just recently started following this account, but Lauren is a History teacher, and her reels are so funny…especially the “Gen Z Teaches History” ones.

The Caffeinated Class

@thecaffeinatedclass

Marie is another high school English teacher, and I’ve only been following her for a little bit. She also shares resources like bellringers and other units too.

I want to check out her “Brave New Teaching” podcast next.

Cool Miss P

@cool.missp

I started following Miss Phillips when I saw her reel (which was really popular) of her 2nd graders arriving to school, and she has them look in the mirror share their affirmations. She has so much energy and makes learning so fun for her kids too! My kids would have loved being in her class!

Also…

While I’m on the topic of teaching…one of the WordPress Bloganuary prompts is: What was your dream job as a child?

Long story short…I always wanted to be a teacher. Literally…no other backup plan.

When I was a kid, I would often play school. I always loved setting up my “classroom,” lining up my stuffed animals and Barbies as my students, and writing on a chalkboard.

I remember when I was old enough to help my mom grade papers. She’d hand me a red pen and let me grade spelling tests and worksheets.

My mom taught 7th grade Language Arts for 31 years, and she spent many of them in the classroom next to one of her best friends who was a Reading teacher. They would slide open the divider wall, and co-teach when they could. Besides wanting to be an English teacher, because of them, I knew I also wanted to help students in reading. I now have a Master’s in Literacy and a Reading Specialist degree.

Also, I always had wonderful teachers, but especially amazing English teachers. There wasn’t an English teacher I didn’t enjoy in both middle school and high school. I even remember my 9th grade English teacher who was hard core! She had us all memorize every preposition and then we each had to stand up in front of the class and recite them in alphabetical order. I’m sure most of my classmates can’t say the same, but that paid off for me in the long run. haha

Anyway, I was one of the only people I knew who didn’t change their major in college. I even have college friends who majored in Education, but left the profession after a few years. Honestly, I can’t say I blame them. I had those same thoughts a few times in my early teaching career….and I do think it’s a more difficult profession now for many reasons. It really is a rewarding profession, and thankfully, I’ve been really happy in the classroom with my intervention work the past few years. This is my 21st year and while I’m not counting down, I don’t think you’ll see me in the classroom past year 30…but we’ll see.

What was your dream job as a child?

Posted in Blog challenge, Me

Bloganuary 1.22.23

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I noticed on my WordPress home page, they have “daily writing prompts” — I don’t think this is the same as Bloganuary because these are different than the daily suggested topic emails.

Anyway, one of them was: write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc., so that’s what I’m doing today!

I know a bit about my name, but for a “refresher,” I hit up babynames.com

My dad chose both my name and my brother’s name.

Well, “Jennifer” is currently #493 in U.S. births. Guess what number it was in 1980? …#1. (and for few years after that) When I was younger, I would occasionally wish my name wasn’t Jennifer since there were always a few in class with me. My dad would say, “Well, how was I supposed to know in January of 1980, it would be #1 for the year!” 😂

He chose my brother’s name, Connor, after reading the book Trinity. At least Connor was a more uncommon name. It didn’t become more popular until later.

In 21 years teaching, I’m pretty sure I’ve never had a Jennifer in class, so clearly it has fallen off in popularity.

In high school, my friends started calling me Jen, and that kind of stuck with most. A few family members still call me Jennifer and so do people I don’t know. And…I’m Jen with one ‘n.’ I figured if I was going to shorten it, might has well have the one ‘n.’

some other facts:

  • Origin: English
  • Meaning: fair, soft
  • Jennifer is originally a Cornish version of Gwynhwyfar
  • **I just learned that the name became more popular after the main character in the novel and movie Love Story in 1970.
  • Famous Jennifers: Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Aniston

While I’m talking names…

*update* after reading this post, my dad called to provide a few edits 😂 Apparently, he liked the Celtic version of Jennifer which means: white wave. *My bad.

Naming your kids can be difficult and even more so when you are a teacher. There are definitely names that Travis suggested that were an immediate “no” because of a kid I had in class.

Honestly, I didn’t really have a list of names I liked before I got pregnant. The only name I really thought we might use was Harper. I love that name, and it’s a nod to the great Harper Lee. Travis said, “no.” I was annoyed.

Once we found out we were having twins, I did have a few combos in mind: Cooper and Carter if we had two boys, but I also liked the name Hayden…and liked the combo of Hayden and Cooper. Travis loved the name Addison, and I liked Ainsley. He was kind of iffy about Ainsley, but I think he would have gone with it. (As you can see, Travis almost had stronger opinions than I did about names!)

At around 14 weeks, we found out the twins were boy/girl and for a couple of months, we really thought we were going to go with Cooper and Addison. I remember that people had opinions which surprised me. I’ve never really thought twice about what others name their kids.

Anyway, the summer of 2009, I started watching a reality show called “Southern Belles Louisville,” and there was a girl on there named Hadley. I’d never heard that name before, and she was a sweet girl. I just mean if she was an antagonist on the show, I probably wouldn’t have liked the name. I mentioned that name to Travis and he liked it but wasn’t all in. I told him to watch the show for a bit, and he ended up liking it.

Then, we decided to double down on the H’s…and go with Hayden and Hadley. Again, I remember people wondering about the name “Hadley,” but I really liked it.

The kids’ middle names were easy…we used both of our dads’ middle names. Hayden is Hayden Joseph after my dad, and Hadley is Hadley Rae after Trav’s dad.

So that’s how their names came to be!

I can’t imagine them being anything other than Hayden and Hadley now.

Anyway, I just thought that was an interesting topic to share…and now I have a little history on my name and the story of their names to look back on with this post.

What’s the meaning behind your name? Did you like your name when you were a kid?

I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

Posted in Blog challenge, Me

Bloganuary 1.21.23

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Saturday! I’m keeping up with the Bloganuary prompts…

One of the Bloganuary prompts this week was …what’s a color that fits your personality and why? 

Y’all, the first thing that popped in my mind was gray.  😂

I didn’t think of gray because I’m moody…well, not moody all the time. Haha  

That being said, my personality isn’t outgoing/bubbly like I think yellow would be. I’m just more mindful, cautious, conscientious. You know, gray.

I just try to blend in. I guess I could have been khaki as much as gray. I don’t need to stand out or be “loud” like bright pink or red, for example. Gray is more subtle, and I think I am too. 

I’ve always just kind of hung out on the peripheral until I’m comfortable in a situation whether it’s at work or in a friend group. Once I’m comfortable, I reach out or speak up.  

I feel like gray goes with everything. Gray can go with navy or khaki but it also matches bright colors too. So, I think that kind of goes with my personality. I’m adaptable and can fit in wherever…but on my own terms, I guess. 

I feel like there’s a lot to “unpack” here. 😂

What about you? I think this is so interesting. What color fits your personality and why?  

I hope your weekend is off to a great start.