M is for...

Many students that didn't do their homework

Obsessed with these ridiculously amazing toons

Never ever going to grow up (officially decided).

Darn! Tuna noodle casserole without butter = disaster.

A sad day.... Reading Rainbow was cancelled today after 26 years!

Yes, acrostics are cool.

Things that made me smile on this Monday:

This beard.

This 2010 Planner Kit that I'm expecting in the mail SOON :)

These beautiful things on my wall.

Talking to her on the phone :)

See? Who says Mondays are all bad?

Today I....

1. Missed Kate Bing a lot.

2. Learned that speaking in front of a room full of your 7th grader's PARENTS is far more stressful that talking to a room full of 7th graders.

3. Am feeling MUCH better. I got super sick yesterday, but took meds & lots of Emergen-C and no longer feel like I'm going to die.

4. Told the following joke to my kids:

"Why did the golfer bring 2 pairs of pants?"

(**see answer at bottom of post)

5. Watched re-runs of The Monkees and fell head over heels in love with all of them again, just like I did was I was a little girl :)

**In case he got a hole in one! hahahaha

Love you :)

Ode to Jacob Cooper

My baby brother is getting ready to start his JUNIOR year at Taylor University. Crazy. Football season has officially started for him. I miss him a lot. For those of you who know Jake, you know how amazing this man truly is.

And he does a mean stanky legg.

He has no shame and I love him for that. My mom MAY disagree, but I believe Jacob Cooper is the FUNNIEST man on the face of the planet. No contest. When you are with him, it is non-stop laughter.

He is also kind of athletic :)

If you don't know Jacob Cooper, you should get to know him. Your life will never be the same. Above being funny and awesome, he is also full of love for people... and beards. You can't go wrong with that.

Love you little bro. Best of luck this year - you are going to kick butt!

Kickin' off the season Thursday night Sept. 3rd against Anderson. HUGE game. Can't WAIT!

Lastly, if you have yet to see this famous video starring Jake, please watch. The end.

Adventure Catch Up...

Sooo I have a lot of catching up to do! I have been a terrible blogger! Life is AMAZING here in the great city of Indianapolis! Besides beginning the most wonderful career ever, here are a few other things I've experienced since moving here:

1. Barcelona's Tapas: You order all different tapas whenever you want and they have KILLER Sangria (Debi Cooper, you would LOVE this place!)

This is Nile counting all the tapas we were going to order:

They also have the best flan EVER (this was carmel espresso):

2. Movies at the Indianapolis Museum of Art: During the summer, the IMA shows movies on a big screen OUTSIDE. People come with blankets and picnic baskets and games to hang out on the grass with their loved ones, spend some quality time and watch a great movie. We went to see 'Dazed & Confused' last weekend & this weekend is 'High Fidelity.' It's awesome.

There is outdoor 'stadium seating' so there's not a bad seat in the house!

3. The Indianapolis-Marian County Public Library: The picture speaks for itself!

4. The Canal Walk: Wow, is all I can say. The canal is beautiful and so fun to walk and enjoy. There is some great history about this canal if you feel up to reading it :) It is extremely peaceful and very unique for a big city.

In love.

5. The Artcraft Theater: Amazing little theater up in Franklin, IN that was built in 1922 that shows old movies. It was seriously awesome. We watched the old Hitchcock movie 'Rear Window' with Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelly. Amazing.

I am so thankful for this handsome & wonderful guy that takes me to all these places and makes everything 500 times more fun than I ever thought it could be :) (Cheesy, I know, whatever...)

I need to post more often so my updates aren't 5 pages long! Happy Sunday!

time to go to sleeeeep

Tomorrow is the first day of school!!! I am so excited (until my alarm is going off at 5:30am)!! Just a few cute classroom shots for now (click to enlarge):

nerdddd

Just a little something I have been working on for my classroom:

I am decorating a wall that focuses on careers in science each unit. Our school is very centered on careers and encouraging our kids to go to college. This is my board for the beginning of the year/Unit 1 which is an intro to science.

Miss Bing’s Favorite Scientists  

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is famous for her extensive studies of chimpanzee behavior. She kept detailed records that educated humans about complex chimpanzee behavior patterns, abilities to form emotional relationships and their intelligence. 

Severo Ochoa

Severo Ochoa was born in Spain and later came to live in the United States. He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the synthesis of RNA. RNA carries hereditary qualities in reproduction.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born a slave near the end of the Civil War. As an agricultural researcher and educator, he came up with innovative agricultural processes and developed new applications for agricultural products, like the peanut.

Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel was a priest and a scientist. He is often referred to as the Father of Genetics because of his extensive studies about inheritance and heredity.

Violet Bing

Violet Bing was my grandmother. She received a degree in Chemistry from Hunter College in New York. Although she was a great student, she was unable to obtain a job in the science field. She was discriminated against because she was an Asian woman.

I have to go in today at 11am and we have Parent Meet and Greets until 7pm. I am SO excited to finally meet the parents (and some kids)! Coral pumps will for sure be worn tonight!

My turn....

First, I personally think Kate looks adorable in lab goggles :)

As most of your know, the kids starting school this past Wednesday. It was a crazy & exhausting week of opening lockers, getting into routine, starting a fundraiser that my homeroom is totally going to win, and trying to learn the names of 105 7th graders.

This is my enormous classroom:

It's actually 2 classrooms in one, so I get desks and lab tables. The lab tables are in the back part of the room where the stools are:

My parents & brother sent me flowers to the school for the first day!! They are so pretty and such a nice addition to my desk :) Thanks fam!!!

Being a first year teacher is very time-consuming and lots of planning. I have to go in this afternoon on a Sunday to tie up some loose ends and get ready for a full 5 days of teaching! It's totally worth all the hard work and lack of sleep!

On another note --

CONGRATS KARI & JAKE ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!!!

I love you both dearly! :)

I did a lot of cool stuff this weekend in Indy with Nile like watching Dazed & Confused at the outside theater at the Indianapolis Museum of art, went to the Indiana State Fair, and watched Rear Window at an old beautiful theater. Will share some pictures soon :)

MGDubs - I miss you.

really quick...

On the first day of school I am taking pictures of all 100+ of my students like this for our "6th Grade Scientists" bulletin board. As you can tell, I look extremely beautiful in lab goggles!!
One pretty bad picture of my not even close to ready classroom. That's what weekend work days are for, right? 

This week has been really busy....school everyday until like 5 prepping the building and the classroom...Monday and Tuesday are enrollment days &meet and greets with the parents...and I cant wait for WEDNESDAY-- the first day of school :) 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

AHHHHHH!!!!

My initial thought when I woke up this morning:

First day of school & I'm soooo ready/excited/SCARED OUT OF MY MIND :)

For my mom, Kate, and any one else who cares what I wear on the first day of school:

I'll let you know how it goes!!

I mean 2 days late...whatever!!

I have been SUPER busy for the past week at school in PD sessions and getting my classroom ready and my materials organized. York isn't that bad :) I love my school and my other teachers and my principal, so even though I'm not in Indy with JESS, I have a feeling that this year is going to be a good year!

Last Wednesday, Lynne (and her cousin Stacey!) stopped in York on their way home from Maryland. I haven't seen Lynne since we graduated, so I was SO happy we could grab dinner together!

Seriously, it made my whole WEEK to get to spend some time with Lynne! I miss MGDUBS! 

Thursday evening, Em came to visit me!! We went out for a little karaoke that evening with some of my coworkers (haha coworkers?? what's a job???) The following pictures are in no order whatsoever, but if you follow Em on twitter, I made her update it constantly while she was here.

Em is so handy!! 

Getting ready for a little shopping round 2 (or 3?) at the outlets in Lancaster!
O heyyyy, new purchases! Cosmetic Company & Banana Republic=life!
Wine and craft night? Yes those are Perler beads....yes that is Arbor Mist Em is drinking! 
nothing to see here! 
So in love! 
Other aspects of the trip included Sonic, watching The Nanny, going to see The Ugly Truth (so funny by the way!!) and shopping for shoes before the movie started, and Em getting to experience my school/help me set up my classroom (even though my air conditioning broke and it was/is SO hot)! 

Lare Bear came to bring me more classroom stuff yesterday! After work, we went grocery shopping and got dinner and drank pie shakes and hung out at my apartment. This morning, he braved the heat and unloaded all of my classroom things (mostly books- the ghost of MGDUBS would be proud) into my 3rd floor classroom.

J.Cooper: Good luck with your first day of school tomorrow! 

P.S. Umm my favorite favorite show is More to Love aka the Fatchelor. Seriously. Please watch it....so ridiculous! 

today...

mmm love this... compliments of her

today I have a huge to-do list that includes (but is not limited to):

-start my lesson plans since I finally found my 1st teacher manual

-clean the kitchen

-do dishes (hello dishwasher!!)

-laundry 

-write thank you notes

-go to the gym

-try on new shoes again (haha...seriously)

-blog about my fabulous weekend with Em!! 

-get ready for Lare to get here tomorrow

-think about how hot my already hot, 3rd floor classroom will be tomorrow in the 97 degree heat with an air conditioner that broke on Friday afternoon

-love life!! 

Happy

Happy BEAUTIFUL sunshine day today!

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was this happy with my life. My apartment makes me happy, my job makes me happy, my friends & family, and my new partner in crime makes me super happy. The end.

Love this.

Also, love this (Weston).

Productivity is my middle name today. Let's see how that goes... :)

.:Jess:.