New to my shop, new to my life.

I'll start by discussing the new outlook I have on my future career. To add a bit of background information, let me just say that I am the WORST about second guessing myself. I have a pretty crappy self image most of the time, to the point that I have unrealistic fears and worries about things I KNOW I can do. And unfortunately, I often convince myself that I don't have what it takes to be a teacher. If I don't catch myself, I will wallow in doubt to the point that I'm ready to just give up the dream of having my own classroom and settle for tutoring or something that is still education-related but a little more "cushy" than the idea of being in charge of 20+ kids.

But lately I've been mustering up a little more confidence in my abilities. The bottom line is, I do have a passion for education and working with young 'uns. I enjoy interacting with others, and I enjoy learning as well as helping others learn. I think that I actually DO have what it takes, but I need to get my doubt in check before I even think about entering the classroom. Because there's no way I will be able to convince anyone to believe in themselves if it is obvious that teacher doesn't believe in herself either.

I had to write a lesson plan for my elementary music class, and I had a really good time with it. The objective of the course is to ensure that new teachers understand how to incorporate music and the arts into their lessons. So we write lessons over various content areas and find a way to bring music into the picture. This particular lesson was for 2nd grade social studies, and I decided to use the song "Shake the Papaya down"- a popular Caribbean folk song that I happened to love when I was in school. So I made a lesson about the culture and traditions of the Caribbean Islands. I figured that reading about this subject in a textbook could not hold a candle to actually experiencing the lifestyle, so I put together a little virtual tour.

I gathered numerous resources such as sound clips of a man speaking in a Caribbean accent, samples of calypso and reggae music, maps of the area, and TONS of beautiful photos. I even planned a fun Caribbean-themed craft activity (making shakers out of paper plates and using them to shake-shake-shake along with the songs). And I have come to the decision that the finished product is something any kid would enjoy. I put so much time and effort into creating this lesson for my imaginary class, in fact I'm not even sure I'll ever get to teach it because I'd really like to work with kids a little older than 2nd grade. But the point is that I do enjoy putting in extra preparation, and I think that will be something my future students will benefit from. I have finally come to believe that I WILL be a good teacher!

Here are some of the photo collages I put together for the lesson. Doesn't this give you a feel for Caribbean culture? I picture myself as a child with no previous knowledge of these people or their ways, and I think that submerging myself in pictures and sounds would help me to grasp the concept of a lifestyle so different from my own. The colors just scream "Warm weather!"

Caribbean food


Caribbean instruments


Now onto other new things... I've been working really hard on my etsy shop, trying to get as many things listed as possible. I've got some pretty exciting craft shows lined out over the next couple of months, and I wasn't sure if I'd have time to update my shop as much as I'd like. So I thought I'd fatten it up right now so that it won't look all naked and neglected during the spring months when I get busy. There are quite a few items in my shop now (yay!), so this is just a little preview.

Hand-sculpted mushroom earrings


Celestial bottle cap magnets


Cherry cupcake pendant


Sterling silver earrings with Murano glass and freshwater pearls


Hopefully those colors will brighten up your day a little. :-)