Liebster Award: Discover New Blogs!

I was shocked to open my email tonight to find out that Alison over at Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin' has nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. I've seen a few blogs I follow receive this nomination, but never thought that anyone really reads my blog. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that other teachers are in fact reading my blog and finding it interesting. In fact, I'm now up to 17 followers. Who knew!?!

The Liebster Award is all about recognizing and getting to know newer bloggers and paying it forward.

So what exactly does this mean for me?

Here are my "rules" for accepting this nomination....
1) Link back to the blog that nominated me.
2) Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
3) Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator
4) Share 11 random facts about yourself
5) Create 11 questions for your nominees
6) Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

These are the blogs I nominated...
1. Ashton at Special Education Station
2. Polka Dots and Teaching Tots
3. Katie at A Basket Full of Apples
4. Jessica at What I Have Learned
5. Shannon at The Teacher's Work Room

Here are the questions Alison asked me...
1) How long have you been teachin' and what is your absolute favorite grade to teach? (I know that's two questions, but they go together)

I've been teaching Deaf/Hard of Hearing students for 15 years. I started off as a part time preschool teacher and part time itinerant teacher those first two years. I moved over to Special Day Class and never looked back. So I've taught preschool through sixth grade. I'd say first grade is my favorite grade level to teach. I love that age group.

2) If you had an opportunity to change one county, state, or national law about teachin', would you change anything?

Tough question. I wish teaching was about teaching and not about paperwork. There should be less paperwork in Special Education and more time to teach!

3) Have you ever thought about teachin' abroad?  If so, where?

Never.

4) If you could go on a shoppin' spree for one day and buy anything you wanted(money would be no object), what would you buy?

Ummm... so many possibilities. I'd love a new professional Canon 7D camera and a Silhouette Cameo. Those are on my love list.

5) What is your favorite "me time" activity to do?

I'm a big scrapbooker. I enjoy scrapbooking with my sister and friends. We just got back from a weekend at the lake house with four full days of scrapping. That's my ideal "me time".

6) What is one food that you could eat every single day and not get sick of?

Mexican food hands down. I could eat it every night with no problem.

7) What is your all time favorite children's book title and why should I read this book?

Our shelves at home are full of children's books that I read with my two little girls. Otis the Tractor is a favorite around here. It's all about a little tractor that is different than the others, but that's okay.

8) What is one app or piece of technology that you could not live without?

Wifi. What on earth did we do before wireless internet??

9) If you were in charge of your school for one day, what would you plan for that day?

Sensitivity awareness. I think all teachers and students could benefit from learning about students with special needs. My students are no different than the general education students, they just cannot hear. I would love to have each class rotate through our classroom and see just what we do and how we learn. 

10) What made you decide to start bloggin'?

I started this little blog in Feb. 2013 as a way to connect with other teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. We are few and far in between and I'd love to get a peek into everyone's classroom. So figured if the things we do in my classroom could be helpful to others, why not put it out there?

11) Mac or PC?

PC. It's all I've ever known.

My 11 random facts:
1.) I started college when I was 17 years old. I couldn't even sign my own paperwork!

2.) Diet Pepsi is my "coffee". I drink it all day long. I'm addicted.

3.) My secret addiction is celebrity gossip. US magazine, TMZ, you name it.

4.) I've never been out of the country. In fact, the first time I had been out of California was when I went to Illinois for college!

5.) I come from a family of 5 girls. That's a lot of pink!

6.) I finally got rid of my "dumb phone" and got a smart phone last May. Seriously, I don't know how I lived without it!

7.) I've been to Maui three times and would love to go back!

8.) I am terrified of spiders and snakes!

9.) I learned sign language when I was young from my cousin who is deaf. I worked at a summer camp for kids with speech and language issues for four years in high school. This is where I found my passion for working with deaf children.

10.) My sister and I are 11 months apart.

11.) Dark chocolate is my weakness.

Questions for my nominee's...
1.) What is your favorite thing about teaching?
2.) When and why did you start blogging?
3.) How many blogs do you follow?
4.) What is your favorite grade to teach?
5.) What's your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
6.) What's something on your bucket list?
7.) Tell us about your dream vacation.
8.) Who's your celebrity crush?
9.) Do you have a classroom décor theme?
10.) What's your favorite read aloud story?
11.) Early bird or a night owl?

Thanks for the nomination! I'm looking forward to learning more about my nominee's.