a month has gone by? neglect? what?

wow!!...i have neglected my poor blog this past month...hopefully i can manage my time better after my much needed fabulous spring break....i made a (long) list of things that i need to do better on an everyday basis...i still consume myself into my classroom,children,lessons, etc...which is goooooood...BUT on the other hand, everything else in my life i tend to neglect....which is not so gooooood. i'll let you know how it goes...ha ha ha.


today is the end to such a wonderful week...i was able to visit family in bowling green, ky and one of my best friends from my childhood (we met in 2nd grade and still going strong!) in nashville, tn where she moved with her husband!....more stories/pictures to come to give you a glimpse into my trips, but i have to finish my esl writing grading test...whoops (an other example of me neglecting something).


i wanted to share my lastest diy project i did yesterday afternoon...i'm really excited about how they turned out!

i decorated clothes pins.

the finished product! ribbon, fabric 'flowers' (from hobby lobby),
vintage buttons from my mom's collection, and clothes pins!

now off to do my esl work stuff...ugh. how i wish i wasn't such a procrastinator. hopefully the dave matthews pandora station can help me through this.

andy warhol. inspiration.

"I'm just so busy ... not working, but busy playing, because work is play when it's something you like." -warhol

when i am looking for inspiration....i look for the perfect song, quote, magazine article, blog, or look over my favorite book that has highlighted sentences/paragraphs from beginning to end.

tonight i ran across alot of andy warhol quotes that inspired me....so obviously i'm going to share them with you....and hopefully they will inspire you to do something great this weekend....

"I would go absolutely anywhere I heard there was something creative happening."-warhol

"You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you." -warhol

 "It's not what you are that counts, it's what you think you are." -warhol

'sophie warhol'
hahahahaha
this is a cover of an art book i made. if you can't tell its
a glittered black frame on top.

"If you feel you have nothing to lose, then there's nothing to be afraid of." -warhol

"You have to do stuff that average people don't understand, because those are the only good things." -warhol

if my warhol findings didn't help excite you, i'm sorry...but it is time for this teacher to go to bed (watch law&order svu or criminal minds) after my longgggg 12 hour Thursday.

what do you do to find inspiration??? 

meet the teacher.....

Meet the Teacher!!!

ok so....i know this is alot 2 blogs in one day?! crazy!....but i wanted to join in on this 'meet the teacher' blog 'linky' party, that one of my favorite teacher blogs is hosting!! so enjoy some Q&A's of yours truly....

a little bit about myself...i am a twenty something year old in the first year of her 'big girl' teaching job.I graduated from texas tech university, and i loved every second being there...Now I teach 2nd grade....and yes there have been some ups and downs but i wouldn't change ANYTHING about it.....i am teaching in the school district that i grew up in and couldn't be happier about it.

this is me now! 

and this is me the summer
before 2nd grade!!!

Now for the Q & A

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?                                              
A:  I would be doing something with fashion....when i was growing up, when i wasn't playing "school teacher" with my best friend adrian...i was drawing and designing purses and shoes. when kate spade became really popular my logo looked just like hers...sophie kranz dallas (instead of new york...you get the picture)...or a couple years ago, i tried to start my own jewelry business on etsy.com 'simply sophie'...

my logo i used...

my cousin ali sent this to me...
so me. rachel zoe and shoes. yes.

Q: What are your hobbies?                                                                                     
A:  Ummm....anything 'artsy' if that makes any sense....photography, music, art....now the ever popular blogging....and making fun activities for my students to enjoy...   

one of my fist collages i made...
its on stretched canvas.

music....that is all.

                                                             

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?                      
A:  I kind of answered that in the first question....BUT since i was about 8 years old i knew i wanted to be a teacher....you know have 8 year olds are though...i wanted to be a teacher/designer...and i wanted to live in nyc...hahaha oh the life....

Q: What are your guilty pleasures?                                                                   
 A: shopping..well spending money really...i have a sickness, i CANNOT say no to shoes. you should see my closet...it is over flowing with shoes!!! Real Housewives of NYC (the others aren't worth the time), gossip girl (its addicting...i love chuck bass)...vampire diaries (at least i don't read/watch twilight, right?)...coke zero (my students know i'm addicted)...

that is only the top of my closet....

Q: What is your biggest fear?!                                                                        
 A: hmmmmmm.....this would have to be failing. i cannot fail at anything. worst fear of all time. yup. it gives me chills.

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go?                                    
 A: this is hard....but first and foremost the beach....not just any beach...the laid back funky beaches of seagrove, florida (right outside destin)....it is like our own PRIVATE beach. we have been going every summer since i was in 3rd grade?? and my second vacation would be to new york city. i just love it there. and am jealous of anyone who gets the chance to live there in their life.

seagrove i miss you.                                                

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?                                                   
A:  i have received a lot of smart advice through the years from my mom, dad, sister, grandmother, friends, teachers, etc... too many to list so i'll leave with you with picture....

i couldn't think of anything better to live by than this....

Q: What do you value most in others?                                                                    
A:  ummmm kindness, honesty, and a sense of humor?? yes? no? well it is true.

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be?                                                                                                         
A: ummmm....hmmmm....let's see....probably my honesty...i couldn't lie for the life of me, i'm the person that looks everywhere but at the person i'm trying to lie to, or the student in class that had a stamp on her forehead that said 'HEY LOOK AT ME I'M TRYING TO CHEAT ON THIS TEST!!!'....i could never do it. and also my sense of humor...i get it from my dad, or rather the 'Kranz' side...we are all pretty funny people. (at least i think so)

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be?                                                                                                                
A:  my grandparents....well 'meme' becuase i miss her so much. and then my other 3 grandparents because i 'born too late' to meet them... haha :) and of course...the beatles...DUH. i would be in heaven.

meme.

Now tell me something random about yourself:

ok so this is kind of embarrassing but so what...so who cares?!?! it's a funny story, or at least i think so. Ok, so here it goes. In elementary school for whatever reason, learning how to ride a bike (without training wheels) just didn't interest me...my american girl dolls were simply more important, and my 2 best friends lived within walking distance...so who needed a bike??? not me!!...well as the years went by, my friends became more interested in going to ride bikes around the neighborhood....one day while hanging out with my 2 best friends....some boys rode their bikes over and wanted us to come...i had to think fast, and was freaking out...these boys could NOT find out my dirty little secret that I was in 5th grade and didn't know how to ride a BIKE?!?!?!!!!....so i blurted out..."sorry guys, i'm just all biked out from summer"....HAHAHA WHAT??? well it worked...they just said ok? all confused.... well that excuse worked for about a year...and then i finally learned how to ride a bike in 6th grade with the help of my dad, and 2 best friends....haha. so there is my random 'sophie' fact....

2 blogs in one day??? well, happy snow day...

quotes and music go a long way. i promise.

"If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in

the life of a child—become a teacher." 

-obama (state of the union 2011)

after watching/listening and following the state of the union on...twitter (yes, i said twitter)...i felt a shock of inspiration, determination, and motivation go through me...(all the 'tions'...haha) so i wanted to share some suggestions, and a couple of my favorite quotes that always help me feel empowered or inspired when I feel like I have hit a brick wall...

i have to start with this quote....you ALWAYS have to stay true to yourself.

     "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
-Albert Einstein

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."      Albert Einstein

after reading this HOPEFULLY you feel empowered and ready to make a difference... NOW you need to listen to your absolute favorite song with the speakers up loud....and I promise that tomorrow will be the best yet...(if it's not...I don't know how to help...sorry.)

here is a sneak peek to my "i need a pick me up" music playlist...(no judgement, no order)

- for what its worth-buffalo springfield

- everybody i love you- csn&y

- the best of what's around- dave matthews band (duh)

- everyday people-sly and the family stone

- higher ground-stevie wonder

- drive my car/theword- the beatles (the beatles love mix version)

- nothing from nothing- billy preston

-  that's not my name- the ting tings (just because a girls gotta dance and good memories)

***for those of you wondering, yes i was born in the 80s.... i just have good taste.

my suggestion to you is, always start off your day by music, it just starts your day off up beat and happy, which leads to being inspired and determined, yes?  try this out tomorrow, and let me know how the rest of your day pans out....

A) do you feel happier?

B) do you have more drive?

C)are you more into that lesson, that you thought might be boring?

but most importantly....

D)did you make a difference?

ok now sleep on it, implement tomorrow....and let me know how it goes...did it work?

feeling inspired and now rambling,

i get by with a little help from my...."things"

i was just sitting here thinking about going back to work tomorrow....then started thinking about all of the "things" that i have to HAVE every weekday or else i might as well get back into bed because my day will be "unbalanced" and "off"....so i thought it would be interesting to make a list of my "must haves" that get me through the workday....i am a little embarrassed that i NEED some of these just to make my day feel "right", but oh well it makes me happy, and it's who i am!!!


so here it goes....

1. i need my horrible iphone alarm tone to wake me up every morning, or i will have 20 lonely, teacher-less  students at school....my iphone also serves as my window to the outside world throughout my day (of course only during 'break' times). when my kids are doing something that i want to remember/document/have as a memory/the list goes on....it is so handy to just pull out snap a couple pictures, or take a quick video clip of it. (which i am trying to do more of because at the end of the year, i want to make a video of our school year together for each of my students.) 

2.  this is a BIG "must have"....MUSIC. i have to have some type of music playing at all times throughout my day. which most of the is the beatles, duh. my goal at the beginning of the year was to have "good day sunshine" playing each day when the children arrived, but sadly i think i can count on one hand how many times that goal has been accomplished. on the other hand, more than half of my class can now name all 4 beatles....not bragging or anything... haha :)

3.   i  look forward to picking out my 'daily ensemble' every morning...this may seem either A) stupid  B) corny C) snobbish D) really fun or E) all of the above

...if you chose D, we should become friends...haha....no but listen, here is my reasoning....my mom always told me growing up, "you feel how you look"...and that really is true, the days that i am running late and look all sloppy...i feel tired and sluggish (which i know is all in my head), but that is why i think it is really important to look your best because that is when you have more confidence and you are happier....i know that's the case for me!!!

....if you know me at all, you are probably thinking CLARKS is on your list?? WHAT??...the rumors are true, some of my favorite pairs of shoes are now clarks. it is official...i'm a teacher.

 if i wasn't educating young minds, i would probably be doing something in fashion...but i'm not so....i'll stick with my clarks and early morning ensemble decisions.

4.  which brings me to #4 my caffeine addiction....i know i know, it is not good for me, but i have to start off my day with either my starbucks skinny vanilla latte, or some home-brewed coffee....on the days that i don't have my coffee glued to my hand in the morning....my kids know somethings up!! then after lunch i'll have a coke zero in my texas tech coozie glued to my hand (which i am trying to be healthier and stop drinking coke zero and switch to green tea). i'll let you how that goes....hahaha

5.  mr. sketch markers and flair pens pretty much just make me happy. if we are making a poster, anchor chart, if i am writing a note home, a to-do list, or writing up on the dukane.....i HAVE to be using my colorful markers/pens for the sole purpose of just flat ou making me happy. everything is just more interesting, entertaining, and pleasant when it is colorful....i'm sorry if you don't agree, because your life must be pretty 'black & white'....

 6. i know the year is 2011 and i should be more "green" and have an online calendar, or use my ical...but nope sorry i can't. i have to write my birthdays/important dates, appointments, meetings, and most definetly happy hours (hahaha) down in my old fashioned calendar and have it with me at all times. it is also full of my many "to-do" lists, that i make daily, you know the ones that  half of the time you don't even look at again....don't lie...i know you all do that too, not just me. 

also, i couldn't get through even just half a day of scholl without my lesson plan binder...that is either glued to my dukane cart or my desk....i would be lost without it. i mean with all the time that my teammates and i put into making one every week....it better be used religiously, right???

well that concludes my list of "must haves"....i hope you found it entertaining....i would love to read about some of your daily "must haves"!!! 

until next time,

think different.

I just came across this video on a friends tumblr site, and thought it was pretty amazing. If you know me at all, then you would agree that this video fits me pretty well...(am i right???)...  that is basically what I set out to do in my life.... become a teacher who makes changes and a difference in children's lives, and in the world. (baby steps, right??)


my goal for tomorrow is to blog some of my new projects I am working on, so be on the lookout!!!


also, something to think about....

this picture says it all.....

i'm pretty sure i did this maybe 40% of the time when i was little.... ok ok ok like 75%...oooopps....  i also posted this because...welllll, i love andy warhol....

Okay, well I hope you enjoyed my late night inspirations. (I know i did....)


xoxo, miss kranz