Pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone

This past week and the next few weeks are busy, busy, busy.  And I've been busy finding inspiration for new directions and trying new things in my various jobs.

First, and most importantly, I just finished reading a book about teaching ESOL for multi-level classes. And there was SO much good information in it. Sadly, a lot of it was like "Wow, this would be perfect if I had 8 hours to prep each lesson!" but I think I can slowly start to integrate changes and re-use some of the materials from year-to-year once I've prepared them.  The biggest change I've tried so far is having "self-directed" time in the classroom. I have to admit, like many teachers, I have trouble giving up control of the classrooms. I sometimes feel like if the students are working quietly, I'm not doing enough. But I'm trying to let that feeling go.  What I've done so far is organized several different worksheets/readings/games and let the students pick what they want to spend a set amount of time doing. This is particularly great for community classes and multi-level classes, where the goal isn't necessarily to progress from one level to the next, but rather to work on skills that are important to each individual student.   I think this worked very nicely in the temporary class I was teaching this month and I'm excited to try it out in my regular classes! Wish me luck.

Last week I had a new consultant meeting for Thirty-One. The woman doing the training AND all of the other women there had such great ideas and I'm very excited about trying things out and working to grow my business. This weekend I'm taking a big leap and am going to be a vendor at a local bridal show!  I've been flexing my creative muscles thinking of ideas for products that are particularly helpful for brides-to-be. Pictured here is a bathroom basket for guests (in a Double Duty Caddy) This whole adventure is definitely stepping out of my comfort zone and requires a little bit of a financial investment, but I'm really hoping it pays off.  (Again, wish me luck ;) )

I haven't quite gotten to the point where I'm ready to launch my Etsy shop, but I've made a lot of progress. I'm a little over halfway to the number of products I'd like to have before I open the store. I've purchased shipping supplies. And business cards and return address labels are sitting in my online shopping cart, just waiting for me to pull the trigger....

This picture kind sums up this blog - sewing, an ESL book, and a flyer from KnitPicks... ;)

And, on a lighter note, speaking of firsts and trying new things - I went to my first Cavs game last night! Our seats were pretty good, the Cavs won, and a good time was had by all :)

And that's it from me today. It's going to be a busy, busy weekend and it's time for me to get to preparing!