Do you ever look back upon your life and wonder about the steps that it took to get to where you are today? The passing of time has rapidly increased for me since having my baby boy, and has made me a little more nostalgic for my own childhood! I took a walk through memory lane, one in which I plan to share in a series of blog posts of my educational history. My goal is to describe where my journey started, to where it is in the present, and all of the learning along the way!
This series will share some of my personal stories growing up and a background into my schooling. I have partnered with @maggylondon, @londontimesfashion and @loveoverlenses to take you all the way back to my kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school, university, first teaching job, graduate studies, and current educational reality.
I hope that you enjoy reading about my experiences, as well as hearing a little more on my teacher style! Each outfit will be at a different location (one of my former schools) and will provide you with a glimpse into some appropriate dress choices that are both practical and professional.
I started my education at Saint Aidan Catholic Elementary School in Scarborough, Ontario with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) in September of 1989. On my first day of learning I was four years and 3 months old, speaking mostly Greek. In the above photograph I am standing at the same spot where I used to line up and wait for my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Killoran. Yes I still remember her name and her warm smile, all of these years later! Though I didn't know that I wanted to become like her at that young age, I did find my love of colour and and painting rather quickly. My parents have proudly kept many of my original pieces of art to this day...
I have gone back to visit this school a few times as an adult, especially when I became a Kindergarten teacher. I find that every walk around the Kindergarten yard and school playground grounds me and reminds me of how we all begin our learning journeys. Today many of you are starting to welcome our youngest learners into Kindergarten for the first time. There aren't words that will be able to describe the profound impact that this day has on your students and their families. I already look ahead for the special moment when I prepare my son for JK and my eyes well up into tears...
Remember that each child is so precious and that they carry these educational experiences in their backpacks throughout life.
I would like to thank the TCDSB for a warm welcome and beginning into my lifelong learning. Additionally, I would like to thank my parents for being my first teachers. They taught and continue to teach me lessons that will guide my path for years to come...
The Maggy London dress that I choose for the first day is a simple black one with a white collar. It's a stretchy fabric and a very comfortable length to bend down and engage at the level of the little people in your classroom! To accessorize a little, I wore some black and white sunglasses, polka dot shoes, a black and white striped bag, and for a pop of colour (which is always a good a idea!) I included my rainbow teacher bag!
Good luck on welcoming your Kindergarten students today. It feels a little bit strange that since my own first day at 4 years of age, that I am not in school this morning. Even though I am on maternity leave until the winter term, I still got the school jitters and could not sleep last night! I was worried that I had forgotten something really important. Call it habit!!!
I wish you all the best with the revised 2016 Kindergarten Program Document in Ontario. Something that I always love to do in the first week is invite students to bring their favourite books to school. It gives me an idea of what interests them and helps me to plan some of our learning experiences together.
Standing with one my current favourites (Swatch the girl who loved colour), I could hardly believe that I was small enough to ride this school bus each day! With my sesame street lunchbox in hand I gathered up the courage to take my first steps toward the Kindergarten doors. A whole world of learning possibilities awaited me and they truly it did not disappoint...
Thank you for reading my blog post. I had a lot of fun revisiting my first school and planning my outfit!
Outfit/photoshoot details:
Dress - @MaggyLondon (see below for style number)
Sunglasses, cross the body bag, and earrings - @KateSpadeNY
Shoes - @Aldo_shoes
Bracelets - @swarovski, @LinksofLondon, @ThomasSabo and @XOBetseyJohnson
Necklace - @Dynamiteclothing
Colourful teacher bag - @Lacoste
Crayons - @Crayola
The Kindergarten Program - Ontario Ministry of Education
Photographer - @loveoverlenses
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I thought that you might like to know that Maggy London is giving 9 lucky teachers the chance to win the ultimate teacher giveaway. Enter for your chance at a new school wardrobe, classroom makeover, and special deals + steals!
If you like this dress (Maggy London The Audrey Midi dress - GSGO8M) use the code TEACH30 to take 30% off your total purchase!
Otherwise here are some additional pages that might be of interest to you:
Special thank you goes out to @loveoverlenses for her attention to detail in carefully and creatively capturing each image. I loved her collaborative nature and willingness to travel back in time with me! She now photographs other blogger-shoots if you are ever looking to team up contact her here.
Stay tuned for more fun back to school posts!!!
today is your day,
your mountain is waiting,
so get on your way!
-Dr. Seuss
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