9.27.2011

Back-to-school Jitters

Teazanne (Maryann) sent in the winning entry for the September 2011 Monthly Contest at Keen Tea Thyme and scored two pouches of free tea - Toasted Marshmallow and Autumn's Walk.

Her winning entry is below:

I always loved back-to-school time as a kid, shopping for school supplies (and new clothes!) and getting set for a new school year. It's no surprise, then, that I opted to become a teacher when I grew up. After earning a Masters in Early Childhood Education, I taught kindergarten for several years. I enjoyed the kids, and let's face it, kindergarten is pretty fun! But I decided to expand my horizon and teach "older" kids - fifth grade. I went back to college for a few "refresher" classes on teaching, and while I didn't earn another degree, I did feel confident I would be a terrific fifth grade teacher.

I made sure I had fresh supplies - lots of construction paper, stickers, posters, glue, crayons...and then I panicked. What was I doing?! Fifth graders are nothing like kindergarteners! I didn't even know how to dress; normally I wore pants and a shirt that I wouldn't mind getting fingerpaint on, or construction paper stuck to. But what to wear for the older kids? I opted for a nice pair of khakis and a button-down shirt - so I still looked like a "fun" teacher, but also one with authority.

The first kids started walking in and sitting down. "We have assigned seats? Man!" They said. I thought quickly, what's the harm? I could take away the name tags...but I stopped myself. I was a their teacher and I wanted assigned seats until I learned their names. I could do that. I was their teacher.

The rest of the class filed in, and once the bell rang I said hello to my new students and introduced myself. "I'm new to fifth grade, just like you guys, so let's take some time to introduce ourselves." I learned about summer vacations, family pets, favorite sports teams and players, and what these - no, my - fifth graders liked to do for fun.

We laughed. We learned. (Hopefully!) My students learned about new experiences; I sure did.

Now I've taught fifth grade for almost a decade and I can't believe I was ever scared. Don't let my students know that! :) I just calmly brew a pot of tea in the morning and carry on.

Congrats to Teazanne (Sept. 2011 Contest Winner)



With just one entry in this month's contest, I'm pleased to announce the winner of the September 2011 Keen Tea Thyme Contest - Teazanne (Maryann)!

Her story about back-to-school jitters will be posted in a separate entry later today.

Her prize? A pouch of Toasted Marshmallow customized blend from Adagio, and a second pouch of Autumn's Walk, another of my signature blends from Adagio. And as a special treat, a 2 oz sample of my new blend Pink Pearls!

Want free tea? Then submit an entry for my October contest by emailing me a memory about your favorite Halloween. Winners will receive two pouches of tea from my Adagio signature blend collection:

-Liquid Candy Corn
-Vampire Lemonade

The top five entries will be posted for readers to vote on by October 26, 2011. All top five winners will receive a sample of Pink Pearls.

Happy Brewing! :)