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.

Toasted Marshmallow Campfire Contest

August 30th is...National Toasted Marshmallow Day! As you may know, one of my Adagio signature blends is Toasted Marshmallow so I came up with another contest idea.

From now through August 23rd, submit your favorite campfire ghost stories for a chance to win one full-sized pouch of Toasted Marshmallow from Adagio along with FIVE (5) 1-ounce samples of ANY of my custom-made blends including:
-Pink Pearls
-Summer Sunshine
-Vampire Lemonade
-Peachy Keen

And others available on Adagio.com. I'll post a complete list of tea samples available closer to the date, so the winner will be able to pick from what is freshest and available.

How to Enter
1) Post your favorite campfire ghost story below or email me at keenteathyme@gmail.com.
2) I'll post all entries by August 25.
3) Then we'll vote on the favorites. YOUR vote will count!
4) The top three stories will be entered in the drawing for the tea. I'll select the winner using a random selection online tool.
5) I'll post the winning entry, as well as the selection of tea the winner from which the winner will choose.

So get in the "spirit" - brew a cuppa and think of your scariest, funniest, or most surprising ghost stories. One entry per person. Deadline is August 23 so get crackin'!

Check out my teas for sale on Tea Trade

In an effort to make room for more teas (specifically Read My Lips from David's Tea, it will be mine soon!) I am selling some of my teas on Tea Trade.

All of these teas were purchased by me; I didn't receive them in swaps. I just need to rebuild my tea budget for May so I can place an order with David's tea. Please help!

Oh and all orders from my store on Tea Trade get a FREE sample of either Vampire Lemonade or Toasted Marshmallow. You pick when you order - or I'll pick for you! :)

Here's a link for the items for sale:
http://teatrade.tinypay.me/#q=user:sMb5JE7l

Send me any questions! :)