outfits – Page 13 – Teachers Have Lives Too!

09/29/201309/30/2013 Erika S. outfits, trips

Weekends as a Xiao Yi

Xiao Yi means “little aunt” in Mandarin, and that’s what I am when I’m down in DC. I try to make the trek down there at least once a month to see my little niece Jojo. One day she will start calling me xiao yi and I want to be there so she can put a face to a name. She only 7 months old right now though, so I guess I’ve got some time.

I hopped on the bus for the 4 hour trip down to DC friday night and met up with this guy. My old Viking friend Aurora also lives in DC so I took the opportunity to meet up with her and her little man Macaroni for a drink.

Saturday, My sister Kris and I hopped aboard her friend’s boat in Annapolis for a sail around the Chesapeake Bay. I spent my high school years on the San Francisco Bay sailing with the Sea Scouts, and it feels fantastic to be out on the water. I’ll take any and all invitations for sailing. I spent a lot of the day on the boat thinking about how different my life would have been if I had joined the Coasties out of high school or if I had gone to Cal Maritime Academy instead of pursuing biology and teaching.

Sunday was brunch day and auntie time with Jojo. My sister picked the place and her friend Sean joined us. We rounded out the afternoon with oyster shooters before dropping me off to hop on the bus for the ride back to Brooklyn.
down in DC5

Sean helped me snap a photo of my new Zara sweater dress. This dress is a bit out of my comfort zone with it’s clinginess, but it’s a weekend and it’s comfortable but edgy-ish all at the same time. I’m digging Zara lately with the simple lines and colors in their fall line up. Not too jazzed about the glitter in the fabric, but I guess you can’t win ’em all.

sunnies: knockaround – dress: zara – bag: freitag – shoes: madewell, borrowed from kris

09/23/2013 Erika S. outfits

Autumnal

It’s Fall — meaning it’s time to bust out the flannels and the checks! It was a cool 65˚F here in Brooklyn and I couldn’t be happier with this SF-like weather. It’s the third week of school and I’m still working on trying to find a nice groove in my work flow. Student schedules are still changing and I’m still trying to figure out how to teach my Urban Agriculture class (culinary/healthy eating/urban farming). I’m channeling my inner Brooklyn hipster farmer today. Also, new fall boots! I had a very weak moment while browsing at Madewell and am now suffering from wallet guilt. They’re tearing my heels apart right now as I break them in, but I’m holding out that they will eventually soften up. Fingers crossed that I can finally stop with the constant blister first aid!

End of the day yawns – pretty much par for the course on a Monday afternoon.

glasses: warby parker – shirt: uniqlo – jeans: bdg – boots: madewell

09/11/201309/11/2013 Erika S. outfits

To a Tee

I found this skirt at the start of summer at Beacon’s closet. My friend Grace and I were out for a lazy walk in our ‘hood when we stopped in on a whim. I’d been there to root around a few times before, but generally speaking, thrifting is not something a get a thrill out of. But this day was my lucky day! Equal parts cheeky, cute and teacher friendly. It also fit me to a tee. Zing! I don’t play golf at all. My only experience with golf was back in ’98 when I went with a boyfriend at the time to the driving range (back when there was one in Mission Bay) where he hit (drove?) a bucket of balls and I just watched.
to a tee2

to a tee3

to a tee4

It was hot as hell today and some ridiculous percent humidity. My hair was down for all of the five minutes it too me to take these photos at lunch. Also, the sweat just makes my glasses slide right off — it’s a constant battle to push them up, which means I ~~get to~~ inadvertently give people the finger sometimes.

to a tee

glasses: warby parker (I really want them in seaglass blue too) – tank: super old banana republic – skirt: beacon’s closet – shoes: worishofer

09/09/2013 Erika S. outfits

First Day

This is my 5th first day of school, and by far the best. The lesson went smoothly, the kids were all engaged and I didn’t loose my mind. A success!! This morning, I got on the subway and counted 5 other teachers on the same car as me. It’s funny, I feel like I can spot fellow teachers from a mile away: The large tote-ish bag, the hair pulled back in a no nonsense bun, conservative but still youthful dresses (mostly florals) and a zen-but-frazzled-on-the-inside demeanor. That was me to a T today (except for the florals). Of course, there was a cardigan involved at first…till I started to sweat right through it. Then I started to regret my choice of top. You win some, you lose some I guess.

glasses: warby parker – tank: j.crew – skirt and shoes: madewell (last seen here

09/06/201309/06/2013 Erika S. outfits

end of summer

I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can say that I am ready for school to start — at least my classroom is. All my learning targets are up, my lessons planned for monday, my planning documents submitted to administration, and my walls are covered with marked areas for my three different classes. This year I’m teaching Living Environment, Urban Agriculture (farms and cooking) and then I have my Crew. That’s a total of 138 on my roster, an improvement over my 170 my first year teaching.

Today’s shirt is a new one from Anthro that is a little bit beachy, a little bit greek-ish and a tad bit french-ish. I like that it has pockets.

top: anthropologie (on sale now) – jeans: f21 – shoes: saltwater sandals

09/04/2013 Erika S. outfits

Joyful Learning

Some sociology PhD candidate should do a study on working in education and the use of buzz words. I swear there must be a correlation between the use (or over use) of buzz words and the administration ladder. The kicker is that every district has their own set of buzz words. I’m imagining with every new chancellor/superintendent, the buzz words change. In SF, the buzz words were data, accountability, informed instruction, and joyful learners. Today’s theme was joy. As in my joy Division shirt, joy in iced coffee, and joy in getting my classroom set up and ready for the first day of school. Also, joyful in the fact that my jeans were still white at the end of the day.

My two favorite things lately: A birthday lipstick from B’s mum, sent all the way from Perth & a mini-Darwin figurine from my co-teacher Pam. He’s the shit and the lipstick is bright and joyful.

glasses: warby parker – tshirt: a present from my bud grace, but can be found here – jeans: uniqlo – shoes: saltwater sandals – lipstick: australis

08/26/2013 Erika S. outfits

Acceptable in the 80’s

I’ve got hugz for you if you were born in the 80’s, the 80’s. Yeah.

I’m back! Or rather, my classroom’s back! Today was the first day of planning week at my school. The big guns start coming in on September 9th, so we’re spending the next few days looking at curriculum maps and STAs (standard-learning target-assessments). My brain is turning on again. I decided to bust out my 80’s shirt today – a F21 knock off of the various jersey type t-shirts worn by my fashion idol jayne min here and here. Granted, I’m a year late on this trend, but…whateves. It’s not quite my year (spot on ’80!), but it’s close enough.

glasses: warby parker (my third pair!) – tshirt: f21 – skirt: super old banana republic – shoes: worishofer

08/25/2013 Erika S. fun stuffs, outfits, trips

The last hurrah, part 1: Savannah

Summer here in Brooklyn is on its way out. Relatively cooler temps have taken over and I report back to school tomorrow for a planning week, then the first day of students is on September 9th. It’s just about time to put the teacher hat back on along with the fall/winter layers. I think I’m ready for the school year… at least until the “start of school anxiety” sets in and I start getting nightmares and/or insomnia.

As a last hurrah, my friend (and fellow teacher) Grace and I decided to take a road trip down south. I’ve always wanted to check out the south, specifically Savannah, Georgia. I have this crazy romanticized image of Savannah, thanks to movies like Gone with The Wind and uh, *cough* Forces of Nature. I’m drawn to the south, with its lushness, the incredible and controversial history, the drawl (swoon) and most of all, the food (here’s some butter, y’all). Next on my list is a visit to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. For our trip, Grace and I took 2 days getting down to Savannah and two days getting back. We only spent one full day in Georgia, but it was just about enough time considering how small Savannah really is. The night we got in, there was a blue moon. Grace and I stayed at the 17hundred90 Inn, which is rumored to be haunted and a block away from a historic cemetery. We didn’t experience anything creepy, but after hearing all those ghost stories I did wake up in the middle of the night super freaked out and scared to even peek out from the covers. Grace laughed at me the next day, but I was seriously scared (of nothing)!

The next day, Grace and I walked all over the historic district and then made our way over to the family style soul food restaurant Ms. Wilke’s. The wait in line was well worth it and we gorged on all things fried, stewed and covered in cheese. We walked it all off though, through Forsyth Park and all the other little squares in the area. I really wanted to collect some spanish moss to bring home, but our haunted pub crawl guide Brittany told us the moss was full of chiggers.

Grace was nice enough to help me snap some photos of my new-ish dress, which was perfect for the hot and humid Savannah weather. This dress is as close as I’ll ever get to the ridiculous mullet trend that just needs to die. Proper in the front, party in the back! My new birthday shades from B were a perfect match.

sunnies: knockaround – dress: anthropologie (on sale now!) – bag: h&m – shoes: madewell

05/28/201305/28/2013 Erika S. outfits

Ghosting out

The school is starting to thin out. Last day of proper instruction is in 2 weeks, all major projects are in and and the year is seriously winding down. So students have been ghosting in and out of class. Today, our school held our biannual Presentation of Learning, where students man course tables and present one project they have worked on in the past semester. Here is Cathy impressing the hell out of a few teachers with a print out (no internet) of her blog from our blogging intensive week. ❤
ghost party

ghosts

ghost arms

My dress is new – an impulse purchase (even on super sale) while shopping in DC one weekend with my sister, and not well suited for the rain we had today.

dress: equipment – shoes: madewell

05/16/2013 Erika S. outfits

Women

This skirt makes me feel womanly – like I’m finally dressing for my age, which thankfully has not started with a 1 or a 2 for a little while. It feels good to be mature sometimes and out of colored skinny jeans (like yesterday). Today was a long day and very trying. I laughed, teased, lectured and lost it all in between 8am and 5pm. By the time I got home I wanted to glue myself onto the couch and never get off. I am a woman of few words today, with the new Daft Punk album to keep me company on the couch.

women