h&m – Teachers Have Lives Too!

09/06/201609/07/2016 Erika S. fun stuffs, outfits

Last days of Summer

The classic end of summer weekend has come and gone. By now everyone is back in school and anticipating the weather change. Today I overheard a couple girls talking about the imminent return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. Apparently that means winter is coming. Good thing I managed to check off my last 2 summer time goals this past 3 day weekend. B and I climbed a 14er, and I went fly-fishing!

A 14er is essentially a mountain that is over 14,000 ft, and there are 96 of them in the US. 53 of these 14ers are in Colorado, so summiting them is a bit of a thing here. It seems that just about every Colorado resident has “bagged” at least one 14er. So we climbed the easiest one, Mt. Bierstadt (14,065 ft) this past weekend. Man, breathing is no joke at 12,000 ft and above. I survived though with heaps of breaks on the way up. I think I’ve got the 14er bug, so now I’m chomping at the bit to scale a few more of these peaks. Gray’s and Torrey’s Peak will be next!

mtbierstadt

I managed to squeeze in a little shopping trip yesterday before I met up with a friend to go fly-fishing. Picked up this dress from Forever 21, which of course, on me it’s a shirt. I really like these “dresses” because it guarantees that I’ll never have to worry about bending over or squatting down to pick up a pencil in the classroom. I have a super long torso, so even with high-waisted jeans, the danger of an accidental butt crack slip is always a concern. Please ignore the wrinkles, I’m not an iron or steam type of person. Even with wrinkles, this top is neutral, comfortable, and professional looking enough for the classroom. Winning. Also, these jeans (and a black pair) are the only pants I’ve been wearing lately, because they’re the only ones that fit me right now. Thanks, summer!

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glasses: warby parker – top: f21 – jacket: h&m – jeans: mother denim – shoes: mia

08/26/2016 Erika S. outfits, teaching

First Week

The first week of school is done! It was a rough week trying to get my body to physically adjust back to being in the classroom with students. I wasn’t hungry when I actually had time to eat, and I was starving during 5th period when I don’t have any breathing time till around 2:30. My restroom break schedule still needs tweaking around my teaching schedule. To help that, I’ve been forgetting to drink any “not coffee” type liquids. By the time next Friday rolls around, I will have whipped my body back into teaching shape with the bladder made of iron.

This year I’ve decided to document my entire “first week back” wardrobe. This is a fashion blog, after all, and there is no more important sartorial week in a teachers year than the first week back. Am I right? This week’s wardrobe is pretty typical for me – I start off with a few nice (read: dress or skirt) and casual it up for the rest of the days, ending with a bang of super dress-down on Fridays.

Monday: 9th grade only (I do not have classes, as I teach 10th and 12th graders this year). I forgot to take photos that day in the classroom, so B helped me snap a couple on my phone when I got home. Giant forehead alert!

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first day of school

glasses: warby parker – cardigan: american apparel – dress: j.crew – shoes: saltwater sandals

Tuesday: My actual first day of school. I don’t know what I was thinking putting this outfit together the night before, because I hated it all day at school. I think the shoes have got to go to a friend who has a desk job, because they were not comfortable at all for making laps in the hallways. The skirt was too tight in the waist (summer pleasures brought on a fall squeeze) and kept climbing upwards when I walked. It’s a old skirt, and I used to love it, but I think it’s passed it’s peak. The shirt on the other hand, I love.

jcrew ruffle hem silk top

jcrew ruffle hem silk tank

glasses: warby parker – top: j.crew – skirt: dkny jeans – shoes: h&m

Wednesday: the short day. We have block schedule at my school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This means I have prep periods all morning, teach only one 1.5 hr class, and then we have early release for grade team and all staff meetings. I love Wednesdays, obvi

3x1 channel jeans

anthropologie leather trim tank

shirt: anthropologie – belt: banana republic – jeans: 3×1 – shoes: mia

Thursday: OMG save me type of a day. Thursdays is the opposite of Wednesdays this year. I teach straight through for 5.5 hrs before I get a real break. By the end of Thursday I could barely remember my own name.

beastie boys shirt

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glasses: warby parker – shirt: target – skirt: banana republic – shoes: mia

Friday: Thank god the weekend is here, I survived! This Friday, I busted out a slam dunk of a first week of school t-shirt, a real gem for this science teacher. B’s mum sent over a super stuffed birthday package for me this year, full of gummy candies, gorgeous smelling soaps, gardening gloves, and an awesome science shirt! It is seriously the best, and the kids definitely liked it. The shirt is from a small Perth based Etsy shop called ScienceStitch. I think mum found the shirt in Perth, so I’m sorry if you’re looking for the same shirt online.

i do science tshirt

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i do science

t-shirt: science stitch – belt: gap – jeans: 3×1 – shoes: nike (omg, like walking on clouds!)

04/23/201604/23/2016 Erika S. outfits

Discovery Garden

I’ve spent every evening this past week in my garden digging, destroying, and planting. It’s my “discovery garden” as Rossin so aptly put it. I have no idea what I’m doing or if what I plant will even grow. In college, I got an A in Botany. Botany ≠ Horticulture, so I’ve managed to eventually kill almost every house plant I’ve ever had. Fingers crossed the bulbs I finally finished planting today will give me beautiful flowers come July.

This was Monday. Because, love will tear us apart, again. I think this blog will be slowing down again with summer approaching. B and I are heading to Oz for a month then a staycation for the rest of the break. I see myself spending a lot of time in our yard with summer and much less time staring at a computer screen.

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jacket: h&m – t-shirt:hot topic – jeans: 3×1 – belt: gap – shoes: worishofer

03/01/2016 Erika S. outfits

Super Tuesday!

I just got back from my first ever caucus. A weird experience all around since I’m used to a primary system in California and New York. Both B and I were in a perpetual state of amazement while there.

co caucus

I wore my voting shirt today to school under my sweater and reviews were mixed. I got a lot of “that’s a sick shirt miss” along with advice on who to vote for (mostly for Bernie due to his free-college tuition stance). Some students were confused though and thought ‘sucka’ was ‘suck a’ (2 words). They all wanted to know what the rest of my shirt said. Hmmmm. Does this make my shirt inappropriate?

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super tuesday

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glasses: warby parker – sweater: banana republic – tshirt: mnkr – belt: gap – skirt: j.crew – tights: h&m – shoes: franco sarto

01/21/2016 Erika S. outfits

Zen

I’m determined to “zen it out” this semester. How? By doing fun stuff (and not stressing over the details)! This past weekend was a three day weekend. I went snowboarding. I cleaned the house (boring!). I had brunch with an amazing group of friends. I went climbing at a new gym. I cooked a kick-ass sunday night dinner type meal, on a Monday. It was a good ~~day~~ weekend.

I even broke myself out of the jeans + sweater rut I’ve been in at school all this month and broke out an *actual* skirt to wear. Amazing. This skirt has been collecting dust in my closet for close to 5 years now. I think it’s been reborn as a winter staple and I’m going to wear it all the time, starting now. I’ve seen at least 2 other colleagues with the same J.Crew “city mini” in different colors this past month, and that inspired me to go rooting around for mine. I’m happy to shop my own closet.

jcrew wool skirt jcrew city mini skirt jcrew city mini skirt2

glasses: warby parker – cardigan: uniqlo – t-shirt and tights: h&m – belt: gap – skirt: j.crew – boots: franco sarto

12/24/201512/23/2015 Erika S. basics, outfits

Snow Day

We’ve already had a snow day here in Denver! Our last week of school before the winter break was finals week – and we had a snow day right in the middle of it. Timing wasn’t great, but having a surprise day off is totally amazing. It snowed about a foot that day. Now it may not seem like it, but I do in fact have a life outside of my classroom (see my instagram for proof) and I do wear clothes everyday. I have every intention of blogging more outside of the classroom in 2016, so I’m starting now. I set up the tripod in the backyard, and stood outside in the snow. B looks at me funny when I do this, but OH WELL.

I got out of my pajamas on this snow day just to go to the mall for some Christmas shopping. Basic t-shirt and jeans thing. It was snowing like crazy, but Denver hardly ever feels all that cold. It is cold, and it does snow here (lots), but its so much more pleasant and “winter wonderland-ish” compared to the biting, icy, miserable sleet that would happen in New York City.

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beanie and cardigan: uniqlo – hoodie: threadless – t shirt: threads for thought – jeans: h&m – belt: gap – boots: dr. martins

12/23/201512/24/2015 Erika S. outfits, seriousness

Heavy and Light

A quick update from the last post: I spent time discussing race with each one of my classes the next day. Over the next few days, word had spread and individual students sought me out to talk about it. We talked about so many things, and the students had a lot to contribute.

Each class’s discussion was different, and conversations morphed towards gender issues and consent. I showed them this video showing a woman walking in NYC and dealing with catcalls and creepy men (I know that there is an issue with race in this video also, but I think the message overall is relevant). As they watched it, I watched them. It was interesting to see their reactions – none of them had seen the video before. The girls faces either had horrified looks or nervous laughter (that weak laugh that we have been trained to do when they feel uncomfortable or scared). The boys were either shocked or laughed. It was a great learning opportunity and I’m happy I took the time out of traditional Biology curriculum for it.

Back to light hearted blogging! This was what I wore that week. Everything here is an oldie but goodie. I’ve had these Pilcro loafers for ages, but never wear them. I’m just too addicted to ankle boots! I had listed them on my Poshmark closet, but decided to take down the listing in keep them after all. I only just started listing things on Poshmark, and I’m feeling like it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

zara tshirt pilcro flats forever 21 cardigan

cardigan and jeans: f21 – t shirt: zara – belt: gap – shoes: anthropologie – jewelry: madewell, family heirloom – watch: pebble

11/16/2015 Erika S. outfits

The Greys

Winter’s color palette is here. The leaves have fallen, a blizzard is brewing and everything looks grey. I’m matching the vibe today – muted and grey. A storm is brewing here in Denver. This means ski/board season has begun!

Short post today – not much else to say except eat well and rest well over the Thanksgiving break!

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glasses: bon look – sweater: madewell – jeans: h&m – belt: gap – boots: cole haan via nordstrom rack

10/28/201510/28/2015 Erika S. outfits

The October Slump

We’re well into the famed October slump, the one where teachers look tired, worn out and defeated because they are tired, feeling defeated and worn down. In the words of Jim Furman (colleague from last year), it looked like we teachers were “on the good ship lollipop” at the start of the year, but now we’re all frowns.

I’m happy to report that this has been one of the mildest slumps I’ve had in 7 years. I’ve had a few hiccups here and there with a few bad days, but all in all, things are awesome this year. Not only, that, I feel like I have a better work/life this year which is HUGE for me. That alone keeps the angry/bitter/jaded monster at bay. Achievement #1 for the year unlocked! Now I need to work on actually doing more cool things with that time.

These photos are from a week ago, right before the weather here in Denver turned frigid. Anything below 60˚ is frigid to me. Everything is old, loved, and from Madewell.

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09/14/2015 Erika S. outfits, teaching

Back to School Night

We had back to school night the second week of school and I’m only now getting around to posting about it. I’ve always struggled with BTS nights. I always end the night feeling like I put my foot in my mouth a couple times. Meeting parents for the first time always shakes my confidence a bit. I’m a bit socially awkward around adults anyway, so meeting a bunch all at once is hard. I always feel like I’m under scrutiny and that I’m being sized up. Of course, this all stems from my own insecurities – I can hardly blame parents for wanting the best teachers for their kids. I also shot myself in the foot this year by not taking the extra time needed to prepare a “Hi, I’m your kid’s Bio teacher this year, here’s some info about my background!” type presentation. If I had, I probably would have had a more successful night.

Anyways, I chose to wear heels for BTS night this year. It was a 13 hour day, and my feet were 100% comfortable as I walked my tired body and mind to my car at 8pm. Midi skirts just always look better with some extra leg length.

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