Erika S. outfits

school marm

I’m not normally a fan of vintage shopping. I’m not that “vintage is character” type of person, I’m more of a modern lines and stark colors type. A couple weekends ago, I found myself with nothing to do and spent hours browsing through this blog, Bleubird Vintage, written by a woman with a love for all things vintage. Her blog and aesthetic is so captivating and gorgeous, I started to feel like maybe I should give ‘vintageing’ another shot. Plus, my niece will be here (as in born) soon and I wanted to find some cute little girl dresses from the 60’s (just like little Bird wears- warning, this video may make your ovaries twitch a bit). So went out and hit up a couple shops in my ‘hood. After a couple hours, I walked away with 2 dresses and a pair of black boots, $40 lighter. I wore one of the dresses today along with the boots.

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This dress takes me out of my comfort zone. I don’t normally wear full skirts, or dresses/skirts this long. Even though this dress got lots of compliments, I vacillated between feeling like a school marm and feeling like a halo-ed über religious chick. So I struck the innocent I-baked-cookies-to-bring-to-church pose. Is it close? =D

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cardigan & belt: j.crew – dress & boots: vintage – tights: uniqlo – necklace: f21 – watch: fossil via nordstrom rack

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Nerdy Stress

Today was one of those extra anxiety ridden stressful days, the type that make you feel like you just ran a mental marathon.  I had visitors in my class today – 7 adult visitors.  These visitors were administrators, “school designers” and various instructional specialists from the network (whatever that means), all in my class to observe literacy elements in the science classroom.  Of course, I was told that the visit was “in no way evaluative”, and in fact, “don’t plan anything special, just do what you would normally do”.  Yeah right.  Lets be honest, every visit is evaluative – especially when the focus is on common core literacy: reading, writing and speaking (not to mention science).  So I planned a lesson where the kiddos would be writing analytical paragraphs about the results of the lab they just finished (the conclusion, essentially).  The lesson was all set to go, when I panicked and decided it wasn’t good enough.  So I re-planned.  They needed an example of a decent paragraph and a checklist, so I made one.  They analyzed the example conclusion I wrote and critiqued it.  Then I gave them copies of paragraphs written by their peers in other sections to analyze and critique.  Finally, they revisited their own conclusion paragraphs that were written last week from a previous lab (which were abysmal).  All this went down and I tried to split myself into 37 pieces, monitoring every single kid and watching how each of the adults interacted with my kids.  It’s a controlled chaos.  Multiply this by 2 classes, and then add on top of it all an afternoon school wide “presentation of learning” where I had to create a visual representation of the course I teach and man my table with students from my classes (fingers crossed that they didn’t embarrass the hell out of me and were able to articulate what they learned from my class).

Here’s the thing I hate most about these lessons – while these lessons are absolutely necessary, I find myself forced to teach more English than I am teaching science.  I don’t like teaching English, I like teaching science, darn it!  The kids want more doing, more lab time, more fun stuff, less reading, annotating and “rigor”.  But instead, I’m forced to do all this literacy stuff with them, the same stuff they do in English class, history class, etc.  They hate it, I hate it, but it’s necessary.  Necessary because these kids can’t write a decent paragraph to save their lives (these are 15 year olds), and you know, “it’s not evaluative or anything”.

The best evaluation I got today?  A comment from a student on how my style is always changing.  “You know, one day you’re all ‘classy’ and the next day you’re all nerdy looking.”  Ummmm, thanks?  Here’s my “nerdy” look.

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nerdy

nerdy2

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sweater: cö via uo – shirt: levis – tank (underneath): alternative apparel – jeans: bdg via uo – flats: old old old nine west (these live in my class for days where I wear my bean boots to school) – bracelets: mainsai (present from b) and unknown chinatown jewelry shop (present from my popo when I was a kid)

Erika S. outfits

double down

It’s a double down week.  This is my typical clothing strategy…wear the same thing all week with a dress or two in between to break it up.  It cuts down on laundry, something I actually have to be conscious of here in NY, where I have to lug laundry out of the building.  This week is a perfect example of that strategy.  Monday: Forever 21 stretch jeans and a hoodie (staff PD day, no kids),  Tuesday: dress, Wednesday and Thursday: Forever 21 stretch jeans and a creamish/whiteish topper.  Also, we’ve been in the lab this week, working on a 4 day procedure aimed at demonstrating osmosis and diffusion with onion cells and dialysis tubing.  It’s been fun and I love lab days – but the heater has been stuck on “broil” in the lab room.  Oh hello, extreme temperature changes!

Exhibit A of double down: Wednesdaydouble down

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Exhibit B: Thursday

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double duty

Pardon the cheesy “hands on hips” pose.  I don’t know what I was thinking.

Wednesday ~ shirt: tobi – necklace and jeans: f21 – belt: h&m

Thursday ~ (old) glasses: salt – sweater: (old) anthropologie (last seen here)- jeans: f21 – belt: h&m – shoes: minetonka

Erika S. outfits

frenchie french

Brooklyn is having a warm couple of days – it’s practically a winter heat wave at 55˚F!  This ‘warm’ weather comes right on the heels of about an inch of snow just 2 days ago.  I’m just happy to have a break from my snow/rain boots.  I just bought this dress online from Urban Outfitters.  It came out a really long time ago (a year maybe?) and I loved it right away when I saw it.  I did not love the price tag on the other hand, so I waited.  And waited. And waited.  Just about everything goes on sale eventually at UO, especially if it’s an ‘online only’ item like this dress was.  When the price finally dropped down to one I was willing to pay ($50) I ordered it right away.  I’m glad I did too!  The dress is made by Sessun a french line carried by UO stateside, but also available through ASOS.  I love this brand – so frenchie chic.  This dress garnered many compliments, including “Your dress looks like it’s slinging Pepsi!”.

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sessun frenchie french 2

sessun

Sessun frenchie french

dress: sessun via uo – cardigan & belt – j.crew – necklace: f21 – tights: uniqlo – boots: steve madden

Erika S. outfits

winterizing

I love how some dresses can be winter-ized by just adding a few things.  This dress, I’ve taken from the balmy crisp SF weather, through to hot muggy Brooklyn summer, straight into the dry freeze-your-ears-off Brooklyn winter.  All it takes is the addition of a scarf, wooly tights, cardigan and suede booties.  Of course, there was a coat involved, but I left it off while inside.  Dress, during summer last seen here.  Next time, I’ll have to remind myself to use a few more squirts of Static Guard

scarf: topshop – cardigan and belt: j.crew – dress: f21 – tights: h&m – booties: steve madden

Erika S. basics, teaching

teacher outfit reliables

A thin cardigan:  warmish, thin and drapey.  Cardigans keep you warm during prep and cover up your arms so you don’t feel too naked in front of the kids. They also cover any arm jiggles you might think you have when you are furiously trying to get through a lesson before the bell rings and you’re writing like a mad woman on the board. Definitely aim for something not so thick and bulky that you end up dripping with sweat before you get a chance to breath and remove layers.  Some reliable, tried and true and fairly affordable options:

J. Crew: this on is currently on sale at $50 (with extra 30% off) which brings it to $35.  It will last a long long time (3 years and counting of weekly wear for me) and is the perfect amount of open weave vs. warmth for the classroom.

Uniqlo: can’t go wrong with Uniqlo.  Great price and quality that compares to more expensive brands.  $19

Stretch skinny or straight black jeans: slimming, easy, stretchy, and comfortable.  Black jeans are simple and basic enough that they match with everything possible and allow you that extra time in the morning to just grab your coffee mug and run so you can get to class early and prep. The color also makes them professional looking enough – they’re not sweats and they’re not blue jeans.  Boom, profesh. Some reliable, tried and true and fairly affordable options:

Uniqlo: black skinny fit tapered stretch jeans. Normally priced at $50, you can usually wait for them to go on special at $40

Madewell: more expensive, but really soft and will hold their shape. $99

Forever 21: inexpensive, washes well, and durable. $10

Button ups: sleeveless and sleeved (for winter, the only time it can actually get cold in a classroom even with 35 teenagers fogging up the place). A dressed up (professional) version of a top with room for your pits to vent/breathe.  Helps to have armpit breathing space when you’re doing your daily song and dance in an effort to keep the teenagers “engaged” with the lesson.  I mean, lets face it, not all kids find the functions of the golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum fascinating.  But they will find my mimed rendition of protein synthesis at least mildly amusing.  Miming takes a lot of energy, and as we all know, a by-product of work is moist pits.  Some reliable, tried and true and fairly affordable options:

Uniqlo: see above.  $30  Classic cut (not too slim, not too manly boxy)

Madewell: on sale now, only in lime green.  Wait till other colors go on sale, then get-em while they last.  Durable and roomy without making you look like a box on top.  $40

Black ballet flats:  This should be a big duh.  They’ll help you survive the day even when kids are too busy talking about the latest cafeteria fight to even acknowledge your presence at the front of the room.  They’re comfy enough without being sneakers, and … bonus points for being able to slip them off during staff meetings so you can give your dogs a breather rest.  Some untried and  possibly sucky but fairly affordable options:

BDG at Urban Outfitters: on sale now at $20

Forever 21: $25

frye

Frye: my personal splurge, 2 years ago.  The leather stretches out over time.  $149

Watch: the bigger the face, the better, so you can check yourself when you’ve been rambling for too long about how “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”.  One I like but don’t have, nor am I willing to shell out the cash for just yet:

Nixon: I like men’s watches – big.  $125

So, fellow teachers, did I miss anything?

Erika S. outfits, teaching

so funny

Its a new year, and we were back in school on the 2nd.  In SF, we usually got a full 2 weeks off for winter holiday.  Here in NY, it’s a “measly” but well enjoyed week and a half.  Woe is me.  I was ready to be back with my kids, and more than ready to flex my humor bone.  B laughs at me my jokes all the time usually.  The only time I ever hear crickets in my class is when I make a silly science pun.   It’s a good thing that I like poop and fart jokes too otherwise I’d never get a reaction out of them.  So I decided to end the first week back with a bang of a t-shirt.  I was breaking the unspoken “teacher professional” dress code at my school by wearing a t-shirt.  gasp!  with jeans.  double gasp!  None of my professionally dressed colleagues said anything, and I got many chuckles from the kids, so whateves.
so funny

This t-shirt is pretty old.  So is the cardigan which is now half the size it used to be thanks to many rounds of washing (everything shrinks for me, even when washed strictly in cold water and air dried).  What is new are the rain booties.  We all know I have a thing for booties, and with the harsh Brooklyn weather combined with my daily trek to/from school, I figured I could justify adding a pair of weather proof booties to my collection.  Also, LL Bean had a 30% off Bean boots promotion one of the days leading up to Christmas, so I jumped on it.  So cute and so New England-ish, no?

so funny

so funny

cardigan: super old from therapy in SF – tshirt: loyal army – high waisted jeans: bdg – boots: ll bean – necklace: unicorn crafts – lipstick: coral colours #867, send from australia by B’s mom (it’s pretty awesome)

Last bit – I’m a bread making machine lately since B got me a cast iron dutch oven for christmas.  The easiest classic recipe ever, though I’m on the lookout for flavor tinkering changes (hello sourdough starter!!!).  It’s my cheat day today so I plan on eating this entire loaf.

MMmmmm Breeeead

Erika S. outfits

old faithfuls

Winter break is coming up in 2 more days.  Just in time too – I’m due for a serious break and I know my students need one also.  I pulled out an old faithful today, a striped sweater dress.  I bought this dress a couple years ago from H&M after I saw Anna from See Jane wear this version so beautifully.  It was inexpensive, has held up to many washings and can easily be a year round dress with a few additions.  And so, it’s become an old faithful with a bit nostalgia.  I wore this dress the first time B and I visited Brooklyn/New York City together after only dating for a month.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

circle scarf: topshop – dress and boots: h&m – leggings: target

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Blooms

It’s friday night – post teacher happy hour – so I don’t feel much like writing a whole post.  So I have this to marinate upon-

I’d like to frame this blog post with an authentic experience around high order thinking and annotation to encourage rigorous pair-sharing.  Meet Mr. Giraffafant, Ms. Cruz’s sweet old buddy.  Using what you know about genetics and natural selection, compare and contrast key characteristics of Mr. Giraffafant’s outfit with Ms. Schenck’s outfit of the day (keeping in mind one of her many high school nicknames, giraffe).  Be sure to support your argument with evidence and cite your sources.  blooms5   blooms2

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blooms

scarf: topshop – jacket: uniqlo – cardigan: j.crew – shirt (old) but also seen here on this blog & boots:  anthropologie – coated pants last seen here: bdg urban outfitters

Erika S. outfits

bright sunshiny day

Two days later and things are going much better.  Then again, I see ‘that class’ again tomorrow (first time since monday), so ask me again how things are later.  I think I have a game plan though, and it’s called “space”.  I’m giving those boys space and in return, they’re going to give me space.  At least, that’s how it’s working out for me in my head.  In the mean time, I’m up for some brightness in my life.  So I color blocked my day with a neutral and a hot red pepper color. That’s me – neutral for the most part, but sometimes I turn into a hot pepper and get angry.  bright

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glasses: salt (old) – circle scarf: topshop – cardigan: j.crew – belt: gap (old) – dress: some cheapo no name from tobi.com – tights: uniqlo heattech (so warm!) – booties: steven by steve madden (on sale!)