Erika S. outfits, teaching

Keep Calm and…

Today was the first day back from our week long Thanksgiving Break.  I was NOT ready to come back – a week of lounging around the house stuffing my face wasn’t nearly enough!  It was rough getting back into the groove today and by the time my last section rolled around, my patience had gone out the window.  Normally, I love my 6th period – they’re a rowdy, noisy, chatty bunch who as a whole are an awesome group of kids.  Sometimes, their shenanigans can get to me and push all my buttons all at the same time.  Today was one of those days and I got angry…but now I feel bad for getting angry.  They’re teenagers who just have a harder time focusing on Biology after they’ve already been in school for 6 hours (kids here have 8 hour school days — I think it’s ridiculous).  I should have kept calm and…let them be teenagers.

These booties are from Zara, a few years ago.  They’re pretty bad-ass, and I got many compliments on them today from students and adults alike.  I don’t wear them that often, for no good reason at all.  My top is from COS, a H&M spin off with a store in Manhattan and is also available online in the US.  I picked this one up over the summer while visiting New York.  I love the shape since it has so much room in the belly area but is still fitted around the shoulders (a trapeze top?).  The fabric is also a perfectly drapey material.    Lastly, I got a technology hand-me-down from B, his Pebble watch.  Winning.

forever 21 high waisted jeans

zara studded boots

pebble watch

cos shirt

zara boots

teacher outfits
cardigan: uniqlo – top: cos – jeans: f21 – boots: zara – watch: pebble – gold bracelet: madewell – jade bracelet: somewhere in china

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Science!

Thanksgiving break officially has started for me.  YAY.  I get tomorrow “off” with the rest of the science department, because my principal is generously sending us to the Colorado Science Conference for Professional Development.  I’m so freaking excited.  I haven’t attended a science conference since my first year, when the NTSA held their national conference in SF.  As a first year teacher, it was all wasted on me while in survival mode.  This time around, I’m ready with my science teacher hat.  I need a fresh step in my science curriculum.

I love science.  I teach science.  Every. single. PD I attend is about reading/writing/speaking (common core).  Where is the science at?  No where.  Until now.  Have I mentioned how excited I am about tomorrow?

the feels

the feels2

the feels3

cardigan and jeans: madewell – belt: gap – shirt: uniqlo – boots: doc martins

Erika S. outfits

Wannabe French Cool Girl

I have a super fashion crush on French girls (women) such as Emmanuelle Alt, Lou Doillon and Capucine Safyurtlu.  Their look is functional, sleek, irreverent, and a bit bad ass.  They are also blazer people, meaning a blazer is as natural on them as a pair of jeans. I am not a blazer person.  A quick Google image search for “5 piece french wardrobe” will bring up all the cliche frenchie pieces – a striped shirt, jeans, blazers, boots.  All the things I chose for my wannabe french cool girl outfit.  I wish I were a cool french girl.  I guess I’ll just have to settle for being a poseur.
Frenchies3

Frenchies2

Frenchies4

Frenchies5

Frenchies

glasses: warby parker – blazer and top: madewell – cardigan: uniqlo – belt: gap –  jeans: j.brand via nordstrom rack – boots: cole haan via nordstrom rack

Erika S. outfits

Grown-ass Woman

I have finally reached adulthood, people.  I bought a house here in Denver – last May.  This is not news to people who know me (I can’t ever stop talking about it), but it is news to the blog.  Yup, B and I are now officially adults with adult type responsibilities such as mowing the lawn and making mortgage payments.  This also means that my conscience gets a whirl every day – B and I are gentrifiers.  Seriously, we are – Slate Magazine confirms it.  This means that I am one of those people who drive out economic and cultural diversity from “up and coming” neighborhoods because it’s the new hip area to move into.  And boy is it hip.  There are about 6 awesome micro-breweries within walking distance, and we regularly hear gun shots in the night.  Recognizing that I am a gentrifier puts me in a tizzy, since my hometown is experiencing all kinds of turmoil with gentrification and the homogenizing of culture.  Hell, even B and I have been priced out of SF considering we could never afford to buy in the city.  So I try my best to remember this article on how not to be a gentrifier.  

Now that I am an adult with adult responsibilities, I felt the need to dress like a child today.  This is a new top from Anthropologie (super sale, as always) with a very child-like collar.  I dig it, Alexa Chung style.  The lipstick, by the way, is a cheap find from Wet n’ Wild (Plumegenue, by the Fergie collection) and I highly recommend it.

grownchild4

grownchild3

grownchild2

grownchild

top: anthroplogie – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – boots: franco sarto via nordstrom rack – watch: fossil

Erika S. outfits

Peek a Boo

Summer is winding down and we’re just starting to get some autumn like weather here in Denver.  I figured the time was right to take out this summer dress I picked up at Madewell (on super sale as always) while in New York.  It’s a bit risque for work, with cut outs on the sides.  So I kept my cardigan on all day while at school to cover up all the torso bits.  I even kept it on through the “I’m now sweating profusely because all of a sudden my admin/evaluator just walked in to hang out” moments of the day.  Bonus: the dress has huge pockets!

peek a boo5

peek a boo

peek a boo2

peek a boo3

peek a boo4

glasses: warby parker – cardigan: uniqlo – dress: madewell – shoes: saltwater sandals

Erika S. outfits

the Seventh Annual First Day of School

Oh hai guys!  It’s been months since I’ve been around updating this blog.  The last spring and summer have been good to me.  Things went fairly smoothly in the spring and I ended the school year on a high note.  Change was on the way!  I decided to give it another year at my school with hopes (and determination) that this second year teaching in Denver would be 100 times better.

It’s fall again, and today was the first of two first days of school.  My school has 9th graders only for Monday, then the rest of the grades start on Tuesday.  This year, I’m teaching Honors Bio and regular Bio.  Also, I’m co-leading a team for the first time ever.  Exciting stuff for sure.  Also, we had a bit of an administration shake up and with that comes an opportunity to re-set the school/staff culture.  Everything is on the up and up this year, I can feel the positive vibes!

On a sentimental note, I’ve been thinking about the first batch of kids I ever had back in SF.  Some of them are now juniors in university and I sometimes like to stalk them on FB.  I read about where they are traveling/studying/interested in and I breath a huge sigh of relief that I didn’t mess them up too much my first year of teaching.  I was so clueless and disorganized.  I’m starting my 7th year of teaching this year, and I’ve learned something new and better each year!

On to the first of two first day of school outfits!  I picked up this cardigan/shirt/dress thing at F21 last spring.  It’s perfect to keep the chill off and add some interest.  I brought it with me to DC this past summer and my sister thought it was weird, but came around to it.  She ended up buying the same thing for herself near the end of my trip 😉7th 1st day3

7th 1st day2

7th 1st day

glasses: warby parker – cardigan: F21 similar – tank – uniqlo – skirt: jcrew – shoes: sweedish hasbeens

Erika S. outfits

Black and Maybe Blue, but White?

white white3 white2

glasses: warby parker – top: madewell – jeans: uniqlo – boots: franco sarto via nordstrom rack – jewelry: family heirloom, some craft booth in brooklyn, fossil watch, fitbit

I wear black jeans to work on most days.  Jeans for me generally means skinny jeans.  I know this is tabboo for some teachers, but I personally don’t really see a problem with it.  As long as they’re dark, they could just be plain old black pants.  The only difference between my jeans and some other teacher’s pants are the material.  At least, that’s how I rationalize it.  Sometimes, I’ll even wear blue jeans.  Not often, but occasionally.  But what about white jeans?  I asked B the other night if I should wear white jeans to school.  I thought they’d look really cute with this blue silk top I bought at Madewell recently (on super sale – extra 40% off – and with my teacher discount).  I knew I wouldn’t wear them anyways, because white jeans, to me, veer into the “probably shouldn’t” territory.  But I thought I’d ask his opinion anyway.  He said very bluntly, “white jeans are not appropriate for teachers”.

Is that true?  Who says?  Why?  What do you guys think?  Are white jeans taboo for teachers and why?  Are jeans in general “not appropriate”?  Be sure to answer this prompt with a claim, evidence and analysis.  Just kidding!

Erika S. outfits

A Giant

gigantes gigantes2

scarf: topshop – cardigan and jeans: uniqlo – shirt: giants – belt: banana republic – boots: madewell

A few FAQ from students:

“Miss, are you going to have kids?” — No.

“Miss, what are you?” — I am a human being with feelings.

“Miss, did that hurt?” — (about my nape piercing) Of course.

“Miss, why are you so damn tall?” — Because I come from a city of giants.  Duh!

Erika S. outfits

Hardcore

Today was hardcore – as in I actually got to talk about metal music with a couple of my kids while they worked on missing assignments for physics.  I have a special spot in my heart for hardcore, screamo and all around metal music.  I was obsessed with bands like Marylin Manson and Ministry in the late 90’s, then moved on to stuff like Deftones and Will Haven in the early 2000’s.  That kind of music, while not for everyone, really spoke to me as an angsty 20 year old.  I love every chance I get to talk about this stuff and will wax on for days about various hardcore bands and my favorite songs.  I have a few boys in my physics class who share my love for all things metal-ish in music.  Needless to say, they are a few of my favorite peoples now a days.  Not only that, these boys will actually check in after school with me to ask how my day is going when they know I’ve had a rough one.  These are the silver linings we teachers will always remember.

My outfit today wasn’t too hardcore – the J.Crew shirt lends a lot of sweetness, as does the unicorn necklace.  But I feel hardcore all the same.  Black jeans and red lipstick will do that for any outfit. hardcore hardcore2 hardcore3

shirt and belt: j.crew – jeans: uniqlo – boots: madewell – necklaces: unicorn crafts – lipstick: revlon lip butters in “red velvet”

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Kicks

I want to start off with a heartfelt appreciation for all the supportive comments in my last post.  It had been a month of struggles and I was at a particularly low point.  I guess I really needed words of encouragement from fellow teachers, and the advice really helped me feel like I’m not alone with these issues.  At my last school in Brooklyn, the small staff regularly ate lunch together and I always felt supported and encouraged by my peers every day.  We’d spend those 30 minutes sharing stories, ideas and giving advice.  In hindsight, those lunches really helped support me both as an educator and an emotional human being.  That lunch culture is not really established at my current school, so I find that I can go an entire day without any more than a “hello” type interaction with adults at school.  I need to set up some lunch dates!

Things have been going much better these past few days.  Classes have been running smoothly, I’ve had positive interactions with almost all of my students, and I had a couple restorative conferences with individual students that helped clear the air.  Also, students are turning in heaps of late work and raising their grades, which helps boost morale in the classroom.  Things are on the up and up – though I’m still not sure if this school is the right fit for me.  TIme will tell.

In other news, I did a bit of retail therapy this past weekend.  I got myself some new kickers.  I’ve been wanting a pair of 8 eye Docs, but I’ve always been held back by my ridiculous boot collection and the price.  So when I saw that I had a $20 gift card and they were on sale for less than $100 at Nordstrom, I caved.  Plus, B was out of town and he’s usually my voice of reason on how I don’t need anything.  While at the mall, I popped into J.Crew where they were having one of their 30% off sale prices events.  I picked up this adult version of a sweatshirt – it’s merino wool and ridiculously soft and comfortable (J.Crew Collection).  With the sale and my educator discount, this sweater was practically free super cheap!

kickers kickers3

The ever present pencil in my hair – it’s the only way I can keep track of fit.kickers4

scarf: super old no brand – sweater: j.crew – jeans: uniqlo – boots: dr. martens