Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop - Introducing Me!

I am relatively new to this blog thing, so I wanted to link up with Janis from Grade Three is the Place For Me to introduce myself.  

Here is what people are sharing:  

    1.  what state you are in
    2.  your current teaching position

    3.  your teaching experience

    4.  when you started blogging

    5.  share a blogging tip / blogging resource

1.  I am a native Californian - but I don't go around saying "dude" and "cool" all the time.  I am not blond, I am not ditzy, I'm not liberal, and I don't own a convertible.  I do love the beach, but it's not often that I get to go visit.  The truth?  I'm brunette, own a mini van, am pretty shy and conservative, and I wish I could live by the ocean - but those houses are way out of our price range... instead it's a 4 hour drive to the beach town I love (which my middle son gets car sick every time we drive to it), and I live in a town that is almost constantly windy and makes my allergies go nuts. 

2.  I am currently teaching 4th grade.  I love 4th graders, really really love this age level.  They can be independent, can "get" a joke, and still love their teacher.  I love the curriculum of 4th grade in California.  I love the history behind our state.  4th grade was the age level that I had wanted to teach since my student teaching days, and I'm so glad that it worked out.  

3. This will be my 13th year of teaching.  The number 13 has always been a good number for me, so I'm expecting a terrific year.  I have taught in 3 different school districts teaching everything in some manner from Kindergarten to 8th grade, including being a Special Education teacher and a Science teacher for 2 of those years.  At one point I was given the honor of District Teacher of the Year.  I really love teaching.

4.  I started my family blog this past Spring Break.  From that the teaching aspects kind of took over and I started up I Love My Classroom.  I just turned on the "Follower" option a couple of weeks ago, and it has definitely become more interactive.  I love blogging!  

5.  I don't know what type of blogging tip I can share that you don't already know.  I guess what's working for me is seeing the different linky parties going on and joining in on the fun, adding my blog to Teaching Blog Addict directory (just added to the Teaching Blog Central), making sure that I have an image on each blog post so it can be pinned onto Pinterest, creating a Facebook page for my blog so I have a place to talk directly to people when I have those random pictures and wonderings (I love to socialize), and posting the links on both my own Facebook page and I Love My Classroom's page.

Thanks for visiting me!