Commas and Cultures - Kristin Conrad

First Day of School 2022 | YEAR 10



If it looks like there are tears in my eyes, it’s because there definitely were as I walked out the door this morning. It was so hard & so weird to leave little Lyla love home with Daddy this morning. People say I’ll get used to it… I’ll get busy at work… but it’s definitely going to take me awhile. 103 days was not enough, baby girl. 17 school days until Christmas break, but who’s counting?

Also, gosh, who knew sixth graders could be so exhausting? Who signed me up for this?! 🤣😰

It’s the FIRST day of my TENTH year of teaching 👩🏼‍🏫

…annnnnd the only place I actually commuted to today was Target. It’s a weird feeling not to be greeting students on the first day of the new school year, but it’s a wonderful feeling to be figuring out this mom thing instead. My husband’s paternity leave ends today, so send all the prayers & coffee my way for tomorrow!

And yes, I am returning to the classroom, but not until after Thanksgiving. Three months of baby cuddles happening first 💕

It’s been a wild 12 days for my little family — but now I’m officially introducing Lyla Marie Conrad to the world!

Lyla surprised us with a fast arrival on August 18, nine days before her due date, weighing only 7 lb, 5 oz, almost 1.5 pounds less than the ultrasound’s estimation. She continues to make great bounds in growth & her parents are figuring out life with a newborn a little more each day.

As a Type A teacher who doesn’t always handle change well, I certainly wasn’t fully prepared for her early arrival. But, it means doing nine more days of life with Lyla before maternity leave will end, and I’ll soak up every second I can get.

There’s a TPT sale going on, my coworkers went back to work yesterday, and it’s a gorgeous summer day in Minnesota… but if you need me, I’ll be snuggled up on the couch with our little Lyla love. That or trying to find another hour of sleep somewhere 💤

WEEK 36 is here🤰🏼💕

(swipe to see weeks 30-35)

For the past nine years, August’s arrival would bring a little bit of sadness about summer ending & also mean days would get busier as I’d get my classroom setup & do some planning on my laptop several nights.

Now, as year 10 in the classroom approaches, I’m kicking off August & four weeks until baby in a totally different way — finishing the nursery, celebrating with a babymoon, and meeting with my long-term sub later this week.

Life will look a little (okay, a lot!) different for me this fall, but I can’t imagine a better way to wrap up a sweet summer season than getting to meet our sweet girl so soon as the Minnesota weather cools down (after this week’s heat wave 🤞🏼). August has very little on the calendar until baby arrives, and I’m excited to embrace the calm and quiet for a change.

Any other teacher spending fall on maternity leave? Let me know by dropping an emoji in the comments 👏🏼 you’ve got this, mama!

SUMMER means Trimester 3 is here! ☀️

It’s crazy to think that I won’t greet any students at the start of my 10th year of teaching, but I wouldn’t trade finally getting to meet Baby Conrad for the world. 12 weeks to go & then 12 weeks of cuddles with our little girly before a new classroom, school (same district), coworkers, and students to meet!

Today was a bittersweet one, spent packing up the last few boxes, moving a few things to the other middle school, and saying goodbye to coworkers & students that I won’t share a building with next year. Fortunately, I’m typically a big fan of change (just ask my mom how often I rearranged my room as a kid), so I’m excited for this next adventure! 🥳

Anyone else starting next year on maternity leave? Or if you’ve done one like that in the past or subbed long-term, please drop all your tips in the comments 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Friday at 3:30 feels because…

1. It’s the weekend, duh! 🥳

2. This teacher officially got renewed in the same district for next year! I’ll be switching middle schools, but I’ll also go back to teaching straight sixth! I’ll be out on maternity leave for several months, so sticking with sixth means I’ll have a lot less to prep each day when I return than I have had this year teaching multiple grades 🥳

3. A little baby bump shows up in this photo, and we are officially halfway to meeting our sweet baby girl! ♥️

37 school days until summer… but who’s counting? 🥳

Even though my sixth graders were convinced I seem like a boy mom, their votes were entirely wrong.

Baby Conrad is allllll GIRL 🎀

Nonfiction Must-Read 🚨

Let me tell you all about this fabulous find from another Minnesotan 🎉

Stacy’s new read features upper elementary and lower middle school accessible reads about kids all around the country who are doing great & inspirational things! Your students will be encouraged by their stories and may even take up the challenge to consider how they can find ways to support needs in their own community. Each story features cute graphics along with a real photo of each inspirational kid.

I’m hoping to revive my sixth grade nonfiction unit that we’ll start in about a week by incorporating many of these stories and articles. How would you use stories like this in your classroom?

Jumbo Scrabble was such a great brain break during language arts today! 📝 Here’s how it worked:

I printed a set of Scrabble cards that look like the tiles (letter & point value) onto white cardstock, then cut them apart to prep — super simple!

Then, I simply spread them out on the floor (see last photo) for setup — also simple.

A volunteer from each group came up and picked seven letters, then groups had a set amount of time (I used one minute for sixth graders) to come up with a word worth as many points as possible. The team with the highest scoring word wins! 🎉 play over and over or just once for a quicker break!

This 🧠 break checks all the boxes:

✅ collaborative
✅ related to language arts
✅ competitive
✅ engaging
✅ low prep
✅ adjustable timeframe
✅ similar to wordle (kids said this one!) which all my sixths love!

I can’t take credit for the cards — my coworker sent me a digital copy! But you could make your own so easily!

This is so great. My sixth and seventh graders are so competitive this year. I can’t wait to try it with them tomorrow!

Brain break idea 🧠⚡️ Count together, but each student can only say a number once, one person at a time. @academicallyapril (on instagram) and her students see how high they can count without a repeat.

Because this time of year (and especially THIS year) seems to be when we’re all exhausted, sick, and running out of engaging ideas — give this one a shot! 🎬

Call it “Movie Trailer Mondays” like I do, or use them whenever you need a little engaging & easy planning boost. I play the movie trailer from YouTube, then make sure I have a few copies of the book on hand to get checked out to kids before they get home and search Netflix for the movie instead! Read the first chapter aloud for even more engagement or ask for volunteers who have read it to share what they liked about the book, too!

Swipe for the grade level you need & engage readers with the work Hollywood has already done for you!

Hit SAVE in the bottom right corner below the image to hang onto this list for the moment you need it.