Welcome to Juice Boxes + Crayolas!
I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m so glad you’re here.
I’m Amy, a 27 year old teacher-runner-reader. I am passionate about all these things, and
this is my little place to share those parts of my life with the blog world.
In addition to teaching, running, and
reading, I also love coffee, The Beatles, yoga, my family, daisies, cheap wine, craft beer, dark chocolate, and long naps.
The Teacher
Juice Boxes + Crayolas started out as a blog to capture my
first year teaching—what a year it was!
I was one of those teachers in danger of becoming a statistic; I almost
did not make it until Christmas of my first year. Folks, it was that. bad. Thankfully, I had the support of many, many
wonderful people who dried my tears, held my hand, and helped me learn quality
management and instructional techniques while developing my own teaching style.
I am in my sixth year teaching, and while I started out
teaching 5th grade, this is my third year in a 3rd
+ 4th multi-grade classroom.
I absolutely LOVE this age group!
I also recently completed my masters in reading.
After that dreadful baptism by fire of a
first year, I have grown like crazy as a teacher and continue to grow every single day I have the privilege of interacting with students. My passions lie in building relationships
with my students, sharing good literature, and helping my students grow as
writers. I love sharing tips for
lessons, organization, and classroom management. So many teachers have helped support me--this blog lets my "pay it forward" and share what I've learned (and continue to learn!) with others!
The Runner
I was not always an athlete, but for some reason, at 22, I
decided to put on some running shoes and try the Couch 2 5K program. It was love at first step. When I crossed the finish line at my first half marathon in 2011, I knew I was completely
hooked.
Since then, I have completed
45 races including two full marathons, ninehalf marathons, and five triathlons. (Read all of my race recaps here!)
In October of 2013, I crossed the finish line of my first full 26.2 at the Chicago Marathon with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Finishing my first marathon was one of the hardest and most amazing things I've ever done. I never thought I could ever do something like running a marathon, but that just shows that with a whole lot of faith, hope, and hard work anything really is possible!
Becoming a runner has been one of the most defining
experiences of my life. I am not a
natural athlete, and I suffered injury after injury during my first years
running, but I persevered and learned so much about myself along the way.
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The Reader
Ever since I was little, I have been enchanted by books, reading, and the journeys that both can take you on. I even remember sneakily reading under my desk in fourth grade. #geekalert
Some of my all-time favorites
include The Little Prince, The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, The
Things They Carried, Cat’s Cradle,
Matilda, Everybody Sees the Ants, Looking for Alaska, The Sky is Everywhere,
Angela’s Ashes, Thank You Mr. Falker,
and The Art of Racing in the Rain.
I have a penchant for young adult literature,
but I will read anything from picture books to “grown up books” as I have come
to call them.
Thank you so much for reading. Email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com with any questions or comments! Your comments and emails make my day. :)