Summer Teacher Haul (Part 1)

Happy Summer!

Alarm clock, OFF!  Don't have a clue as to what day it is...can go grocery shopping to Target in the middle of the day...this all must mean one thing: THIS IS A TEACHER ON SUMMER BREAK!!!!

Although I can say, waking up whenever I want and having the freedom is nice, that doesn't mean that school is not on the brain!  That's one of the MANY misconceptions people have about teachers.  While teachers may not be working IN the classroom, there is a lot taking place outside: some are going back to school for another degree, working at a second job, taking professional development, creating/developing curriculum, etc.

This teacher <RIGHT HERE>, while she enjoys summer, does think about the following year.  I do use this time to figure out what will need to change, what I want to do differently, and to find things that will keep me and my students motivated.  It is known that teachers spent quite a bit of their own money for their classroom.  I believe this to be true and here's why: for as much time as we spend in the classroom, it should be a place that WE WANT to be in, that we would like others to feel comfortable in, and to have our students feel happy about being there.  One way to achieve this, is to have items that are pleasant to look at, create functionality, or are engaging to use.

As we all know thanks to social media, there are many places out in our communities that take pride in advertising deals for back to school and thanks to TpT, teachers are able to acquire anything they need.

In just the past few weeks, I've gone to Target a couple  LOT of times. along with Dollar Tree, and Home Goods.  I'm sure there will be many more trips/summer hauls over the next month, so stay tuned!!!

I was so happy to find this paper cutter at Target!  It will come in so handy in the room.  There have been countless times that I have needed to cut note cards, construction papers, etc. and can't run down to the copy room to use the staff one.  

I have looked for these microfiber circles for so long.  Dollar Tree has a few packs left and I took them ALL!  My first graders will use these as erasers for their dry erase markers!  I found more clear dry erase pockets for worksheets or to hang posters or words on my focus walls.  The The stars came from Target and I have no idea what I'll use them for, but couldn't pass them up!  The small containers are great for extra crayons or playing cards.  I got a new smart board in my room during spring break and my old marker container doesn't work with the new board, so I found this pink one!  It has several compartments for markers and 2 strong magnets on the back!!!

I found these two stools from Home Goods and can't wait to add them to one of the small tables in my classroom.  Now if I can find a few more, I'll be set!

Come back for more hauls!  

Earth Day and Dollar Store Finds!

This past week we finished up our Earth Day project!  It looks time consuming, but it really is a fun and quick project to do with your kids!  I cut out circles for each student to use for their painting.  As I'm typing this new post up, I am thinking that I should have taken pictures of the step-by-step process of how each first grader made his/her marble Earths. I set out four cookie trays (to work with four students at a time) and sprayed a small amount of shaving cream onto each tray.  Then, I added some blue and green paint to each tray.  The kids used a paintbrush to swirl the colors together in the shaving cream.  We put a white circle cut-out on top of the colors and patted around to push the paint and shaving cream onto the paper.  After the painting was dried, I shook off the dried shaving cream and beautiful marbleized painting were uncovered!  I absolutely love how each one turned out and with such unique patterns!

Now, onto a teacher's dream!  If you're anything like me, you are about organization or know that organization is important when having many games, papers, and STUFF for your kiddos!  I have become obsessed more than ever with going to the dollar store!  Granted, you get what you pay for, but I have found some great things to add and hope that I can keep better track of everything in my classroom!  This weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see the re-stock of containers, buckets, and more!  I FINALLY found the small containers I've been looking for!  I have wanted these small containers for so long to add dice!  My firsties are like any other group of energetic lovies who enjoy tossing the dice up in the air and at times across the room when playing different games.  Hopefully, these containers will help keep the dice in one place!  In addition to this little cups, I also bought more boxes for card games and other buckets for indoor recess games and puzzles!  If you're a new teacher, student teacher, or a teacher needing a re-do, go check out your local Dollar Tree and pick up some of the colorful containers!  

Attention Student Teachers or New Teachers: 6 TIPS for the first year!

This post may be a bit early for those new teachers on the job, but I'm hoping this can be of some help and reach out those who are student teaching now, in the future, or those teachers that will just be starting out.  Time has flown by for me as a teacher...15 years!  That got me to thinking about my student teaching experiences and the first year or two as a teacher.  There are MANY things I remember and probably many MORE that I have forgotten, and with probably due reason.

I wanted to do a post where I could give my thoughts or advice to help those just starting out and things I learned along the way that I wish someone would have told me.  Grab a snack and a drink.  This will be a LONG one!  So here we go:

1.  ASK QUESTIONS and ASK FOR HELP!!!  I'm going to be honest: YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN!!!  I certainly tried and I know you will to.  But, you may need to rely on your team members, mentor teacher, administration, or parent volunteers.  It's okay to say no to being on a committee...it's okay to focus on your classroom.  There will be A LOT of new things, so ask questions...yes, write down the questions you have so you don't forget, but ask your team members.  They have all been in your position before and will help you out!  They are the best resources to go to!  If you're lucky to have involved parents, they are willing to help you out in any way you need...trust me!  Create a rotating schedule for parent volunteers, have them help make copies, sharpen pencils at home, cut out laminating at home, etc.

2.  DO WHAT YOU KNOW!  When I first started teaching, I started three weeks after the school year started.  My students had already gotten in the groove of other teachers' routines, structure, and schedules.  Then, they had me!  Well, they did better at the transition than I did!  I was fortunate to have some administration, team members, and other district staff help get my room set up before I started so it wasn't a blank slate.  While that won't happen for everyone, the big thing that helped was I took what I knew from my cooperating teachers (student teaching) and my former assistant job.  I made homemade posters, games, or worksheets.  They didn't include cute fonts, clip art, and weren't the most attractive to look at, but they worked.  The kids learned their sight words, vowel sounds, math facts, etc.  I used classroom management routines, organizational tips, and other things I observed with my cooperating teachers.   I was determined to get new things, I knew I had to watch how much money I spent.  Now, don't get me wrong, I spent too much PLENTY of money on things for my new classroom.    This leads me to #3.

3.  UTILIZE THE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AROUND YOU!  Like I mentioned earlier, talk to your colleagues...they have TONS of resources and will be more than willing to share with you.  Ask fellow colleagues if you could observe them teach a lesson or look around their room for ideas.  You don't have to spend so much money when it's time for resources in your room.  Now, we are so fortunate to have TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers).  If you're on a small team and need more ideas, this website (along with Pinterest and Instagram) is a hub for resources!  You can get many items for FREE or for a low cost!  I use this site now and only wish I had this 15 years ago!  Who knows, maybe I can get some things posted on TpT inthe future.  You will want things to be engaging for your students to use, but remember...start out simple and easy for you to manage.  You can always change things later.  The Goodwill, Salvation Army, or garage sales can help you add items for your classroom for an inexpensive price too...indoor recess games, classroom library books, bins/baskets, book shelves, stools, etc.

Here are some teacher blogs/websites that I have found over the past few years and love seeing what they are doing and creating in their rooms....awesome inspiration and teachers!  (I hope they don't mind me mentioning them here!)  There are so many more out there too!

What The Teacher Wants

Pocketful of Primary

Fabulous In First

Smitten in First

Fun in First

4.  GET TO KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES!  Every school is different and some schools are smaller/bigger than others.  No matter the size, get to know your teammates, school secretaries, nurse, etc.  These people are just as busy as you, but can be just as helpful!  With this tip, the best advice I can give is eat lunch in the teacher's lounge.  Not every teacher takes his/her lunch break to eat in the lounge but give yourself a break...you will need it!  If you feel as if you can't or don't want to take that time to eat and you'd rather get some work done, that's fine.  But, make yourself a goal of maybe at least twice a week using your lunch time as a break and a time to EAT (you will need to EAT, trust!)  By sitting in the lounge, you will get to know the teachers, share stories, and build relationships!

5.  YOU WILL NEVER FINISH EVERYTHING....there is ALWAYS something to do in the classroom.  I have to admit, I still struggle with this, but I have gotten better over the years.  You may choose to come in to your classroom early or stay late, but remember you need to give yourself a break or two during the day, and know that whatever doesn't get done will be okay and you always have tomorrow!  It can be hard, but prioritize...make lists!  In one of my first posts, I showed a picture of a weekly planner I found and recreated to better fit me.  This has helped me so much!

6.  DO YOUR BEST TO STAY ORGANIZED.  Some teachers have those dreamy, Pinterest perfect classrooms and others, let's be honest...there's so much going on in there, you don't know where to look first!  No matter the way your room looks, you will have your own routine, way to organize, and manage your room.   A teacher binder is one way to keep track of important things.  If you are a frequent user of Pinterest and now that you are familiar with TpT, you can look up different ways teachers stay organized with a binder.  Using a binder can help locate daily schedules, student schedules, calendars, curriculum organizers/outlines, standards, lesson plans, etc. You can have that all in one place and refer to it easily when needed.

Finally, just remember to take care of yourself, make sure you're getting a good amount of sleep, eat, and relax...it will all work out, you will get things done, and your kids will love you no matter how many cute posters you have in your room or if some games are homemade, or in black and white!  Things can always be changed for the next year.

See you next time!