Secrets for Teachers!

There are thousands of teacher secrets out there.  Let's be honest, with Pinterest, Teachers Blogs,  Instagram, etc... it feels like we've seen them all.  But implementing them all is a whole different beast. 

When teaching gives you lemons, how do you react?  How do you cope?  As we all know, teaching does get stressful.  Teaching does get hard.  And most of all, teaching does get frustrating.  Parents, data organization, observations, discipline, conferences, report cards, scheduling changes, school mandates, and on and on.  The things they never teach you in school.

My first reaction is to cry.  That's just how I cope.  Preferably in a corner where nobody can see me.  But then my second reaction {and absolutely the most appropriate of the two} is to grab my mentor teaching texts.  Such as Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray.  Or Still Learning to Read by Franki Siberson.

These are my lifelines.  My friends.  My confidants.  They remind me of what's important, what matters, and help me clear up or fix any problems.  When I'm stressed, I look to these guys to help me focus on what's important.  Or when a new school mandate frustrates me, I look to these guys to figure out how I'm going to make it work in my classroom.  I find solace in these books.  Their flagged pages, broken and unglued spines, highlighted quotes, notes in the margins, and folded down corners remind me of how far I've come as a teacher.  And how much further I have to go.  They help put me in my place.  And that is worth every penny I spend on them.

Typically, any problem I have can be solved by looking through these books.  Sometimes it takes time to find the right one, but it makes a difference.  Go to the Pros, and make it work for you.

After reaching for the Pros, I always always always keep as much of a routine in my classroom as I possibly can.  ALWAYS.   As Michael Linson mentions in this great article, routines remove the guesswork from the day.  A class that knows what to expect next will have fewer questions, fewer explanations necessary, and way higher productivity. I believe that sticking to a routine (even in those nutty, insane, May days) help my students exponentially.  EXPONENTIALLY! 

So now that I've shared some of my classroom secrets, what are your's?  How do routines help you?  Who are your favorite "GO TO" Pros?  Be sure to enter the giveaway below and follow the links for more secrets to teaching!!

 

Don't forget that we're hosting an AMAZING giveaway!  Enter BELOW!  

Just look at everything you could win!! 

Prize Bundle #1 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art Coloring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Game Pack from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....$140 Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies sent to you from Amazon

We aren't even finished yet!!  Take a look at everything you can win!!

Prize Bundle #2 Includes

Mountain Math/Language Resource of your Choice (up to $99.95)

$100 Gift Card to Teachers Pay Teachers

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Smart Class Website Designed by Flapjack Educational Resources

Pencil Sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies

Year-Long Writing Prompts by Mrs. D's Corner

Mentor Sentences Unit by Jivey

Dealing with Math Homework by Teacher's Clubhouse

Your Choice of Melonheadz Graphics (up to $7.00)

Growing Bundle Purposeful Problem Solving by Pawsitively Teaching

Pop Art InteractiveColoring Page for Seasons and Holidays by Art by Jenny K

Mega Task Card Bundle from Flap Jack Educational Resources

PLUS....$140 Gift Box of Fabulous Teacher Supplies sent to you from Amazon

Be sure to enter both rafflecopters for a better chance at winning one of these amazing prize bundles!

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #1 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #2 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You won't want to miss out on all the other great secrets being shared by successfull teachers!  Be sure to check out all the other great posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up

GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited to be linking up with some fab bloggers for this linky!!  Be sure to enter the Giveaway below, y'all :)

As a writing teacher, I am used to the I-don't-know-what-to-write blank stares.  They're as common as nose pickings or students yelling out.   Sometimes I just don't know what to do.  Other times {like 1 in 5} I have some handy dandy prompts prepared.  I give them out freely, have students glue them into their notebooks, and move on with life.  Students write what they know about.  And almost alllllllll of them have pets.  Or know someone with a pet.  So this is relateable and easy for them!  Below you can find some of my fave pp's.  {Pet Prompts, y'all}.

Grab them >>HERE<<!

And while you're at it... grab this week's teacher inspiration.  Save it to your phone and set it as your lock screen!  Stop by the blog every Sunday for a new phone wallpaper!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Teacher Week: Monday + Monday Letters

Hey friends!  Tomorrow is our first day of school and this teacher is all kinds of exhausted!  I still have a to-do list that, let's be honest, will never get completed.  But my classroom is as ready as it'll ever be and my 4th graders will be there tomorrow morning- bright and early!  I am so excited to be linking up with Blog Hoppin' to participate in their Teacher Week and share a little bit about me!

My name is Kelly Anne and this is my FIFTH {holy cow!} year teaching!!  I graduated from the University of South Carolina and moved out to Colorado where my husband and I lived for three years.  We loved Colorado and met some amazing friends.  Seriously, I met some of the most inspiring teachers and people during our brief time out there. 

 We were ecstatically married in Savannah, GA last Summer and then moved to Spain, where we taught ESOL for a year! 



Living in Spain was a dream of ours and I'm so glad we did it.  It was amazing and a great lesson in being humble, respecting other cultures, eating anything, and just going with the flow.  We had originally planned on staying in Spain for two years or more, but realized that we were definitely ready to be back near our family.  So, we moved back to the States this Summer and to South Carolina- the same beautiful state where we met!  

In my free time, I love riding my bike, taking pictures, enjoying a glass or two of wine, traveling, watching college football, and reading!  I love to read anything.  Teacher books, YA novels, Historical fiction, etc...  I love it all :)

Every Monday on my blog you can stop by to see a few letters that I write.  Two letters are to my classroom or are school related.  The other two are for anything else on my heart that week.  Monday Letters were inspired by the fabulous Elle & Co. Here's a little of what's on my mind tonight... among many, many, MANY, other things in preparation for tomorrow :)

Dear First Year Teacher... I know the feeling.  That nerve wrecking, terrifying feeling that you have so much to do but have no idea where to start.  I remember it all too well... and feel it too.  Every year that I teach.  Some years it feels better.  Other years it comes back with a vengeance.  No matter the fear or how prepared you are, that first day will come.  Don't forget, you will never have another first day of teaching.  Enjoy every moment {fear included}!

Dear New Home... Without any shelving or dressers (yet), please forgive our clothes, neatly stacked along your beautiful hardwood floors. Don't worry, I am faithfully scouring nearby thrift stores for any dresser that may fit the bill.  I won't just settle for anything, although in another week I may get desperate for something to separate my underwear from my t-shirts.  

Dear Beahvior Clip Chart... I don't love you.  I'm sorry.  Up on our classroom wall you hang, just like every other classroom on my hall.  I hope to find a way to successfully phase you out of our classroom as the year transitions.  How do other teachers feel about the lovely Behavior Clip Chart? 

Dear To Do List... You are endless.  Will you ever be complete?  I am off to try and check off some of your boxes.  Isn't that the best feeling ever?

Happy Monday sweet friends.  I will be back throughout the week to participate more during Blog Hoppin's linky and to share a little bit about my first week back to school :)

Sweet dreams :)

My Favorite Things!

Happy Sunday sweet friends!  I am SO excited to be linking up with some great bloggers to share our Favorite Items for starting the school year!  Not to mention, there are some seriously FAB prizes to be had!  Please make sure you check it all out :)

So what are your must-have, cannot-live-without, items for going back to school?

For me, I cannot live without my binders.  I have a binder for EVERYTHING and everything has it's place in a binder :) {And I just have to share, I am not an organized person, but this system works for me.}

Anecdotals?  Yup!
Reading notes?  Yup!
Writing notes?  Yup!

And it goes on and on. 

I always assign my students a number- like so many other great teachers out there.  It saves times and money every year since I can just keep the numbers the same and switch out my tiny little list. 

the list

For if you're feeling not-so-rich...

For if you're feeling rich...

And then each tab in my binder(s) is numbered!  All you have to do is find the student's number and insert their work.  Easy peasy!  Let's be honest- it's is all about working smarter, not harder, if we want to keep our heads above the water.  Would I go around numbering student desks?  NO.  But some things are just better being numbered :)

And NOW, for the fun stuff!  First of all, see that ugly label on my binder up there?  I'm going for longevity this year in my classroom.  I want to make binders that can last over the years.  That little Guided Reading label will just not cut it.  So I made these guys below.  Binder labels, numbers, and a numbered class list.  Grab them from dropbox, here!  I plan on laminating, and gluing or taping these guys on.  {I would have pictures BUT my stuff is still locked away in Storage for another week.  Waaaaahh!}

AND WAIT!  It gets even better... be sure to enter below to possibly win all sorts of goodies!  Be sure to visit all 30+ of us participating to see all there is to see!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Paying it Forward { + Blog Hop & Giveaway }

We teachers know all about journeys.  Many of us are getting ready to journey back to our classrooms to prepare for the new school year.  Each school year becomes a journey of sorts, with its own set of students, challenges, and rewards.

We teachers also know all about support.   Year after year, we give so much of ourselves to help our students learn, build confidence in their abilities, and empower them to become the future our world needs.  We also support our fellow teachers, our families, our communities.  In the midst of it all, it becomes easy to forget that, simply put, teachers touch lives.
 Every. Single. Day.

Graphics credit to Melonheadz;  Font credits to Hello Literacy, Miss Tiina, and DJ Inkers.  Thanks to Joey Udovich for designing!

While many of us are thinking of back-to-school, the sweet Jen Bengel and her family have been preparing for a journey of another kind.  They will soon be traveling to Uganda to adopt a child!  Check out Jen’s blog post HERE! (Prepare to be inspired, y'all!)

A number of fellow teacher-bloggers have joined forces to offer a measure of support to Jen and her family as they prepare for their special journey.  Each of us has chosen a resource from our store that, between now and August 31, a portion of each sale’s proceeds will be donated to Jen’s adoption fund!

This is the resource I have chosen:

Between now and August 31, I pledge to donate $2 of each sale of this resource to Jen’s adoption fund.

Hop around to the blogs featured below to see what my friends are pledging!

Apple Slices

Apples & ABC's
Beyond the Worksheet
Crafting Connections
Create Teach Share
Flapjack Education
Learning with Mrs. S
Miss V's Busy Bees
One Stop Teacher Shop
Tales of a Teacher
Teaching Trio
The Teacher Desk 6

We hope you will find this to be a win-win opportunity, where you can purchase some great resources for the upcoming school year, knowing that you are supporting a meaningful cause at the same time!

Note that Jen also has a fundraising bundle available at her store. Don’t miss checking this out, too!

Finally, to make it worth your time to check out all the resources, we are also hosting a raffle giveaway!  The winner of the giveaway will score a great prize package, full of resources from our team – just in time for BTS!

From me, the giveaway winner will receive a notepad of their choice from my store,
shipped to their home or school!:

So, hop around, check out some fantastic resources, support a cause, touch a life!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Monday Made It {Interview Style}

Who doesn't love their grandmother's style?  (Sheepishly raising my hand)  I know that some grandmothers have great style, but this isn't one of those stories.  So, while we were still in Spain, I was {obviously} unable to interview in South Carolina.  So all of my interviews were done through Skype.  And I was living in a furnished apartment... that looked like it had been decorated by an 80 year old Spanish woman.  Which it had been... but that didn't make it easy to find a cute place around the piso to interview.  Since it's already hard enough to really get to know someone over Skype, I wanted the  area on the camera to show me.  The best light and open space {note- also the cleanest} was the big table in our living room.  However, I could either sit in front of a boring and blank white wall {not happening}, or I could sit in front of two, shall we say, tacky pictures. 

Here's one of them...

I tried to take the pictures out of their frames, but it wasn't possible.  SO, I resorted to the only thing I could think of... I created a pretty picture, printed it out on regular paper, and taped it over the tacky framed pictures!!  It wasn't great, but it sure as heck looked better than the before pictures!  And I got a job!  So it must have worked, right??  {More about my job coming tomorrow!!}

Haha a little ridiculous, but it did the trick :)

I'm sharing the pictures I created for free here and here!  Just download the images from dropbox and print in whatever size you want! 

Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do :)  Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Monday! 

Five for Friday!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share my Five for Friday!  Hop on over to join.

I've been participating in Thinking of Teaching's 100 Minutes Book Club!!  The book has really been a great motivator for me and I've enjoyed it!   You can read more about it here.  Are you doing any book studies this year? 

I am ecstatic to be joining Catherine over at the The Brown Bag Teacher for her book study for Reading Into the Wild.  The book looks like just what I need to get excited.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know I had a skype interview the other day.  I maaaay have heard back about my job interview but I will have to let you know more once things are finalized :)

My good friends from Colorado are visiting us this week in Spain!!  We've been beaching and explorin' the island!  We haven't seen many friends from home since we moved here.  It's really nice to have them here.  It feels like we're with family again!

And tomorrow we jet off to one of my favorite cities ever- PARIS!  It's my husband's 30th birthday and our friend's birthday {they're twins!} so we have plenty to celebrate while we're there!

NEXT WEEKEND we fly home for good.  Peace out Spain.  It's so sad but also very exciting.  We have a lot to look forward to this coming year.  It looks like we will officially be moving to Greenville, SC.  My husband and I graduated from the University of South Carolina so we're looking forward to being back close to where we met and in the Southeast again after a year abroad and several years on the West coast.

Happy weekend!!  I hope you have a GREAT one!!  Off to enjoy some Sangria and explore with our friends :)  Thanks so much for stopping by!