Open House

Tonight AND tomorrow afternoon

is Open House...

Two days...sigh...

It's exhausting after long days of teaching...

I'm going to have to rev up my powers
so I have energy...

to meet all the parents...

I think I'd like to wear this...

and afterwards I'm going to click my heels together
and say "take me home"...

so I can...

images via:
Pinterest

The First Day Of School

Well it's officially the first day

of the 2011-2012 school year...

Goosie Girl and I have our bookbags packed...

full of supplies...

Outfits picked out...

Alarms set...

and ready to shine...

Looking forward to a wonderful day!


images via:
The Simply Luxurious Life
Ada and Darcy
Brown Eyed Belle
Flickr
Pink Wallpaper

Always On My Mind

Preplanning week always leaves my mind

in such a clutter...

so much information being thrown at you...

Every year seems to bring with it a new way of doing things...

I write everything down...

hoping to remember it all...

but it can be rather overwhelming...



But let's remember to keep it all in perspective...
do what you do best...



images via:
Ada and Darcy
2, 4Pink Lemonade Designs
The Simply Luxurious Life

Back Into The Swing

Boy it doesn't take long 

to hit the road running...

Once you get back in the swing of things...

it seems as though you never left...

This week is full of meetings & trainings...
No time to slow down...
drink the coffee as you work...
or in my case listen...
(wish I was wearing this outfit!)

Lots of data being thrown at us...

What's funny is Florida has adopted this new merit plan for teachers

from the latest & supposedly greatest guru...Marzano...

The schools don't provide teachers with the books (he wrote)

regarding the elements we are being evaluated on...

If we want to know...we have to go out and BUY the book ourselves...

Really?! 

Still trying to get my classroom together...

No time during the day to do it though...

Thank goodness I'm in pretty good shape...

All in all...

So far...so good...

On to day 2...

I think this is the motto I want to instill in my students...

Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

(I like her outfit too)...

images via:

1,4 Brunch at Saks via Brown Eyed Belle

2,3 Pink Lemonade Design

Why Not Pink?

Why must we use primary colors

for school?

I'm a rather "pink" girl myself...

This is more my style...

Do you think it would work?

If I had a reading corner...

In lieu of my stool...

Instead of desks...tables...

Snacks...

and

Posters...

And of course...
The perfect teaching outfit...

with

I vote to give it a shot!


images via:
Tumblr
Summers at the Cottage
Google
Brabourne Farm
The Inspired Bride
The Bride's Cafe
Brown Eyed Belle 
Vintage Rose Garden
Brown Eyed Belle

Vintage School Love

I am a lover of all things vintage...

Scouring flea markets & thrift stores

looking for treasure is my idea of a good time...

Finding riches from the very early 1900's and late 1800's

gives you a glimpse of what life was back then...

How about a visit to an old timey classroom...

Desks haven't changed all that much, have they?!

Still have children who are bored...

The teacher up at the front of the classroom...
I really kind of like her outfit...

A McGuffy Reader...
I actually have one of these...
It's amazing to read it...so different from today...

School supplies were a bit simpler...

A walk back in time...


{images via Pinterest}

Book - Fires In The Middle School Bathroom

While perusing through Barnes & Noble

the other day...

I stumbled across this book...

Fires in the Middle School Bathroom...

Of course I flipped through the pages...
and read parts here and there...
and then I decided I definitely needed to purchase it...
Basically the book is things that middle schoolers 
wished their teachers would know and/or keep in mind...
Not things like "let us play all day" but real things that concern them...
Like wanting to feel safe & secure when they're in your classroom...
Wanting us to realize that they have bad days too...
Wanting to know that the work they have to do matters...
Real issues straight from the mouth of babes...
I was definitely intrigued...
and it gave me a new perspective 
on how I could handle things differently...


Take a peek...I think you'll like it!

Positive Plates

Since I'm unable to have name plates 

on my students' desks designating where they sit...
(Lord...I'd need a 100 different desks!)

I've decided to do a motivational plate instead...

Same concept but instead of names...a thought...
Of course I would move the desks around every so often
so everyone would see and ponder on a fresh quote...

Maybe...hopefully...it might stick with them...

Here are a few that have caught my fancy...

What do you think?


images via:
1,5,6 Sweet Blessings
2 The College Prepster
3 She Takes Flight
4 Floral Scrapbook

How Full Is Your Bucket

As you can tell, lesson plans are on my mind...

Another activity that I will be doing 

during the first week of school

is reading this book...

How Full Is Your Bucket?  for kids...

Now I know that already this looks like it is for the little ones...

but the message is great for the big kids...

The premise is that everyone carries around an invisible bucket...

When your bucket is full...you are happy...
When it is empty...you are sad...
But what I like so much is that it teaches about filling a friend's bucket
or even a stranger's...
and how that also fills your own bucket...
It also discusses bucket dippers...
bullies...and those who hurt feelings intentionally...
This is a perfect quote to go along with the theme...

A great website with lots of ideas
 to go with this book and/or theme is
Bucket Fillers...

Happy planning!

First Day Of School Picture And Activity

Before the unexpected (yet so exciting) grade change...

I was going to do this with all my students 

the first day of school...

Take their picture, holding the sign

with their grade & date...

Of course mine would have been 4th graders

so I was then going to have them create a bubble map 

with all the things they like and items that describe them...

and put their picture in the middle above or below their name...
How cute would this look hanging in the hall?
And what a nice keepsake for them!


{images via Happiness Is & Babbling Abby}

Chevron Print Teacher Printables

It's beginning to look like back-to-school...

I have already begun working on my theme, lesson plans etc.

Horrible...isn't it?!

Better to do it when I have time,  feel creative and am not so tired...

This is going to be my theme this year...

Black/white chevron print, apples and touches of primary colors...

I've already created my binder cover 
for that all inclusive paperwork...
and some fun personalized notecards
ready to be put to use...

We are also participating in a program called

Destination College...

in which we are promoting college, of course...

so I made a flag banner of my alma mater 

with the same chevron print...

Interested in some for yourself or your favorite teacher?
Pop over here to order...

Message Pencils

How adorable are these pencils

from Family Economics?
Perfect for the upcoming school year...

These are easy and inexpensive to make...
and you can customize your message...

What child wouldn't love to use a fun pencil like this?

Click here to get the full how-to...