Lessons With Coffee

GOOD afternoon everyone!  I am going to keep this post pretty short and sweet! I am so excited to be putting together my box for my partner for APRIL's SLANTbox (It is going out tomorrow.  If you haven't sent yet.  Please do so soon!).  The theme was sooooo fun and I can't wait to see what my partner thinks of it.  I am supposed to get mine today so I should have the REVEAL for April up by tomorrow.  HERE WE GO! OK.  Here is the MAY SLANTbox THEME. MAY I Introduce....(YOUR PARTNER). Ok here is the deal on this one.  You want everything to be about them.  If they like pokadots, give them pokadots.  If they like yellow, give them yellow.  Here is the kicker.  You must include ONE item that is monogrammed or personalized with your partners name in some way! It could be a t-shirt, coffee mug, clipboard, desk ornament, a set of note cards what ever your heart desires - and you know they will love! I love monograms.  I think they are just heavenly.

Finally a linky I can keep up with!  I have a love hate relationship with Pinterest.  Sometimes I am really into it.  Others, not so much.  Today I was sitting on prep, I can not be in my room because another teacher is in my room on my prep so I could not call parents, I had nothing to copy or print because my kiddos are testing, and I do not like the other teachers that I share a prep with (too much gossip about dates, hangovers and smack against the principal) so I started to pin. I was pinning a lot more than I should have been while "getting paid."  Then when I get home there is this awesome little IG from Krazy About Teaching telling me to link up. Ok. Don't have to twist my arm to much.   SO here I am linking up with Mrs. McClain ! Pinned by Pinner - No original source....sad face I like this anchor chart A LOT.  I mean so much that I am filing this in the Beg Borrow Steal category of Pins.  We will be doing this exactly the way that it is.  I

Yes you heard me right.  I have decided to start a TPT store. I had many reservations about not starting a TPT.   For one, as a recent graduate I was constantly trying to find activities that were free so that (on top of all of the supplies) I did not have to spend a fortune.   Even this year I have spent nearly $300 on TPT for activities and organizers.  I am still trying to figure out a "barter" way for new teachers.  Bare with me on this one.  It is a work in progress. I have a hard time with "patenting" Ideas.  I mean I have no idea if I dreamed it up, saw it online, Pinterest, a teacher at school.  I am deathly afraid of "stealing" someones idea?!?!?! I saw what happened to those girls with FARLEY!!!! I would NEVER blatantly plagiarize but what if I did it accidentally?  I would be mortified!!!  :0 Lastly I appreciate the art of collaboration.  Something that I feel in our over consumer world we are losing as a skill.

Ok.  I will ad mid I sort of suck at blogging.  Typically I will get a great idea for a blog, but forget to take pictures as it is happening in my classroom.  OR, I just wont have the time to put it together at the moment I want to. It is sort of a vicious cycle and I TOTALLY understand why so many of us do the "linky parties"  where you know every Monday you are going to do Monday Made It, or Freebie Friday or what ever.  (I like both of these.  I just can not commit to making something every week for a monday made it.  maybe this summer I will do a better job of documenting and then spread them out.) Often I find myself burst blogging.  Or I will post like 6 blog posts....but then nothing for two weeks.  Hey life get's in the way. INSERT INSTAGRAM:  Instagram is easy for be to keep up with for what ever reason...but then I am posed with a different problem.  What do I do when everyone has already seen what I have done on Instagram!!??!!  I am a perpetual PLEASER

Well, it is getting to that time.  Do I teach summer school or not. J and I are trying to save up money for lots of things.  Particularly two international trips that we are going to this year for weddings, maybe a house, and "other things." SO.  Do I take my chances at private tutoring for a not guaranteed 30$ an hour cash with a flexible schedule, or do I just sign up for summer school and make a guaranteed $28 an hour taxed with a set schedule? Here is a pros and cons list for summer school: Pros: I can get some work done in my classroom before school starts as I am already there. I can get to meet some of my students that I will have next year early. (learning styles, who the trouble makers are) guaranteed money its only 8 weeks it is enough hours a week for it to be almost like 2 paychecks per week (I have my salary go through summer) paychecks spend differently than cash.... Cons: I have to go to work in summer I have to teach math all day (a

The April theme and detailed rules for the exchange can be found  HERE .   Please read this blog entry THOROUGHLY before you email me with any questions.  Matches are found in a link at the end of this post. (I have also emailed you the link to the email you signed up with.) Instructions now that you are paired! 2) Below you will find a link to a Google Doc where I have created all of your matches.  Please download the file before asking questions about it.  Here are some things to know about the Google Doc: There are 3 tabs. The first is a list of all of the participants in alphabetical order by email.  Like I said in the email.  You are divided into bloggers and non-bloggers.  As months go on you are more than welcome to switch groups, just let me know that you have a blog when you get one! The last two are the matches based on blog ownership or not.  You need to find BOTH of your matches To find who you are sending to: Look for your email in the first column (It is al

Ok.  It is the first day of spring break and I am sitting here thinking about what I am going to differently about next year.  Yes...Already. HOMEWORK  This year I was wishy washy.  About January (ok yes I was gone for about 2 months) I noticed that the only students that I had that were getting an A were the ones that were turning in all of their homework.  So I started making EVERYTHING count.  I mean do nows, homework, daily-work, exit tickets.  They were all worth 4 points meaning that each day you had the possibility of getting 16 points.  Worked amazing for student buy in....sucked to be me.  I have 156 students.  I am going to go little MATHY on you....that is 624 assignments that I was grading per day, or 2,496 points per day. I tried rewarding students...but then I would forget. <---bad teacher. I tried a sticker chart...I tried a stamping thing.  Problem is....I WAS TRYING IT. NEXT YEAR: a student will have a job called "grader"  They are going to go

Oh My DOG!  So is it really April First?  I am early happy that I do not have kids today as I have some pretty gnarly kids that would play some serious pranks on me. :/ If it is the first it means that it it time to link up with the fabulous Farley over at Oh Boy 4th Grade!   I love her.  She just seems like the type of girl I could get loud with, probably into trouble, and we would be wearing some ridiculous outfit.  Maybe some day. I am also noticing how many of my blogger friends are in Texas.  Good luck to you this week with your big testing!  Mine is not until the end of April.  I have about 3 weeks.  YUCK no matter how you look at it. well here we go!  Currently April edition. Most of these need little extra descriptions.  Listening : I am loving iTunes Radio lately.  I have been listening to the 50 Top Alternatives.  Does that make me old? Paramore - " Aint it fun" is on now and I love this song.  Loving :  I started an IG shop.   Yo