Save the Trees! {a bright idea}

Hey yall!

 

I am currently immensely enjoying my Spring Break.

 

After we get back from our glorious break, we only have 28 days of school left!

Seriously?!?! 28???

The end of the year will be here in a flash.

 

As we get closer to the end of the year, supplies seem to dwindle.

We're down to our last box of pencils, we've been out of lined paper for weeks, and you can forget about glue sticks....not even one in sight.

 

Another thing I'm almost out of? Printer paper.

Each teacher got a ream of paper at the beginning of the year and I'm down to my very last pack.

 

As if running low on paper isn't enough, the copy nazi printer police office has laid down the law.

Only 200 copies can be made for the entire 9 weeks and all copies must first be approved.

 

Yikes.

 

So what's a teacher to do???

 

I had to find a bright idea, yall!

 

 

Hopefully, my bright ideas will be helpful for yall, too!

 

 

 

It seems that center and station activities require a ton of paper. Each one includes a recording sheet for students to record their work. However, there is no way I can print off a recording sheet for every single student for every single center.

Just not gonna happen.

 

So instead of printing off a recording sheet for every student, I only print off 5.
Laminate those suckers and throw a few dry erase markers in and you're done.

My favorite way to say paper is by printing multiple copies of a sheet.
This saves you at least half the amount of paper! Even more, if you print 4 to a sheet.

Here's how you print multiple copies:
1. Choose the page that you want to make smaller copies of. Say I want to make copies of this place value center recording sheet. Go to that page and take note of the page number (in this case, page 12).

2. When you go to print, choose the page number that you want to make smaller. Type in the page number twice, with a comma in between.

3. Click on the button that says "Multiple." Change the amount to whatever you wish-I usually make it 2 pages per sheet. Be sure to click the button at the bottom that says "Auto-rotate pages within each sheet."

 

That's it! Click print and you're done.

 

Note: if you are trying to print off a document that has only 1 page, it won't allow you to type in the page numbers to print. Unfortunately, this prevents you from printing multiple pages :(

 

 

Now, I know these are super simple tips, but for some reason it took me until this year to utilize them! They honestly have saved me a ton of paper, though :)

For more bright ideas, check out these amazing bloggers below!

An InLinkz Link-up

 



Currently Excited!

Hey yall!

 

Can you believe it's August 1st??? I died when I saw Krystal post this on her FB page today... {pardon the language!}

 

 

I have been in serious denial the last few weeks, but now I am in full-on back to school mode. The best thing about the fact that its August? Its time for a Currently!

 

 

Anybody watch the Discovery show Naked and Afraid? The title is pretty silly, but the show itself is fascinating! Each episode features a male and female that are dropped off somewhere, completely naked and with only 2 survival items {of their choice}. They have to live in the wilderness for 21 days and learn to survive. Seriously...its amazing. Go watch it.

 

I'm geeking out over here, because tomorrow I'm heading up with Elizabeth and Brandee to Greenville for the big bloggy meet-up! It's an overnight stay with lots on the agenda and I cannot wait! Want to see what shenanigans 30 teachers get into this weekend? Follow me on Instagram for pic updates!

 

I finally took the plunge and went into the school on Monday. Our county had sent out a mass email that stated they would not be turning on any A/C until the first day of preplanning on the 7th. Well, Open House is on the 9th and every teacher in our building is moving classrooms, so I knew I would be working in the heat. But boy, I was totally unprepared for how hot it would actually be! Georgia in the summer is like a freakin' sauna, and my room was well over 90 degrees. I got some work done, though! I went back in today to work some more and by some miracle, my air was working!

 

PTL for A/C! I feel much better about the progress I made today, so I'm hoping to finish it up on Monday. Its starting to come together and I'm in love with my new theme!

 

B2S must haves:

 

1. Teacher planner: every teacher needs a good planner. How else are you going to keep track of all those PDs, RTI meetings, faculty meetings, parent conferences, collaborative plannings, etc....??? Last year, I splurged and bought an Erin Condren teacher planner. I loved it, but honestly didn't utilize it like I should have for the price. So this year I found one on TPT and I am obsessed with it!

 

Click on the picture to grab your planner from Tiffany Ford...only $15!

Here's why I'm obsessed:

*its editable, meaning I can go in and add information myself. See that cute cover up there? I added my own text and clipart, so it depicts my own personal style.

 

*it has EVERYTHING I could possibly need in a planner!

 

*I can print only the portions that I need and forgo all the extras that I know I won't use. Personally, I type up all my lesson plans, so I don't need to handwrite pages and pages in my planner.

 

*the price! It was a steal for $15! Now, I am planning on taking it to Staples to have them print and bind it, so I'm sure it will cost another $10 or so to do that, but still....much cheaper than what I spent last year!

 

2. Coffee, coffee, coffee! It you are like me, you stayed up way too late over the summer. I am a night owl, so if I don't have to be up early for something, I won't be. And let's just say there wasn't a whole lot I had to get up super early for this summer :) My coffee will help ease me back into those early mornings.

 

3. Cleaning wipes. After being in my classroom these last couple of days, I realized how dusty everything gets over the summer. I've already gone through a whole pack of cleaning wipes, but yet still have a ton left to clean. I like to start the year out fresh, without any of last year's grime.

 

That's it for me, friends! Head on over and link up with Farley :)

 



10 Things I've Learned from Teaching

Hey yall!

 

I'm having myself a super lazy Sunday...still in the PJs at 5:00 pm!

Linky parties are perfect for these kinds of days, so I'm linking up with sweet Hadar!

 

 

I am going into my 4th year of teaching, and boy have I learned a lot since that first year!

 

1. Enthusiasm is key in education. Be excited in whatever you are doing and your kiddos will be excited, too! Don't ever let them know that you may not particularly love a certain subject or topic. Act like everything they are learning is SUPER COOL!

 

2. Kids need to be listened to. Even though they sometimes say things that make no sense or are completely off topic, they still need to be heard. Take a few minutes each day to just listen to what your kiddos are saying....I promise, you will learn so much!

 

3. It's okay to not be the perfect teacher. Sometimes when I read all the amazing blogs and wonderful things everyone seems to be doing, I feel like I am letting down my own students. But then I remember that I am only human and cannot do it all. And you know what? That's okay. As long as my kiddos are learning, I'm doing the right thing.

 

4. Take time for yourself. Seriously. Don't always bring home papers that need to be graded, or journals that need to be read, or lesson plans that need to be written. You will get burnt out if you don't allow yourself time to de-stress and unwind. Carve out even just 1-2 hours a week where you don't do anything school related, and relax :)

 

5. You are not going to like every student. Yes, I know this sounds harsh, but I wouldn't be keeping it real if I said otherwise. Sometimes you may come across a child who you just don't like. But, with that being said, you still love and care for the well-being of that child, because you would be failing them if you didn't.

 

6. Co-workers and co-teachers can be your saving grace. Talk to them, listen to their advice, and seek them out when you have a problem. They have been in your shoes and know exactly what you are feeling. Find some teaching buddies...stat!

 

7. Being a teacher involves the whole family. My poor hubs (and parents, friends, in-laws, etc) knows this firsthand. He is constantly helping me out, whether with grading papers, cutting out laminate, or even dressing as a leprechaun for our St. Patrick's dance.

 

 

8. Society thinks of teachers in one of two ways: they either have the utmost respect and adoration for them OR they think they are a complete joke. Thankfully, I find most people subscribe to the first philosophy, but there are definitely those out there that think teachers are idiots who have the world's easiest job and should be thankful to have the summer off.

 I cringe every time I see something like this...

 

because anyone who knows a teacher knows that this is complete BS.

 

9. Teaching involves saying the same thing over...and over...and over again. Then saying it again in a different way. Then again in another way. Whatever it takes :)

 

10. Teaching is FUN! I love getting 30 hugs a day, reading to a group of eager listeners, receiving homemade notes and pictures full of love, and seeing the look on a kiddos face when they just get it. That look makes it all worth it :)

 

I could seriously go on and on....but instead, I'm going to go read what everyone else has learned. Head on over to Miss Kindergarten and read along with me!

Throwback Thursday: DIY Chevron Wall!

 Hey yall!

Can I tell you how much I love Ms. Carroll??? Seriously, she is just the BEST! And her weekly linky is making my summer life all kinds of simple...it's Throwback Thursday, yall!



Since chevron is all the rage right now, I decided to share a post with you from last summer. Now, this is not at all teaching related, but it is super cute! And who knows, maybe some of yall have schools that will let you paint the walls...

*****Originally posted Monday, July 23, 2012*****

Hey yall! Happy Monday!

I have been waiting for this day, because I am so excited to share my Monday Made It with you guys!

Sooo....when the hubs and I were discussing paint colors and such for the new house, I thought it would be really cool to do a big graphic design on one of the walls. And who doesn't love a good chevron, right?

This was my inspiration...

Totally awesome, right?

I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to pull this off, but I was definitely willing to give it a go!

I enlisted the help of my mom, aka queen of crafty, and we got busy!

First, we gathered all the supplies...

*paint (2 different colors)

*painter's tape (I used a 3 in. Scotch painter's tape)

*measuring stick

*pencil

*rollers

*chalk line tool

I painted the whole room a light gray color that matched our duvet perfectly. I chose a slightly darker shade of gray for the stripes. No, I didn't go all fifty shades..... :)

My mom did all the measuring for me. Here is how the wall looked after we painted it the light gray.

Here are the basics when painting chevron stripes. The distance between peak to peak and crest to crest should be the same. The crest should be exactly midway between the two peaks of each stripe. Does this make any sense? This is a video that we watched before hand, and it does a much better job of explaining...

Much better, right?

Okay, so next we decided to snap a chalk line to help us measure out the points. It's kinda hard to tell in these pictures, but that light blue line is the chalk.

We used some tool that my folks had...it looks like this.



Now comes the hard part! Using your painter's tape, tape off each stripe so that the tape is in the inside of the base color. If you take a close look at my stripes, it looks like they are not even, right? But trust me...it works out in the end.

Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect :) Imperfection is what makes it unique!

After you have your stripes taped off, go back over the edges and make sure they are pressed down really good. The video even suggests using the base paint to seal in the edges.

Then paint your stripes! This was the fun part :) We put about 2 coats of paint on each stripe, then let them dry for a few hours.

And here are the final results!

I love, love, LOVE my chevron wall! I think it turned out amazing, and it looks just perfect with our bedding! Now our bedroom is all kinds of romantic :)

I still have some styling to finish in there, but I was dying to share this with you guys.

What do you think?

Go link up with Tara for your Monday Made It!

Burlap + Chevron = Love!

Hey yall! Happy Monday!

 

I'm super excited to finally be linking up with Tara for her weekly party. Last summer, Mondays were my favorite day of the week! Can't wait to see everyone's craftiness this week.

 

Last week, my mom and I went to a fun wreath-making night at her church. I was super excited to finally learn how to make those adorable burlap wreaths that I had been eyeing.

 

First, we gathered our materials. Everything you see below came from Hobby Lobby. The burlap is 50% off right now {or was last week, anyways}, so I got it on the low! The roll below is 30 ft., which was definitely not enough. I ended up picking up another 30 ft. roll to finish off my wreath and still have probably three quarters of that roll left.

 

 

Then we started adding pipe cleaners around the wreath wire.

 

 

 

 

Those stinking pipe cleaners hurt, I tell ya! I kept poking myself with the wire, and before I knew it, I was bleeding!

 

Battle scar...

 

 

Once we got all the pipe cleaners spaced around the wreath wire, I started adding the burlap.

 

 

I scrunched up one side and tied it in. Then I made a loop and tied it in the next pipe cleaner.

 

 

It's up to you to decide how big you want your loops to be. I like mine to be relatively small, but some people were making theirs really big! Whatever floats your boat. Just make sure that you don't cut the burlap! You should just use one continuous strand until it's all gone.

 

 

I started on the inner ring and made my loops all the way around. Then I moved to the outer ring and made loops there.

 

 

Now, this is where I ran out of burlap, so I don't have pictures of what I did next. But I ended up putting in one more row of burlap loops right in the middle of the two I already had. This really fattened it up and gave it the fuller look I was going for.

 

Finally, add your ribbon and flower! I wish I could tell you how to make that cute ribbon, but my momma put it together for me. I can only learn one new thing at a time...

 

 

You like? I'm in LOVE!

 

Here is my mom's wreath. She decided not to do the burlap and instead made a patriotic wreath for the 4th.

 

 

 I wouldn't say that it was really easy or really hard, it just took lots of time and patience. I think overall it took me about 2 hours to get it all together, give or take.

 

Now I'm off to see what everyone else made! Go check out Tara and link up, yall!



Clipart Organization

Hey yall! Happy Sunday!

 

Isn't it glorious that the Sunday night blues are a thing of the past?

Summer lovin' :)

 

Today I wanted to share how I organize all that adorable clipart that I've purchased over the years. If you're anything like me, the collection has gotten quite large...I know I'm not the only clipart addict out there!

 



So here is the very simple way I organize my clipart:

 

All of my clipart is in a folder titled Clipart and Borders. In that folder, I have separate folders for each of the clipart artists that I purchase from. These are just a few of the files!

 

In each separate folder, I have all the files of the different clipart I've purchased from that person. I also keep a copy of their terms of use in that folder as well. I usually change the name of the file to something that will help me remember what type of clipart it is.

 

These are some of the clipart files I've purchased from Scrappin Doodles.

 

 

I also have a separate folder that has all the credit buttons. It is highly important to give credit where it's due, so these come in handy when I'm making my credits page. Every artist has different TOU, but most of them require some kind of credit.

 

 

So that's it! Simple, yet effective.

How do you organize your clipart???