Quick Tip: Bind Your Professional Books!

Notice anything different about my Reading Strategies Book?

Yes, I had that book bound!  

This might be the best thing ever.  

I have to give credit to Jennie Motes Smith who posted about doing it to some of her books on the Notice and Note Facebook page.  I saw her post and literally got off my couch, grabbed my book, and went to Staples.  It was done in 20 minutes and for less than $4,  The twenty minutes was good because I was in such a rush to get there I actually left my wallet home and had to go back for it!

When you get the book bound, just hand it over. They will take off the binding, put in the spiral, and add a cover to the front and back.  I got the clear cover on both sides. This is great for increasing its durability and protecting it from the coffee drips and spills I always seem to have when I'm reading.

I think binding is the perfect addition to this book.  You can lay it flat much easier, and fold it over to view just one page as shown below.  I covered the page as I wasn't sure how much of the book content I could show.  I think being able to fold the book over like this makes it much easier to handle during a lesson.  It is easier to refer to while teaching if you need to.

Unfortunately, there was one down side.  This particular book is a little large for the largest spiral Staples has.  If you look at the picture below, you can see that the book curves around the binding a bit and isn't exactly even where the book opens.

Having said that, I don't see this being a real problem.  The book handles fine, and when you have it open flat or folded in half you don't even notice it.  This book is on the thicker side.  I looked at a lot of my other professional books and most would fit without any problems.  Staples also has spirals in smaller sizes for thinner books.

On another note, I had planned to do a review of this book, but I'm sort of on the fence.  There is already so much out there about it right now.  Let me know if you would like to see a review. I will say that I do highly recommend the book.

So, that's the quick tip.  Get your favorite PD books bound!

End of Year Favorite Book Activity

First, let us all take a minute to admire the creativity of this post title!  I am so lame at coming up with post titles. Most of the time I just put up the topic.  So, can you tell that this post is about an end of the year favorite book activity? :-)

As you may know, I teach in a building that was a middle school prior to being an elementary school.  This is why the hallway I teach in is lined with lockers instead of bulletin boards.  The kids use them as cubbies with no locks which is kind of nice because it keeps a lot of coat and book bag clutter out of the classroom itself.  However, it does pose a problem for displaying things.  We are constantly vertically challenged!  Whatever you put out has to fit on a locker, and you can't overlap because the kids need to be able to open them.  I've posted here and here about some different ways I've used vertical displays on the lockers.

The end of the year favorite book part was an idea I had to have our entire hallway do a common display for the end of the year and encourage summer reading.  What if each child in every class told about the most favorite book they read this year?  We would have a long hallway full of book suggestions for summer reading.  I made this big display at one end of the hallway on a bank of lockers that isn't in use.

I designed a sheet where each child could tell a bit about their favorite book and design the cover.

If you want to get lots of teachers involved in a project, make it as little work as possible for them and something they can do easily! I made a class set of copies for each classroom and a quick Power Point that teachers could use to explain the activity.   Teachers could have students do this activity in class or for homework.  I was really happy that almost everyone was on board!



The kids did a great job.  It was an activity that spanned every reading and interest level, so all could participate.

In addition to the activity sheet, I made a quick poster for each teacher to hang outside their room with some summer cut-outs I picked up at the dollar store.  Since this was just for use in our hallway, will be thrown out at the end of June, and are not for sale or anything like that, I just googled different summer reading clip art to make some simple posters. It is a long hallway, so I thought this would help keep it all more cohesive.

When done, each class hung their posters on the lockers and we had a long hallway of book recommendations.  There are 15 classes on this hallway with about 25 kids per a class.  That is a hallway of 375 book recommendations!  The last thing I did was create a quick book list sheet where teachers could take their classes on a book walk to "shop" for books they might like to read this summer based on classmates recommendations.  Give each kid a clipboard and the blank sheet and they can walk around and read the hall to create their own personalized book list.

Finally, that big sun I made for the end of the hallway?  Turned out to be a little easier than I thought.  I projected the image on my Pro Board and hung some yellow fadeless bulletin board paper to trace it on.  

The only problem was, once I traced it I couldn't figure out how to get the blue book, white teeth, and sunglasses.  I thought it would look kind of messy if I colored it in.  Then, I looked over at my science tub and saw a roll of wax paper!  Now, you may already know this trick but when I realized I could trace the shape of the book on wax paper and then use that as a template to cut it out in blue paper, I was delighted.  Once I cut out the blue paper, I just glued it on the yellow paper.  I did the same for the teeth using white paper and the sunglasses using tin foil.  I wish someone had shared this wax paper trick with me years ago!  As I've written before, I'm a teacher just not an art teacher!  

If you would like a copy of the blank book form, you can download it here. It should be printed on 8.5" by 14" paper. The font is a little different than what you see in the photos, but still the same content. Well, except that the only one I saved is the original which says, "The Best Book I Read This Year."  I did revise it to say, "The Best Book I've Read This Year." So, if the I instead of I've will bug you like it did me, don't download it! Sorry, but for some reason I didn't save the revised copy.  So, that is the not-so-cleverly-titled "End of Year Favorite Book Activity."

The New Blog Design is Up and Running!

It's here! 

The new blog design is up, and I love it! 

Thanks again to Megan at A Bird in Hand Designs who was so nice to work with.  It is still a bit of a work in progress on my end, but the overall design is just what I wanted.  I love the colors, fonts, and overall look.

Let me take you on a little tour! 

I'm starting with two fun things I really love and am so happy I included:

• A Pinterest hover button.  If you want to pin a picture from the blog, just hover a second and to the side of the picture a little apple will pop up to click on for an automatic pin.
• "Return to Top" button floating on the bottom right side of the page.  I love this button on any web page I go to.  How many times have you scrolled down a ways and then have to scroll your way all the way back to the top?  I so wish Google had this button on their search page.

The Header:

• I do love the header Megan came up with.  She was so patient with me as we went through a few different designs for it with colors, backgrounds, fonts, and images.  One thing I really like are the tabs at the top.  That's one of the areas that is still a work in progress on my end.  The "Home" tab is the regular blog page. 
• On the "About Me" tab will bring you to a blank page for now.  I am going to be putting up a mini bio to introduce myself and a picture.  The "Hello" on the sidebar will be a welcome-to-the-blog type of thing directing you to the Hello tab if you want to know more.
• There is also a "Freebies" tab.  I wasn't sure what to do with the third tab.  I needed one to just balance the look of the top a bit.  I decided that it would be "Freebies" and I will list on that page links to all the different freebies/printables I post on the regular blog.  It will be a sort of quick reference.  If my blog were a box of Cracker Jacks, that page would be the prize at the bottom of the box!

On the sidebar, there were a few things I wanted:

• Buttons! Buttons! Buttons!   There are a few social media buttons:  There you will find a button to follow me on Bloglovin', and buttons that link to my Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook pages. All of which I am really just getting started with.  Megan also designed covers for me so that the look of those pages matches my blog.  One social media site I use and like is Instagram, and I totally forgot to have that put on.  I will probably go back and see if Megan can do it at a later date, but for now I think I have enough on my social media plate.  There is also a button that links to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  As I wrote in this post, it is also a new endeavor for me which I probably won't be doing much with until summer.  However, if I do put something new up, I will post about it as an FYI. I also have a button for email, and now that I have linked it to my iPhone, I'm finding it so much easier to keep up with emails from readers.

More sidebar features include. . .

• A button picture for the blog with a "Grab My Button" code. 
• "Follow My Blog" which I'm not sure I need as I have a link to Bloglobin' for following the blog, so I have to look into this.
• "Hello"  This is a little welcome intro that will (when I get a chance to do it) direct you to the "About Me" page.
• "Followers"  That's links and pics to you! Thanks for following!
• "Popular Posts" that shows the 5 most popular posts from the blog.  Right now it is all time favs, but I think I might change it to most popular within the last month. We'll see.
• "Let's Explore!" which has all my crazy post tags that I am still working on cleaning up.
• "Blog Archive" for searching by date.
• "Search This Blog" Just in case those crazy tags and the archive aren't working for ya!
• "TBA" a Teaching Blog Addict award
• "Stat Counter"

I do need to reorder the sidebar items a bit.  Not really totally happy with the order I have them in right now.

Other Extras:

• The blog now has post dividers that will separate each post with a line of apples.
• I also now have a signature with my name and an apple that will appear at the end of every post.

I think that is pretty much everything.  I had no idea how much there was to take into consideration when designing a blog.  You really need to think it out and know what you want on yours.  If you are thinking of doing it, I would suggest looking at blogs you really like the look of.  What do they have in common?  Look at their backgrounds, fonts, and layout.  What do you like and not like?

Think about the layout of your blog.  Where would you want different parts to be?  For example, I had to decide if I wanted the buttons on the sidebar or up in the header.  Not something I even thought about before or even noticed.  Then I looked at other blogs and really noticed them. Everyone does it a little differently! 

Once you have an idea of what you want, I would even sketch out the blog layout to see how I want it to look. Or, you could just work with a great blog designer like I did who is patient with you while you try to figure all this out on the fly! :-)

As I wrote, there are still things to be done to clean up the blog on my end (finish cleaning up the tags, doing the About Me and Freebies pages, reordering the sidebar) but overall I'm just excited to see it up and running.  The procrastinator in my is also excited to see that I actually accomplished something on my 2014 Blog Goal list!  Now, on to the rest of that list. . .

The No Excuses List

By the time my friends reach 4th and 5th grade, there are some things that should be non-issues. There are some things I should not have to spend instructional time on.  Basics.  Thus was born the No Excuses list.

Each year, after the first couple of weeks of school, I do a quick intro to the No Excuses list. This is a chart of things that, by the time they get to 4th or 5th grade, a student can reasonably be expected to be responsible for doing.  Things like starting sentences with capital letters and putting endmarks on sentences.  It is not unreasonable to expect those things of my students.  However, I find so many of my friends do not have automaticity with them.  They should be no-brainers, but my friends have shown (year after year) to be very lax in doing them.

To intro the chart, I have the chart done with just the title.  I explain what a No Excuses list is. I tell them that this chart will have on it the things that we know every 4th and 5th grader has been taught in previous grades and can be expected to do when reading or writing.  These are things your teacher this year should not have to teach again because you learned, practiced, and did them in 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd grade.  I then have the kids brainstorm a list of what they would put on the chart.  THEY KNOW!  They know what they should be doing!  Without fail, every year, they come up with the exact things we need to have on our list.

I usually start with the top two; capitalizing sentences and using endmarks/end marks. (I always write endmarks as a compound word. I've seen it both ways band have just always written it as a compound word. Spell check does not agree!) We add teach item to the chart and in the bullet, put the date we add them to the chart. On my chart, the 27th and 28th were actually both added on the same day, but I was talking and writing at the same time and wrote the 28th by mistake.  Except for those two items, I usually add items one at a time with at least a week or two between adding an item to the chart. This gives my friends time to work on each without being overwhelmed.

What makes the chart work is the rule.  Once it is on the chart, from that date forward, it is expected to be done on all work. No Excuses!  If a paper is turned in with any of these errors, the student will get the paper back to fix or redo. Or, if I notice it on the paper before they turn it in I will say that I can't accept that paper and they need to check the No Excuses chart.   I find that it is usually not that kids can't do these things.  It's more that we don't, at some point, draw that line in the sand and say, "Okay, this is now on you!  You have been taught and/or retaught these things year after year and now it is your responsibility to do them without being told. No excuses!"  I know this might sound harsh to some, but I promise you after just a couple of weeks you will see a dramatic drop in students forgetting to do these basic things.  I find the key for me is to stick with the expectations and be consistent in not accepting work that doesn't meet the standard.

Now, I also know there may be some students you need to make exceptions for.  But, in general, if something makes it on to your No Excuses list, everyone is usually expected to do it.  What you have on your list can be tailored to the grade level, students' abilities, and the expectations you set in your classroom. You know your students best, so you have to create a list that works for you. The list can be added to as the year goes on, but I generally focus on things that have been taught in previous year(s) and are reasonable expectations of my students.

Is this something you think would work in your classroom?  

What would be on your No Excuses list? 

Or, do you handle this issue in another way 

that might be good to share?

I'm in Purge Mode!

See this giant plastic portfolio? 

It is one of two that hold my literacy/writing posters.  In addition to one more literacy portfolio, I have five more for math, science, social studies, decoration, and a big ol' miscellaneous mess of stuff.  I've been stuffing posters into these portfolios for years.  The time has come to finally purge some of the posters that I just don't need anymore.

I began with one of my literacy portfolios today.  I took out each poster and started creating piles; writing, grammar, reading, etc.  These are just a few of the many piles.  You can't see the stacks I had on other desks and the floor. It was amazing how much was stuffed in that portfolio!

There was even a pile of posters I had made with my friends over the years. I seem to have saved (and even laminated) some my favorites.  Great, except that I tend to just remake them with my new friends every year instead of pulling out these.  Since they are some of my favorites, I snapped a picture of each and plan to make a section for them in my anchor chart binder  instead of hanging on to these hard copies.

Upon starting this task, my goal wasn't to just organize what I had but to purge what I no longer wanted or needed.  Teachers tend to save everything.  After all, you never know when you might need it! I'm no different.  However, in looking at my piles of posters, I knew there were many I hadn't used in several years and it was time to purge.  I began by following some simple rules and asking a few questions. . .

Is this an effective teaching tool?

I don't know about you, but put me in a teacher's store and I get giddy!   My love of teacher's stores is only rivaled by my love of office supply stores! But, those teacher stores have a special place in my heart.  I love the borders, the posters, and all the doodads you find there.Since I seem to fall into this glaze-eyed euphoria every time I go in, I've been know to buy a poster of two because they are just so darn cute.  Those are just  the fun, decorative posters and signs.  

But, what about those we purchase to teach or reinforce content?  I've bought many, many posters simply because the content fits what I am teaching.  Oh, teaching a unit on persuasive writing?  Wow, this persuasive writing poster shows different ways to structure the argument!  I'm buying it! And, laminating it! And, hanging it up right away!  STOP!  This is where we really need to think.  That poster may say what you want it to say, but is it an effective teaching tool for your friends?    Below is one of those posters that I had to take second look at.  Is this poster an effective teaching tool?  In my opinion, no.  It is not.

Take a look at the same poster from just five feet away.  Not so effective. Too much information, too tiny a print, and too hard to see.  Do you really think the child who sits in the middle of the classroom sees anything beyond some colored blocks?

Everything that hangs in your room should have a specific purpose.  Think about what the poster is for. Are you using it to be a reference tool for all to use?  Is it for the whole class to use from their seats?  Then it needs to be fairly uncluttered and have larger print.  Is it to hang next to a center station where your friends can get a closer look?  Then, maybe a smaller poster with more print is appropriate.  Is it kid friendly?  I think this is actually one of the most important questions to ask.  Step back and look at it through the eyes and age of your students.  I think when you do you will be surprised at how many "teaching" posters are actually not so kid friendly.  They may look cute, but are often overloaded with content or so decorative the purpose is lost.   Ask yourself if the content presented in a way that is visually uncluttered yet appealing and easily understandable to your friends.  For an effective teaching tool, you have to be able to answer yes.

Can I re-purpose it?

I'm embarrassed to say I did hang that part of speech poster in my classroom for a few years early on in my teaching.  Looking at it now, I know it didn't do much for anyone.  There is still life for this poster, though.  I cut it up into the different boxes and am planning to make some grammar based center activities with them.  Each one becomes a great reference card, easily hand-held or kept on a desk, to use with the activity.  Then, it becomes an effective teaching tool.

I also had a laminated poster which showed two cause/effect graphic organizers, and I just never used it.  This poster was also re-purposed when I cut the two organizers out and put them in a folder along with an article from Scholastic News.  It become another center activity that allows my friends to use a dry erase marker and a colorful graphic organizer to identify cause and effect. Sure, I could have just put a photocopy of the organizers in the folder.  But, we all know how much our friends love those dry erase markers.  Just that simply, re-purposing these organizers in this way upped the interest level for this activity.

Could someone else use this?

Give It Away!  As I was sorting, I made a pile of posters that were still in good shape, but I knew I wouldn't be using.  Posters I might have hung in my room years ago are not necessarily posters I would find useful in my room today.  Over the years, our teaching style evolves. Just as our students grow as learners, we grow as teachers.  Materials that might have fit my teaching style before just don't cut it now.  

However, that doesn't mean it won't be a perfect fit for another teacher. I had these great genre posters for many years.  They are still in great condition, not faded, and visually engaging.  While they aren't good for my classroom, they are perfect for our school  library.  I quickly gathered them up and took them down to our media specialist.

It's also nice to make materials like this available to those new teachers with limited supplies and funds. There may also be teacher new to the grade level that are in need of materials.  With that in mind, I created a pile of posters that I put in the teacher's lounge with a sign encouraging anyone to take anything they might want.  

When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

No, really!  I mean it!  THROW IT OUT!   In going through my pile, I kept an eye out for any poster that was faded, torn, stained, littered with stapler holes, or just too raggedy looking.  It wasn't easy because some were loved posters that I didn't want to get rid of.  However, did I want to hang something in my room that looked raggedy?  No!  I took a picture of a couple of posters that I plan to either repurchase or make myself, and then tossed the rest.  It may not be the most economical answer, but I know me.  I would only see the messy parts every time I looked at the poster and it would irritate me to no end.  A little nuts, I know! 

Finally, remember that curriculum changes as do the grades and populations we teach. If you've changed grade levels over the years, you probably also have materials you haven't used in a while.   I know I had posters from the content areas that cover subjects I haven't taught in years.  I could hang on to them forever just in case I teach it again sometime.  But, to be honest I just don't have the storage space or really want to store all that extra stuff.  So, all those rules above still apply!  Do I need it?  Is it too raggedy to keep?  Is it an effective teaching tool? If I do teach this again, would this be something I would want to hang up?   It just may be that the give away pile or the recycle bin are options to seriously consider.

As for me, one portfolio purged and only six more to go!  

How often do you purge materials in your classroom?

Stocking Your Classroom Library

Summertime means time to read!  As an avid reader, I love that in the summer I have the time to really indulge with some good books.  However, this is a habit that can quickly get expensive if you read as much as I do.  This is where the public library comes in.  I am lucky enough to have a great one near me.  One of the things I like best about it is the Friends of the Library Book Room.  This is a small room in the library where they sell donated and discarded books.  It is one of the ways I have been able to stock my class library on the cheap.  Here's a peak at the children's section of the book room along with the prices  my library charges.

Yup, those are all children's books for sale! 

And, yes, they did look at me oddly as I was taking these pictures.

You can't beat those prices!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the shelves.

 These are from the shelves for older friends. If you click on the picture, you will be able to read the titles.   The smaller shelves to the right in the top picture are full of books for the younger set.  Luckily, they always tend to have good books for sale, books that are current and in great shape. 

The book sale room is one of my first stops whenever I visit the library. Today was no different. Even thought I won't have a class next year, I couldn't stop myself from buying a little today.

  Here's my haul!

• Oscar, Cat About Town and Smudge, the Lost Little Lamb both by James Herriot.  I am not a fan of James Herriot's adult books, but I love his picture books.  They have a rich text which is great for teaching word choice, complex sentences, and mood.  The illustrations by Ruth Brown are amazingly beautiful.

• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson  This is just a fun book.  I like it for introducing a character sketch. 

• Another copy of My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss  One of my favorite Seuss books.  I used it to do a fun poem activity with my friends this year.  One of the great things about the library book sale is that when I see a book I love and already own, the cheap prices lets me buy it anyway and pass it on to another teacher.

I couldn't pass up a couple of good non-fiction books.  I know eventually I will have friends to read them!

• Albert Einstein a DK Biography     This is a really interesting book at a perfect level for my 5th grade friends.

• The White House by Hal Marcovitz    I think I might donate this one to our school library.  With the upcoming presidential election, all things presidential tend to become book reports or classroom projects.  I'm sure this book will be used well.

All told, these six books cost me $5.50 at the library sale.  If I had purchased them new, in the formats I did, it would have cost me $50.79 based on the Amazon links.  That is a huge savings, and the books are all in great condition.

If your library has a book sale room or section, I really suggest visiting it throughout the summer.  You will find great deals.   I will say that one con to this is that different volunteers price the books.  This means that sometimes I will find multiple copies of the same book with different prices.  But, all prices are still cheap!  Also, about twice a year, my library holds a huge book sale where prices are even cheaper.  Often, they will do a bag of books for $5.  If you can, the summer is a great time to stock up on books.

I should mention that my libary also has a big section of books for adults for sale too.  It lets me buy good paperback books cheaply that I can take to the beach and not worry when they get full of sand and sunblock!

If your library doesn't do book sales, there are other options for stocking your classroom library inexpensively.

• Yard Sales:  I've gotten good books this way, but I do find that these books are usually a little more worn than the ones I find in the library.
• Thrift Shops:  My local Goodwill has a great book section.  Their prices are even cheaper than the library sale prices.
• Your Students:  At the end of the year, send a note home to parents asking them if they would like to donate any books from home to the class library. I find that parents are happy to make some room on their bookshelves and donate.  I know, a little late for this tip.  Sorry!
• Your Neighbors: If you have neighbors with kids, most likely they will have books they are ready to donate.  Don't forget, these are the same people who have those yard sales!  Get a jump on it and just ask if they have any children books they would like to donate to your classroom.
• Scholastic Points:  Every month that I did a Scholastic book order, I used some points to get two or three new books for our classroom library.  This keeps a constant flow of books coming into your room, but it if you do it right, you will do something even nicer.  I was one of those kids when I was little.  I loved books, but my family couldn't afford to buy them.  Every month, I would bring the form home, but knew my parents really couldn't afford the extra money to buy books.  It was always a little sad to see the other kids getting books when the delivery came.  I know that I have friends in my class in the same situation.  What I always try to do is make those two or three books I order every month a book I know those particular friends would enjoy.  This way, they can borrow them from the class library right away.  It's like getting a new book, and it always puts a smile on their face.
• Other Teachers:  Do a book swap!  It's great to do if you have teachers who are transferring grade levels or have multiple copies of books.  Just swap out with other teachers.



How do you stock your classroom library without breaking the bank?

If you have any other ideas, please share in the comments.  

picture source

Two Things

Thing One
I may have mentioned this before, but pencil cap erasers have been a lifesaver in my room.  I thought I had posted about this before, but I couldn't find it.  If I did, forgive the repeat.  As teachers, we have to pick and choose our battles.  I have given up on pencils and erasers.  I just keep a supply for my friends.  Here is my container for pencil cap erasers.

I got it in a dollar store.  Notice the sign?

We have a big talk about needs vs. wants!  I buy a box of 500 eraser caps at the start of each year with my school supply order.  They are actually fairly inexpensive.  It will generally last nine out of the ten months we are in school.  The last month they are on their own!  I just found it so much easier to have these available than having my friends wasting time searching for an eraser or borrowing from a neighbor.  Actually, it is more like the OCD in me was getting crazy over the messy papers I was getting.  When I would ask why they didn't just erase, the answer was always, "I didn't have an eraser."  No excuses now!

Thing Two

Are your friends caught up in the patterned duct tape frenzy? 

The girls in my room have made duct tape bows, necklaces, bracelets, and any other thing they can attach to themselves.  The boys have made wallets and toys that I have had to confiscate more than once!  I have been the recipient of many duct tape flower pens this year.  Here are the four most recent:

They are having a lot of fun with this stuff.  It got me thinking to what I could use it for.  It would be great for book binding when your friends make books.  It would also be neat to cover a clipboard with.  Have you used this stuff for anything?  Any ideas?



Before and After

I have been looking forward to Presidents' Weekend for so long!  Four days off!  I am really excited to not be getting up so early, and not being on a clock. I have no formal plans for the long weekend, but a ton of odds and ends to get done.  Some school related stuff and some home stuff.  Since I was so looking forward to being off for four days, where did I end up spending three hours Saturday morning?  My classroom, of course!  If I were Homer Simpson, there would totally be a D'Oh!! here.  I had forgotten to bring my plan book home, so I was just going to run in and grab it.  However, once I was there my brain started churning. 

Hmmm, I really do need to get that supply closet organized. . .

There's never enough time to get to it during the school week. . .

Gee, I have some time now to do it. . .

NO!  It's your time off. Leave! . .

But, I do have four days off. . .

And, I already have the containers I need. . .

It wouldn't be so terrible to put in just a little time today. . .

I can clean that supply closet in an hour!

THREE HOURS LATER, I have a very clean closet! 

This my supply closet. 

Very innocent looking, yes?  But, when you open the doors it was an avalanche waiting to happen.  I was so excited to start that I forgot to take a picture of the actual "before."  But, here is a picture I took after I had already emptied out a ton of stuff.

I know that doesn't look too terrible, but imagine all the supplies on these two table tops (as well as some stuff on the floor you can't see) also jammed in there.  Every time I would open the doors, all this nonsense would tumble out around my feet. 

It was making me crazy!

And, here is the AFTER!

Makes my heart beat fast! The green paper labels are make-do for now. 

The OCD in my soul wants to make some cute printed labels later.

For now, I thought I would tell you a little about each shelf. 

I know, sounds crazy exciting for a blog post. 

But, there might be tip or two about supplies I order and how I use them that you can use. 

Or, it just might be a boring post on closet organization!

         ;-)

Let's see.

Top Shelf & Second Shelf

Top Shelf:  Actually, you're right.  Nothing too exciting there.  It holds some extra binders, smaller chart paper, a couple of extra pencil sharpeners, and some labels.  I also have two rolls of clear contact paper ready to go.  I cover all my paperback teacher guides with contact paper.  These would be the workbooks I handle every day, like my math answer booklet.  It really helps them hold up longer.  I also cover my professional books if it is one I know I will go back to a lot.

Second Shelf:  Here is where I organized all the small stuff such as pens, staples, clips, etc.  And, yes!  That is an air freshener in my closet.  We had an extra in the classroom, and I just stuck it in there one day.  Turns out it is quite nice to open the doors and be greeted with apple-cinnamon scents.

The other thing you see on this shelf is a lone black Sharpie over on the right.  As I was cleaning out the closet, I could see how much of some things I have and how I needed to replace some things.  I don't know about you, but when it comes time to place the supply order for the next year I always forget something.  To avoid that for next year, I taped a piece of paper to the inside of the closet and jotted down the things I know I want to remember to order.

Seriously, why has it taken me fifteen years of teaching to figure this out?  Now, I keep the Sharpie on the shelf, and when I see I need something I can just jot it down.  This should ensure I don't forget anything when ordering for next year.  I plan to keep an ongoing list like this starting in September every year so I'll always have a runnning list.

Third Shelf

Third Shelf:  Turns out I have an abundance of note cards, sticky notes, and masking tape.  On the other side are some items I use a lot.  2-pocket folders.  Can you ever have enough of those?  I have done all new center tasks this year and gone through a ton of these.  There are also extra poly-string envelopes.  I use these all the time.  They are great for hole-punching and putting in a binder for holding larger items.  Sort of like a more expensive version of my MacGyver like storage solution. 

Anther item I always order each year are a box of business size envelopes.  They are not only good for parent notes, but I give them to my friends to store the cards we cut out for some of the Everyday Math Games we play.  It just makes it so  much easier to grab a handful of envelopes and go.  Plus, I don't exactly relish the idea of having to ask the office every time I need an envelope!

One other item on my shelf I order every year without fail is 9 X 12 manila clasp envelopes.  Anytime I give out a report or project, I give out an envelope with it. All directions go in this envelope.   I tell my friends that they should keep all their work in this envelope as well.  It keeps everything in one place.  No lost papers.  Plus, if I want to check in on their work it is all there for me to see.  When we worked on our famous people research reports, each friend had an envelope to keep their work and book in.  Plus, if I want to collect their work, it's easy to just have them turn in the envelope instead of a pile of papers.

Bottom Shelf

Bottom Shelf:  I think I might just have enough notebooks and paper. Maybe.  Actually, except for yellow paper, I obviously have plenty!  I do need to order some yellow lined paper for next year.  My friends use yellow paper for drafting of all writing assignments.  All final copy work is done on white lined paper or the different specialty themed papers we have.  I find having yellow paper used only for drafting very helpful.  I can tell at a glance what my friends are working on, and it helps them to not get their papers confused on their desk when they are going from the draft to writing the final copy.

The only other item I would point out is my long-arm stapler.  Do you have one?  It is invaluable for making books with your friends.
 
So, that's my newly organized supply closet.  I don't regret giving up those three hours yesterday because this will make my life so much easier in school.  It really only took me two hours to do the closet. I have to be honest and say I spent an hour leveling some books for my class library before I made myself get up and leave. 

If you know anything about my classroom, you know I still have two more closets like this one in my room.  One we call the art closet.  It holds all my construction paper and craft/art supplies as well as some odds and ends for bulletin boards and such.  The other closet is just a mish-mosh of stored items.  Sadly, I still need to organize both of them.  But that's for another day.  A girl can only give up so much of her long weekend, right?!!!! :-)

Don't forget to enter the give-away I'm having and win your own copy of Testing Miss Malarkey!  I've been reading the comments, and you all have been so nice!  Thank you for all the compliments. You make me smile!

They're Back. . .

Next week, I have my first round of parent-teacher conferences.  I thought I would share some of what I do to prepare for conferences and how I mange to stay on time with a very tight schedule.

We have very good parent attendance for conferences in my school.  This is great, however it means we have to schedule each parent for ten minutes or we would be there for days. Ten minutes is not a lot of time.  My district offers two days for conferences.  One day are afternoon appointments, the other is for evening appointments.  To say that most of my parents request evening appointments would be an understatement.  In fact, this year I have ten minute conferences scheduled back-to-back from 5:50 PM to 8:50 PM with one ten minute break.

Needless to say, it can be tough to stay on time as the night goes on.  Over the years, I have found a way to manage it.  It is very rare that I run late.  I am usually able to keep my conferences moving acording to schedule while havng quality, informative conversations in a short amount of time.  Here are some of the reasons I think it has worked out for me:

I make a point at back to school night to let parents know I am always accessible and happy to talk to them at any time, not just at conferences.  I give out a magnet that has my name,  the school phone number, and my email address that they can stick on the fridge.  I find that if parents feel the door is always open, that they can always talk to me if they have a question, they are less panicked about getting it all in at conferences.  Most of my parents will email me if they have a question, and I make it a point to get back to them within a day. 

I'm fully prepared for the conference.  Each of my friends has a portfolio.  In it are examples of work, their most recent report card, and any papers or assessments that I want to address with a parent.  I also take the time to sit after school a couple of days before and fill out a sheet wtih the positives and negatives I need to address.  I make sure I have some student work in their portfolio that backs up any academic issues I am going to bring up.  It's hard for a parent to make an excuse for my friend when the proof is right in front of them.

Finally, I start all my conferences the same way.  I greet the parents at my door, welcome them in, and we sit.  I take out my friend's folder and pull out their most recent report card.  In my district, report cards always go home the week before conferences. I pull out my copy of the report card and place it in front of the parents.  I then say, "I know you've had a chance to look over Susie's report card. (Insert sentence here about something positive on report card.) She's done really well in science this marking period."  Then, here comes the magic sentence. . .   "Before we begin, are there any questions or concerns you have that you would like to talk about?" 

I find that by asking this question at the beginning of the conference, I have done a few things.  How many times have you gone through a conference only to have a parent drop some big issue on you just as you thought things were wrapping up?  Or, have you had a parent wait you out?  They have an issue, but they want to see if you bring it up first.  This eliminates all that.  It also lets the parent see that I am truly interested to know if they have any concerns and am willing to put them first. 

I find that most of the time the issue the parent wants to talk about is usually the very issue I need to discuss with them.  This allows me to get right to the heart of the conference.  Plus, I now know that parent is well aware of this concern, and I'm not in new territory.   There have been a couple of times where I've been completely surprised by what the parent brings up, but it's usually something I can easily answer.

For the parents that don't have anything they want to talk about, I can get right into what I need to say.  Either way, we save a lot of time.  There's no hemming and hawing around any issues.  They are on the table from the start. 

Beginning my conferences with this question has been a huge time saver over the years.  I also always end my conferences with the same phrase and a big smile, "You know our door is always open.  We don't have to wait until the next round of conferences to talk. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns."  Despite what you might think, I don't get inundated with emails and calls.  I think they just like knowing that I'm open to anything they may have to say. 

Then, I go home and collapse from talking to so many parents so late after teaching all day!