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Feeling Grateful

Thank You

So…um, is it seriously the end of December already? I feel like 2015 has been a complete whirlwind! Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago I had to fix a few IEPs for writing 2014 on them?

Yet here we are! Some of us have had incredible years – great coworkers, students learning, growing, maturing, personal and professional development. But others of us have had a rough year, maybe the worst one we’ve ever had. And maybe some of us feel like we can’t possibly get through one more year in the place we’re in.

But regardless, I hope that you can take a breath and look back at at least a few moments of your year to remember the moment a student finally “got it,” the time when you saw something in a way you’ve never seen it before, or that one second you smiled to yourself and though, “THIS…This is why I chose this.” Maybe you can think of hundreds, but maybe just coming up with a few is difficult. Regardless, I truly believe that we do one of the most difficult jobs that exists. Whether you’re a teacher, social worker, counselor, psychologist, SLP, administrator, classroom aide, or something else completely, please know that you work miracles every single day, whether you feel like you do or not!

Each of us has something special to bring to our students and school communities every day. We might mess up or not always give our best, but our unique talents and quirks may make us one of the only people that can reach a student. You are irreplaceable!

As I look over the year, I smile at the thought of the incredible coworkers I’ve been honored to work with. I laugh in disbelief at how I was able to possibly service a caseload bigger than anything I’ve ever had to juggle before. I even shake my head and smile briefly at the chairs and other flying objects I’ve had to dodge on a few occasions. Sometimes all you can do is laugh (and hope that it never happens ever ever again!)

In my TpT life I can definitely smile too, for I feel nothing but gratitude for the support I’ve experienced from all of you. I always tell people how incredible it is to have developed the connections I have with counselors, social workers, and educators all over the world! Your experiences, stories, and ideas enrich both my practice and my life. So thank you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

In addition, your support has enabled me to donate to 5 different charitable organizations since August. 5 incredible causes impacting potentially millions of people. Whoa!

As a final farewell to 2015, I’m planning to offer 10% everything in my store today through December 31. Get your January planning done now and be able to enjoy the rest of your break stress free – while getting some last minute donations in to a great food pantry!

Happy New Year!

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Fun Freebie :: How to Be A Friend Classroom Poster Set

 

Friendship Posters

I was recently browsing through lots of counseling resources on TeachersPayTeachers, checking to see if there was anything new and I came across these awesome posters from Digital Divide and Conquer! They take an often-difficult concept like making friends and break in down into simple steps that all kids can follow. Here are a few pictures of a couple of the posters.

Friendship Posters

Friendship Posters

The best part? They’re free! Go ahead and pick these bad boys up here!

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Product Spotlight :: Teacher Add-On Planner Pages

Teacher Add-On Pages

When I was first starting out as a school social worker, one of my biggest frustrations was trying to keep myself organized with the mounds of paperwork I had. There were millions of teacher binders out there, but nothing seemed really tailored to those of us special education types! Over several years, I put together my first Special Education Organization Binder. To date, it’s one of my most popular products. Apparently we all struggle together with organizing our chaotic jobs!

A few years later, I updated the design and added the ability to be able to fill the pages out super easily on a computer. The original version used Microsoft Word and I’ve found the PDFs to be way easier for most people! So last year, I introduced by Yearly Planner Binder. The pages are very similar, but the design and functionality is a huge improvement. I update the dated calendar pages each year, as well as occasionally adding new pages as I create them or as people request them! To go along with the planner, here is the pack of pages that most teachers find helpful. It includes the following:

Teacher Add-On Pages

Teacher Add-On Pages

Any pages you’d like to see added next update? Leave them in the comments!