Category: Random

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Pinterest Find :: Erin Condren Lesson Planner

Screen Shot 2013-05-12 at 8.37.35 PMSo, I’m going to be honest. I didn’t find this on Pinterest…but I don’t have any other term right now to categorize things that are awesome besides “Pinterest Find.” Any ideas, anyone?

Anyway, I love to be organized. I frequently get harassed by coworkers and friends for color-coding, organizing, alphabetizing, etc., so I actually felt like I had died and gone to heaven when I came across the Erin Condren store. I actually found it last summer while I was looking for a new planner for the school year and ended up getting one of their Life Planners (which I HIGHLY recommend by the way – I’ll talk more about them in July when their new versions come out).

If you’re around here often, you’ll know I’m a school social worker, not a teacher. Nonetheless, I know that several of you ARE teachers, so I figured I’d let you know about this awesome lesson planner! It’s super colorful and includes just about every single possible thing you’d ever need in a lesson planner. Among the awesomeness included: inspirational quotes, pages for substitutes and sub plans, important dates, attendance logs, grade book, weekly lesson planning grid, etc. etc. etc! You can even choose from over 20 different covers and add photos to personalize it! And did I mentioned it’s colorful?

I will say that it is a tad pricey compared to cheap books your school may give or that you pick up at Staples, but from owning one of their planners this year, I can honestly say I never regretted my decision to get one even once. I mean, how many minutes a day do you spend staring at your lesson planning book? Probably at least 30! Is it worth less than 20 cents per day to have a planning book that you enjoy looking at and actually makes you want to plan? I thought so!

Also, no, I don’t get paid for recommending their products. I genuinely think they’re just that awesome!! Here’s a little more information from their website:

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AND! Enter the code: WELOVETEACHERS this month at check-out to receive 25% off all their teacher products. Happy Teacher Appreciation!!

Note: All photos in this article are from the Erin Condren website. I didn’t take or create any of them!

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Sale :: Teacher Appreciation 2-Day Sale!

Appreciation Sale

It’s that time again…TpT Sale time!! For 28% off the regular prices of everything in my store, head over any time on May 7th or 8th and enter the code TAD13 at checkout. What a great way to get everything ready before you head on summer break!

Enjoy!!

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Student Funnies :: Age is a State of Mind

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Student I’ve never met: “Are you a kid? Or are you an adult?”

Sometimes even I don’t know the answer to that one!! I couldn’t help but laugh today when a kindergarten student at our school asked me this question. I’m not sure what it was exactly…maybe the way I was dressed? My hair? At any rate, it made me smile.

One of the things my grandma always said growing up was, “Age is a state of mind and if you don’t mind, it don’t matter!”

And while I’m still “a baby” in the words of many of my coworkers, I can’t help but realize as each day goes by how much further I am away from elementary, middle, and even high school. And while I like to think I still do a pretty good job relating to the students I work with, I find myself having to work harder and harder to remember what it was like to be a kid.

But if there IS one thing I remember about being a kid, it was all the crazy and fun adults I knew: a camp counselor who played practical jokes on the boys, my level 3 swim teacher who made up ridiculous songs to help us remember each stroke, my 4th grade teacher who invented dances with us at recess. These people remind me how important it is to sometimes “stop being an adult,” and meet kids where they are.

By putting our adult-ness aside every once and awhile and not being afraid to look goofy, we have a chance to impact kids in a way other adults in their lives maybe haven’t before. We have a chance to stand out, create fun memories, and make a difference!

So laugh a little louder, spend some time at recess, skip down the hallway to your next IEP meeting, or do some arts & crafts. Go be a kid with your kids today!