No name? ....No problem!

I have seen some really cute ideas for what to do with those no name papers that always seem to turn up. I was always amazed when, even though I gathered the papers myself and checked for names, there were always one or two without a name when I was grading. How does that even happen?

Anyway, as I am gathering ideas for my classroom (My own classroom! Can you tell I am still so excited?!) I wanted to make one of those cute no name signs like

 found on Mrs. Brown's Blog . So I went on a Michael's shopping trip (any excuse to buy crafting stuff).  I had planned on getting a blank board and then wood letters to place on top of the board. That was my crafty inspired vision, but they did not have letters the right size. (Too big or too small, I was channeling my inner Goldilocks). So, I looked around for some inspiration and found it in a little wooden owl.

See him sitting down there in the corner? Isn't he cute? I love all of the owl themes this year, but I also like the birds, some of the cute trees, and the random animals I have seen lately. I have decided to have a woodsy theme in my classroom so I can use them all :-)

Here it is all painted. Now I am ready to get out the glue gun and put it all together.

All done! I added some glitter to the letters to make them stand out a little. I also used a sharpie to add some lines around the frame. I had to stagger the clothespins a bit because the alligator's length threw everything off. I love it though :-)

What do you do with the No namers?

Link up!

Looking for other teachers that teach the same grade as you do? Link up with your grade level at Caffeine and Lesson Plans . Don't forget to add your grade level button to your blog, with a link going back to the link up!

Want to link up with other teachers from your state? Link up with your state at Fifth in the Middle . Search by your region and then find your state. Again, don't forget to add the button and link to your blog :-)

It is fun to look at the other Arizona blogs. I love looking at classroom pictures and seeing how different they all are. (You can tell who had strict fire marshall codes)

Now that I got the job in third grade next year (still so unbelievably excited!) I am stalking third grade blogs even more than I was. So fun!

So join the party and link up!

Teacher Discounts - Let's Save Some Money

Third grade here I come....I got the job! I am so beyond excited. I jumped up and down when they called me to offer me the job (the third grade team was in the background yelling, I imagine they were jumping up and down too) :-) .

So now I sit and think of next year. Whew! There is a a lot to do! 3rd grade! I have so many things I need. I have an entire closet full of things for K-1st grade (thanks to my amazing teacher friend who retired and passed her stuff to me), but now I will be teaching 3rd grade. (Ahh, multiplication, division, fractions). 

I was looking up teacher discounts and found a BUNCH of shops that offer discounts to teachers. You can see lists of them here and here . There are so many out there that I did not even know about! Make sure to look in the comments section as well because many people have been adding to the lists. 

So, where is your favorite place to save money? Do you have any that are not on the list? I know that here in Arizona, Bookmans (a used books and more store)  offers a teacher discount of 20% through their Project:Educate program - cool! If you live in Arizona, you can sign up here . Have any to share?

....I have an interview!

Ok, this is it, the time has finally come. I have an interview for a teaching position! I am super excited, and also really nervous. I know this school and they know me, but I am still nervous. A lot is riding on this. My hopes, my dreams, my future...gasp! Ok, maybe I should not put so much pressure on myself over this, breathe. Whew.

I am getting my portfolio ready. It will include
My resume (which includes my educational philosophy)
My classroom management plan
My professional growth plan for my first 5 years of teaching
Three lessons (1 math, 1 science, and 1 social studies)

I will be going down today to purchase a binder, page protectors (oh wait, I have some already) and page separators.

Is that it? Am I good? Is there anything else I need/ should have?