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?

Waiting is Hard

This waiting stuff is difficult for me. I am a planner (to the extreme sometimes). I like to have my ducks in a row, ya know? I like to know the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How's of my life/future. Yet, here I sit with a big ole' ? staring at me. I don't like question marks when it comes to my future....they bug me.

I am LOVING the time at home spent with my little girl. She is enjoying it too. I know that when , if?, no when I get a job that this time will not be there; and yet I am still wanting to know what my future holds. 

I mentioned before that there is a possible 3rd grade spot at the school I long-termed at. I am just waiting patiently  (not really, more like stalking my e-mail several times a day) for the interview. While waiting, I have been stalking 3rd grade blogs, and filling a file on my desktop with all things third grade. I know it seems silly when I don't have the job yet....but it helps me feel like I am doing some sort of planning. It has worked so far, to keep my nerves and ambitious ideas at bay (and busy). Now, however, I feel like it is not enough. I need to be more prepared (for a job I don't even have! I know, I am a spaz). Sigh.

So, what did you do while waiting for your permanent spot? How did you bridge the working everyday on school,student teaching, lesson plans, grades, etc. (and for me it continued into a long-term sub. position) to the nothingness of waiting?  

The road to good intentions.....

Well, I had intended to make this a great blog. I wanted to post throughout my journey as a student, a graduate, and then as I became a teacher. Hmmm, you can see how well that turned out. I am horrible. 

Where I am now...
Toward the end of my student teaching, I was asked to interview for a long-term sub. position at another school. It was for a first grade classroom, and would start in Jan. (I finished student teaching in November). How perfect! It was almost like I would pick up where I left off. I got the job and I LOVED it! There were some bumps along the way, but I handled them well. I began to love the students and love the school. I received lots of praise by many of the staff as they saw how I dealt with issues that came up (as they always do). Some outside sources were in the room to observe a student and they though I had been teaching for years (woohoo!). 

The position ended the first week of this month and I must say it was hard to say good-bye. Erasing my name off the board felt so final. Then I came home and was left with a "now what?" feeling. I had been so used to grading papers, writing lesson plans, creating centers, and looking for new ideas every weekend. I had been doing that since I started student teaching in August. I was left with nothing to do. 

I hope for a permanent position next year, but without knowing what grade it is hard to plan. I feel antsy. All of these ideas and they just bounce around my head waiting for an outlet.

The principal has asked me to interview for a 3rd grade position. At first I was terrified freaked out nervous about the idea, I have spent so many years in K, 1, and 2. However, I am excited at the possibility now. I have to wait a couple of weeks for the interview, but I am hopeful. I must say, the wait is so hard!. I do not do well with unknowns. I like to have a plan. Waiting is hard.

So, in the meantime, I am finding and reading as many 3rd grade blogs as I can find.....just in case (fingers crossed). 

A little catch-up

So, I had planned on posting while I was student teaching. I wanted to document my experience and share ideas. Sadly, that has not happened. I have seminar classes during my student teaching and with a toddler, teenager, and a naughty puppy, I have been overwhelmed.

Student teaching is going well. I enjoy looking for new ideas and making things to use in the classroom. Like many of you, we use/do? Daily 5 during our reading block. One of the first things I added to the classroom was a boggle board. The classroom theme is bees, so I made the board in black and yellow.

Yep, it is on the door because that is the only free space left :-). The kids love it. As they enter and exit the room they are always noticing new words. I realize the top is crooked, I fixed that later. I change the letters every week to coordinate with the weekly lessons. I always hide at least one spelling word and try to place an emphasis on the week's sound focus.

Then I made those adorable iPhones for spelling practice. They are a favorite during Daily 5 Word Work.

You can find theme here at Dragonflies in first