Although the surface of my desk may not always show it, I would certainly call myself organized. Of course, I was not always that way. My years as a teacher sharpened those skills. Being organized simplified my planning time and helped me feel confident and prepared for each day.

Imagine sitting down to plan for the month and having a resource containing monthly organizing tools, ready-to-go learning centers, and skill practice pages, as well as ideas for bulletin boards, time fillers, arts and crafts, games, and more. That’s our Organize Now! series. Each book gives you the organization tools you need for a successful month. I’ve included some sample pages below. For those of you who have used one of these books before, I’d love to hear how it has helped you get organized. Or if you think you might like this book, tell me why.

Books in This Series

Organize September Now! Preschool sample page table of contents skills grid Organize September Now! Grades K-1 sample page table of contents skills grid Organize September Now! Grades 2-3 sample page table of contents skills grid

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My three-year-old son brought home an empty bag from preschool yesterday with the assignment of filling it with some favorite books to share with his classmates. So before bedtime last night we sat down in front of the bookshelf and started our selection process. And let me tell you, it was a process! Before I knew it we had a teetering stack of books that clearly would NOT all fit in that small tote bag! As we started narrowing down his selections, I was reminded just how much kids love books! He really had a tough time deciding just which books to share.

Then I thought of The Mailbox. Our editors share a love for books and have similar decisions to make with your magazines. They each have to handpick which books to share with teachers like YOU. So I scanned through the latest issues to see which books they selected to kick off the school year. Here are just a few of the books featured in the August/September magazines.

• The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall (The Mailbox Preschool)
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems (The Mailbox Preschool)
• Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London (The Mailbox Grades K-1)
• Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh (The Mailbox Grades K-1)
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (Teacher’s Helper Kindergarten)
• Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (Teacher’s Helper Grade 1)
• Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House) by Mary Pope Osborne (Bookbag)
• The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill (Bookbag)
• Being a Good Citizen by Mary Small (Bookbag)
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin (Bookbag)

Are any of these on your list of favorites? Which books do you reach for at the beginning of the school year?

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Everybody loves looking at pictures, right? I took a walk around the office today (camera in hand) and snapped the following pictures so you could take a peek behind the scenes at The Mailbox. Happy Monday!

I caught Sharon (Planning Manager) looking through The Mailbox idea files.

Peggy (Managing Editor of The Mailbox Intermediate) was talking with Krystle on her first day of work as a Mailbox editor. Welcome, Krystle!

Barry (artist) was drawing some cows on a student reproducible.

Diane (Editor in Chief) was busy checking over some pages for a new book.

Marsha (Copy Editor) was checking the problems on an intermediate reproducible.

I caught Lynn (Lower Grades Editor) and Debbie (Upper Grades Editor) on their way back from the kitchen.

Hope (Teacher’s Helper Grades 1 and Grades 2-3 Managing Editor) and Amy (Teacher’s Helper Intermediate Managing Editor) were talking Teacher’s Helper of course!

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By now you’ve probably heard that we updated The MAILBOX Intermediate starting with the August/September issue. (Take a peek here if you haven’t seen it.) We are all very excited about it! One of the newest departments that we added to that magazine is called “What Works for You?” The featured topic in the Aug/Sep issue was first-day ideas. Here is a look at the four ideas that Peggy (Managing Editor) selected for the magazine.

In just a few weeks (or days!), school bells will be ringing around the country. In order to get everyone ready, I’d love for you to share with other readers “What first-day activities work for YOU?”

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One of the things I hope to do on this Blog is to share some of the great resource books from The Mailbox editors. Of course, I just have to start with one of my favorites—the new Mix & Match Games. Here’s a bit of info. In each book you get 10 pull-out color games and 10 different sets of game cards for practicing 10 different skills. Now the cool part—they are interchangeable! So, you pick the skill that a student needs to practice and then he picks the game that he wants to play on! I’ve put links below to get sample pages for each book. After you give them a look, I’d like to hear what YOU like most about this new series.

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I got an email from my son’s school this week with his list of needed school supplies for first grade. When I suggested we head out that evening to go shopping he said, “Mommy, can you go get them for me? I’ll just stay here.” I was shocked! How can anyone not get excited about picking out brand new school supplies? And then I realized, maybe it’s a teacher thing! Every teacher I know gets giddy over gathering new “stuff” for her classroom. And it’s not just the supplies, it’s the new ideas you can’t wait to try. Whether it’s a new bulletin board to display, a new homework system to implement, or a great game for getting acquainted during the first days of school, as teachers we just can’t wait to give them a try.

As you have been preparing for back to school, what ideas have you found in the August/September issues of The MAILBOX, TEACHER’S HELPER, or BOOKBAG that you are eager to implement in YOUR classroom? Some of my favorites are the back-to-school journal prompts (p. 57) in Grade 1 Teacher’s Helper, the activity cards (p. 16-17) in The Mailbox Intermediate, the Dinosaurs Before Dark book unit (p. 16-17) in Bookbag, and this idea from The Mailbox Grades 2-3 (p. 58).

Awesome Apples

On Back-to-School Night, have each parent or guardian write a note to his child on an apple cutout and then tape it to a tree display. The next morning, students pick their apples from the tree and read the words of praise and encouragement.  –Rosemarie, Harrington Park Elementary

I’ll be looking forward to reading about which ideas you just can’t wait to try!

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As I was reading through the comments that were posted in response to “Thinking Summer or Back to School?”, Tennith’s comment took me back in time! She mentioned the excitement she felt as a first-year teacher preparing for her very first class. I distinctly remember that feeling and I too had many sleepless nights before that first day of school. She also asked for some tips for getting her through the first year. So I walked around the office today asking a few of the editors what advice they had for first-year teachers. This is what they’d like to share…

“Be a good listener! Take time to listen to other teachers and be sure to really listen to your students.” –Hope Spencer, Managing Editor of Grade 1 and Grades 2-3 Teacher’s Helper

“Read through some books for tips on classroom management. Find the ideas that you’d like to implement and then stick with them.”–Kim Murphy, Managing Editor of Preschool MAILBOX

“Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions! No one expects you to have all the answers.”–Tina Peterson, Editor

“Be proud that you have such an extremely important job. And remember the students are likely just as excited and nervous as you are!” –Diane Badden, Editor at Large

“Always remember to give your students enough thinking time after you ask a question. Most of the time they really need it!” –Sherry McGregor, Managing Editor of The Mailbox BOOKBAG

How about you? Do you have any words of encouragement for Tennith and all the other first-year teachers who are preparing to enter the classroom for the first time?

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