Don’t you just love the way your classroom looks at the beginning of the year? Fresh paint on the wall, clean floors, new bulletin boards and those new name tags! Then, about October, the shine starts to fade and those name tags start losing their charm. Tattered edges, peeled corners, pen marks, and holes! I’ve…
Organization and Supplies
Student Names Cards…So Fast and Easy
I just created these names cards for student cubbies. All I needed to do was click on the border I wanted, choose the font and type the names. Presto, in less than two minutes, great kid-friendly, personalized cards! You can make these just as quickly and easily as I did at Mailbox Gold 101 toolkit…
Classroom Prep Challenge
Okay, teachers! I’m putting together a list of the top ten tips for setting up a classroom at the start of the school year. And I need your help. Send me one tip, two tips, or more that will help other teachers stay cool, calm, and confident as they set up their classrooms for a new…
New or Reuse?
Yesterday, I spent five enjoyable hours at School Tools, a teacher supply store in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Spending a day in a teacher supply store pairs two of my favorite things: teachers and school supplies. My day was a blast, a bit of a gabfest really. I was there to talk with teachers about the…
A Summer Promise
I promised myself that this summer, I would experience some new things. So a couple weekends ago, I joined a mob. No, not the mob—a mob! For about an hour, I was a member of a local cash mob. I did a bit of research before I showed up. After all, I wasn’t interested in…
Paid for by a Teacher
I remember way, waaaay back when I interviewed for a teaching job in a specific school district, I had to complete several essays. One of the essay questions was “Describe your ideal classroom.” In retrospect, it’s a ridiculous question. The likelihood of getting your ideal classroom is slim to none because of the lack of…
Decor Debate
Last week, a colleague shared an education article with me titled “Study Shows Classroom Decor Can Distract From Learning.” The article outlines a recent study by Carnegie Mellon University. The study tested the effects of classroom decorations on focus and ability to learn in children ages three through five. For the study, 24 kindergarten students…
Putting Off Paperwork
Are you a paperwork warrior or a prisoner of paperwork? The golden rule of many time management experts is “only handle a piece of paper one time.” Once you lay your hands on a piece of paper, you must quickly decide right then and there whether to toss that paper, file it, or pass it…
Guess What Day It Is
Can you guess what day it is? Uh, uh? Can you? Can you? I admit, I’ve played my goofy camel card (think GEICO commercial) here at the office on more than one Wednesday. I love that camel! Today, I’m delivering news I’m hoping will make you happier than a camel on Hump Day! Part 1:…
Bingo Daubers and Binder Clips
Bingo daubers and binder clips: two nifty inventions with two distinct purposes. Bingo daubers are for marking bingo cards, and those pinchy binder clips are for holding together papers—right? Well, perhaps we can agree that these are the intended uses for the inventions! If you snooped around my home, you’d find a binder clip in…