TX Teacher Mama

I am so excited because I can finally get into my new (well new to me, but very  old in terms of years) classroom tomorrow. I may be unique in this way, but today feels like Christmas Eve. That's the nerdy teacher in me! It's no secret that I have been back to school shopping literally all  summer but that's for two reasons: 1. I love being a teacher and creating the best possible classroom for my kids and 2. my son loves shopping! I know, I know, you read #2 and you are thinking, "she's just saying that as an excuse to shop." But no, it's completely true! If my child sees a shopping card he literally lurches out of my arms and is happy as a clam the entire time we are in stores. So on those 100+ degree afternoons when he is throwing tantrums at home you betcha I load him up and run to literally any store to save our sanity. Last week we took a quick trip to 5 Below (because I had already been to Target too many times to count last week) and we found...

This is a reality check. I think every August (in this case, July) I end up giving myself the same reality check. I am thrilled, excited and frankly overwhelmed about the year ahead. My brain is running a thousand miles a minute about routines, procedures, lessons, and classroom arrangement. I stay up late at night thinking about morning meetings and flexible seating. Visions of anchor charts, read alouds, and writing lessons run through my head. My list of things to talk to my team about is a page long. My classroom to-do list is another page. The number of new ideas I want to add to my teaching practice is too many to count on one hand. Honestly, it's too many to count on two. And the crazy thing is I HAVEN'T EVEN GONE TO PD YET . And I am teaching a new grade level. So yeah, this is my reality check that it's not going to all happen. It just can't. Yes, that Ron Clark book I read was full of teaching brilliance, but I can't do it all . Yes, my...

How is it possible that we are a week away from August? Despite my excitement for the new school year, a new classroom, another chance to teach an awesome group of kids (that I had 2 years ago in 2nd grade), I am still experiencing that end of summer shock! One of my favorite ways of dealing with this shock is a nice, quiet afternoon stroll around Target with a Dr. Pepper in hand. I decided to hit the store yesterday after realizing that it had been an entire week  since I had last been to Target! I managed to find some awesome classroom ideas and I snagged a few things for myself too. 1. Motivational signs I snagged all five of these signs this month because they were honestly too cute to resist. The smaller ones are a dollar and the bigger one is 3. I figured they could give a bright pop of color and some motivation to my students (and me!) throughout the day! 2. Thank You Notes I am always writing my students thank you notes and I do my best to get...

I am not organized. Nope, not at all. I try to be and I try to be perceived that way, but it's just not who I am. As a child I would let me room get crazy messy and then have an itch late at night to clean and reorganize it all. And I would. And then a few days later you would never  know because it would be a mess again. In graduate school I spent a huge chunk of my winter break creating an elaborate, organized binder for my lesson plans. That lasted a week. I was quickly back to my mess of a self and a desk. During my first three years of teaching, I worked really hard at the beginning of the year to create a comfortable, inviting and safe place for my students. It was beautiful, bright and full of books. This is something I will continue to do every year of my teaching career. That beautiful, organized space, however doesn't stay organized. Inevitably, my desk turns into a disaster and supplies and papers get stuffed everywhere in an effort to quickly mask the m...

1. It's the new pinterest Everyone knows Pinterest is a teacher's best friend right? I think at one point it was, but now it's Instagram. Why? On Pinterest you might come across what you are looking for accidentally, but then again, maybe not. That's because Pinterest is a search engine. You have to have the idea first and then look for it. Instagram is a feed, so you are inspired through your scrolling rather than your searching. 2. It's like a mini PD I know I am one of those weirdos who lives  for PD in the summer. That's because I am  always  looking for ways to improve my craft as a teacher. On Instagram, I am able to follow Master Teachers and I constantly learn from what they post and their live videos or stories. Just the other day I ended up chatting with one of the teachers I was watching because she shared some fabulous language she uses with her students in her classroom. I immediately opened up my planner and wrote it down! And that bring...

I know that some teachers like to squeeze every last drop out of summer. While I love summer (um hello swimming, lunch dates, quick trips, pjs all day, midday naps, lots of free time), I also can never  get school and teaching out of my head. I love to use summer as a chance to refresh for the next year. I've already done my fair share of shopping and I have officially cut myself off. If you're in that same boat, then please enjoy this fun list of ways you can prep for the new school year for FREE! 1. Go to the Public Library I don't know how it's possible, but I often forget about the public library during the school year. The summer is the perfect time to peruse the children's section and check out new titles that your students may be interested in. The best part is, right now you actually have time to read them! Be sure to make a list of titles you may want to add to your classroom library when you get the chance. 2. Create your teacher instagram account...

Does your classroom have a theme? I'm not sure which came first, Pinterest or the classroom theme but I remember the summer I discovered that classrooms were supposed to have themes. I had just been hired for my first teaching position (thankfully at a school I have loved so much that I've never left). I was hired in June and of course I didn't begin until August so I had one long summer to collect supplies and prepare for my first classroom ever, my very own space. Having never set up my own classroom before, I began spending hours on Pinterest looking at classroom furniture, set ups, decorations, etc. It became painfully obvious that classrooms were meant to have themes. I immediately texted my girl friends from grad school wondering what their themes would be? Camping theme, woodland creatures, etc. were the responses I got. No wonder, those were all things I had seen on Pinterest. Being the San Antonio transplant that I am, I settled on a Texas/Fiesta theme and I...