Dear First Year Teacher

First of all you’ve got this and you are more than capable of doing this job! Here are a few tips and things to remember! 

1. The relationships that you build with your students far outweigh anything else. Truly take the time to get to know your students. Actually talk to them and watch how they light up. Check in with them when you notice they seem off. Maybe they will want to talk maybe they won’t, but at least they know you care! Greet them when they come into your room and tell them goodbye when they leave you. When they know you care you’re headed in the right direction!

2. Be willing to ask for help and learn from your colleagues. Find a community of like-minded people in the profession to support you. It’s okay that you don’t have everything figured out. 

3.Be a problem solver and don’t get stuck on all of the things that are going wrong. Things are going to feel overwhelming and yes things will go wrong, but work on finding a solution rather than spiraling down the negative hole. 

4.Create systems that work for you and be consistent with them. Once you find a rhythm for planning, copies, emails, communication with parents, grading, and so on you’ll feel less overwhelmed. And keep in mind what works for one person might not work for you- again that is okay!! 

5. Slow down and enjoy what you do. Don’t worry so much about having a perfectly curated classroom, the perfect units, a perfect teaching style, you’ll get there! For now just be present for your students, work hard, and stay positive! 

Back to School Activities

The beginning of the year is such a fun and exciting time, but it can also be very overwhelming and stressful. Establishing routines and teaching procedures is so important for your entire year. It's also very important to get to know your kids and begin establishing relationships with them. Below I have listed 4 activities that are very engaging and will get you off to a great start with your new bunch of kiddos!

Activity 1 

Would You Rather 

How to play: I read a would you rather card, roll a die for the number of kids that have to be a group, and then they find someone(or many) who has they same answer as them and form a group. This game generates excitement and engagement! 

You can find them here: 

Activity 2

Toothpaste Challenge 

This is great way to build community in your classroom! It's a step by step challenge that can be easily implemented in your classroom with minimal set up. The students will empty a tube of toothpaste and then you will instruct them to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube. (obviously it isn't possible and that is the point of the challenge). Explain to them that their words are like the toothpaste, sometimes mean and hurtful words can spill out if we do not use self-control. Once the words are out we cannot take them back. 

You can find it here! 

Activity 3

Monster Manners 

Read-alouds are a great way to get your kids engaged and all kids just love to be read to. "Mind your Monsters" is a great read-aloud as an introduction to your lesson or lessons on class expectations. The pack below includes a scoot that spells out MONSTER MANNERS and each letter has a question about procedures and expectations in the classroom. After the students finish the scoot you can have a class discussion about the procedures in your room. There is also a craftivty included :).

You can find it here!

Activity 4

About Me Bags

Give each student a bag to fill with four to five items that represent them in some way. The students love sharing their items with their classmates. Tip: before the kids start sharing you can print out your roster with space to write next to each name so you can write down what each kid brought. This is a great reference for you as you are trying to build relationships with your students!

I have created an "Instagram Themed" cover for the bag that you can find here!

Side one: "Instagram Page" Students will draw 4 different pictures in the 'Instagram squares" 
picture 1 - picture of school (#myschoolrocks)
picture 2 - picture of friends (#mybesties)
picture 3 - picture of a summer memory (#summermemories)
picture 4 - picture of the first day of school (#firstdayfeels)

- Side two: A letter to parents explaining what students should put in the bag. 

You can find this product here!

Organizational Tool 

There is no doubt that your desk can pile up with a ton of papers! I used a cart/drawer system to keep everything organized. Here is a picture of what my "desk area" looked like.
You can find these labels here!

Teacher Planner

It's been quite awhile since I have posted in this space! My goal is to create and post more frequently.  

I wanted to share with you a teacher planner that you can get from my TPT store. For the past couple of years I have used various folders, binders, planners, and files to keep all of the THINGS organized.  That system has worked okay, but I wanted all the important stuff to be in one spot. So, I created this guy!

Cover Pages ( 8 different options all watercolor themed) 

Sectional Cover Pages: 

Gades

Data

Lesson Plans 

Student Information 

To Do Lists 

Transportation 

Meetings 

IEP Info 

Parent Information 

Notes 

Forms 

Emergency Procedures 

Calendars 

Records 

Blank Pages 

Grade book with gridlines 

Math 

Reading 

Writing

Grammar 

Science 

Social Studies 

Conduct 

Homework 

Blank Page 

Organizational Pages: 

B & W versions available !

Birthdays 

Dates to Remember 

Two Page Spread Calendar for each month 

Month at a Glance 

Weekly to Do

Parent Contacts 

Colleague Contacts 

Note Templates: 

B & W versions available

Different layouts for each of the following 

Team Meeting Notes 

Staff Meeting Notes 

PLC Meeting Notes 

Lesson Planning Templates (3 different options) 

- two page spread with 6 subjects Monday - Friday 

- single subject templates 

- unit planning template (includes all steps in planning) great to use for formal observations

This planner can be assembled in one of three ways. 

3 ring binder 

Binding method (binding machine would be needed) 

The Happy Planner Tools (hole puncher and rings) 

Hop on over to my store and check it out! 

Welcome Back Pack

Everyone knows  that 'sneak a peak'/meet the teacher/open house, whatever your school calls it is right around the corner! I've created a product that will hopefully make your life a lot easier! I've set my room up differently every year for sneak a peak, and I have found that putting everything at each student's desk creates less commotion. You can find the FREEBIE below on my TpT store! It includes all the essentials...

Student information cards

Transportations cards

Volunteer Sign Up 

Student Name Tags 
& a few charts!

Here's to a new year with a fun new bunch of kiddos!

Happy Teaching,
Jess   

End of the Year Gifts!

Woo-hoo, we've almost made it! I am sure if you are anything like me your to-do list is LONG and every check on that list is beautiful. I created a simple gift that my kids will hopefully have fun using over the summer. I found everything at Target's dollar spot! If you would like the card I would be happy to e-mail it to you! Hopefully, I will have a TpT store up and running sometime this summer, so stay tuned!

                                   

Welcome!

How do you keep your classroom ticking? The wheels are constantly turning in my mind..

why did that work well,
who needs an extra hug today,

what can I do to keep them a little more engaged with the task, 

what's going to REALLY motivate them, 

how can they take ownership over their learning, 

why isn't this working,
and even sometimes...

WHO OR WHAT CAN HELP ME THIS SITUATION?

These questions keep me moving forward and growing as an educator. I hope you find that this blog leaves you with answers, ideas, and inspiration for your classroom. Here's a little bit about who I am, I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012-- Go Dawgs! Not too long after graduating I met a handsome fellow on a blind date and we tied the knot this past June. We have three crazy pups, Izzy, Mac, and Bentley whom we adore very, very much. I currently teach at elementary school in the metro-Atlanta area.

This is my third year of teaching. I began in 3rd grade and have taught 2nd grade since and I have to say that 2nd grade is by far my favorite. I look forward to sharing more and hopefully leaving you with some ideas to take to your own classroom for your kiddos! 

Happy Teaching, 

Jess