Classroom Compulsion

Another way to get really awesome resources is to enter giveaways from other blogs. Tonight I started following this blog, following her friend's blog, following her teacher store and now I am blogging about her giveaway so that you know it's there. Any way that you can get awesome resources, do it because you are going to need all the help you can get the first year. Here is a link to Classroom Compulsion:

Cross your fingers for me!

...Now What?

I finally got my blog looking just the way I want it! I am so excited (and a little proud of myself) that I was able to figure out how to do everything, or how to get around things. I love my new signature! And I love how well my blog flows together. It finally looks like a professional did it! I have all of my methods written down in a Word document so if anyone wants to know how to do anything I can definitely share everything that I have learned about personalizing a blog.

I am also finished packing. We are having a "Loading" Party (aka a Come Over and Drink Beer Party) tomorrow. Friends and family are going to come and help us throw my stuff into a trailer and then visit a little while before I move.

I have everything done that I wanted to do before I moved...so now what do I do?

First Year Teacher

I have been messing around on Pinterest this evening (what's new, right?). I found this really awesome Kindle purchase that I plan on reading (along with finishing the other books on my reading list). It is a free download if you have a Kindle. The book is called First Year Teacher. This book is full of tips, advice and warnings for new teachers! I am sooooo reading this book! I will definitely need it.

T-Minus 4 days until I move (Oh my gosh!)
15 days until I begin my career!!!!

Teachers Pay Teachers

While messing around on Pinterest (as I have been doing a lot lately), I discovered this really awesome website called Teachers Pay Teachers. This website is full of teacher created resources! There are resources for everything (probably because teachers know what teachers need). I decided to do a post about this website because I have been getting a lot of really awesome resources on there for free! If a new teacher finds this blog next year, I really hope that they read this post. There are a lot of things on the website that aren't free (most are only around 2 or 3 dollars though if you really want something). But I have downloaded TONS of resources for next year from this website and I haven't paid a cent. I know that I will be glad to have some of these things when school starts.

Another idea for resources is a website called The Mailbox. If you sign up for their e-mail newsletter, they will send you some really awesome ideas for classroom management or art projects or free activity pages.

I hope this helps someone in the future!

Redesign

Obviously since school hasn't started yet and I don't really know what I could be working on (without spending money), there isn't a lot for me to post about. So therefore, I am trying to make my blog look amazing! It will probably take me a while to get it just the way I want it. But for now, try and laugh a little as I make some changes if they look a little ridiculous. I have the time to create a new background and such and so I might as well (I am almost done packing, yay!).

Today was my last day at the specialty retail store (that shall remain unnamed) and I am not sad about it at all. I barely got a goodbye from most of the people there and the company doesn't care either. I have a couple of people who I will keep in contact with, but for the most part--so long! :)

Pinterest

I finally created a header that I am actually really happy with. Now I need to work on creating an awesome background to go with it. All of the blogs that I am visiting (mostly via Pinterest) have really awesome designs. So I am sure that my header is still fairly amateur, but who cares for right now? I can work on it a little at a time.

I have been stealing a lot of really great teaching ideas off of Pinterest lately that I am DYING to try! I cannot wait to get to Kansas and get all set up in my apartment so that I can get started organizing for the school year.

I also received my "teacher e-mail address" today and it made me really happy and excited. I don't really feel like I am actually a big girl now who is moving out and starting her own life. I feel like I am packing to go back to school and in a few weeks I will see all of my college friends. Life in Kansas is definitely going to be an adjustment. But on the bright side, one of my college friends got a job in the same building, so I will already have a friend!

New Header!

I have been playing with Photoshop (which is WAY more difficult than I expected it to be) and I have finally created my own header. I couldn't have done it without TONS of help from my computer savvy boyfriend.

I know it isn't the greatest, but hey, I finally did it! I will definitely be working to create a better one, which hopefully I will have up and running soon, but for now, this one will do.

T-Minus 16 days until I move to Kansas!
27 days until I have to report for New Teacher Orientation. Hopefully then I can start posting more about teaching and less about my life until then!

Goodbye Retail!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be done working in retail. People are just so MEAN! Seriously, what did I do to you to make you treat me like crap? I asked a lady if she was doing okay (like every trained associate in a specialty retail store would) and she ignored me and turned around and walked away. Seriously? I'm not a good enough person to even look at? I know this blog is about my first year of teaching, but this is me saying "So long retail!" I promise I am done ranting after this. I just have a few things that I really want every single mean customer out there to read:

1) It is okay to have a normal conversation with a sales associate. Just because I ask how you are doing today does not mean that I am going to try and sell you something. I hate it when I ask how their day is going and they say "I don't need help." Okay, but that's not what I asked, lady. Maybe you need a good teacher (like me!) to teach you proper responses to questions.

2) If you had a good mother or father, I am sure they taught you that it is not okay to ignore people. Again, just because I say hello does not mean that I want to sell you something. When I say hello and you just ignore me, then I know that you are the type of person who thinks they are better than anyone who has to work crappy jobs to support themselves. I'm sorry, no you are not better than me because I actually have manners.

3) A smile goes a LONG way. I am just supporting myself and doing what I am told to keep my job, you don't need to be mean.

4) I am always amazed at how rude some people are when they are eating at a restaurant! Seriously, they are dealing with your food! I have worked in a restaurant and yes, I have seen a waiter spit in someone's food. It is not just a myth, people! I know working in retail I can't spit in something that someone is going to eat, but I can be really mean at the register in my own passive aggressive way. Guess what, at my job, I may be the greeter and the cashier, which means that if you are rude to me at the front of the store, I might also be the cashier and sorry, no our register isn't capable of looking up coupons. But if someone is nice to me, guess what, I have this 20% off coupon that I just happen to know the code for even though you didn't actually get the coupon in the mail. Be nice to retail people because they may want to help you out if your transaction starts climbing quickly.

Not every person is mean. I love the people who come in and start talking up a storm! I just wish people knew that just because I am nice does not mean I am getting paid on commission.

Okay, next post will be about teaching. I have had my rant about retail.

My New Planner

The last few days, I have spent packing up my bedroom (which is taking FOREVER).

But I was able to purchase a "Teacher Planner/Record Book".

I want to be as organized as possible this year since it is my first year. So I have taken the time to mark the dates that we have no school and the dates that are teacher inservice days. The No School days are pink and the Teacher Inservice days are purple. 

I only prepared 10 student boxes because I am not sure how many students I have yet. 

I am getting very excited about moving and beginning my new career. I hope this year runs smoothly. I can't wait to get out there and set up my classroom. Hopefully I can find more things to prepare while I have all this time. I am sure that next year, I will know exactly what I need to do to prepare for the school year. I wish I knew that now. In the mean time, I will continue to read these awesome resources that I found through one of my mentor teachers:

           

   

Preparations

I have been spending most of the day packing today. But I thought I would take a moment to work on anchor charts! I just finished a chart on Adjectives. I got the idea from a pin on Pinterest. Here is the link to The Inspired Apple (the blog that the idea came from):

 http://theinspiredapple.blogspot.com/2012/03/camera-dump-anchor-charts-oh-my.html

I think my chart turned out pretty good. I will also make the charts for noun, vowel, etc.

Moving!

I just graduated from a college in Colorado that was roughly an hour and twenty minutes away from home. My mother raised me to be reasonable about expenses that are coming up (like my $30,000 of student loans). So when I went to a job fair for new teachers, I went to every booth--out-of-state or not. I am very excited because I got a job! I am one of the few people I know or have heard of to get a teaching job right out of school in this economy. I am now off on a new adventure because I am moving to Kansas! I am very excited to get settled out there.

I already have a pretty nice apartment. But now, I need to start packing! I have been looking online for ways to get prepared for an out-of-state move and they are all basically saying the same things:

1) Give yourself plenty of time to pack.
          Check. I have four weeks to pack!

2) Get information on any licenses/IDs you will need.
          I plan on doing that tomorrow. :)

3) Set up your utilities before you arrive.
          I will also accomplish that tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

My Very First Blog Post

Hello!

This is my very first posting and I have to say that I am a little excited to start off my new blog. I hope that I can come up with as many great ideas as I have gotten from the many terrific blogs that I have been following the past couple months. As this is my first year as a teacher...in a classroom...by myself (mostly), any advice would be AWESOME.

I have been trying to figure out how to prepare for the coming year. I know that there is probably a lot that I could be doing, but I have no idea where to start. I have written a welcome letter for my parents with as much information as I have at the moment (which is not a lot) and I have created a few monthly calendars for the coming school year. Mostly though, I have just been pinning away on Pinterest. What should I do to prepare for the school year?