YOU are a Hero!

Really, you are! 

I am blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and dedicated teachers.  Day in and day out, teachers put in so much time and energy into their students' educations.  Teachers, you truly are heroes.  And don't ever forget it!

Take a minute this week to honor a teacher you know.  Write them a note, give them a compliment, buy them coffee, or just say THANKS!

In honor of all of the hard work teachers do every day, TpT is throwing a sale starting on Wednesday, February 25th.  My entire TpT store will be an additional 28% off when you use the PROMO code HEROES at the checkout.  And hey, while you're there, follow my store!  :)

Soooo…. What did you put in your cart?  I'd love for you to share below!

Do YOU Love to Read?

Around here, February is "I Love to Read" month!  Our school challenged teachers to decorate their door with a reading theme.  It was so fun to see what everyone came up with!

For our door, I gave the task to my students.  Someone suggested a Superhero theme, and miraculously, everyone agreed.  I had them make a list of supplies they needed, and I provided them.  They used an image on their iPads and projected it onto the screen to trace the big superheroes.  I am so proud of their teamwork and collaboration!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the building!  :)

Heard of RedBox?  Wouldn't you love a real-life READ-box?

"I Mustache You to Read"- This one has pictures of the kiddos holding their favorite book and a giant mustache.  Cuties!

Awww, one of my favorite childhood books recreated by our speech-language pathologist.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a favorite in my class.  Each day, these fourth graders add to their own class diary.  How cute is that?

This teacher brought Elephant and Piggie books to life!

Dr. Seuss was a popular theme for teachers, too.

This one has the kinders' faces in the little flowers in the grass!

The Pre-K kiddos worked hard on their ABC pages for this door.

Yes, those are students holding mini trufflula trees.  Love!

Along with the door decorating, we got to read in our PJ's and counting our reading minutes to earn a pizza partyDoes your school celebrate "I Love to Read" month?  What sort of fun events do you do?

Five for Friday- I'm back!

Happy Friday, friends!

It's Friday, which means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for another Five for Friday!  Five for Friday is a weekly link-up for teachers to post updates to their week.  Now, I know I've been M.I.A. for the past few months… So I think this post will be more of a Five for the Past Five Months.  So here we go!

1.  New Look!

What do you think of my new blog design?!  I am in LOVE with it!  I asked PJs Design Laboratory to help me out, and I am so pleased with the result!

I've got all the fancy social media buttons up top… click around and if you feel so inclined… FOLLOW ME!  :)

2.  Classroom Reveal

The start of a new job took it's toll on me.  To be honest, I was unhappy, overwhelmed, and ready to quit (hence my absence in the blogosphere).  I talked with my doctor and got things figured out.  Now, I love my job (most days)!  

Anyway, I missed the frenzy of everyone revealing their classrooms.  For the first few months of school, my room looked pretty bland.  But with each new month, I feel like I can take on a little more, and now my room feels near "complete".  Take a look!

Here's a peek at my room from the door.

Top left: I have a wonderful long counter in the back of my room, with nice shelves underneath.  I keep my word study bins and classroom library on the shelves.

Top right: I've had these drawers forever.  They used to house my craft supplies, but I brought one to school and keep all my copies and plans for each subject.  GREAT way to keep organized!

Bottom left: This year, I've let go of the mentality that my room needs to be "TpT bought" or "cutesy" or "digitally made".  I found that in order for things to actually get done, I need to just make them by hand.  Here's my reading groups and word study schedule.  Simple markers on construction paper.

Bottom right: I call this Grand Central Station.  In the back, my desk area, and in the front, my doc cam area.  I keep my name sticks, pens, textbooks, and you can see my subject copies cart there on the right.  Also on the left (not pictured), is a lamp I found in my parents' basement, which gives a nice warm light to the area.

3.  Wedding Weekend

This past weekend, Kendall's cousin got married in northern Minnesota.  I just love this photo of us from the reception.  Congrats Amy and Matt!

I know this is only a Three for Friday, but I've got some new posts in the works, so stay tuned!  Feels good to be back in the blogging world!