#2getherwearebetter Bulletin Board Bonanza!

Can you believe that is is August already? Where has the summer gone? 

Two of my favorite ladies Angie and Ashley have this amazing linky party on the 2nd of each month that brings teachers together called #2GetherWeAreBetter.  

This month's theme is all things bulletin boards. I don't know about you, but nothing makes me happier than getting back to school bulletin board inspiration! And can you believe over 100 people linked up! That's a lot of amazing inspiration! Thanks to this linky, this year I will create my best bulletin boards yet! 

Some of my teacher friends are already back to school: I don't envy you now, but I sure will when you get out in early May! I go back the last week of August which means I have not gotten the chance to set up my classroom yet this year. However, with that being said, I have 3 bulletin board tips from last year to share!

As a first year teacher, I had a love/hate relationship with bulletin boards. I wanted to create cute bulletin boards, but they were way down the list of must-dos for the year. These "wow work" walls were all the rage on Pinterest and I just had to create one. By adding one single clothespin on a thumbtack with some paper below, I was able to create interchangeable bulletin boards in seconds. It made my life a million times easier to just switch out a craftivity each month than having to change bulletin board paper and borders on huge walls. If there is one tip you need to add to your life, this is the one! Work Smarter Not Harder is my work motto!

If you have an ugly green tape covered magnetic chalkboard like me, you can jazz it up in seconds! There was so way I was going to keep that eye sore around that was completely unusable. Just hang some butcher paper and use a magnetic border to hold it in place. It will also add some flair to a magnetic white board without having to deal with creating tape border lines. I literally whipped up a whole wall length bulletin board in seconds! I purchased mine at Lakeshore last year but they are discontinued now. You can find tons of great options on Amazon by searching "magnetic borders". They are very affordable considering you can use them year after year!

I'm going to spare you the tip I wish I learned. Not every beautiful design you see on Pinterest will you be able to re-create and/or have it work for your needs. I saw the ribbon word walls on Pinterest and was so excited to try them out! It was such a pain in the neck to create, but once it was done it was beautiful! I was so proud of the word wall! Enter 30 kindergarteners and the wall was toast! It was an every day struggle to keep the cards sticking on the interactive wall, keep the ribbon hanging up on the wall as they removed cards, and having the ribbon not fray and fall apart in the process. I didn't even take an EOY photo because the wall was a mess and I couldn't wait to take it down. This year, I am definitely going for practicality over gorgeous looks. So as you are browsing through all these amazing ideas, just keep this tip in mind! 

Thanks to Mel from Graphics from the Pond for the adorable polka dot numbers used in the post!

 

I hope you found these tips useful when it comes to decorating for the year! I can't wait to see what my teacher tribemates have created! Stay tuned next month for the classroom reveal linky party! That is sure to be a good one!

How is it August Already???

This post will be short and sweet because it is officially back to school month and I am in high gear getting ready to start in a new school this year. 

Come link up with Farley and join in on the fun! 

Here's to a fantastic school year!

All About This Kinder Teacher

This week I'm linking up with my Teacher Tribe. I'm so thankful to have a linky with all my fellow K teachers in one place. It's part of the Kinder Tribe blog that I will be faithfully stalking this school year! 

Here is a little bit more about me!

I'm really excited to embark on my 2nd year teaching. What better time to be starting out in this profession than with all the best resources and collaboration at your fingertips!

Currently May

I haven't linked up with Farley for a Currently in months! Well, it is about time I change that ASAP! Here is what I have been up to this Month. 

Listening: 

I have been scouring lists like THIS and THIS to finalize my EOY slideshow music. This is my first ever year making an EOY slideshow and I know it is going to take a lot of effort for the perfectionist in me to be satisfied. If you have any songs that are a must have, please let me know in the comments! 

Loving: 

After discovering that Revenge was going to be cancelled, I decided to find a new ABC drama to watch. I have really been loving Secrets and Lies lately. I'm hoping that this show doesn't get cut too because so many of my shows are coming to an end this year! 

Thinking: 

Next week starts my EOY testing period. I want to make sure my littles are prepared to shine like the superstars I know they are! I have so much to get done and so little time! Thank goodness for ESGI! They will be my lifesaver! Click HERE if you want to read my blog post about why I love ESGI and get a promo code for $40 off your subscription!

 

Wanting: 

I just can't get everything done in a 2 day weekend anymore. This EOY madness is really crazy! I had no idea how much administration piles on you and just how fast time flies! Can't every weekend be a 3 day weekend? 

Needing: 

My organization needs to get stepped up a notch. I am a HUGE piler, and as a result, I seem to be misplacing something the moment I set it down. I can't lose any of these important EOY papers so I need to kick it into high gear and make sure there is a place for everything, and everything is in its place! 

Summer: 

While I still have a long ways to go until summer, it is never too early to plan ahead. I know I will be doing some traveling this summer to tour colleges, but I just don't know where just yet. I guess that is part of the fun! I really am hoping to hear about my job for next year! As a first year teacher, you just never know what your fate will be from one year to the next! Here's hoping I find out early on so that I can prep for the year to come over the summer and not just a couple of days before school starts! While I really would LOVE to make it to Vegas this summer, it is not looking like it is in the cards. If only Vegas was closer to the East Coast! I want to attend this fabulous professional development and meet so many blogging friends!

Well, I can't wait to hear what you are up to! So many of you are so close to the end of the year! We just crossed into the 30's for our countdown! The snow this winter was brutal!

Five for Friday: Vacation Edition

It seems like forever since I have joined a linky party! I'm very excited to be back in action with one of my favorites, Five for Friday hosted by none other than Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching. 

 I have been very fortunate that this week springtime weather has finally arrived and I was able to spend my days outside enjoying the warm weather because I had spring break. Here are five random events from my vacation week.

This week I confessed my love for ESGI Software. Click the photo to read my full post.

If I had one teaching tool I couldn't live without, this would be the one! If you are a new subscriber, you can get $40 off your yearly subscription with the promo code B4155.

Nothing made me more excited this week than the announcement of the Fuller House spin-off. This show was my entire childhood! I can't wait to see the familiar faces and where they take the show!

Just when you thought Netflix couldn't get any better! 

(Source MTV)

In other TV news, I can't even with Grey's Anatomy this week. If you are a fan, you know exactly what I am feeling! Thank goodness I was on vacation this week because clearly I need to recover from this madness!

Right before we left for vacation we decorated the windows with some stained glass butterflies. We were looking for a little touch of spring for when we returned. I have done these projects each season as inspired by Maria from Kinder Craze. We just love how beautiful they turned out!

Subscription boxes are pretty much all the rage right now. They have boxes for clothes, boxes for pet goodies, boxes for make-up, boxes for healthy foods, it seems there is a box out there for everything and everyone.

(Image Source: NYU Local)

My question is, where can I find a box tailored for teachers? Like a box filled with smelly markers, stamps, stickers, books, and card stock? There are so many teachers out there that this has to be a product in the market! And if not, what are you subscription companies waiting for? If you know of one, please point it out to me! I'd love to subscribe!

Well that's it for my Five for Friday! Stay tuned to see what I am up to next week when I am back in the classroom! Hopefully I can keep up with this blogging trend once school picks up again! We are in the home stretch!

Currently 2015

Happy New Year! I am trying to start off small this year with regards to blogging. Hopefully I can manage to post once a week at first. I hope to gradually build this number up over time but slow and steady wins the race right? 

To kick off 2015 on the right foot, I am linking up with the one and only Farley for her Currently series.

Listening: This break I have been addicted to HGTV. You know you are getting old when you graduate college and become immediately obsessed with all things home and garden.

Loving: This vacation I actually went to the library and checked out books for me! I was able to read two novels and it was just so relaxing! I forgot how much I love reading! I need to make this more of a priority in 2015!

Thinking: I am so not ready for my alarm to kick back in on Monday morning. I have been loving waking up whenever I feel like it and having lazy pj days. I am sure my body will be in for a rude awakening on Monday morning!

Wanting: At 3:30 I just walked out the door on the last day of school with everything Christmasy still in place. I am not so sure that was the smart decision now that I will have twice as much prep work when I walk in the building on Monday. If only we had a prep day before those kiddos came back!

Needing: After printing 300 pages and laminating 200 of them, I wish I had a personal assistant...or 3. 1 to place the pages in the lamination film, 1 to feed the laminating into the machine, and 1 to cut the laminating out. A girl can dream right?

Yes, Maybe, I Wish: This year I am going to try and cut back on technology. I know my eyesight is getting worse and I was having headaches from too much screen time. I need to cut back especially before bed! I am hoping to change things up and stay more organized. I start out really strong with all the ideas in place but then casually over time piles just start building up and papers get all mixed together until I forget why I bothered in the first place. For my wish, I really am hoping to go to Vegas this year. If not, it will be my 4th year of blog stalking the event and I don't think I can really handle it! Now that I have a job, I am hoping some of my colleagues might be interested in attending as well! It seems like the best PD you could ask for! 

Hopefully I will be able to blog about our week back to school if all goes well and I do not fall asleep at 4pm every afternoon! If you don't catch me on here, you can most certainly find me on IG and harass me to get posting!

14 in 14

It is so crazy to think this will be my 3rd post linking up with these fabulous ladies. I did 12 in 12 when I just started this little blog of mine and was far from a classroom of my own. 13 in 13 was a post highlighting all my student teaching experiences. And now, for 14 in 14 I have a classroom of my very own. It is so nice to be able to look back over the years and see how far life as taken me all accounted for on this blog!

In keeping with the trend, here are 14 memories from the craziest year of my life so far! 

(source)

I was obsessed with any and every pair of patterned pants this year. It really brightened up my wardrobe and made fashion fun!

I loved the book and I surely wasn't disappointed by the movie! I can't wait until Insurgent comes out next year!

It's impossible to pick just one! Shondaland represent! Best night on TV! Can't wait for January!

 Red Robin always and forever!

This year I tried to get all fancy and try some of the cooking techniques I learned watching Food Network. I now actually know what quinoa and aioli are so why not try using them? Turns out, those experts really know what they are talking about! My cooking is next level now!

My favorite gift I received this year was definitely time to spend with my grandmother. After her hospital scare I am more fortunate than ever to be able to continue to make a lifetime of memories with her.

Decorate a bulletin board once and just keep switching out the work. It has saved me countless hours this year!

My totally transformed series this summer was my favorite! I love how these DIY canvas art pieces turned out! So simple and so effective! They look adorable in the classroom! 

(source)

Naturally my favorite accomplishment of the year was getting hired for my first teaching job right out of college! With the outlook on jobs looking so grim I cannot count my blessings enough!

We went on vacation this summer and I fell in love with the gorgeous scenery. Sometimes you have to stop and really take it in because you forget just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful world.

My favorite memory this year was graduation. It may have lasted for such a short period of time but it was definitely such a fantastic day surrounded by family and friends. As much as I would love to go back and re-live the moment for one more day, I am so content with where life has taken me thus far.

For blogging it is simply to blog more. This year started out great and once October hit things got crazy at school and I didn't blog for 2 months. 

For my teaching, it is to let the kids teach me something each day. The moments when I let the children guide the conversation and propose new ideas is really when the magic happens.

For life in general, it is to remain present. So often I find myself entranced with technology that I forget to pay attention to the little things that pass me by.

In the digital age, so often am I searching for the next greatest thing to take part in. I search for hours on Pinterest to find the latest and greatest teaching idea. I am constantly trying to mix and match different ideas to maximize my time. For 2015 I want to take the time to slow down with life and simplify. I don't need to constantly be creating new ideas every night. I don't need to be constantly rearranging things and seeking out new ideas for methods that have worked fine for years. By simplifying life I can lessen my stress and really soak in the precious moments with family. Simplify speaks volumes to me this year. What's your one little word? 

 

Have a very merry Christmas and soak up every last second you can with your family! See you in 2015!