Hello everyone!
Today I am linking with Laura from Where the Magic Happens, Krista from Teaching Momster, and Lisa from PAWsitively Teaching! I have joined forces once again with my bloggy friends to bring you the best, most amazing giveaway on this Labor Day weekend!
All of us have been thinking about good ways in which to treat our readers and followers. We thought hard, and I mean it! Really, really hard… and decided that we can treat you to our best ideas to work smarter rather than harder… at school and home!
I know what it takes to be a great teacher, the stress, the time, the energy… I could go on and on! I also know that we crave time to ourselves and our families.
Use a number system not only to number your students but also on student work folders, parent contact logs, Library check out logs, class jobs, student mailboxes, etc… Think of all the items you end up having to remake year after year. Why not make these once using numbers and then you can reuse them for many years to come.
After having to remake my student mailbox labels year after year, this year I decided to work smarter and not harder and numbered each mail slot instead. All my students have to do now, is look for their number instead of their name.
I’ve also made my classroom jobs chart using numbers instead of names, not only does this tip save me time, but ink as well! And just in case I have a mental block and can’t remember my student’s numbers I have small lists posted around my room for quick reference.
I also use numbers for my Quick Check poster. Basically whenever I want to take a quick check of a lesson or a concept without having to spend too much time, I simply hand each student a Post-It, then ask a question, and as they finish their responses they walk up to the poster and place their note on their corresponding number. This helps keep their answers some what anonymous and also allows me to quickly check who is absent or who has yet to respond. This is a winner with both my students and myself!
Every week I send home a Home Communicator folder with all of the student’s graded work for the week. Filing papers into their folders is easy since each folder has been numbered and student’s always number their work papers. Having numbers on these folders also makes it easier to see who has yet to return their folders the following day. Basically all I have to do is place the folders in numbered order to see who is missing.
Although my husband is always saying that I don’t know how to relax, whenever I DO get a chance, I LOVE to just sit on the sofa with my daughter and Furbaby Jeter to catch up on Netflix and Tivo. I rarely ever watch live TV anymore! Who has the time for commercials anyways?
And finally, I love having a binder filled with Pre-Printed Parent letters that are ready to go at a moments notice. This tip has been a huge lifesaver for me, especially when I don’t have a printer that I can rely on.
My Parent Notes Bundle is 130 pages of EDITABLE parent notes. It includes notes for snacks, allergies, volunteers, supplies needed, behavior charts, field trip forms, academic concerns, class donations, incomplete homework, etc… just to name a few. Check out a preview of what’s included here.
1 Comment
Tricia Johnson
September 7, 2015 at 4:55 amHappy Labor Day!
I love your number order idea! You are right – so much easier not to recreate some resources every year if you do not have to. In my school, classes line up in number order as well. It is so easy to tell who is absent or missing at the moment through this system – also no pushing or running to the front or back of the line. Lastly, the Quick Check board you created reminded me of exit slips but in a much more organized way. I totally would love to try this amazing idea!
Have a wonderful school year!
Tricia from Tricia's Terrific Teaching Trinkets