Teaching Ideas we are THANKFUL for!

Hello Friends~

Today you are getting 2 for 1! Amber from The Sunny Side of Second Grade and Dianna from Sassy, Savvy, Simple Teaching are here today to share with you what we are thankful for!

        

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I guess some of our readers would like a little background on the two of us... Well as many of you know we are both USMC wives who moved to Jacksonville, NC in the summer of 2013. We didn't know each other then or that we would be working together until a week prior to our year-round school started. We met during a county new employee training. From there, we ended up sharing a few students. Amber is a second grade teacher & Dianna was a part time Title I second grade teacher. From there, a professional and personal relationship was established.
Well the rest is history you could say! So our first idea so to speak that we are thankful for is having the opportunity to move & teach in new places. This is when you get the opportunity to meet people you never knew you would. Here's a photo of us at work together:

Teaching Idea Amber is THANKFUL for:

When I first heard about this post I was so excited. I knew exactly what I was thankful for. The problem was that Dianna thought I shouldn't be thankful for her. :-) Love ya, D! In spite of what she says she is the most amazing person you could ask to work with and she is such a valuable friend. She is always there for you professionally and personally and will do anything for you. And resources?! Forget about it!!! She goes above and beyond to make sure her teacher friends are set up for success. I mean, she recently took time out of her own schedule to conduct a professional development class over several days surrounding a book study on close reading. I am sure you have read about it on her blog. Really cool stuff she did for our staff! So, D...I am thankful for you! Since I am sure Dianna will not be satisfied with that, I will tell you one more thing I am thankful for...

Ummmm, thank you Pinterest and, once again, Dianna! Last year Dianna told all of us about something she read on a blog where a teacher covered her reading table with the Go Write Dry Erase Adhesive Roll. This was genius!!! I decided it would work best for me if I cut individual squares for my table, so I found some decorative duct tape that went with my color scheme in my room, did some measuring, and hoped for the best. I'd say that it is working nicely! Working math problems is a breeze! When I call my reading groups over, I have their names written on their square so there is no room for arguing on who sits where. We all get started right away and my life is easier! If you haven't tried this, you definitely should. I have even considered covering my student desks or making individual squares on the desks. This would help with assessing on the fly while we are doing whole group activities. Right now, we just write on the desks! :-O

Teaching Idea Dianna is THANKFUL for:

The idea of products that make teacher's daily job easier is fantastic, but for me the idea of products that make my day to day job manageable and organized is what really matters. The smallest things matter the most. So as I was going through a regular day at work I made a conscious effort of the things I used most during the day, like one of these items is in my hand at every minute. They are the smallest things but I wouldn't get my job done without them. I have over 30 teachers in my building and I have to keep it together for them as best I can. I think everyone can relate to the feeling of a bad stapler, chart paper markers that are awful, generic sticky notes, or junky pens. They drive me CRAZY! I have to have my most valuable supplies daily, it's just the way I operate. Colored sticky notes are very important to me as I color code notes from each team that way. 

So I am thankful for the geniuses who made these simple products to keep me on top of my day to day jobs: