Erin Condren Giveaway

Hello loves!

Guess what finally came in the mail today!?!? My gorgeous Erin Condren Lesson Planner. I have been stalking the FedEx man and my mailbox for the last week. Isn't she beautiful?

(Ignore the box under my name. It is hiding my school's name)

These are my favorite parts of my planner!

The actual lesson plan area is gorgeous and I am so ready to write on it. (Erasable pens, of course!)

 The Year at A Glance portion is perfect for Curriculum planning!

The sheet protectors in the back will house my schedule, class list, important teacher and student passwords, parent contact list, and more. I ordered two extra sheet protectors because I knew I would love them.

What teacher doesn't love checklists?!? There are so many checklists and the possibilities of how to use them are endless!

Last, but not least, the freebies! The Lesson Planner came with several coupons, gift labels, and regular personalized labels!

I love this planner and I am so ready to start filling it in! So on to the giveaway... I am giving away two different discount codes for $10 off an Erin Condren product. This code does not expire and can only be used once. In order to enter the giveaway you must do three things:

1. Post a comment about your favorite part of the Erin Condren Teacher planner. Include your email address in the comment.
2. Follow my blog on BlogLovin' if you have not done so already!
3. Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect.

That's it! Simple right?

a Rafflecopter giveaway I will choose two lucky followers on Friday 7/12/2013 to have one discount code each.

Have a great Hump Day!

What an Honor! My first blog award!

Hello! I have amazing news! I was nominated for my first blogging award, the Liebster award!

I know many of you probably have received this award, along with several others, but this is my first one and I am SUPER excited. I was graciously nominated by Sarah at Kinder Cakes. I

To accept this award, there are several requirements:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me
2.Answer the questions created by my nominator
3. Share 11 random facts about myself
4. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers
5. Create 11 questions for my nominees
6. Contact my nominees and let them know I nominated them

Questions from Sarah:
1. What is your favorite dessert?  I honestly don't  have a favorite.  I love all desserts!
2. If you could be a Disney Princess, who would you be? I would definitely be Cinderella. She is like the quintessential Princess. All I need is a Prince Charming... and a castle.
3. What is your dream car? My dream car is a white Range Rover. I love these SUVs. However, I am not a fan of the newer editions that are rounder looking.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Hands down, my favorite show is Law and Order: SVU. I have seen EVERY episode at least 10 times.
5. What is the last song you listened to? I last listened to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines". It is such a fun dance song!
6. What is your favorite animal? Dogs are my favorite. They are the most loyal and by far the cutest.
7. Which holiday is your favorite? Christmas is my favorite.  Celebrating the birth of Jesus, wrapping presents, Christmas songs, tree decorating, gift giving.. what's not to love?!
8. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries.... yum!
9. What was the last thing you ate? The last thing I ate was a Chik-fil-a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. I am anxiously awaiting the Spicy Chicken Nuggets. I think they would be such a hit!
10. If you could meet a character from a picture book, who would it be? I would love to meet Flossie from Flossie and the Fox. It is my favorite children's book that my mother used to read to me.
11. Where would you vacation if money was no object? I would love to go to Australia. I have been obsessed with this continent/country since I was little.

11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I am allergic to marshmallows and onions.
2. I have a huge shopping addiction.
3. I have an unhealthy obsession with school supplies.
4. I don't like vegetables... at all.
5. I don't like going to the movie theatre. It kind of creeps me out being so close to strangers. Weird huh?
6. I have MAJOR anxiety about going to the doctor of any kind. I can barely sleep the night before a doctor's appointment.
7. I love Reese's but only the miniature cups. The regular size has too much peanut butter! haha.
8. I check Pinterest before I go to bed or get out of bed. Sad, I know.
9. I am 5'10'' and everyone assumes I play basketball, but I can't dribble a basketball if my life depended on it.
10. My left foot is half an inch shorter than my right.
11. My real first name is spelled wrong (i.e. mom wanted it to be unique) therefore I go by "Bria", a nickname my grandmother gave me.

I want to nominate the following blogs that I have found:
Tailor Made Teaching
Creating A Thoughtful Classroom
Hoots N Hollers
Tales from a Schoolyard
Happily Teaching

Keep up the great work!

Here are the 11 questions for the nominees:
1. Why did you become a teacher?
2. What is your favorite picture book?
3.  Who inspires you the most?
4. If you could meet a famous person who has already died, who would it be and why?
5. What is your favorite candy?
6. What is your favorite holiday you celebrate in your classroom?
7. Why did you start your blog?
8. What is one thing in your closet you could never give away?
9. What is your favorite beverage?
10. What are three things that you love about the state you live in?
11. What is your favorite thing in our classroom?

Thanks for all of my followers and especially Sarah at Kinder Cakes for the nomination!

These are a few of my favorite pins

Hello all!

I, like the rest of you, am literally addicted to Pinterest. I explore it about 20 times a day... not even joking.  I have tons of pins and likes, so I had to participate in The First Grade Parade's Favorite Pins Linky Party.

 So these are a few of my favorite pins...

*Favorite Outfits Pins*:

 I LOVE Fall Weather! Boots, scarves, and leggings OH MY!

*Favorite Teacher Pins*

Pinterest introduced to me to the Erin Condren Lesson Planner. I finally ordered mine and it should be here on Tuesday. Blog post about my planner will be coming next week!

Every time I see this classroom, I drool. EVERY TIME. This room is amazing and I love the carpet. Visit Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits to see more wonderful classroom decor.

Here is another classroom I adore. I loved her Reading and Writing Binders idea so much that I made a set for my kiddos. This bookshelf is a great way to display new books as well. Visit Lessons With Laughter to learn more about her binders.

*Favorite Quote Pins*

I love this quote. I want to display this in my classroom somewhere. 

Amen!

*Favorite Foods Pin*

I am from Louisiana therefore, cajun food is my comfort food. Just thinking about crawfish etouffee, gumbo, and bisque makes my stomach happy.

Cake =Yum!

There you go! Follow my on Pinterest to keep up with my pins and as always link up with Cara Carroll to join the party!

Graded Papers Folder

Hello loves!

I wanted to share how I  keep track of my graded papers. First off, I am not very great at managing my time wisely and grading weekly papers every week. I usually wait until Sunday to grade it all... Can you say no life? haha. Anyways, my goal this year is to grade at least two sets of papers a day to help with my endless stack of papers. Well, our PTA bought me this amazing mailbox from Really Good Stuff that I am so excited to use. It is made of sturdy wood with 27 paper slots and two trays attached on the sides (I plan on using those trays for my absent folders and extra copies of assignments)

Every student has a Tuesday Folder where I put all their graded papers in and send home on you guessed it.. Tuesday! When they turn in their Tuesday Folder each week, presumably on Wednesday, they will place their folders in their mailbox. This way I can easily see who has not turned them in.  As I finish grading each set of papers for the remainder of the week, I can put them in their mailbox on top of their Tuesday Folder so that when I put their papers in the folder everything is all right there! Easy peasy right?

Also, when I send home their graded papers, I DO NOT WANT THEM BACK, unless they are needed for their portfolios! I do not have the filing space, nor do I want to keep up with them. I do, however, want to make sure that parents are seeing their child's grades. Therefore, every week when I send home papers, I include a form that shows all of the assignments and the grades for each, as well as their conduct and work habit scores for the week. Here is the form I used for the last week of school.

Each week, I copy this form for each student and fill in their grades for each assignment and an N,S, or E in each Conduct and Work Habit category. For the next week, I can simply adjust the week dates and the assignment names. The comment section allows the parents to share concerns over academic or behavior issues or question my grading. Eek to the second part, but it does happen. This is the only form I want back inside their folder. I take this form out and put it in their individual student folders located in my file cabinet. I figure it's much easier to keep one form with all their grades than all of their actual graded papers. These weekly forms also are great for conferences. "Oh you didn't know your child was getting an N on their report card for completing classwork on time? Well let's look at their weekly graded summary form and see where you signed that you saw their N each week in that category." Does that sound cynical? Oops! I don't want parents to be surprised AT ALL when report cards come out and this procedure has greatly helped with that.

Well I think that pretty much sums it all up. Let me know if you have any questions. Please share how you keep up with your student's graded papers.

Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party

Hey Bloggers!

I've been crazy lazy lately.... I think I deserve it though. I went to a 3 day IB 101 course to learn about the program and its components. I learned a lot, but I am still worried about how to implement the program to fidelity while also keeping up with Common Core and state standards.... real world teacher problems right?

Anyways, I am linking up with Mrs. Reed at Flying into First Grade for her Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party. Here's how it works: You choose three topics in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) like a tic-tac-toe board and share about each topic.

 I am going to share about the first vertical row.

I went to _______ college and a favorite memory

I went to Auburn University, otherwise known as the "loveliest village on the Plains".  War Eagle! I had an AMAZING experience at Auburn. I was super involved in everything from college recruitment to admissions office, and from College of Education Student Council to joining a wonderful sorority. My absolute favorite memory, however, was enjoying the wonderful football games and tailgates. Even if I did not go to a game, I was definitely at a tailgate enjoying the atmosphere... and the food.

Share about your first year of teaching

Wow! My first year was truly survival of the fittest. I taught third grade in Opelika, AL (5 minutes from Auburn). I had absolutely no experience teaching that grade level and did not think I would enjoy it at all, but a job was a job. However, after that one year, I realized that this was the PERFECT grade.. seriously!! I loved everything about that year. I cherished the kids and my wonderful coworkers. The kids were my guinea pigs and I loved testing developing my teaching practices with them. It was honestly one of the best first year teaching experiences anyone could ask for.

My favorite grade to teach and why

Well, I pretty much mentioned it above but I will reiterate it again... THIRD GRADE ROCKS! I am kind of bias because it is the only grade I have taught, except Kindergarten for my internship. Does that count? Anyways, the kiddos at this grade are at the perfect age were they admire their teacher, are eager to please, love to learn, and their personalities are beginning to flourish and shine. They understand my sarcasm wit and humor, and  they are independent and creative. If I ever had to move to another grade, which I think is coming next year, I would want to stay as close to third grade as possible, like 2nd or 4th.  If you have never tried teaching this grade, you seriously should consider it! Like call your principal right now and request a grade change... all joking aside :)

Well, that's a little about me. As always visit Mrs. Reed at Flying into First Grade and join the party!