11 Tips for New Teachers

1) Do NOT give out your personal number to parents.You may see some veteran teachers who have a different opinion than this. I have known several teachers that will text parents or call them on their cell phone after hours. As a first year teacher, I highly advise you NOT to give out your personal number!

Here are some resources that allow you contact parents via your cell with a little more discretion...
- Class Dojo
- Remind 101
- Or use a google number to call/text- You can change it anytime!

2) Create a classroom management plan, and stick to it! 
Think of a day in your classroom. You are teaching, someone has to go to the restroom, what exactly do you want the student to do- Raise their hand and ask for permission? -Just get up and go ? - Do you want them to sign out? Figure out, before school starts, how you want your students to act in every situation. Do this for pencil sharpening, no pencils, late assignments, no name papers, corroborative groups. Think of your rules and consequences, then think of reward systems. Write it all down! Be prepared to change some things according to your school/district policy. However, it is always so nice to have everything outlined before the year starts.

3) Find support.
Teaching is typically a profession filled with caring colleagues who are willing to help, all you have to do is ask! Find a veteran teacher at your school and ask for help. If you are drowning, tell them, if you have an angry parent, ask for their advice. If you need resources, ask. Not sure what teachers wear to staff development days, ask. I don't know many teachers that aren't willing to help. Find a teacher to mentor you, just make sure they aren't the nark

4) Find out who the nark is, and stay away from the drama
There is one at every school. That one person who will smile and nod while you are talking, venting, complaining and as soon as you stop, they RUN to admin and tell every detail. You can't really ask who the nark is, unless you already have someone you can trust. But once you know who it is, avoid, do not engage!

5) Save all of your hard copies
I have no idea what I was thinking when I first started teaching, but I never saved any hard copies! I didn't keep a dang thing! What I'd do differently is make folders at the beginning of each unit and slide in answer keys and hard copies as I went. This will save you so much time next year!

6) Make a "love note" binder
Keep all of the nice notes your students write you. If you teach 6th grade like me, some of the stuff kids will write me are hilarious and not so much "I love you Mrs. Bartlett" but if a student is taking the time to write or draw me anything, I want to keep it. It's always nice to read those things year to year. Make sure your they sign it! I usually hang the items up somewhere in the room and at the end of the year, I put them in the binder.

7) Go in early, leave on time
The best time to get things done is in the morning. I used to go in as early as I could, often times there was no line at the copier at 6:00 AM. If I went in early, I would also leave as soon as I could.

8) Make all of your copies on one day, the least busy copy day
My Aunt, who is also a teacher, told me that Friday afternoons are the best days to get copying done. Typically everyone wants to go home and start the weekend, giving you time to get your copying done for the next week. Figure out your school's least busy day to copy and make your copies that day. Whatever you do, don't spend hours in line waiting.
I think Monday mornings are always the most stressful and most crowded day to copy.... AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

9) Turn off the emails on your phone
Seriously, at least turn off the notifications. You will get emails at 9:00 at night, you definitely do not need to read them until morning. Don't even think about looking at them on the weekends. You probably will anyways, but I warned you.

10) Invest in a good planner
Target has good ones, Erin Codren's are my favorite.


11) "Stay in your lane"
My first year I was wayyyy to worried about the other teachers in my school. I was worried that so-and-so's room looked much better than mine. Or that my co-teacher was the "fun" teacher and I was the mean one. --- Just stay in your lane, worry about you and your classroom only! You already have too much on your plate.

28 Random Questions

The 3rd quarter of the school year has always been my least favorite time of year. Things get cray- and my patience wears thin. Last year I challenged myself to see the humor in the little things, or steer into the crazy. I had a very random group, and I loved it.

Here is a list of random questions they asked me in just one week. (Number 15, and 19 are my favorite #dying)

1. Did you know that sheep are animals?

2. What exactly is the color salmon? Is it more pink or more orange? And at what ratio?

3. What's your second favorite animal?

4. Why is there underwear in this jacket pocket?

5. Will you come smell this kid for me?

6. Can you stop using big vocabulary words now? Oh wait, those are our spelling words?

7. Can you please say "El Niño" for me?

8. What's your genre?

9. How often do you listen to country music?

10. What would you do if your eraser popped off of your pencil?

11. Does this count as a thingy?

12. How come blue nail polish tastes like blue berries?

13. Is greyish brownish a color?

14. What is this, Rat poison or pepper?
15. Who said Guadalajara's bathroom tasted good?

16. Would you say that squares are angular?

17. Mrs. B, would you like this coupon. It's for vanity fair tissues?

18. Did you know that you look like T swift?

19. Does Mr. Kyle [my husband] sit to pee?

20. What's your least favorite number?

21. Are you a good hula hoop-er?

22.What's your hula hooping record?

22. Do you think that Rooney is a good name?

23. In what order do you pop your knuckles?

25. What's your like favorite song of like all time ever?

26. If you had to pick one toe as your favorite, which would you pick? I like my index toe the best.

27. Can I just tell you 6 things that are wrong with your hair right now?

28. What's the opposite of donuts?

Your turn! I would love to hear any crazy questions you get during the day.

Best Class Pet

Introducing, the best class pet, JJ. (Named after my all time favorite Texan, JJ Watt)

Reasons I choose to have a class pet

• I teach "at risk" students. Some of them have never had a pet of their own. I want all my students to experience that.
• It helps build a classroom community.
• I can use JJ for so many examples in math and science.  Math- Volume of his tank, ratio of food to water.  Science- Adaptations, camouflage, environments, the water cycle.
• He creates a high interest class job. Students behavior must be outstanding in order for them to be the pet monitor.
• I love animals!

If your admin will allow you have to have a class pet I HIGHLY recommend one!

I picked JJ, a Crested Gecko, because they are ridiculously easy to care for!

Here are the Pro's for Crested Gecko's
1) No heat or UV lights needed. Most all other reptiles need these.
2) Crested Geckos can withstand classroom noise.
3) Liquid diet- no live crickets- I just mix power and water, and that's all he eats.
4) No teeth!
5) He is actually quite soft, he kind of has a velvet texture, not scales.
6) Easy to handle, he loves to climb! He will walk from one hand to the other endlessly, and he can jump too. My kiddos love to watch him jump from hand to hand.


Here are the Con's for Crested Gecko's
1) Crested are nocturnal. These guys don't like lights and spend most of the day sleeping. So, he isn't super active during the day unless you handle him.
2) If they loose their tails, like mine did before I bought him, they don't grow back.

Want more info?  Here is a link to a care sheet.

Start up for any pet can be costly, cages, the pet, food/water dishes, cage decorations etc... But, did you know that Petco and PetSmart have grants for teachers! You must have administration approval before entering. These grants help with the start up fees for classroom pets.
Do your research before applying!

Link for Petco Classroom Pet Grant- You can choose crested Gecko's here (Just saying).
Link for the PetSmart Classroom Pet Grant.

Finally here is a link to the Pets in the Classroom website. They might have more grants for your area.

2 Ways to Track Homework

"I never got a copy of the homework"

"My mom was checking it last night, and she forgot to put it back in my backpack"

"Mine's not finished yet"

"Can I turn mine in tomorrow?"

These are SOME of the things I heard nearly every homework turn in day. I would spend the first 10 minutes of every class period putting out these fires.

"Yes, you were given a copy"

"It is not your mom's responsibility to put your homework in your backpack"

"Then complete it tonight and turn in it tomorrow, You will get 10 points off per day late"

"Yes, you can turn it in tomorrow, You will get 10 points off per day late."

"AND, why haven't you turned in homework for 4 weeks?"

No matter if it was September, or May, I felt like I had these conversations every homework turn in day. I began my research to find ways to help my students take responsibility for their assignments. Also  what about students who never turn in homework, and I don't noticed until I start grading the papers.

Kristine Nannini, from Young Teacher Love, had a great post on her Homework Hotspot. So, to ensure everyone is turning in homework in on time, I implemented the Homework Hotspot in my room as well.

 This system has worked so well! Students turn in their homework into their class number's spot, and I can easily tell who has and who has not turned in their homework. When students turn in homework, it covers up their number. I can easily see the numbers of students who have not turned in their homework. Now I can just say "Numbers 4,6 and 7 have not turned in their homework yet.".


Queue the previously mentioned excuses from students 4,6 and 7. I really don't have time for that, and to be honest, I don't really care.  Queue the Catch Up Station! This sits right next to my Homework Hotspot and contains, no homework slips, make up work (this also solves the "What did I miss yesterday problem") and, extra copies.

If students do not have their homework, for whatever reason, they are required to fill out a no homework slip and put it in the Homework Hotspot in place of their homework. I have taught students that I will take off 10 points for each day late, I make very few exceptions. There is a spot on this slip where students can, and normally always do, tell me why their homework is not on time. I typically get responses like "forgot it at home". But, from time to time get valid excuses like "Mom was in the hospital yesterday" and in those instances, I have grace.

Below are Freebies for you to use in your classroom.

Click here for Link

Click here for Link

Happy Homework Hunting!