Teachers! What are you doing to get excited

[joenali]

for school?

I remember last summer I was excited to go back to work, I had some great ideas that I wanted to try and was excited to set up my room.

This summer, not so much. I feel like I don't have any inspiration or exciting things to to do or try this year!

Help me!

We don't go back for another couple of weeks and I do have some trainings at the end of August, so maybe that will insprire me!

What are you doing to get excited to go back to work? Or maybe you aren't excited either ! :/

[cricketwife]

I'm changing jobs!! Seriously. When you stop getting excited, it's time to start looking.

[Tea-rific]

I am going through my pinterest teaching boards and deciding what stuff I want to implement this year. I also just went to my annual trip to the teacher supply store to buy some goodies. My first day back is the 17th...

[sugarbear]

I am setting up my classroom right now. My new room alone is inspiring me. Brand-new hardwood floors and freshly painted walls. I have a Smartboard summer camp next week that I'm really excited about.

Mostly, though, I'm excited to meet my new team teacher. And I've rewritten some of our curriculum and I LOVE what I'm going to do in 7th Grade English this year.

So, I'm overwhelmed, but excited. Maybe you can look for some ways to freshen up your curriculum? I don't know how much freedom you have to do that...

[joenali]

Jul 31, 2012 13:13:27 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

I am setting up my classroom right now. My new room alone is inspiring me. Brand-new hardwood floors and freshly painted walls. I have a Smartboard summer camp next week that I'm really excited about.

Mostly, though, I'm excited to meet my new team teacher. And I've rewritten some of our curriculum and I LOVE what I'm going to do in 7th Grade English this year.

So, I'm overwhelmed, but excited. Maybe you can look for some ways to freshen up your curriculum? I don't know how much freedom you have to do that...

I've gone to school several times (I'm actually in a new school this year, so really that is exciting to me!). I've gone two times to see where my room is and no one is ever there. THe principal won't be back until the 6th. I am going to go today to see what I can find out about my room situation. I think once I get to see where I am teaching I can begin to think about new ways to do things.

[Deleted]

Im not a teacher but I am a school employee... School starts at the end of August for us.

I'm trying to set goals and come up with a game plan on how to accomplish those goals. And I'm pinteresting like crazy.

[shell403b]

I'm getting ready to plan this inservice I'm giving with one of my fellow dept chairs. Should be a great experience for those that come to the session (it's the technology suite for our textbook).

Also putting together a Welcome To Your New Job basket for a former support colleague that got ran out of our school--she found a FT teaching position at a different school (Boo--she is awesome and worked with us for 5 years, but somehow, our admin didn't want to hire her--it's big drama). I'm going to find her fun school supplies she can use in her first year of having her own classroom (I already have the colored chalk), plus some fun things for her (I already have some hand lotion and an oil-scent thing). I'm going to take it over to her new school the first week we're back (it's between the school where I work and my house). I hope she'll love it. I'm sad that she's not working with us anymore.

[sugarbear]

I haven't been to Pinterest and I'm not sure I want to get sucked in. What kinds of things are you ladies "pinteresting"?

[milkrations]

I am a school employee who works ESY. It ended last Friday. I go back on August 8. I'm not excited about anything.

[Deleted]

I go back tomorrow. I'm so not ready! I got a new desk chair, which helps. I lost a lot of friends this year, so it will be hard without them.

Sent from my DROID3 using proboards

[hippygirl]

Reading up on Whole Brain Teaching.

[miss1180]

getting ready for my "maternity" leave :-) we're adopting a son from South Korea who should be here sometime in the next few weeks! So, i'm saying "buh buh" to school for a few months!! :-)

[nsl]

I have a two day inservice I'm really excited about next week, and planning a week back in my classroom afterwards to write some new curriculum for the first nine weeks of the year. I can't wait to get started!

[joenali]

Ok! Here is what I did today:
I peeked into my room through window! I wasn't able to get into the actual room. I did notice that the previous teacher who retired left lots of books! That's always good! I went to Target and bought some bright colored storage bins from the cheap section (the one right when you walk in). I also bought jumbo stretch book covers to use as supply holders that go on the back of each student's chair.

It was a productive day! I'm starting to get a little bit more excited! Oh, and my friend sent me a Pinterest invite, so I'll start browsing some ideas to get some inspiration!

[hippygirl]

Jul 31, 2012 18:03:46 GMT -5 joenali said:

Ok! Here is what I did today:
I peeked into my room through window! I wasn't able to get into the actual room. I did notice that the previous teacher who retired left lots of books! That's always good! I went to Target and bought some bright colored storage bins from the cheap section (the one right when you walk in). I also bought jumbo stretch book covers to use as supply holders that go on the back of each student's chair. It was a productive day! I'm starting to get a little bit more excited! Oh, and my friend sent me a Pinterest invite, so I'll start browsing some ideas to get some inspiration!

Do you think they will last the entire year? I can't decide if I want to try that out or buy them from Lakeshore.

[joenali]

Jul 31, 2012 19:47:11 GMT -5 hippygirl said:

Jul 31, 2012 18:03:46 GMT -5 joenali said:

Ok! Here is what I did today:
I peeked into my room through window! I wasn't able to get into the actual room. I did notice that the previous teacher who retired left lots of books! That's always good! I went to Target and bought some bright colored storage bins from the cheap section (the one right when you walk in). I also bought jumbo stretch book covers to use as supply holders that go on the back of each student's chair. It was a productive day! I'm starting to get a little bit more excited! Oh, and my friend sent me a Pinterest invite, so I'll start browsing some ideas to get some inspiration!

The book covers were 99 cents at Target, i'm sure wayyyy cheaper than Lakeshore! I got the jumbo ones! I have no idea if they will last, I've never used them before. But my idea is that writing folders, math journals, book baggies and science notebooks will go in the pocket. Things like scissors, pencils and gluesticks will go in a bin on top of a table group of desks.

Do you think they will last the entire year? I can't decide if I want to try that out or buy them from Lakeshore.

[janetplanet20]

I went to target last week and bought a TON of stuff from the dollar section. Stickers, bookmarks, fun pencils, cute erasers, magnets, magnetic clips, star cut outs, Super Star rewards, and a fun new pencil holder for my desk.

I went in today and started setting up my desks. I'm trying a new layout this year. Usually I have the desks set up in two Es, but I really dislike having students facing the sides of the room (either they complain about having to twist around to see the board or they try to talk to people on the other side of the room), so I've completely reworked the set up.

Other than that, I'm not doing much. I am not too excited about going back to work next week. We had a shorter summer this year because we're switching to a new calendar, so it feels like time has gone by way too fast. I am really excited about my reading elective class this year though. We purchased Read 180 and I think the kids are going to enjoy the format of the class, as well as make some big gains in their reading abilities.

[janetplanet20]

Jul 31, 2012 17:25:41 GMT -5 hippygirl said:

Reading up on Whole Brain Teaching.

Oh I LOVE WBT!! I convinced my principal to go to a free WBT training a couple of summers ago and she loved it so much that our whole school is now using it. We all use the 5 classroom rules, which has helped out a lot (I'm in a middle school, so the kids having the continuity from one class to another has made a big difference). Also, using gestures to keep kids interested has made quite a difference at my school.