Better Late than Never...with a FREEBIE!

Tonight I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday Linky.  Yes, I am fully aware that it is now Saturday night, but I'd rather be late to the party than not show up at all.  Now Five for Friday is all about randomness.  And randomness, my friends, is what you're about to find.  Seriously.  I apologize in advance.  :)


ONE (From the Heart)
It's the little things y'all.  Teaching can be so stressful.  The following has been on my mind lately and I might as well share it with all of you who can so easily relate.

The Things that Make it SO HARD:
The never-ending paperwork.
The amount of work to do and not enough hours in the day.
The rigorous content.
The assessments.
The copy machine being broken.
The laminator not working.
Analyzing data, setting goals, and sometimes not accomplishing those goals.
The progress monitoring.

I'm sure you can relate if you've ever stepped foot into a school building as a parent, teacher, aide, substitute, or volunteer.  But it's so important to remember...it's the little things.  See below.

The Things that Make it SO WORTH IT:
A smile from the kid who never smiles.
A hug from the kid who never hugs.
An 85% from a kid who averages a 50%.
A thank you from a parent.
A sweetie so engrossed in a book that they miss the bus.
A student you had years ago who still remembers that ONE lesson.
The life lessons that happen every day in the classroom.

The small moments, my friends.  That's what makes it SO WORTH IT.

It's easy to get caught up in the first list.  But what's more important than all of that, is the second list.  Those are the things these kiddos are going to remember for years to come.  Treasure each moment with every kiddo.  Let the negativity and stress go.  Remember the bottom list overpowers the top by a long shot.  :)

TWO (Only a Teacher...)
Last night I made a trip to my local Sam's Club.  Man, do I LOVE that place!  I seriously love to go and get new supplies.  Just a couple of the things I picked up on my trip.  I'm all ready to print my next set of centers!!  Does anyone else get really excited over cardstock and colored paper?!  My husband looked at me like I was a little bit crazy... Perhaps you teachers will understand :)


THREE (iPad Fetish)
I have a problem.  I need your help.  I have a friend who has been giving me books when she finishes reading them.  She loves to read and knows that I love to read too!  Sounds like a great deal right?!  I read them, pass them on to my mom, who passes them on to someone else.  It's a win-win!  However...

My name is Jamie and I am addicted to reading on my iPad.  Yes, that's right.  I love, love, love reading ebooks.  Now I know what you're going to say.  You love the feel of the paper, blah, blah, blah.  Guess what I don't love?  My husband getting annoyed when I am reading a real paper book in the bed with the lamp on!  Hence, the LOVE of reading on the iPad.  I am happily reading, hubby is happily snoring.  Now that's a win-win.

So here's the problem.  I get all of these books for FREE, mind you, and then download them for $$$$ just so I can read them on my iPad.  That's straight Crazytown, I know.  I must get over my iPad fetish and fast.  End of story.  Moving on... I told you Five for Friday was gonna be random.

FOUR (Self-Promoting)
It's terrible.  Self-promoting.  It is, but how else are you gonna know about new and awesome products that will help your kiddos have moments on the second list up there on #1?  I present you with my latest product, Fallin' Into Place Value Activities.  Look at those adorable graphics courtesy of my favorite graphic artist - Krista Wallden.  Love her to pieces!!


The contents can be seen below:

Click on the pictures above or click {HERE} to check out this product.  It is on sale today only for 20% off.  Hurry while it lasts!  When I go to bed, it will go back up to regular price.  Don't forget to leave me some feedback for those of you who have already purchased today!  :)

FIVE (A FREEBIE)
If you have stayed with me for this long, you will receive a nice little reward for going all the way down to #5 of my randomness.  For those of you who have purchased my Common Core Writing Bundles that I blogged about {HERE}, I have had some requests for rubrics to assess the students' writing.  I have created some and decided to offer them to you as a FREEBIE as my way of saying THANK YOU for all your support and the many purchases you all have made from my little TPT store.  The rubrics are written for the student, while tying in the specific language found in the Common Core Standards.  I think these will serve well as self-assessments or as teacher rubrics for the writing included within my Common Core Writing Packs.  As my way of saying THANK YOU, please go download this FREEBIE {HERE} to help you assess your student writing.  All I ask is that you please leave some sweet feedback.  :)


If you are new to my blog or just now discovering me, you can find more information about my Common Core Writing Units in a blog post {HERE}.

Thanks for sticking with me.  I gave you fair warning that this was going to be a very random post.  I hope you enjoyed a peek into my world with this Five for Friday.  I hope you love the freebie and thank you so much for all of your continued support.  And remember....the second list is the one that lasts.  :)

4 comments

  1. I just found your blog. Cute center! What program do you use to create these things?

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  2. Such a great post, Jamie! It truly is the little things that swell our hearts and make it all so worth it!

    Your new place value pack looks fantastic! I just need to get to Sam's Club now!

    Linda
    AroundtheKampfire

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  3. I agree with Linda! Great Post! I needed those reminders..moral is so low at my school and Sunday nights can get pretty depressing as a result, but everything you wrote is true!

    Those centers look FAB too!

    Halle
    Across the Hall in 2nd Grade

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  4. Hello! Last year I printed a 2nd grade common core check list from you and now I can't find it on my computer to reprint for this year. Do you still offer the check list? If so, I'd love to use it again! jenniferDOTcookATfayette.kyschools.us

    ReplyDelete