Free Writing Activity for New Years

So you are back from break and New Year's just happened.  You've taken down all of your Christmas decorations and your walls  and bulletin boards are empty!  I've got a solution for you!  I threw together this little freebie that will perk up those spaces!  For a little pre-activity, you'll need to discuss what New Year's Resolutions are and help your kiddos come up with a few things that they want to do better this year and a few things that they might try really hard NOT to do this year...ahem.....Anyway, they can then draw a picture of themselves on there and bam, you've got a bulletin board!  If you want to get fancy, you could attach some streamers, confetti and balloons around the edges of your bulletin board.... but I digress....So here is what the freebie looks like...

Once they do the writing and color it, it will be beeeautiful!!! .....and it's FREE!!!!! 
Here is the link   to the free writing activity to spruce up your room!!! 

I would love to see some pictures of this when your students finish!    Happy Teaching!! 
Sharon

Out With The Old....New Year's Encouragement

Out with the old, In with the New!  We have all heard that lots of times.  I always liked coming back to school after Christmas.  It felt fresh and new.  I was ready for a new beginning.  I was ready to "do this thing" and finish the year with a bang, so to speak.  After two days of coming back, I was sleepy....and wishing that it was December 22 again so that I would have more days home with my family...or June something so that school could be out already.  But, let's take a moment to think about our main reason for being at school in the first place...the kids.  They need us....some of them need us desperately!  I am in a new position as a Curriculum Coordinator so I am not in the classroom as the main teacher all day every day, so I don't feel the pressure that I used to feel.  Instead of pressure for my students to perform, I now feel pressure to help my teachers continue to make the huge differences that they make every day.  I see the exhaustion on their faces.  I see them trying to continue to go and go and go and inspire and encourage and lift up....  In other words, "I feel their pain!"  I walked in their (your) shoes for 23 years!  I get it.  You want to make a difference but...lets face it.  You are human.  You get discouraged.  You get tired.  The long days of winter in the classroom are real and I get it....because I have been there. I have come up with a few words that may help ease that stress just a bit.  I remember, and I hope this helps just a small bit.

1.  Focus:  You are there to focus on and love the kids.  Heaven knows what some of them go home to.  Love the kids above all else! If you need to take a minute to listen, encourage, hug, wipe tears or laugh with that one kid...do it..They will remember it and you will too!

2.  Remember:  They are kids.  They need to play.  They need to use glitter and glue.  They need to run fast and often.  They need to laugh.  They need to eat candy.  They need to get in the play dough.  They need to hug you and be hugged back like you really mean it...and you do mean it. I know you do!

3.  Relax:  All of these mid-year tests?  They are just a tests.  You know your kids and you now how far they've come since the beginning of school.  Close your door and teach your kids.  Teach.

4.  Rejuvenate:  Take care of yourself.  You know when the flight attendants say "Put the oxygen on yourself before your younger passengers"? Yeah.  That.  You must rest.  If you are tired and grumpy, you are no good to anyone in your classroom.  Go to bed early.  Sleep late on Saturday.  Eat a candy bar.  Buy the shoes.  Have a girls night out.  Do what ever it is that helps you re-energize.  The kids are counting on you to "put the oxygen on first."  Do it.

Before you know it, you'll be hugging all of those little bodies goodbye.  They will be ready to go home for the summer, and so will you.  But in the meantime, hang on.  Focus, remember, relax and rejuvenate.  Your students will probably not remember how many "book levels" they grew or how many points they grew on a test, but they will definitely remember how much you loved them!  Teach on friends, teach on and Welcome 2018 with the biggest smile you have! 

Going Out Like A Lion Sale!

I hope you are all having a great school year!  We are headed toward the home stretch so I thought I would throw a sale to celebrate the end of March.  Here in NC, it's going out like a Lion with rain and storm so I decided to throw a "Going Out Like A Lion" sale.  Go ahead and stock up on the things that you might need to finish the year strong!   Click HERE to shop now! 

Back To School 2016- Sale!

I hope you have had an excellent summer.....and it is almost time to get back into that classroom!  In case you haven't heard, the TPT Sale is going on NOW!  Now is the time to get all of,those units that you will need for BTS16!

Be sure to get that Second or Third Grade Morning work that you need for the entire year.  There are lots of Back To School things too!......a Back to School Memory Book, Rules and Procedures Book, and Reading and Math Centers!  Hurry on over because the sale ends at midnight tonight!  Click HERE to go to my store! Enter the code BestEver at checkout! I'm looking forward to a great year!!!
Sharon

End of the Year Sale!

Whew!  We've (almost) made it!  What a year!  It's amazing to see how much my students have grown this year.  They are definitely ready for 3rd grade!  I am already thinking ahead to BTS16!  I'm having a sale!  Visit my store between May 28-May 31 and get 20% off of your purchase!  Go ahead and get those Back To School Reading and Math Center Activities, get them copied and laminated and you can leisurely cut them out while you are relaxing this summer!  Boom.  You are ready to start school in August! Don't forget about Morning Work for 2nd and 3rd Grades, 2nd and 3rd Grade Math units, writing, printables, and on and on!  Celebrate!  Summer is Here!  Enjoy!
Sharon
Click HERE TO SHOP!

It's A Sale!

I've been missing in action for several weeks!  If you are in the classroom, you probably have too!  But, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  We have 26 more days of school.  It's crunch time!  We have DIBELS testing coming up plus end of the year state math assessments.  Busy, busy, busy!
So, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week and that means it's time for a Teachers Pay Teachers Sale!  The sale is going to be Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4.  Go on over there and load up your cart!  Mine is ready to go!  I am trying to think ahead to August and buy some things that I can use then and try to get ahead this summer.  I appreciate you so much for supporting me in my Teachers Pay Teachers store so my entire store is on sale and you can get up to 28% off of your purchases! 
So we are all stressed and nothing better to help with the stress than shopping!!!  Get on over there and don't forget to use the code CELEBRATE. 

Easter Games

Since Easter is in March this year, we have to kind of mix St. Patrick's Day AND Easter stuff.  I made a unit that has 6 math games that are easy to prepare and the kids will love them!  You need some plastic eggs, a copy of the games and a copy of the answer sheets and you are ready to reinforce those math skills that you have been teaching all year long!  The unit covers three digit addition and subtraction, counting money, odd and even, time to 5 minutes and counting base 10 blocks to 1000.  The entire unit looks like this:

I've included one of the games for you here for FREE!  Click HERE to get the free game!

If you want all six games, click HERE to go to my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   If you download the freebie, please leave some feedback! 

What do you all like to do  with your kids at Easter?  I'd love some new ideas!

Hopping to Easter!
Sharon

Leap Year!

It only comes around about every four years...It's Leap Year so that means....there needs to be a Leap Year Sale!  Everything in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store is 20% off from 2-27 through 2-29-16!  2nd AND 3rd Grade Morning Work, Writing, Science, Social Studies, 2nd AND 3rd Grade Math, Center Activities.....Hurry on over and get what you need to get you through Spring!!!
Happy Leap Year!
Sharon

Click HERE to go to my store!

TRC Question Stems and Text Evidence

We are hard at work in my classroom learning how to completely answer a question....in a sentence...in a complete sentence and then prove the answer by using text evidence.  I have already made TRC Question Stem printables to use with stories that we read every day.  Here are a few of those. 

You can fill in the missing information based on what story you are using and then copy and use.  You can see this unit in my Teachers Pay Teachers Story by clicking HERE! 

I use these every week in my class but I wanted something easier for me to use when we discuss the story.  I came up with the idea to print the question stems onto labels and put them onto index cards.  I hole punched the cards and put them on a book ring.  There you go.  Portable, easy to use question stems. Even if you do not use MClass TRC Question Stems, these are great question stems for checking comprehension and helping your students learn to find text evidence to prove an answer.  The finished cards look like this:

You can see this product by clicking HERE!

I hope you are all staying warm and making it through this winter semester! 

Sharon

Winter Writing, a Freebie and a Sale!

                                      
We all know that when we teach "Reading", we are not only teaching reading, but also decoding words, meaning or comprehension, speaking, listening, writing,...and writing includes expression as well as mechanics.  Sometimes students are reluctant to write because they do not have many experiences or a lack of connections.  Brainstorming is a great solution to help reluctant writers.  Modeling is also very important.  It helps students see that they actually can write a great story.  I have also found that a lot of children lack creativity.  Children should be the most creative of all of us!  I'm not sure why creativity is hard for children (although I have some ideas.... ahem.computer/video games which "create" for them) but none the less, we need to help them learn how to put their thoughts onto paper.   We write all day, in every subject and I have found that if students have some transition words to choose from, it helps them get their thoughts together in an understandable order.  I've attached a free transition word list for you HERE!  It looks like this:

 

This page is part of my Writing Toolbox.  The pages are tabbed so students can find what they need quickly.  The book has transition words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, word banks, transition words and a check list for them to use to be sure their story is complete.  The entire unit looks like this:

 

If you want the entire toolbox, click HERE to go to my Teachers Pay Teachers store. 

 

Now, sometimes I do a simple writing activity where I ask students to list things on a given topic.  I've attached a writing activity here that asks students to list their top 10 favorite things about winter.  This is where brainstorming with the entire class can help those who may not have connections to draw from.  Make a big list of things we like about winter and then have students complete their writing.  Have students draw a picture after their list is finished.  This is a great activity to get your students thinking and it is a quick bulletin board idea.   Click HERE TO GET THE FREEBIE!

It looks like this:

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Now for the great stuff.....TPT is having a sale and so am I!!!!  My cart is loaded and read to go tomorrow.  The sale is Wednesday, January 20 and Thursday, January 21.  Don't forget to add the code START16 at checkout to get your discount of up to 28%!!!! 

 

Click HERE TO GET STARTED!!!!!

 

 

Happy Winter and Keep Writing!!!!

Sharon

 





Third Grade Math and Reading Freebie!

I hope everyone is rested and ready!  Tomorrow we are back at school!  I don't know how you start your day but my students have morning work every day. It is a short spiral review that covers math and reading and takes them about 10-12 minutes.  I have written morning work for the entire year for second grade.  This year I began writing morning work for third grade.  The morning work has been a great seller in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  The morning work is written by the month.  There are four days of work and the fifth day is a quiz.  The entire month can be copied and stapled together.  My students keep their morning work book in their desks and they get to work as soon as they put their book bags away.  I've included a sample of week 1 of January for third grade here for you to try out or if you don't teach third, please share with a third grade teacher friend!  To get your free week, click HERE!  You can see the entire unit for January in my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking HERE!  If you download the freebies, please leave me some feedback!  I would love to hear from you!



If you need morning work for second grade, you can click HERE! 

Ok, get your rest because Monday Morning is coming!  Have a great one!

Sharon



10 Things Your Child's Teacher Wants You To Know

 

Like every teacher on Christmas break, I am enjoying my time at home with my family.  That doesn't stop me from thinking about my "other" 22 kids who are hopefully enjoying their time at home too!  I hope they all had a wonderful Christmas and come back refreshed and ready to learn!  As I was thinking of them, I came up with 10 things that I would love to share with parents.  Here goes:

10 Things Your Child's Teacher Wants You To Know:

 

 

1.  I spend a lot of time with your child. I care about them and I worry about them when they struggle, when they are out sick or when they are unhappy.

 

2. Your child needs you to be proud of them.  Tell them often.

 

3.  They need to tell you about their day even if they don't realize that they need to tell you about their day.  Ask them.

 

4.  I give lots of hugs every day but they need more hugs from you when they get home.  Hug them.  Often.

 

5.  They feel proud when they bring snack to school to share with the class, or Kleenex or pencils or cookies.

 

6.  They love for you to come eat lunch with them.

 

7.  I want them to be successful academically.  I love it when they "get it!"

 

8. Reading with and to your child every night is one of the most important things that you can do with your child...no matter how "old" they think they are!

 

9.  Please don't send them to school if they are sick.  I try to take care of them but I'm not Mom or Dad.  They need to cuddle with you!

 

10.  After spending an entire school year with a class, I think of them as My Kids, and I will always think of them as My Kids!  Thanks for sharing them with me!  They are amazing!

 

 

So, let's rest, relax and recharge.  We only have a few more months in this school year to prepare our students for the next grade!  Buckle Up!  Here we go!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sharon



Cyber Sale!

It's time for the Cyber Sale over at Teachers Pay Teachers!  I know my cart is already full and ready to check out on Monday!  The sale is Monday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 1.  Enter the code SMILE and get 28% off of everything in my store!  Go on over and fill your cart with the great things you will need to make it through the long winter!  I have Morning Work, Journal Writing Prompts, Writing Units, Tons of Second and Third Grade Common Core Math Units and lots of Center Activities for ELA and Math!  It will feel great to get ahead over the Christmas Holidays!

Merry Christmas!  Oh, and stay tuned for my Twelve Days of Christmas Freebies starting soon!
Sharon

Thanksgiving!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I'm so thankful for you!  I appreciate all of your support here on my blog and also in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!  Hurry on over there for a Thankful Sale!  It lasts from today until Monday!  Go ahead and get ready for December and January!  There are journal prompts, writing units, morning work, crafts and much more! I appreciate you all so much!
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sharon

PS:  Start looking soon for my 12 Days of Christmas Freebies!

Halloween and a Free Activity!

I think it is a little present that Halloween is actually on the weekend this year!  Nevertheless, the kids will still be VERY excited.  I have several fun Halloween activities planned for this week.  (I'm also being observed on Wednesday but we won't think about that just yet! )  I made this follow the directions sheet last year.  Students have to read the clues and follow the directions.  I've attached it here for you for FREE!  It's part of my October Printables pack.  You can see the entire pack HERE!  This pack has 10 ELA and 10 Math printables.  These are great for centers or just extra practice!  

Here is a look at the Haunted House Freebie! 

 

Click HERE TO GET YOUR FREEBIE!

  If you download, please leave me some feedback.  I would love to know what you think!  Also, follow my blog if you haven't! I would love to have you follow along! 

Happy Haunting!!

Sharon

Third Grade Morning Work and a Freebie!

I've moved up!  No I haven't changed grades. I'm still teaching second grade but I have started writing materials for third grade as well.   This is where I need your help, my sweet, second grade friends!  Please help me spread the word to your third grade friends!  I've written several math units so far and I have also written several months of morning work for third grade.  I've attached a free week of morning work here.  If you have third grade teacher friends, forward this blog to them or print the freebie and give it to them.  I appreciate your help! I'll even attach a second grade freebie for you!  Let me know what you think! 

Click HERE TO GET THE THIRD GRADE FREEBIE!

To see the entire unit in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, click HERE!

 

 

Now, for YOUR freebie, I've attached a week of October Morning Work for Second Grade.   

Click HERE TO GET THE SECOND GRADE FREEBIE!

 

To see this Second Grade Morning Work unit and more Morning Work Units, click HERE!

If you download the freebies, please leave some feedback to let me know what you think!

Sharon

 

Place Value Math Centers and a Freebie!

We recently started our place value unit in math.  I made several games to reinforce the skills that they are learning.  The kids have loved playing these games and I wanted to share them with you. 

One game was called Magic Wand War. All of the game cards are given out to each player and turned face down.  Each player had to turn over their top card.   Next they had to solve their addition or subtraction problem.  The student with the largest number was the winner and got to keep both cards.  After all cards are played, the player who collected the most cards is the winner.  My kids loved this game!

 

 

Another game was called Silly Clown Spinner.  Students used a paperclip and the spinner to get three numbers. Next, they draw the number using base 10 blocks.   

Now this sweet boy is ENGAGED!  This game is called Silly Sort It Out.  They have sorting mats that are labeled 100-200, 200-300, 300-400, etc. all the way to 1000.  They have cards that have number words, like two hundred fifty-nine, etc. to sort onto each mat.  After the cards are all sorted, there is an activity sheet that goes with the game.  For example, students are asked to choose any 6 cards from their mats, put them in order from largest to smallest, smallest to largest, etc.  and write their answers on their paper. 

To make my centers, I copy six sets onto six different colors of paper and laminate them. (I don't have more than 6 students in a center.) The color coding keeps the sets from getting mixed up.  I store them in gallon sized zip top bags.  I store the set of centers in a large envelope that is labeled with the name of the game, skill and which 9 weeks I use the game in .  I also store a copy of the answer sheet in the envelope with the games so the next time I use it, everything is there in one place.  These games are part of a set of 10 games that are all focused on place value.  The entire unit looks like this:

 

These games are a great supplement to my Clowning Around Math Unit.  This unit teaches 2.NBT.1 and 3.  To see the unit in my store, click HERE!

 

Now, Halloween is coming and it's time for a freebie. 

 

 

 

This is a great, no prep math center.  Give students a copy of this sheet and a paper clip.  They spin to get a two digit number and then tell if it is odd or even.  Easy and fun!!!  Click HERE TO GET YOUR FREE COPY!

 

This page is part of my October Language Arts and Math Printables.  There are five Language Arts/Reading Printables and five Math printables.  Here is a look at it.

 

These are easy to use in centers with no prep on your part.  You can see the entire unit in my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking HERE!

I hope you can use the freebie!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Boo!

Sharon

 

Classroom Rewards

I love to reward good behavior.  Like most of you though, I don't want rewards to be complicated or costly.  I've come up with a list of 20 great free or low cost rewards that I use that are easy and the kids love!  Here goes:
1.  Drink with a straw at lunch.
2.  Write a sweet, encouraging note on a student's desk with an expo marker.
3.  I have a rolling desk chair (rollie chair) in my classroom.  I choose someone to sit in the rollie chair.
4.  Choose another student from our grade level to eat lunch with.
5.  Help the student write an email to someone.  (Parent, former teacher, principal, etc.)
6. Homework Pass!
7. Read to a younger kid in another classroom. (Preschool and kindergarten kids love to be read to!)
8. Write with a lead pencil for the day.
9. Eat lunch with the teacher and another friend.
10. Write with a marker for a subject. (Reading or math or writing, etc.)
11. Brag Bracelets - (Make with construction paper)
12. Take off your shoes in the classroom.
13. Sit at the teacher's desk.
14. Skip Morning Work
15. Switch desks with another student for the day.
16. Chew gum in class
17. Call mom or dad and tell them what a great day you are having.
18. Positive note home
19. Get to drink a juice bag during class
20. Wear a brag badge....Make with construction paper that says:  Ask me why I'm wearing this badge!


You could use these rewards several ways.  You could use these for an end of the week treat for students.  One year, I wrote each reward on a slip of paper, put them into a box and drew one out or let the student draw one out.  Sometimes I just look around at who is being especially good at the time and choose them to pick out a prize.  I've also said, "I'm looking for my next prize winner......"  and it works to help everyone focus and show their best behavior.  It also rewards those students who are ALWAYS doing the right thing!  I hope you found something that you like and can use.  I would love to hear what you all use for rewards for little or no cost!  I hope you all are having a great year so far!
Sharon

Classroom Management: How To Calm A High Energy Class

Some years are like that.  Some years, the kids seem to have an endless supply of energy.  If you had a calm kind of class last year and this year you are dealing with a group of energetic little ones, you may need to change some of the management techniques that you are using.  I've come up with six things that have helped calm my high energy group. 
1.  Line Order:  My students all have a number.  They are in ABC order and they have their number assigned to them accordingly.  They put this number on all of their papers because I can quickly put them in order when I am grading papers and putting grades into my grade book.  Easy and quick.  This number is also on their homework folders.  I can put them into numerical order and see who is missing.  BUT I also use this number for line order.  This will put an end to "he's passing", "she's in my place", etc. etc.  So, students use their number for a lot of things.  It helps tremendously when lining up. 

2.  One At A Time:  When I call my class to line up, turn in papers, get books, etc. I call one table (group of desks) at a time.  This may seem like an obvious thing to do but I have had classes where I could just say:  "Get into line order for Library", etc. and they would quietly get into their places, ....easy.  And then there are years where it's a mad rush to get into line.  So to fix this, I call one group of desks at a time.  It's much calmer with 4-5 kids walking to line instead of 22-23 rushing to line. 

3. A Few At A Time:  This is just as it sounds.  When the morning bell rings, I let 3-4 students in the room at a time.  This prevents congestion at the lockers and cuts way down on the noise.  As those students finish putting things away I allow a few more into the room.  It helps the morning begin more calmly than with 22 kids rushing in at once.  I also use this technique after lunch.  A few at a time come in, put lunch boxes away, sit quietly, then more come in. 

4.  Calming Music:  One thing that I have found that works like a charm to calm a high energy class is Spa Music.  If you can get Pandora Radio in your classroom, find the Spa channel and turn it on very softly. It calms everyone!!

5.  Brain Breaks:  Use Brain Brakes often, but have rules in place.  With a high energy class, you will may have students running everywhere if you don't have rules.  When we have a brain brake the normal rule is that you stay behind your own chair.  This works with most activities.  My students also love "Red Light".  To play this, I use some upbeat music and kids start driving their car around the classroom.  When the music stops, that is their stop light and they must freeze.  The music starts again and the "cars" can go.  My students love this.  With high energy kids, you must watch them closely because these students will want to "crash" into others!!  If I have this problem, that "car" must immediately go to their garage (desk).  It usually only takes one time to be sent to the garage and the "crashing" will stop.

6.  Secret Student:  I've written about this one before, but when we line up to leave the classroom, I choose a student name from my jar.  The students do not know who the Secret Student is.  Here's how it works:  I will "secretly"  watch that student all the down the hall and then back to the classroom.  If that student is "perfect" in the hallway, he/she gets a sticker, piece of candy, etc. when we get back into the room.  Once a name is chosen, I put it aside and don't put it back into the jar until everyone has had a chance to be the Secret Student.  So the cool thing about this is that almost everyone will walk "perfectly" down the hallway because they might be the Secret Student!!  It works well to keep everyone on their best behavior in the hallways.  I tell them that they have to walk correctly, may not talk, may not be hopping or twirling and may not be touching the walls. Once we are back in the room, I'll reveal the Secret Students.  They love this!  You will be glad you started it. 


I hope you find these ideas helpful!  I would love to hear what you use to help with a high energy class!  Happy Teaching!
Sharon

Classroom Management-10 Ways To Keep Your Sanity

My district started school on August 24 so my students and I have had three weeks to get to know each other, learn the rules and procedures and settle into this school thing.  I seem to forget from year to year how much attention I have to pay to rules and procedures; classroom management.  So the excitement has worn off of the "new" school year and now we are down to business.  Let me tell you, it can be exhausting.  So, I've come up with 10 ways to keep my sanity!!!  I hope that you find these helpful too!  We all need reminding, so here goes:

1.  Believe in you.  You have trained for this. Unless you are a first year teacher, you have done this before.  We bring our students a long way during a school year and we  remember how we ended last year.  Routines were easy, everyone knew what to do, when to do it and how to do it.  We are starting over.  Just remember, this is you thing!  You were made for teaching!  You can do this!

2.  Repetition:  I tend to forget exactly how many times I have to repeat rules and procedures.  It seems like at this time of the year, I am constantly repeating.  Repetition is what the students need.  We have to repeat these things for several weeks until they come naturally to our students. 

3.  Don't Stop!: It seems that there are so many things to remember and reinforce that we sometimes forget things.  This happens, but stick to your plan!  If it is a rule, you have it for a reason.  If it is broken follow your plan of consequences...every...single...time! 

4.  Don't Stop!:  I know, this is number 3 but it is worth repeating!  Stick to your plan, don't play favorites and don't stop!  We must be firm, fair and CONSISTENT!!

5.  Not All Days Are Created Equally: We have all had them.  Days where nothing goes as planned.  Something as simple as "It's picture day!"  can throw your students into a spin.  Try to stay on schedule as much as possible and know that the more you can stay with your routine, the better the day will be. 

6.  Routine, Routine, Routine!:  I can't say enough about keeping a routine when possible.  I post a daily schedule on my calendar so that students know exactly what is coming.  Students do not know that they need routine, but believe me, it makes everything easier....everything!!!  I believe that once you have the routine down, the classroom pretty much runs itself....a well oiled machine! 

7.  Step Back, Take A Breath! : Even with our best efforts, we will become frustrated.  Step back.  Take a breath.  Drink a coke!  Eat some chocolate.  This day will pass.  That student will get it,...or not but just know that you are making a positive difference in the lives of these students! 

8.  Treat Yourself: We have a difficult job.  We deserve to treat ourselves....manicure, dessert, new pair of shoes, anything that will lift your spirit.  We have 180 days to be on top of our game.  We need to "refuel" often!!

9.  Give Yourself A Break:  Don't bring work home every night.  Don't bring work home every weekend.  You need a break.  Put some things on hold if you can.  You will be refreshed and ready after a break. 

10.  October Is Coming:  In my personal experience, things do not settle down like I want until October.  It normally takes that long of practice, routine, practice, practice and practice.  It seems like I can finally relax a little bit.  Rules have been learned, procedures come easily, students know that "I mean it!" and we can settle into a happy family...hopefully!  So friends, hang on.  October is coming!