Tonight I got the opportunity to meet my students - most of them showed up and I was glad to welcome them to my room.  Overall it was a good night!

I am so thankful that I found blogland this summer - it's been a crazy emotional time for me as I have been moved from elementary to the high school! I have gained so much encouragement and great ideas from all the wonderful blogs I've found, and comments from my followers! I can't imagine teaching without my blog now!! I have 51 followers WOOOOHOOO!! I'm celebrating with a giveaway!

I'm giving one lucky winner a $25 gift card to Amazon!!

To enter

Follow my blog (one comment)

Grab my button (one comment)

Blog about my giveaway (one comment)

That's three ways to enter! A winner will be selected by random generator this Sunday September 4th at midnight. Good luck to everyone!! Thanks for following!!

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Well after a long week of cleaning out and organizing here is what my classroom looks like!

The group of desks under the board will be leaving and the posters laying on the desk still need to be hung up!

There will be more tubs going in there to make it all match!

 My little area - Lovin' it!!

I am pleased with the progress I made this week and feeling so much better about teaching this class this year!

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After a night out with my Mom and Sister, Olive Garden for dinner, and watching "The Help" I am feeling much better about my classroom! My mom gave me good advice, as always!!, and told me to start with something I know. I know organizing!! Here are some before pics!!

 And after a long day of work here's what I've accomplished!!

Thanks for your kind comments and getting me started! I'm ready to get back in there tomorrow and get some more organizing done!!

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I'm playing along with teacher week over at Blog Hopping! So Today let me tell you a little about me!!

A Little About Myself:

My name is Amy Marshall. I am a mother of two children (Amber 13 & Andrew14) whom I adore!! I've been married to my wonderful husband Scott for 15 years!

We live in a small town in south west Michigan where I was born and raised and now teach! I love to read, write, and crochet!

My family and I enjoy time at the beach in northern Michigan where my husbands family owns a cabin and we spend most of our summers!!

We have a little dog named Biscuit! He's a lot of fun - and trains easily my daughter has him sitting, standing on his back feet, speaking, and rolling over on command!

How Long Have you Been Teaching?

This will be my fourth year teaching! I have been a K-5 special education teacher for the past three years - but moved to the High School this year! I'm very nervous about my new assignment and trying to get some ideas on paper before the first day. Teachers go back next Monday, students won't come until September 6th!

You Might Not Know:

That I want to publish a children's book! I've been working on one for a while and am trying to figure out all the tricks of the publishing trade. I don't know if I can get it published but it's been my dream since I was in Kindergarten and had a wonderful teacher that inspired me to write!!

Things I'm Looking Forward to Most This Year:

Getting in my classroom and getting started! I'm so stressed about how to start the year right now I can't wait for the 2nd week of school so at least I will know my students a little and have some idea of what I will be doing for the rest of the year!

What do I need to improve On?

Classroom management at the secondary level is going to be tricky for me - I'm having a really hard time just figuring out how to do it! Run a class store? specific rules and procedures for everything? give them a little more freedom? I just don't know where to start and I've got to be starting soon!!

What Teaching Supplies Can I not Live Without?

 Chart paper and markers for group work and anchor charts, books books books, and a little chocolate!!


That's me! Thanks for reading! Can't wait to read all about everyone else this week!!

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I had a busy week of professional development and getting ready to go back to school. Monday is the first day I can get into my classroom and I can't wait! I made a couple gifts for the para-professionals and ancillary staff that will be working in my room this year - I can't wait to give them to them!!  I love how they turned out!

 

Hand Sanitizer for everyone! Inspired by several posts around blog land, I saw it here http://candokinders.blogspot.com/2011/07/look-what-i-made.html

 Then I made these cute boxes I saw here
http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2010/04/box-of-teacher-goodies.html

Still have to add some things to fill them up - but they looked nice already!
I hope they all like them, I will be meeting them for the first time Monday and thought it would be nice to give them a little gift to welcome them back and let them know that I am glad I get to work with them!

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I've been busy cleaning my house, organizing closets, getting rid of things I don't need or use anymore. I always love to do this kind of purging before school. I feel like I get  a fresh start here before the new year and everything gets crazy again.

I've also been laminating! I can't believe all the wonderful activities that I've gotten from all your wonderful blogs this summer! 150 lamination pockets later, this is what I've got!

You can't see all the little pieces but I've made over twenty activities! I am so excited to add all my new materials to my classroom. While some aren't applicable to my class this year many are still usable even at the higher grades for my students with disabilities. 

I still have several more on my computer to print and make - gotta make a trip to target to get more ink and lamination pockets! ...and I may have to stop by the dollar spot just to see what they've got :)

Thank you to everyone for sharing your creativity with others! I truly appreciate the fact that I was able to download a lot of this for free! I am so grateful that I found this wonderful world of blogging this summer. It has been inspiring to see all that you do for your students!

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First I would like to say Thank You! You all have made my week brighter with your kind comments and I am now at 42 followers!! Thank you for sharing my blog with your friends and for following me I really appreciate it!! I'll do another giveaway when I hit 50!

I've been busy again here are my latest projects........

Using the center sticks I found at Dollar Tree, some dot stickers, and Dixie cups I made this addition game. I stored it in a pringles can- used my cool new duck tape to make it look cute!

I also got some of the pencil center sticks at dollar tree, and used round alphabet stickers from Target to make a building words game!

Here's what my pizza pan from dollar tree turned into with a little spray paint, round foam brushes, craft paint, clear sealer, and a ribbon!

I made the magnets too, a little modge podge on the back of clear stones from dollar tree and cute polka dot paper, then attached a magnet with hot glue- It's going to look cute behind my desk at school!

Here is my Sucker Tree!

 

and this was Finally delivered yesterday

 I've already used all 50 pouches and didn't get everything laminated that I've printed from blogs this summer - I was cutting half the night and LOVE LOVE LOVE all my new games all ready to go.

Now I really need to start working on lesson planning and what I am actually going to teach, I've been avoiding it all summer, I am teaching Middle/High school this year - I'm nervous and feeling totally lost as to what I am going to do - I'm trying to wrap my head around it and at least come up with some ideas to get me off to a good start the first week of school.

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I was out scoping Dollar Tree last night trying to find the magnets everyone is getting, our Dollar Tree is right next to Target, so I had to stop in!! 

The dollar spot was looking pretty bare, but they had a few new things starting to go into the bins. Here's what I got..........

I thought the pooh tins were too cute to pass up so I got them and made a couple quick activities to put inside them (I am working on some better ones) - they are free!

 Pooh Counting 1-10

Pooh Counting 11-20

Pooh Letters

 Cool Books! They have wonderful pictures in them, you can also get colors and shapes!

 Awesome Ice Cube Trays, Trying to come up with some activities for these - Stay tuned!

 Card Games and a Pizza Tin (going to use that for a magnetic board, more spray painting in my future :)

These pencil pouches are on sale for .50 each. I have been using them to store all my fabulous activities that I've downloaded from my favorite blogs! I have made over twenty new activities this summer! Thanks to everyone for sharing your wonderful work it is going to be so much fun to share with my kiddos!

Head on over to Target Treasures

 To see other Fab Finds!

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