TPT Back to School Sale & 2 + 1 = BTS13

Button from Diane at Fifth in the Middle
Graphics below from Amelia at Where the Wild Things Learn

Well if that wasn't the longest/most abbreviated blog post name in history I'd sure like to see the one that is.

Anyways, onto the important stuff - a sale . . . a huge sale! The dates for the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale have officially been announced - this coming Sunday & Monday, August 18-19th!

So I'm linking up with a bunch of other fabulous bloggers for this fun link-up in preparation for this amazing sale.

So the number 1 most wish-listed item in my store is one my personal favourites - my Daily Math 3rd Grade Bundle Pack:

It contains all 6 of my Daily Math packs for 3rd Grade for a full year of math review - great for morning work!

The number 2 most wish-listed item in my store is also one of my personal favorites, because who doesn't love the pigeon books? It's my Pigeon Pack of Plenty:

This pack was one of my first creations (though - thankfully - it's gone through an update) and contains  writing, graphing and activities for Mo Willems' fantastic Pigeon books.

So onto my wish list. I am a sucker for new fonts and graphics, so I think number one might have to be some cute new frames from Fancy Dog Studio!

What's on your wish list?

Go link-up with Where the Wild Things Learn to add your favorites!

You Know You're a Teacher When . . .

Fonts: Kimberly Geswein Fonts & kevinandamanda.com
Graphics: KPM Doodles & Graphics From the Pond

•  . . . you shush people . . . in public . . . without realizing it.
• a simple trip to the grocery store (in yoga pants) results in any number of shy waves, exuberant hellos, and quiet stares from past, present & future students.
• you spent 1% of the summer relaxing in the sun with a book and 99% organizing, stressing, creating & laminating.
• that book you were reading in the sun was a professional development book of some kind.
• in the book store, you head to the children's section first.
• school/office supplies of all kind are exciting.
• you know more than you ever wanted to know about Minecraft, Lalaloopsy & Beyblades.
• weeknights will always be referred to as "school nights."
• the last two weeks in August are the most exciting, nauseating, nerve-wracking & stressful time of the year.
• you will always experience the Back to School, even though you're no longer a student.

How you know when YOU are a teacher?

On a completely unrelated note, I've finished the next two Daily Math sets for First Grade, click the pictures if you're interested:

Each pack contains 40 days of printable math that works to review the Kindergarten Common Core Standards, while transitioning into the First Grade Common Core Standards.

Well, here's to two and a halfish more weeks of summer!

A Little International Inspiration

With all the free time I've been having this summer, I've been doing a lot of thinking about school (no surprise). I keep going back to the classroom and thinking "What can we do to improve?" In short, I have been looking for inspiration. Sometimes it seems like the job of a teacher just gets harder and harder each year - class sizes get bigger, prep time decreases, services for students declines as the students who need those services goes up. What are we to do? How much can teachers do in the classroom when it seems like there is a bigger change needed? Do we need to look abroad for inspiration?

Have you seen this pin on Pinterest?

I was recently doing a little more investigation (no, I am not a detective) and found another interesting article from The Cornerstone: 12 "Myths" About Education in Finland Debunked.

Although not all the Finnish education "rumours" are true, there are definitely some key differences in their education system vs. the North American model.

The Finnish model might not be the solution to all the problems, but it's definitely food for thought.

How does your school (or school district) stack up?