The Happy Learning Den

I noticed this weekend that a lot of stores are starting to put back to school supplies onto their shelves.  I could share with you my favorite pencils (Ticonderoga) and crayons (Crayola), but I have something more important to share.  These are the school supplies to skip this year!

#1 Hand-held Sharpeners: The shavings always wind up all over the floor and NEVER in the teeny, tiny containers that are attached.

#2 Plastic Pencil Boxes: Stick with the zipper pouches!  These plastic boxes tend to fall and scatter everything all over the place.  Plus, the boxes take up so much room inside their desks! 

#3 Scented Glue: It always starts out innocently, a little sniff here and there. But before you know it, they are licking it or putting it in their mouths.  Just. Say. NO! 

#4 Mechanical Pencils: These pencils seem like a good idea, but they are a nuisance.  The lead breaks very easily or simply fall out. Also, it is probably one of the biggest distractions for students.  I have seen them taking the lead out of the pencils ... putting it back in ...  taking it back out ... and the cycle continues.  Students also drop the pieces of lead all the time, and then, someone steps in it where it is... and it gets smudged all over the floor.

#5 Three-ring Binders:  Several of my colleagues over the years have bought (or had donated) 3-ring binders for each student.  There simply isn't enough room in their desks, and do you really want 18-22 binders taking up room on your shelves?

What should I add to this list for next year?  Share your least favorite school supplies in the comments below.

Enjoy the rest of your summer,

~Sandra @The Happy Learning Den

Hi friends!  

I'm back!  I missed sharing ideas and connecting with everyone, but I needed to take a break from the computer during my nonteaching time these last two years.  It was my way of giving myself "grace."  

Here are a few of my favorite things about summer:

#5     No alarms!  My alarm is set for 5:00 am during the school year, and my internal clock often wakes me before that.  It's awful.  During the summer if I wake up before the sun rises, then I can just go back to sleep.

#4     I can finally catch up on reading for ME!  Like many teachers, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read.  But usually I am picking out books for school.  During the summer I devour at least one book every few days.  There is nothing like getting lost in a good book.  Plus, reading keeps our minds sharp..... so no summer slide for this teacher! 

#3     Indulge in self-care.  Self-care was the buzz word last year, but did you have time to really take care of yourself?  I know this teacher did not!  But now is the time I take for myself, and it's not just about pedicures and massages.  I reflect on the boundaries that I set, and the ones that I allowed people to push past during the school year.  I take this time to develop stronger boundaries and work on possible responses when I receive push back.  

#2     I allow myself to daydream.  

#1     Time!  What teacher couldn't use a few extra hours during the day?  During the school year I keep a running list of all the extra resources I want to create.  Then during the summer, it's a whirlwind of creating content!  If the mood strikes me, I can even work on a project at 3am, then sleep longer when I'm done.  Having few time constraints in the summer is definitely a big win for me!

What about you?  What are your favorite things about summer?

See you soon,

~Sandra @The Happy Learning Den