Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card Giveaway

Week 5 of our Back to School Giveaways has started, and it is time to give away a $50 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble.  Just think of the great books you can buy for your classroom!

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), Teacher Jeanell, LIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Mrs. Hansen's Helpfuls, Heart 2 Heart Teaching, "Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach", Catch My Products, KB3Teach, It's Kinder Time, Teaching Second Grade, A Library and Garden, Teacher Gameroom, Leah Popinski, Pitner's Potpourri, The Literacy Garden, and Teach with Hope.

Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/8/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!

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Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway August 28, 2017

I have two reasons to be excited this week - we go back to school and it is time for our weekly giveaway!  Teachers start back today and our students start on Thursday!  Wish me luck, and good luck to you in our weekly giveaway!  You can enter below.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)

Co-hosts:   An Apple for the Teacher, LIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, and Jackie Crews. 

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/4/17 and is open worldwide.

Be sure to check out our Giveaway page and enter our other giveaways as well!

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

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Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $100 Target Gift Card Giveaway

Some of my favorite Teacher Authors have gotten together to help you out with some great giveaways for Back to School!  This week we are giving away a Target gift card.

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $100 Target Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)

Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  Kelly McCown, Teacher Jeanell, LIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Teaching Superkids, MM Bilingual, Mrs Hansens Helpfuls, Ms. K, Patricia Hudak, Carrie Comincioli, Think Grow Giggle, Heart2Heart Teaching, The Chocolate Teacher, Walk with Me a Second, Purple Palmetto, Teacher Gameroom, It's a Teacher Thing, "Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach", Melissa Cloud, Jackie Crews, Its Kinder Time, Teaching Second Grade, Momma with a Teaching Mission, 1stgradefireworks, Traci Bender - The Bender Bunch, Southern Drawl, Glitter is Everywhere, 180 Days of Reading, Teaching Ideas For Those Who Love Teaching, and SumMath Fun.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 9/1/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers! 


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5 Ways Teachers Can Say No Without Feeling Guilty

No is only a 2 letter word, but it can be so hard to say sometimes, especially when you are a teacher!

We've all been there, sometimes you are in your classroom busily getting things done during your prep when your principal, fellow teacher, or parent pops their head in and says, "Can I ask you a favor?

Sometimes, of course we are happy to say, "yes".  The favor is something we want to do, is rewarding, or a win-win situation.  But other times, we feel anything but excited about the situation.  We feel obligated, pressured, resentful, and even guilty for wanting to say, "no".

Teachers are natural overachievers.  We are the perfectionists who want to do it all and then some! Couple that with our urge to be care-givers and you have a recipe for not being able to say the word no.  Unfortunately, that can lead to burn-out and frustration!  

I have learned that saying no not only helps me to be a happier and healthier person, but it also gives me more time and energy to focus on my students and instruction. Win-win, right?

But, what if the natural people-pleaser in you doesn't know how to say, "No"? 

Here are some tips to help:

Just Say No

Maybe your principal asks you to serve on "just one more committee" or a parent asks you to pull together work for a week for their student while they go on vacation starting tomorrow.  Sometimes, you just need to say, no you simply can't!  

Frame it in a nice way.  

"Thank you for considering me for the Sunshine Committee, but I really need to focus on improving my math instruction this quarter." 

"I would love to put work together for Johnny, but unfortunately it is impossible to do that with such short notice.  I will have his missing work available for him when he returns to school."

Be a Matchmaker

If you can't help someone with a problem, offer to hook them up with someone who can. 

 "I can't serve on the committee, but I know that Ms. Smith has a lot of great staff morale building ideas!"

It's Not You, It's Me.

Let them know that your not saying no because of them personally, but it is just your own personal boundary.

"I'm sorry, It's my policy to have students make up work when they return to school so that I can offer instruction and support if they need it."

It's Just Not the Right Time

Your principal might ask you to take the lead on a project that sounds interesting, but you just can't take on another thing at this time.

"I would love to implement XYZ in my classroom, but I am swamped with report cards right now.  Can I start that next quarter?"

Reverse the Question

Let's say your principal is asking you to do several tasks at once, or is adding additional things to your already overflowing plate.  Turn question back over to them.

"I would absolutely love to do X, Y, and Z, but I am going to need additional time to do them.  How would you like me to prioritize them?"

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway August 21, 2017

I have one more week left of summer vacation and then we head back to school.  We start back next Monday and the students start next Thursday!  So, you better believe I am spending a ton of time lesson planning and getting ready for the upcoming year!

At that means I am spending a lot of time on Teachers pay Teachers!  So many great resources!

If you are also perusing TpT, I have some great news for you - it is time for our weekly giveaway!  Every week we give away a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card to one very lucky teacher!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)

Co-hosts:   An Apple for the Teacher, LIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Bravo's Brain Box, 180 Days of Reading, and Teacher Ms H.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 8/28/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 

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Celebrate 2017 Back to School Season with a $100 Really Good Stuff Gift Card Giveaway

Week 3 of our Back to School Giveaways has started, and it is time to give away a $100 Gift Card to Really Good Stuff! They aren't kidding when they say Really Good Stuff  - because they have some amazing teaching items for you!

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $100 Really Good Stuff Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)

Co-hosts: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher),  Sandra Naufal, Teacher Jeanell, LIVIN' IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER, Teaching Superkids, PreK Kristin, Heart 2 Heart Teaching, Trending Technology in Tennessee, Jackie Crews, Teacher Gameroom, Kathryn Watts, "Dee Bibb - Teaching at the Beach", Simone, Teach with Hope, KB3Teach, Teaching Second Grade, Momma with a Teaching Mission, It's a Teacher Thing, Love Luck and Laughter, Mrs. Hansen's Helpfuls, Pitner's Potpourri, and It's Kinder Time.

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter.  Giveaway ends 8/25/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers! 

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Classroom Newsletter Writing Made Easy

Classroom newsletters can be a great way to keep parents informed about your classroom events and learning activities!  But... if the thought of creating a classroom newsletter makes you a little queasy, I have a few tips to make it easy peasy!

Step 1: Gather Important Dates and Deadlines

Make a list of all important dates in the upcoming month. Think of no school days, early releases, field trips, assemblies, test days, etc.  

Step 2: What Will You Be Teaching/Learning?

What topics will be covered in the upcoming month?  You don't have to write out complete details, but broad descriptions will be helpful. For example you might say "We will be working on place value in math, and character traits in reading."  Be sure to include any ways parents might be able to assist including reading with their child, practicing math facts, spelling words, etc.  If you have a weekly spelling list, you might want to include this as well.

Step 3: Reminders

What things have your students been forgetting, or what do they need to remember?  Ideas here might include: sneakers for PE, lunch money, book order money, picture order forms, etc.

Bonus Tip:

Create newsletter templates at the beginning of the year that can be easily edited and re-used.  This will save you so much time!  I have a set of ready made editable classroom newsletters that you can check out if you would like to save even more time!

I have even included a Meet the Teacher (and Meet the Teacher's Aide and  Meet the Student Teacher) versions so you can start off on the right foot!

Do you have any tips for making classroom newsletter writing easier?  Leave a comment below!