Inbox: Clean!

I would like to dedicate this post to those of you (like me) who have not cleaned out your inbox in years.  My roommate, Kathryn, has been nagging me about this for God only knows how long...but I've been putting it off.  See, in some areas of my life I understand the need for organization and I am extremely well organized.  In others...meh, not so much.  My e-mail is a prime example of the not so much.  Today, however, I decided I wanted my inbox to be at zero as opposed to the 2,000+ e-mails I had.  I wanted to clean out old folders, get rid of those labeled "Insert ex-boyfriend's name here" and "College."  I did a good tidying up, and it didn't take me more than thirty-ish minutes, which wasn't long considering the big mess I had.

So today, I am pushing you (yes, you) to go do the same.  It will feel good, I promise.  Oh, and what better way to start off 2013 than to have organized e-mail.

Do you keep your inbox at 0? What number do you like your inbox to be at, or do you not care?

¡Soy súper estrella!

Y'all, I am a MACHINE.  I have continued to be as productive as possible.  Now I just need to pack...oops.  I think I will wake up semi-early and wash and pack.  I'd like to accomplish driving at least to Houston tomorrow.

But, let's focus on the positive shall we?  Here is what I got done today:

My student behavior tracker for my "behavior" clipboard.
I blurred the names for the safety of my students

• Labels for Clipboards
• Printing Behavior Trackers
• Editing, printing, and laminating behavior trackers for desks
• Cutting, pipe cleaning, and beading laminated trackers
• Creating & Printing Tardy Log
• Creating & Printing Bathroom Log
• Saving Attendance Log PDFs for printing when I have black ink
• Printing copies of syllabi, parent letter, parent survey, student surveys, and investment plan
• Printing copy of student goals survey

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Let's take a look at some of these beauties...

How cute are these Student Surveys I created for my Spanish II classes?
Yes, I got the idea from Pinterest, but I jazzed it up.
Don't worry, Spanish I gets the English version.

For my "Tardy" Clipboard & "Bathroom" Clipboard

I'm most proud of this product! These are my individual desk behavior trackers.

The product above is what I laminated and cut out today.  After cutting them out I used a thumb tack to poke two holes where a pipe cleaner would run through with a bead.  The bead slides up and down based on students' behavior.  I spent a good hour doing all of that, but it was kind of fun.  I ended up making 36.  I like to keep extras on hand.  This goes along with the tracker I am using for my clipboard except this is to give students a personal visual (taped to their desk) of where they stand as far as their behavior grade goes for the day.  Students start off with 10 behavior points and begin losing them as they get infractions.  As you can see above, if it gets as far as a referral they lose two days worth of points.  I got this idea from a GNO (Greater New Orleans) corps member.  I'm super excited to use this system with my students.  I think it will extremely beneficial for my students with behavior problems.

Random side note: how fabulous do these look below? Sephora's current birthday gift for members is a Fresh Mini Lip Duo.  You get two mini lip balms, one with a tint (rosé) and a clear one.  Both smell wonderfully, look trés chic, and are really moisturizing.

Thanks Sephora for the awesome birthday gift! 

I hope all my productivity pays off when I have other things to do as I get back to Louisiana.  I'm excited to take a look at my very possibly future home.  Word on the street is that it's gorgeous! Don't tell my future roommates, but I also got us these...

I'm just really excited to live in a house (hopefully)

Next on my to-do list: purchase a flight to Seattle/Tacoma, Washington.  Not kidding. More on that later, right Lisa?  I'm going to go reward myself with a self given mani/pedi.

How was your Friday? 

PS. If you're a teacher and would like more information on any of the above feel free to leave me a comment and we can talk about it.  

A productive Thursday

Good news! I finally updated that About Me section of the blog.  I just need to do the Frequently Asked Questions.  Anyone have any burning questions about my life? Feel free to comment, anonymously or revealing your identify.  Either way, I will do my best to answer them.

Working on posters for my classroom

This teacher feels accomplished right now.  Check out all that productivity up there!  I have been slaving er working hard to accomplish as much as I can before heading back to Louisiana.  I officially start work on Monday, and I must use my time wisely.  I'd rather get as much done now and focus on refining lesson plans and my classroom later.  

So far I have:

• Made my syllabus for Spanish I & II
• Completed and edited my Management Plan
• Completed and edited my Investment Plan
• Completed not edited my semester Unit Plans Calendar for Spanish II
• Started my semester Unit Plans Calendar for Spanish I
• Created, printed, cut, and glued labels
• Labeled bins 

I know my students are in high school, but believe me, they need this behavior system

To Finish:

• Editing Unit 1 Test for Spanish I
• Editing Unit 1 Test for Spanish II
• Rules & Procedures first week of school quizzes 
• Labeling Clipboards
• Creating & Printing tardy sheet, bathroom pass log
• Creating & Printing bathroom passes
• Printing Behavior Trackers 
• Creating Absent Binder

I'm sure there's other things to add to the list, but I think a lot of the most important stuff is completed.  I feel like I have a solid foundation.

I went on a little shopping spree to save, save, $ave the big bucks.  I plan to get reimbursed with my Spanish class fund when I go back to work, but I still try to save money considering the few resources my school provides.  I hit but the Dollar Tree and came out with 10 of those awesome white bins you see below, 3 bins with lids, 48 grading pens, three packs of stickers (yes, my high schoolers love them),  and four posters for less than $30.  Can you believe that?! What a steal! 

Don't these look beautifully organized already?

Larger bins without lids will be for four different things: turning in work, receiving graded work, homework, and late work
The smaller shoe box bins are for classroom supplies such as markers, grading pens, and glue sticks

The first year of teaching is a lot of survival and focusing on what the hell you're doing and whether you're even qualified to be responsible for individuals that are double your size (in my case).  This year, I plan to focus on all the things I wasn't able to see, mostly because they were above the ocean surface and I was having trouble staying afloat.  Organizing my classroom better, managing my students and their behavior better, helping my students organize themselves, holding them accountable and more responsible.  

Now, I feel lighter, stronger, productive, and I think I deserve a good hour of television.  

How do you stay organized?  

If you're a teacher, what are your organization tips and/or goals?