Do you have hurry sickness?

Slow Down, Teachers!

I thought this would be fitting as I go back to work.  The fast paced life style is about to pick back up. 

 

I know I do!

Are you stricken with the sickness that seems to be plaguing so many people today? With this sickness, there is no fever involved and no visits to the doctor. Its symptoms affect everyone around you, but most importantly, they affect you. The worst part about this sickness is you miss out on so many of life's wonderful moments.

It's called hurry sickness. Does it sound familiar? It's otherwise known as a sense of time urgency.

Ask yourself, "Is time a major factor in my life?"

Do you find yourself running around trying to get one thing done just so you can complete another?

Does your job place so many demands on you that you can hardly focus on what your real role is supposed to be? Maybe your real role at work involves people, yet you have so much paperwork to be completed you could easily forget about the people you are there to serve. Maybe you even start to see them as an interruption.

Do you take your work home with you and when your own child asks you a question while in the midst of getting your work done, you only give them a tiny portion of your attention, nodding, and not really knowing what they are saying? After all, you have deadlines to meet. You are hurried. Maybe you even start to see them as an interruption.

Hurry hates interruption.

You can't love.
You can't listen to a child.
Basically, you can't multi-task attention.

Hurry is an enemy.

Take note, being hurried is not being busy. Being busy can be a good thing. There is nothing really good about being hurried. Remember, being hurried is about time urgency. You don't have time for one thing because you are so hurried to do another.

If you are a hurried person, you don't have time for interruptions in your life. You don't have time to jump some one's car off. You don't have time to talk to someone in need. You don't have time to help the person who dropped something. You can't slow down long enough to talk to your kids.

So, what is your IQ anyway? No, I am not talking about your intelligence quotient. I'm talking about your Interruptibility Quotient. How many times do you allow for interruptions in your life? Do you slow down long enough to let God interrupt your life? What about when you didn't stop to help a person or talk to someone in need? Was that a prompt from God? It does make you think.

The next time you feel hurried or overcome with time urgency, take a moment to ponder if this interruption is really a disguise from God that he is trying to work in your life. I plan on trying it myself.

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FREE Lesson Plan Template

FREE Printable Lesson Plan Template

I decided to make me a new lesson plan template for this school year. I reworked the template I am actually using in order to share it with you.  I  have my times and subjects typed on mine, but since you don't have the same ones as me, I took those off. Although you won't be able to type on this template and use it as an electronic lesson plan,  you are able to save the template and print it for your use in the classroom if you would like.  The large boxes are intended to write different subjects or activities.  The smaller boxes within the larger boxes are to write the subject name and/or the time of the subject.  Feel free to use this free lesson plan template in your room if it fits your needs.

Click HERE to download the free lesson plan template.

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.



FREE Meet Your Teacher Day Treat

Meet Your Teacher Day Treat

We have all heard the saying....

  you only have one time to make a good first impression.

Well, this is true with meeting your students, too.  Did you know that some research shows that people form an opinion of you within the first 90 seconds of meeting you. 

 HELLO!!!  You better make it a great 90 seconds.  :-) 

If this stands true with students meeting a teacher then they are going to either walk away from 'meet your teacher day' grumbling that they have the meanest  teacher, or they will walk away smiling and thinking they have the best teacher in the world.  Let's face it, in a kid's eyes, those are about the only two choices. 

 For me, I want them to walk away thinking they have the coolest, most creative, and fun teacher EVER!!!  So, I start working on creating that caring classroom environment the very first time I meet the kids.  Not only do I have the room all arranged and decorated and put a smile on my face, but I usually gift them with a little something to make them feel special.  It's not much... just a little treat. This year, I have a movie theme going on in my classroom, and to go along with that theme I created a card to place on a baggie of popcorn or other special treat. 

This treat sheet doesn't have to be used exclusively for a movie themed classroom, as it would work in any setting in order to make a new student feel special.  If you would like to try gifting your new students with something special, feel free to use this FREE movie themed printable teacher treat sheet in your classroom. If you don't want to use it on the 'meet your teacher day', you could even use it the first day of school.

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Click Here to Get the Printable

 

For other creative ideas on creating a caring classroom, please head on over to Corkboard Connections, which is Laura Candler's awesome blog. Grab some tips and even some other freebies.  Click on the image below.

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.



My Movie Themed Classroom

My Movie Themed Classroom

Yep, it's that time again.... Back to School!

In my district, teachers go back this coming Monday.  Just as I do every year, I have spent several days in my room this week trying to get ahead of the preplanning game.  Isn't it terrible that you feel like you have to do stuff before preplanning just to feel on top of things!  After 17 years, I still feel that way.  Anyway, I thought I would share a few things from my classroom.  I have tried to work a movie theme into different areas of the room.  I still have lots to do, but here is a peek at what I've done thus far.  All of these items can be purchased from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. So, here goes.....

These are my movie themed classroom rules posters and my calendar set. You can purchase the movie themed class rules by clicking HERE. The calendar set comes in my movie themed classroom decoration set, and it can be purchased HERE.

Click on images to enlarge.

This is my movie themed hallway display.  It stays up all year, and I just change out the kids' work.

This also comes as part of my movie themed classroom decoration set.

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I tried to work something movie themed into my reading area, so I printed off some theater curtains and made a poster that says, "Books are like Movies". 

This is something I made to help me call on kids randomly.  I won't use it all the time, but it's nice to be able to pull names out of a 'hat' sometimes.  Once I have my class list, I will put the kids' names on each of the popcorn pieces. This can be purchased HERE.

These are movie themed labels for my essential questions.  I simply clip them to my dry erase board and write the questions beside them.  

I also hung a few other things that are not movie themed, but I thought I would share. 
This is a place value chart I made using color coding.  Check out the details HERE.

I am using the set below as part of my behavior management.  There is a positive word for every letter of the alphabet.  Under each word are two cards.  Each month the kids can earn their name under a card when I see them displaying the positive behavior.  This display can be viewed and purchased HERE.

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Back to School Activities

Back to School Activities

I know, you are probably telling me to shush up, right?  You can't possibly be thinking of back-to-school activities when July has just begun!!  Well, the funny thing is, I start thinking of back to school as soon as it's the end of school.  I get so excited about summer because I LOVE my summers, but I also start thinking about how I want my class to be decorated, what I might set up differently for the new year, what theme I might like to use,  etc.  And I know a lot of other teachers are just like me.  It's just how we are.

My students go back to school the first week of August, which will be here sooner than later, so I thought I would go ahead and post a few things I think you could use the first week of school.

Just click the links or pictures to be taken right to the product.

If you are looking for an activity pack for grades 3-5, you may want to check this one out:

Back to School Activities

Looking for a fun way for your students to get to know each other?

Back to School Game

Looking for a way to motivate your kids to read?  Celebrate with ice cream!

Year Long Reading Incentive Program

Motivate your kids with some themed writing paper.

Back to School Writing Paper

The above listed activities are just a few of the things I have to offer to get your classroom and students ready for the new year.  Don't forget to check out my positive words behavior management system, my reader's workshop guide for grades 3-5, my themed classroom sets, and so much more.  Good luck finding lots of great things!

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often