MISSION: Teacher Binder

4 day road trip + not thinking about school = one refreshed and happy chick


I had to renege (ri-nig, I needed to look that one up) on the refreshed part because seriously who is refreshed after traveling over 600 miles by themselves with a 6 and 3 1/2 year old? Not me, that's for sure. But the suitcase is unpacked, the laundry is tumbling away in the dryer, and the car is cleaned out (sort of), which is at least a step in the right direction. 

Another step in the right direction was knowing that in order to get out on that limb I was going to have to get myself organized. Tonight I was able to put some finishing touches on a teacher binder I had been working on over the last week and a half or so. I was inspired by Alicia's curriculum plan and lesson plans page from Keeping it True in K-1-2. I brought all of my curriculum books home and started to go through them one by one, filling in the chart as I went. I was able to see what areas of my curriculum I could integrate and also how I needed to reorder units to better meet our state's Common Core Standards. 

My lesson plans page is ready to be filled in with fun for the first week of school. I'm still pinning ideas like crazy on Pinterest, and I'm sure more posts on that topic will follow. 

Since I write so messy big, I have a hard time using traditional grade books so printing my own usually helps. At my school, students earn a work and study habits grade based on turning in work on time, meeting deadlines, having their planners signed, and returning Friday folders and weekly reports on Mondays. I use a simple checklist style sheet throughout the week that I normally keep on a clipboard for easy access, but filled out sheets will make their way into my binder. 

No teacher binder would be complete without an adorable cover. Thanks to Dreamlike Magic Designs for the darling clipart (and blog design). 

finished teacher binder = one refreshed and happy chick