redditgifts for the Teachers 2013

Having been back into the school year for three weeks now, I feel like I'm finally hitting my stride again.  That means new blog posts coming up!

Right now, though, I just had to send out a huge thank-you to redditgifts, who created a gift exchange called redditgifts for Teachers 2013 just for people to send teachers free stuff!  I mean, wow.  DonorsChoose, and now this one, too?!  There are so many good people in the world, y'all.  

I heard about the exchange and sent in a request for a gift.  It asked me to fill in some details about my classroom, like what grade level and subject(s) I teach, what we needed/wanted most, and our school colors.  A week or so later, I got an email saying that my "Santa" had shipped a package for me!

When the boxes arrived, I ripped into them immediately and found the most-used resources my classroom needs: a huge 6-pack of tissues, and a big bottle of hand sanitizer.  No flu in my room this year!  

I had really never heard of reddit before, and I'm not sure if this is an annual event or a one-time deal, but how awesome was that?  Someone, out of the kindness of his/her giant heart, just decided to mail my kids a gift.  

Happy Friday!  It doesn't get much better than free classroom supplies, in my book.

Classroom Tour 2013

My classroom is officially ready for kids-- which is good, because they'll be there, ready or not, on Wednesday!  Take a peek:

I'm ready for my close-up . . . 

Entryway

teacher resources shelving

entryway shelving

FREE adorable supply labels 
courtesy of Shari Abbey on TeachersPayTeachers

classroom library

Front Wall

front whiteboard/SmartBoard area

paperwork/forms for students

homework board

daily schedule
1- How sweet is my Día de los Muertos calacas?
2- Check out ol' Willy Shakes watching from the closet door- he's my homeboy!

My Desk Area

my desk and student-conference chair

I was told to put a lamp in my room for years-- never listened.  I finally did a week or so ago, and I'm in love!  It's so cozy.

Resources I need constantly- lesson plans, reference books, commonly-used teacher guides and games.  To the right is my "snack stash" and to the left is the organizer where I store ready-to-go copies and papers that need returning.

The kids love this big calendar on my desk- they're always quick to remind me when a new month rolls around!

The Far Side

File cabinets (with top drawer reserved for students to turn things in) and student-needs center.

My little-used podium- I bought this beautiful weaving in Costa Rica.

This table will soon hold novel sets and/or mail crates; right now, it's full of school supplies I scavenged during locker clean-out in May (for parents who need a little help with school shopping).

I know two things that could make my room even nicer:

1- kids!

2- an apple-cinnamon candle (but, Mr. Principal and Mr. Fire Marshal, I learned my lesson.  Promise.)

Are you posting a classroom tour on your blog?  Please share in the comments!

DonorsChoose: How to Get Free Stuff for Your Classroom

This four-day blogging hiatus brought to you by the first sunshiny days we've had in 1,988,345 weeks.  (Or something like that).  Now back to rain, and back to business . . . 



How often do you find yourself wishing you had something (novel sets, a new LCD projector, a document camera, art supplies) for your classroom?  That beginning-of-year stipend doesn't go very far, and neither do our paychecks.  I discovered DonorsChoose very early in my teaching career, and it has been my best-kept secret for getting classroom needs met ever since.  So much so that sometimes I am hesitant to share because I'm afraid others' projects will get funded instead of mine.  Getting past my only-child syndrome, I've decided to share.

It's free to sign up for an account.  Once you've done that, go ahead and make your first "project"-- basically a list of materials you need, chosen from their many online options, and an explanation of how you'll use the materials.  Projects take me about 30 minutes to put together, and then they have up to four months to be funded.  More often than not, they actually get funded!  You can even link your account to your Facebook page so that it sends updates there; I've received local donations several times since I made that connection.  DonorsChoose even offers codes sometimes that will double a donation made by a friend or family member.

You can visit my page here to see all of my projects.  I've had the following projects funded during the past several years:

• Celebrating Home with Local-Interest Appalachian Texts
• High School Freshmen Need Novels!
• Spanish Students Need High-Interest Reading Materials!
• Basic Supplies Needed
• Inspire My 9th Grade English Students to Love to Read
• Organization=A Better Learning Experience

Right now, I only have one running (although a teacher can have up to eight), which is titled "New High School Newspaper Class Needs Resources."  It only has 37 days left, and though it's partially funded, it probably won't get there in that time frame.  It happens.  In my years with DonorsChoose, I've created eleven projects.  Six of them were fully funded.  I don't think those odds are bad-- it's certainly worth a try!  Honestly, the projects that seem to get funded most frequently are typically lower-cost (under $400)and more basic.  For example, my projects for high-end technology needs haven't been funded yet.  Books and school supplies rock those donors' socks!  

The sum total of items donated to my classroom since I began in 2011 is $1659.08. I keep a project running all the time-- when one expires or gets funded, I make sure I dream up a new one.  I'm not sure why every public school teacher isn't on DonorsChoose.  There's no time like summertime, y'all!