DIY Book Boxes

This summer is coming to a close. I am so excited to start the new school year especially since I am going to be in the same class and get to see my Resource students again! Best thing about this summer is that I know about my upcoming year and could plan for it. I have made some things that I will blog about later but I finished my book boxes. I needed these for some of my students who stay with me for a longer time instead of them just picking out random books from the library.

Here is the finished product! 

I ordered the medium flat rate box 2 in a pack of 10. Best thing is that it is FREE! You can get it HERE. You will also need a box cutter, a pencil, a ruler, duck tape, scrapbook paper, and a hot glue gun. 

The first step is to assemble the box by closing all the sides. Then cut the box in half. Best way to do this is measure with a ruler and draw a pencil line all the way around. 

I then decided that I would draw a line for a cut 3 1/2" up from the bottom and the same distance from the edge on the top. I connected the line to create the opening. You can decide to do whatever length works for you. 

This is what is looks like when it is all cut. 

I then decided that I wanted to reinforce the box by duck tapping it. I used black but you can use any color or design. 

I then covered them in scrapbook paper and used hot glue to adhere it. I used thicker scrapbook paper so that it wouldn't wrinkle so much. I also used decorative scrapbook paper on the front and added a laminated piece of paper so I can write my students names. 

I love the way these turned out and they were really cheap to make. I only had to pay for the tape and glue. You can make 20 boxes for much cheaper than buying them from a store. I had everything else so this was very cost efficient. It does take awhile to make them all. They seem sturdy to me but I will see how they withstand my students for the year. 

Now I just need to get them set up in my classroom and fill them with books! 

A Teacher's Prayer

I was searching around Pinterest one day when I stumbled upon this prayer for a teacher. The post inspired me and the prayer was perfect. Looking around I can't figure out who actually wrote it. Anyway it is perfect. I was in my first year of teaching and thought I need this on my desk! So I took to Photoshop and made this cute printable that has been on my desk this year.

I loved it so much and it is a helpful reminder to pray in the morning before school starts. Trust me there were some days I needed this and it helped calm my nerves during the first week of school. This prayer focuses my heart and reminds me that I need to show God's love in all that I do and to all people. It is something that will be in a frame on my desk for years to come. 

I made a version that you can download on my TPT store for free. It has a 5 x7 size and a 4 x 6 size to fit whatever works for you. 

Click Here to Download!! 

At the End

I just turned in my keys yesterday and walked out of the building for the summer. I can't believe that I finished my first year of teaching. I made it through the year and accomplished what I planned to do. I made a comment to someone on my team that I believe that all of my kids had learned and grown so much this year. They all left better on the last day of school then when they came in on the first day. They can read, write, count, add, problem solve, and behave better than when they first arrived. That was my job for this year and I accomplished it. They worked hard and showed me what they had learned. I learned so much this year too and am blessed by my wonderful team that helped me make it through this first year.

At the end of the year, I realized something. I had forgotten to blog. I wrote one before the first day of school and here am I writing one after all the students have gone. I wanted to document my first year but now it is over. If any of you have gone through first year teaching you might understand. It was so busy and I am so drained after school. Though I am going to be working on updating my blog more and making products for my TPT store.

There are some things that I would like to remember about this year....

1. My students

I had K - 5th grade students for Reading and Language Arts. They all worked so hard and learned so much. I saw students make a lot of improvements in academics and behavior. Though mostly what I will remember is their personalities and the funny moments we shared. My students are funny! They really do say the funniest things. Besides funny, they were smart, caring, outgoing, determined, and just wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel this way everyday but overall they were good. I loved getting to learn about them and from them everyday.

2. My Team

I had a wonderful team that helped and supported me this year. They were there for me and cared about me everyday. They wanted to see me succeed and would help out in any way. What is even better is that they cared as much for the kids as I did. They would work so hard to help any student and made sure that they were learning at all times. These woman rocked and I am so blessed to be a part of the SPED team!

3. Organization

I think I learned just how important organization was this year. I am still not the best on it and will improve ways to help me next year. In special education there is so much paperwork. So much. I had stacks of papers on and around my desk all year. It wasn't the best system and I see why it is so important to really have a system. Now that I have developed a system I will have a clean desk next year. I promise I will try!

4. Problem Solving

I think one of the biggest things I did this year was problem solve. Flexible is the middle name of any special education teacher. We plan and try new things. We roll with whatever happens. We think of new solutions to problems. I had to work with administration, my team, and staff on a daily basis for all the students on my caseload. They all had different problems or issues because all students are different. It was sometimes a giant juggling act and I would be lying if I said I never dropped a ball. Though I always picked them up and continued. I did the best that I could and helped students improve throughout the year. I learned how to problem solve and metaphorically juggle this year. Maybe this summer I should learn how to juggle for real. I might impress my students in the fall!

Overall this year was wonderful. I learned but most importantly my students learned. I proved that everybody can learn.

Getting Prepared

Tomorrow is the first day of school! It is scary and I am nervous. But I don't think it has really hit me yet. Being a student for the past 4 years has prepared me for this but it has always been "someday". Someday I will be a teacher or someday when I have my own class. That someday is tomorrow.

This last couple of weeks has been lots of training and getting used to my new campus. I had a week of training before the rest of my campus had to report. I got used to sitting and listening to people talk for a long time. I never knew you could be so exhausted at the end of the day from sitting. I learned from knowledgeable people and gave me lots of ideas. I also constantly reminded me of all that I have to do. My to do list was growing each day. As a special education teacher, I couldn't always relate to the information they gave but just made me realize that I had to work hard to get ready for the school year.

Getting to my campus and seeing my classroom was a surreal experience. Sitting at my new desk and looking at my classroom was overwhelming. What was worse was that the class was not organized... at all. I just wanted to know what was in the classroom so I had to make a mess to clean the classroom. Though I do share the classroom with another resource teacher so I wanted it to be her space as well as mine. I got it as organized as I could for the first day of school. Pictures will go up soon.

This year I have 16 students in my caseload. This is the most that I have ever had and I am excited to get started. I met some of them at meet the teacher and they were so adorable. I feel that this year will be challenging and I will be overwhelmed but hopefully my students will give me great memories this year. I won't be doing Resource for the first day so I will only observing my students but I am just so excited to meet them.

Well tomorrow is the day. I will officially be a teacher. I hope that I will put aside my nerves and my doubts so that I can help these students to the best of my ability. I just want to create a classroom where lots of learning will happen this year. Tomorrow is the day...

Starting a new chapter!

This is a blog about my first year teaching. I feel that during this year I will grow a lot. I want to document my joys, my struggles, and what works to help my students learn. I titled my blog Everybody Can Learn because I believe as a special education teacher that all students can learn. It is a teachers job to make sure to create a positive learning environment that challenges all students to work so that they learn to the best of their capability. But this blog is also focused on the fact that I will always be learning as a teacher. I do not stop being a "student" just because I am now a teacher. During this year and the years to come, I will be learning from my experiences, my colleagues, and especially my students. I believe everyone is a life long learner.

Today I accepted a job as a Resource teacher. I am beyond excited and can't wait to start teaching. This is an amazing opportunity and the Lord has truly opened doors for me to teach. I will have to move to a new city so this will be a new chapter in my life. I am nervous to live truly on my own for the first time but I am ready to have my own place to craft and make things for my room. 

Ready to start my journey as a teacher!