Super Summer

Happy Sunday All!

Hopefully you are having a Super _________ (day, week, snack, you choose!)
Super can describe so many things that the word may even lose some of its super powers - but I hope not.  The idea for this post was born while on a hot date with the hubs!

We had gone to see the movie Superman Man of Steel.  (sidebar #1- I highly recommend this movie for several reasons: very exciting to watch, wonderful story line, no profanity or visual obscenities, & good overcomes evil.  sidebar #2 You know you are aging when your teenage matinee heartthrob is now playing the father of Superman!)
The moral of the movie was driven home again and again. We are all put here for a reason - find yours.

One of my favorite sayings is "I teach. What's your superpower?" If you are involved in education in any form-classroom or behind the scenes-you are a superhero!  I began to ponder what exactly my super power would be.  I automatically thought that my love for children was a superpower - but that's a given.  Anyone in education needs to love children or they should find another career.  So I thought a while longer and decided that organization and planning were my super powers.

When it comes to organization, you just need to find what works for you and stick with it.  One of the best organizational tools that I have is the SUPER binder.  Years ago when I was a "real teacher" (aka second grade teacher), I found that if I took all of the important documents, notes, memos, plans, and the like and kept them in one central location, I was more apt to #1 know where they were and #2 put the information to use.  Thus, the SUPER Binder was born!

Over the years, my binder has gone through many incarnations, and summer is the time of year when I usually begin putting my new binder together.  I will take you through how I create mine and feel free to use these ideas and by all means tweak them to fit your needs.  You can also find many binder packages for sale online.  These are amazing and oh so cute, but I prefer to create my own.

I begin by purchasing what I have found to be essential in binder building:
     *a 2" binder (Just like Goldilocks, I have found that 1" are too small and bursting at the seams by December while the 3" are too cumbersome)
     *pretty stationary - these can be purchased to go along with your classroom theme
     * sheet protectors
     *post it filing tabs
     *optional: label maker, pencil pouch, stickers and other accouterments.

Next, decide on what you feel would be the most important things to keep in your binder and create areas for these.  The following are the tabs I will use to keep mine organized this year: lesson plans, calendar, student information, 504 data, IEP info., Team Meetings, Staff/Faculty Meetings, Parent Communication, Important E-Mails, Schedules & Rosters, and Master Copies.  I will make a header page using my stationary and then load it into a page protector.  Then, I will create a corresponding tab to place on the outside of the page protector so that the information can be located easily.  I have found that this works better than using regular dividers as the dividers tend to get lost in some the things I keep in page protectors.

Once your binder is created, file things as they come in.  Don't let things pile up or you will never find it and will be doomed before you start.

Keep your binders from year to year for reference.  I generally label the spine with the school year so that information is easily assessable.

I also keep a household super binder where I file bills, receipts, insurance and IRS information. 

Another "SOUPER" idea for the summer is Fruit Soup!

If you have found that the wonderful fruits of the season often begin to spoil before you and your family have eaten them all,  this is the perfect way to use that yummy produce.  Simply take whatever fruits that you have and blend them with a little fruit juice and voila - fruit soup!  This week I blended honey dew melon and fresh pineapple with a little lime juice.  The result was so cool and refreshing - perfect for breakfast, dessert, or just a little afternoon treat on a hot summer day.

Praying that you have a Super Week!
Love & Blessings,
Puddin'

Homework: What is your teaching super power? (please leave your answers in the comment section)