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Whether you are looking for tips to better manage your classroom, classroom design, flexible seating, or classroom organization, you are in the right place! Browse through the posts and categories below to explore all of my tips and tricks for running your classroom.


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  • Ice Breakers and Team Building for Social Distancing or the Virtual Classroom
  • Making Morning Meeting Work in your Upper Grades Classroom
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ZERO Prep (and FREE!) Creative and Critical Thinking Games

I am always looking for quick and fun ways to keep students engaged in learning AND stretch their thinking. As a gifted and talented facilitator, I regularly add critical thinking…

Advice to New Homeschool Parents from a Veteran Teacher (And former Homeschool Mom!)

Deciding to homeschool your child can be both exciting and overwhelming. I’ll never forget the moment we decided to make the leap, albeit only for a year. There’s so much…

Brush Up on Your Teacher Skills: Must-Read Professional Development Books for Teachers (and More!)

Summer break is right around the corner. After a school year full of early mornings, lesson plans, and seemingly endless to-do lists, we’ve all earned some well-deserved rest and relaxation!…

6 Creative Ways to Build Community Connections Beyond the Classroom

Building a strong sense of community within our classroom is something we all strive to do as teachers. Shared experiences, teamwork, and mutual support create the foundation for a year…

Practical Advice for New Teachers, Straight From Our Community

Starting your teaching career comes with a mix of excitement, nerves, joys, challenges, and a million memorable “firsts” throughout the year. From figuring out how to set up your classroom…

5 End-of-the-Year Teacher Tips for August Success

We know the final school year bell hasn’t rung yet, but I’ve found that now is actually the perfect time to start setting your classroom up for a successful back-to-school…

Classroom Resources

  • 2024 Presidential Elections | Election Day and Electoral Process Activities

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  • 2024 Presidential Elections | Road to the Election Math Project

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  • 2024 Presidential Elections Math and Literacy Activities | Ultimate Bundle

    2024 Presidential Elections Math and Literacy Activities | Ultimate Bundle

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  • 3rd Grade Math Word Problem of the Day | Bundle

    3rd Grade Math Word Problem of the Day | Bundle

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hey, I’m Mary

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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💭 Real Talk: I’ve never had a classroom theme 💭 Real Talk: I’ve never had a classroom theme. Have you?? 

I rarely change my decor — I add a few little things each year if something strikes my fancy. I try to keep things bright and light so that anyone who walks in my room feels at home, at ease, and ready to learn and grow. 🩷 

🎥 This is a quick video I took of a small space in my classroom — left over from last year and ready to be put back together for this year! It will take me just a few minutes to set this space back up to its former glory … And if I decide to get fancy, maybe I’ll switch out my borders. Maybe not. 😉 Either way, it’s going to be a great year!
This is a total teacher MUST in my classroom! The This is a total teacher MUST in my classroom! The tongue drum is a super calming way to get your students’ attention. From day one, I set the expectation that if students hear the tap of the drum, they stop what they’re doing and find me with their eyes. Works like a charm and brings such a peaceful sense of calm to the classroom every time. 🩷🩵💚 

Drop a comment below, and I’ll send you the link to mine. 🔗 

#teacher #backtoschool #iteachtoo #teachersofinstagram #iteach #firstweekofschool
This is your annual reminder to add this to your b This is your annual reminder to add this to your back to school plans!! 💚 It never gets old watching kids process through how to make this challenge work! I give them each a piece of string, a rubber band, and cups and tell them they have to figure out how to stack the cups without touching them. They’re usually stumped initially, but someone always figures it out!!

ℹ️ 

Just about every day during the first week of school, we have a STEM or teamwork challenge. 🧩 incorporating them helps build teamwork and collaboration skills and allow students to feel and overcome challenge early on. Watching students work through the productive struggle of the STEM cup challenge has always been a highlight of our first week of school and is a great time to focus on building growth mindsets, too!

🤔 They never get it right away, so watching them problem solve and strategize is just the best! 

💡 It’s super easy to set up! Each group gets 6 cups, string, and a rubber band. They have to assemble a pyramid without their hands touching the cups. That’s it. That’s all the directions they get! 

😍 I always allow plenty of time for this activity since it can take a while for them to come up with a strategy that works!

Comment below, and I’ll send you a link to my BTS plans with all my STEM ideas.
Every resource I create is the direct result of so Every resource I create is the direct result of something I’m missing in my classroom! 💖 👉 I originally made these FREE bookmarks for parents (perfect for back to school night!) to support their readers at home, but now they’ve become a super helpful ready-to-go reading resource in my classroom, too! They work with SO many skills and almost ANY book!

FREE Reading Response Bookmarks!! 💥 I took all my reading response prompts and made them into bookmarks (24 different options in total)! Whether you’re using them to hand out to parents or for students to reference during reading groups, they’re an awesome resource and the result of many years as a literacy teacher. 

Comment below, and I’ll send you a link to the free file. ❤️💖

#teacher #backtoschool #iteachtoo #teachersofinstagram #lessonplans #iteach #kidlit #homeschool
It’s that time of year! I’m sharing my FREE Fi It’s that time of year! I’m sharing my FREE First Week of School Lesson Plans to make your life easier. 🩷 Comment below, and I’ll send you the plans! #teacher #backtoschool #iteachtoo #teachersofinstagram #iteach #firstweekofschool
Can we still be teacher friends? 😜😬🫣😂 Can we still be teacher friends? 😜😬🫣😂

🔥 What are YOUR “controversial” teacher opinions?

(P.S. This is all in good fun! I’m a big believer in doing what’s best for YOU and YOUR students. Always.❤️)
I haven’t stepped foot in my classroom yet, but I haven’t stepped foot in my classroom yet, but I’ve started thinking about new units I want to implement this year and which novels and picture books I can integrate into them! 

✂️ Over the years, I have prepped mini anchor charts, reading response prompts, and more to make integrating new novels super easy BUT impactful. 

🥾 I am MOST excited to add a National Park literacy unjt — the options feel endless! I already do a super fun Wonders of the World unit, and this will be a fun addition! 

💡 What’s your favorite unit or novel to teach? 

If you’re like me, drop a DM below, and I’ll send you a few ideas to get started! ❤️
What do allll of these things have in common? They What do allll of these things have in common? They’re all part of Prime Day, and they are all actually worth it. 😜 Drop a comment below, and I’ll send you my carefully curated list of books and supplies. ❤️❤️
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