Hall Pass Linky

I am linking up with Reagan from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits for her fun Hall Pass Linky Party!! What a lovely talented lady Reagan is :] Read below for what needs to be included and join in on the fun!

MY PRODUCT: Okay, so this was really difficult for me.. I have just improved many of my products, so I am unsure of which is my favorite.  I went back and forth with my weather unit, government unit, and my common core units... but I decided (for the moment) my favorite is my Teacher Guide Unit.  And I only say this because it is 50 pages of posters, lists, organization, and excitement for a new teacher.  I want to revise this unit as well hopefully in the near future and make it more pages and even more fun printables for teachers.  Being a teacher is very difficult for those of us with a small paycheck or subbing and looking for that perfect placement.  But we all know how rewarding it is, and I love my Teacher Guide Unit because I think it can get teachers excited to be organized about teaching :]

MY AREA: My classroom is very, very small.  But me and my wonderful kiddos make it work.  My favorite area is our rug and book bins.  I am happy to call myself a bargain shopper and did my best to find pillows and books that my kids could enjoy.  The rug is a hand-me-down from K-2 is Splendid.. Love her!

MY SIGNAL: I feel that we probably have a lot of signals that we use in the classroom, and I do not even realize it.  A few of them that come to mind are the sign language sign for listening:

 

We also have different signals for Daily 5 that I have actually just made up as I go along.  For example, for Read to Someone I have my students hold up 2 fingers to signal that they need a buddy to read with, and then a student that would like to read with them, holds up 2 fingers and they nod at each other to confirm it.  I read about different strategies for this, and that just worked for my kids. 



Also after the kids make their choices, they will not start their work until I say, "Aaaaand BREAK!" and it's so cute because we feel like a team and we are getting ready to work together.  When I forget to do it, they will wait for me (and they had to remind me a couple of times!)

                       

 

MY SANITY: Sometimes I do not know how I get through the long days after teaching, tutoring, teaching piano, cooking dinner, and cleaning.  It's a lot. And I am often tired!

These are the things that keep me sane:

-working out [keeps my stress down]

-treating myself to a sweet treat or chinese food on the weekend [hey a girl can't stick to her diet all the time!]

-hugs and kisses from my honey [and I get a massage once in a while!]

-constantly blogging, talking to you lovelies and putting new activities on tn/tpt.. it helps me to think I am being productive! It DOES keep me sane ;]

-shopping!! I haven't bought myself anything in a long time, but when I lose some more weight, it'll make me feel great to go shopping.. I am hoping by April-ish!