money money money

As a general rule, teachers do not make a lot of money. I think it is also a general rule that teachers end up spending a lot on their classrooms and their students to make learning more engaging and enjoyable. The equation doesn't really balance out, but that's the way it goes. At least in my home.

Today, that equation was turned around a little tiny bit. I received an email from my principal saying, "Surprise, classroom teachers have XXX amount of money to spend on their classrooms!" These surprise emails make me giddy. It's kind of like being a kid in a candy store. As a result, I spent my planning period and a fair amount of time after school playing around online, trying to figure out what I wanted to bring into my classroom. Then I spent more time substituting one item for another until I came up with what I felt was the best way I could use this surprise gift.

You may be wondering, "why on earth did she spend so much time figuring this out today?" It's a good question. The reasoning behind the time that I spent sorting out which items I would like to bring into my classroom today is that these "gifts" often expire pretty quickly. Administration is told that their schools have so much money to spend within a certain period of time, otherwise those funds disappear. I do not want to be one of the teachers that misses out on the opportunity, and I also don't want to just fill my room with junk. I spent time thinking about what would help to make my instruction more meaningful, and then I played around with those ideas. What I came up with is as follows:

• Dry erase markers (I use these daily, they are expensive, and they help me save trees)
• Math manipulatives and corresponding centers that are Common Core aligned
• Language arts manipulatives and corresponding centers that are Common Core aligned
• Wikki Stix to help visualize letter and number formations (and to just have fun every once in a while)
• Letter beads for practicing putting words together and to practice blending sounds

First thing tomorrow morning I can put my order in. Then it's a waiting game. If you recall, I received the bounty from one of these money gifts early this year - the order had been filed last spring. I guess beggars cannot be choosers. Whenever it arrives, I have faith that it will arrive. And then I will celebrate - again!