This Idea May Knock Your Fabulous Peep Toe Pumps Off!

Friends. Mrs. Mimi has been around the block. (An observation which should not be taken out of context, you dirty birds!).

Because I will literally beg, borrow, and steal to get new ideas from colleagues, I have a lot of tricks in my back pocket. I mean, let’s be honest. Teachers, in addition to being a little hoard-y…not TLC hoard-y, but pack ratty…are scavengers. We are constantly on the look out for a great trick, a hot little tip, a new idea to try, and, you know, maybe a little acknowledgment, but that’s a conversation for another day.

(Teacher Appreciation Week Alert!!! That means let’s get the ball rolling by appreciating ourselves- find a Super Colleague who has rocked your educational world and give them a thank you, a high five, some chocolate- we are all whores for chocolate come 2:00, no?)

Back to the issue at hand. Basically, what I’m saying is that Rockstar Teachers are always on the lookout for something fabulous they can use. And, being the personal horn tooter that I am, I consider myself to be fairly Rockstar. That’s not to say I know it all, however, far from it. Because last week, last week, I heard an idea so fabulously simple, useful and seemingly obvious that I nearly passed out from all the screaming and high-fiving. I did manage to pull myself together in time to run (and I can move in heels, people) to the nearest office supply store before they closed.

(On some level, you had to know this would involve a trip to Staples, right? If only just to visit the Sharpie aisle?)

Have I kept you waiting long enough? I hope my revelation isn’t too much of a let down after all this waxing and waning…I have always struggled with knowing when to reign it in, particularly when we are talking innovations in organization.

Ahem.

So, this new idea, this revolution is related to getting our little friends to use the high frequency word wall when writing. Or when encouraging them to refer to the flarking editing checklist you have been talking about for the last hojillion months. Or when you have the anchor chart to end all anchor charts filled with strategies that would make their lives SO MUCH EASIER if they would just turn their heads thirty degrees and look at the flipping thing.

Yea, this idea is for then.

You need writing folders that have those little brad thingamajiggies in them and sheet protectors with binder holes along the side. Then, you shrink down your word wall, checklist, strategy chart to a standard 8 1/2 by 11 page and slide it into the sheet protector you’ve secured I the middle of their folder. You can even insert several of the aforementioned bits of genius into their folders and really teach the crap out of them.

KA BOOM!

Did I just drop some organizational knowledge or what?!

I kind of want to drop the mike and walk away or something, what with my flair for drama and all.

OK. Maybe this idea will not solve the world’s problems (or get your friends to spell “beautiful” correctly) but all we can do is lead the horse to water, right?

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

(Visited 27 times, 1 visits today)
1 Comment
  • Oooooh, and then to encourage actual use of the strategies, you (or a peer for older students) can put a sticker, star, smiley face next to the strategy when you see it being used!

    May 7, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Post a Comment