I created this blog to share teaching resources, stories, and ideas with other amazing teachers in the ever-changing, tough field of education! I recently attended a conference in Pittsburgh, and I wanted to share what I learned.

1. I need to repaint my room. I went on Amazon and ordered new furniture, flexible seating, lighting, and a tee pee for my room! I can’t wait to have it delivered Monday and for me to have a new room by Thanksgiving. I figure I spend more time there than at home, and I want it to be relaxing and calm to help my students, so we will see how it goes! Keep updated here to see it when it’s set up.
2. I learned from a coach from Florida about a bags lesson to create positivity in my classroom. Her blog is http://www.teachingsunshine.com. I started the bags this week. Students decorate the bags, and we taped them by their groups. Each day this week, they had to  place a compliment in a bag for a teammate after group work in reading. Next week, it will be for anyone in the class. I secretly went into the bags at the end of the day this week and couldn’t believe the amazing compliments my “friends” as I call them came up with! They complimented each other on how hard each other work, how nice they are to each other, and what good teammates they are. It made my heart sing.
3. I also learned about being brave with change. I started being creative with our new curriculum and making it my own, thanks to the ideas of #tlap. It’s not perfect, but I can make it better with my own ideas. Last week, we used candles and became candle makers to describe our three favorite smells. After writing our descriptive paragraphs, we made labels for our candles. I think they turned out well! See for yourself!