sutton062

For a long time I didn't want to tutor because honestly...I was nervous. I know it's crazy, you're probably thinking, You're a teacher...what could be so hard about it! The thing is, I never knew what I should do, how much to charge and what was expected of me. After years of hearing about all the fun and MONEY my friend was making I finally agreed to tutor. After doing it I cannot believe I waited so long! I will admit though when I first started I wasn't as organized as I am now. In hopes to encourage others to jump into the tutoring world I have included some steps I take to help me prepare for the long summer of tutoring. Before you advertise to tutor: Make sure you figure out what day(s), how long you want each session to be, where you will tutor, and how much you are going to charge. These things are all questions parents are going to ask. If your classroom isn't available to use during the summer you could try tutoring at the library, renting out a small...

This weeks TPT Seller Challenge was all about dreaming big! I work hard to make quality products for my students and followers but other than the obvious why do I do it? I first started selling on TPT because I found it fun. Now that I have been doing it for awhile I still find it fun but it is so much more than that. Every month the possibilities of this business keep growing and my Big Dreams don't seem so far out of reach anymore. Here are my dreams for my growing business: #1: Being able to pay off my student loans would mean I could start saving for my future children's education fund. This is my biggest dream because it will be the hardest/longest to achieve. #2: Being able to bless others abundantly would bring so much joy to my life. I would love to pay for someones groceries every time I go shopping just because, or buy someone's dinner. I would love to be able to give another education major money towards their education, I would love to be able to give more to m...

This summer my goal was to kick it into gear! I did so many amazing things last year and didn't do one blog post, NOT ONE!! I also didn't focus much on my store and really missed it. When school ended last week I wasn't sure where to start. That's when I came across Emily's post from  Third in Hollywood . The TPT Seller Challenge is exactly what I needed to jump start the summer. The first weeks challenge was called, Makeover Madness. We had to makeover something in our store. It could be the cover, a couple pages or an entire product. I wanted to start small but ended up doing a complete overhaul on my #1 selling Literary Essay product. Here is what the product looked like before: As you can see I didn't really spend the time the first go around to make it cute. I had all of the content there but it needed to be better. I have used this product in my classroom for 2 years and each time I use it I wrote down the things that I didn't like....or really just n...

I know I have not posted in forever but, I am ready to do a giveaway to celebrate 300 likes on Facebook! I am so grateful to have so many wonderful educators, parents and fans who are interested in what I am doing in the classroom. To thank you I am giving away our entire A-Z Alphabet Clip Art Bundle...it's a $75 value! Enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway below!   a Rafflecopter giveaway Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Wowza! It has been along time since I last posted. So many wonderful things have happened. New classroom, new students, new principal and to top it off my husband and I are selling our house. I have been so busy and unfortunately my camera/phone has been broken and I have not been able to take any pictures to attach to my blog posts. But along with all of the "new" stuff in my life I just got the new iPhone 6 and LOVE IT!!! I look forward to using it to take classroom actions shots to accompany all of the new tips and tricks I have been trying out this year. For now I leave you with this...it basically describes my life :) Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I am so excited about the linky Jamie from Tales of a Carolina Girl is hosting. Blogging is something I have really gotten into this past year and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE finding other special ed. bloggers. Networking is a huge part of my success and I love hearing from those who do what I do day in and day out. With that said here is a little information about me: Any teaching job, gen. ed or special ed., can be stressful at times. Getting advice from those who are in the same situations as you can be one of the most helpful and comforting things for me. My advice for anyone in the special education field is just to be patient and not give up. Our students are creatures of habit. If they have eaten lunch before recess for the past 4 years and now are expected to have recess before lunch a problem will more than likely arise. It is important to take the time to help your student understand the change in routine and show them that it will be ok. This may take 1 time (lucky you) but in my case ...

Today was the first day of summer school. I had know idea what to expect. We had a roster with 16 names on it...that's it!! We didn't know what grade they were in, what (if any) disability they had, if they required a para professional...nothing! Oh and to top it off the teacher I run the program with couldn't be there because she had to be at a class of her own. So here I am with 16 students (per class), 3 volunteers and my lifesaver best friend who stepped in to co-teach with me while my counter part was gone. Having my bestie there was the best thing that could ever happen. We are pretty much the same person and know what the other person wants just my looking at each other. She was able to follow my lesson plans, my bullet points,  my 3 minute oral directions at the beginning of the 3 hour class to a tee! Our summer program "Explore" focuses on reading, writing and math improvement for students with an IEP or who are considered at-risk, grades K-5. I love wor...