Today my teacher bestie called me. The one I’ve taught across the hall from for years. She goes back to work tomorrow. I don’t. My feelings are…complex. Does part of me wish I was going to be sitting next to her, listening to the new principal? Kind of. But part of me knows I’m not ready for that. Life transition sucks. I’m grateful to stay home, work in my darkened office, and take a 2pm nap. Yet, I’m mourning the part of my identity that’s been shoved in a black and yellow tote labeled “teacher things.” Two things can be true.

So basically, it’s the Wild West, but make it academic. No tech. No movies. No patience. And somehow still “rigor”. Here’s how I survive it.

Thesse 5 systems run my classroom. Feel free to steal them.

Three years ago< I was fed up. I found a pile of brocken pencils. Again. And I remember standing there thinking Why does everything feel so out of control all the time?

I used to think the problem was me.  If I were more organized… more disciplined… better at classroom management… I could keep up.  I just had to find the right system and I could do it all.

If I had to start my classroom over from scratch, here’s what I’d buy and what I’d skip.