Oh my goodness. Summer is over.
I mean, I technically still have 7 days. But when you're moving into a brand new building and you haven't had clearance to work in your classroom until recently...it means summer is over.
Who am I kidding? I was up at the school working like a dog the last 7 days of summer at my old school too. :)
If it weren't for classroom decor and TPT ideas, I would seriously mourn the loss of summer. It's the cute stuff that keeps us going!
On that same train of thought, I also use this time to brainstorm ways that I can incorporate all of the ideas I had last school year...or the ideas I saw other teachers have that I wanted to borrow. :)
My teammate from last year was a big fan of the 8 Keys of Excellence, and she incorporated them daily into discussion with our second graders. I had heard of the 8 Keys, but I had never really seen them in action before. They really caught my attention a couple months into the school year when I saw how they had shifted my class's language.
I saw 7 year olds to remind each other to "speak with good purpose" when someone said something inappropriate.
I also saw them encouraging each other when a concept was difficult. They would chant "failure leads to success".
I was so amazed at the positive classroom culture that these little keys created! I piggy-backed off of my teammate all year, and I promised myself that I would use them this coming school year. I made some posters for my classroom that I wanted to share!
All 8 posters are up in my TPT store (link below). There is also a link about the 8 keys if you are interested in learning more about them. I can't wait to use them with my kiddos next year!
And happy decorating to all as we near the beginning of a new year!
Link to TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/8-Keys-of-Excellence-BlackBrights-2656476
8 Keys: http://www.8keys.org
