Weekly Summer Link-Up: My Teacher Quirks

If it's Monday then that means I am linking up with Monica from I Heart Grade 3 for her Weekly Summer Link-Up!

This week we are linking up to share the quirks that make us the teachers we are. Everyone has at least one quirk. I myself have several! I'll try to refrain myself from sharing them all, though!

 I have to keep everything uber organized in my classroom. If not my eye starts to twitch. I need to know where everything is at all times, and many of my kiddos pick up on that too. They're always telling me when something is out of place.

I am just as organized with my student data files. Each student gets their own hanging file folder. Inside that folder are different color-coded folders where I store different papers throughout the year. Manilla folders for student information, yellow for assessments, red for work samples, green for parent contact, and blue for behavior. Everything I could possibly need for any type of meeting involving my students are in their folders. All I have to do is grab their folder and head to the meeting!

At the beginning of every school year we have parent/teacher entry conferences. We have to go over mountains of paperwork, and in order to keep everything straight I color code my copies. This helps the parents keep track of everything too.

I have a bit of an obsession with dragons. Not only do I make sure our Read to Someone Else Buddy Basket is stocked full with dragon reading buddies, I have also made my classroom decor focus entirely around dragons!

Our classroom dragon reading buddies...

Dragon birthday charts...

Dragon egg behavior clips....

Dragon labels for mailboxes...the list goes on and on! Since I couldn't find any dragon-themed classroom decor, I made it all myself!

Some of my other teacher quirks include constantly talking with my hands, I'm a fast talker and my hands get in on the action! Another thing I'm always doing is setting down my trusty water cup all over the classroom and always forgetting where I left it. My kinders are constantly finding it for me! Finally, something I've done for as long as I can remember is to say 'Oh, bother' whenever something doesn't go right. I've been known to say it so much that my kinders have picked up on it and say it too! Oh, and one last one! This one's too good not to share!! I am a HUGE Ravens fan and every Friday in my classroom (the whole school, really) is Purple Friday. I always make a big deal out of it, telling the kids to wear their purple or their Ravens gear. One year during mid-year conferences a parent told me that her daughter, who was born and raised a Stellers fan (I know, I shuddered when I heard that too) came home demanding that her mom take her out to get a Ravens jersey because she was a Ravens fan now and not a Stellers fan. Oops!! I love that story, it always makes me smile!!


Do you want to read about some quirks that your favorite bloggers have? Make sure to head back over to Monica's Weekly Summer Link-Up!!

P.S. - Don't forget that you can still link up with us for Spotlight Saturday and shine a Spotlight on your favorite products, resources, activities, or ideas!! I'd love to read all about your Spotlight!!