February SLANT

I loved getting to know my match this month for Lessons with Coffee's SLANTBox Exchange. (You can read about my October post here.) 

Laura from over at Teaching From Beyond the Desk is a 6th grade, first-year science teacher in northern California. We had some great conversations about how to get kids thinking scientifically and bonded over our mutual love of colored pens and common spirit animal (Monica Gellar). She sent me an AMAZING box this month with some great goodies:

Check out the art on this box, huh? It's all in shades of purple because it's my favorite color.

I can't wait to take this notepad to school. (The top says " The list that keeps going and going and going and going and going..." totally true for us teachers. The lists NEVER.STOP.) And I'm totally taking that journal and my new pens (below) with me to Spain next week.

She also sent me a lot of Valentine goodies (some not pictured) like some window clings I plan to use next year and some pencils and mini pens that I'm planning to use in my classroom becuase my preschoolers are really getting into writing right now.

And this gorgeous cup is all mine, with one of my favorite phrases on it: "It takes a big heart to shape little minds." I do believe I have a big heart. But the best part is what was inside:

KIT KATS!!!! Om nom nom nom. My favorite.

I'm sitting March out because I'll be in Spain for half of it, but I can't wait until April's exchange! If you've never done a SLANT exchange, you should. They're so fun!!

October SLANT Love

About six months ago, I was perusing the teachersfollowteachers on Instagram when I stubled across this image from Lessons with Coffee:

I love mail. I love pen pals. I love commiserating with fellow teachers. How fun!!

Basically, Jameson is a rock star because she takes -- at this point -- dozens and dozens and DOZENS of teacher information and pairs us up so we're talking to two people. One of the people you're sending to and one you're receiving from. I've done 4 exchanges at this point and have been paired with people from DC, Wyoming, Michigan, California, and Indiana. I haven't yet blogged about it, though, because I started this blog just recently.

This month, I was paired with Maja over at Kooky Kinders and Laura at Enchanting Elementary. Maja and I bonded over the St. Louis (where I'm from) Bosnian community (her heritage) and Laura and I bonded over the fact that she's getting married next spring -- on the same day I did six years ago. Small world.

Anyway, the theme was to send things to help the other teacher. Laura sent me an awesome set of Brain break sticks that I plan to use ASAP because my 4 year olds are already antsy and winter is just beginning (Lord, help me). And she sent me a Kit Kat. Which I would take a photo of, but I've already eaten it. All 8 sticks of it. In one sitting.

Taken at naptime... Sorry it's so dark!

Sign ups for November/December are closed because it took me too long to write this post, but you should totally sign up in January! It's a blast!