The Countdown Begins

September is approaching. Which also means I go back to being a schoolmarm in just a few short weeks. (School starts Sept 1st for me.)

Don't get me wrong. I love teaching. I love teaching English. I especially love teaching English to middle schoolers. However, I bemoan waking up early. I despise endless hours of grading. And I really don't like lesson planning.

So, in preparation of the new school year and in an effort to celebrate one of the good things about September approaching I have been (drumroll please).....buying school supplies!

Yes, I am a school-supply-aholic. I go ga-ga for a cute post-it or buying a new pack of pens (especially if they are Sharpie pens--see below)! Here are some of the treasures I have found in the past couple of weeks.


These are adorable and so much cuter than the plain, pale, blue things you find at the teacher supply store. Plus, I found them in the Target dollar section. Yes, the were $1. Now, for all you non-teachers you need to realize the ugly, pale, blue ones are normally between $10-$15 each. So, in my deal-finder fashion, I purchases a bundle of these. (I think somewhere in the range of 12-15.)


The Target dollar section also had these beauties. Now, for middle school these do seem a little bit "elementary," but considering I'm the only one using them... I'm okay with it. They were also $1 and I grabbed loads!


I write little notes to myself all the time while teaching. No seriously, I think I may write about 15 little sticky notes a day. I'm always misplacing them, so I'm hoping this cute little notepad will help me stay semi-organized with my extra thoughts throughout the day. (Also, in Target dollar section.)


This is my absolute favorite "find." This is like the holy grail, no the Bible, for teachers. This chart allows me to feel like I'm cheating when I grade their papers because it tells me the percentage. I have one of these already, but I realized last year I need two (one for home and one for the classroom) as I'm grading many times on the weekends.... sigh.


Cute bucket right? Now, if you're a teacher you will be drooling not at the bucket, but at the fine tipped Sharpies. SHARPIES!!!!! I seriously go to stores and stare, obsessively... no, stalkingly (new word) at Sharpies. They are my crack-cocaine.


Here is another cute bucket I picked up and added some new mechanical pencils and 2 packs of Sharpie pens. SHARPIE PENS!!!!! These are also the greatest pens you'll ever use.


Until I can drag my butt to my classroom one of these weekends/nights these and many other supplies sit sadly in boxes scattered throughout our small place. Do you see the huge stack of lesson plan & grading books in the left corner of the picture? Yeah, I wasn't joking about my mad bulk-buying skills. You're jealous, right?

Well, two more weeks left and then my orientation/training starts for my new school. Until then I will sleep-in and stare longingly at the Sharpie pens. SHARPIES!!!