CLASS IT UP

For most of us school is almost back in session. That means that there are lots of Professional Development meetings coming up, not to mention Back to School/Open House/Meet the Teacher night (aka Make a Good First Impression Night), and of course the First Day of School. These occasions are all important for different reasons and have the power to impact how your year goes and possibly even the course of your career.

Let's face it, we live in a culture where first impressions and how "put together" you look are crucial. As you gear up for what these exciting and busy next few weeks have in store, don't let your wardrobe decisions be what you're stressing over. Today, I'm sharing some ideas for how to look professional, put together, warm, inviting, confident and all of those other good vibes you want to put forward when gearing up for these big functions.

As a teacher, sometimes it is hard to Class it Up on a tight budget. I totally get that! Whether you have loans to pay back, a family to support, or you're student teaching... a teacher's wallet will most likely never be robust. Please note that all of the clothes & accessories I'm showing you today were either purchased on sale or at a really great price. I'm a penny pincher, and paying anything over $15 for an item gives me anxiety, so I'm right there with you! Just know that having a classy wardrobe IS doable on a budget... sometimes you just have to hunt to find what you're looking for in your price range. 

Come take a peek into my closet and check out outfits I'd wear for Back to School meetings/events, Professional Development Days or Observations throughout the year!

Look 1:

I love this outfit because it's professional without feeling too "stuffy." I chose to dress down the pencil skirt by wearing it with the chambray shirt and suede ankle boots. The statement necklace adds a nice finishing touch and ties in the black from the pattern on the skirt, while also giving me a little bling. I love wearing these ankle boots because they are super comfortable and very versatile. This is a perfect first day of school outfit!

The Look:

Chambray Shirt - Target (similar, similar, similar)

Textured Pencil Skirt - Target (similar, similar)

Black Statement Necklace - Walmart

Suede Ankle Boots- Old Navy

Also, proud to be sporting my Erin Condren Teacher Planner! 

Look 2:

Hooray for skirts with pockets! Hooray for finding cute comfy flats on sale! Something else that makes me cheer is the fact that I can keep the same basic pieces of this outfit, but just switch out the cardigan and have a totally different look! Right now, I'm looking very fall-ish in this mustard sweater, but I could do a red, lavender, teal, black (or really any other color cardigan) to make this outfit perfect for another season. 

The Look:

Mustard Cardigan- Target

White Blouse- Forever 21 (similar, similar)

Jean Skirt- DownEast Basics 

Striped Flats- Target (same)

Apple Necklace- Claire's (it was a gift from a student!)

Look 3: 

I love everything about this outfit! I had fun mixing patterns and textures when putting this outfit together. Polka dots are a favorite pattern of mine. They're so classic and I don't think they'll ever go out of style. This skirt is so fun and my favorite thing about it is the pockets! Heels are a great way to look professional, but comfort is key when you're on your feet all day... If I knew I was going into a long day where I wanted to look spiffy I would wear this outfit and probably wear flats with this during the school day and bring the change of heels for an after school meeting or conference. 

The Look:

Polka Dot Blouse- Target (similar, similar)

Black Skirt- H&M (similar)

Nude Pumps- Target (similar)

Pink Chain Necklace- Forever 21

Look 4:

This outfit is seriously SO comfortable! I love that I can dress it up or down based on what accessories I wear. I feel like putting on a blazer automatically classes up any outfit and makes me feel put together without really having to try. 

The Look:

Blazer- Target

White Blouse- Forever 21 (similar, similar)

Royal Blue Pixie Pants- Old Navy

Black Ankle Boots- Walmart

I hope taking a peek into my wardrobe has inspired you and given you some ideas on how to class things up this school year! Share how you plan on Classing it Up this school year using the #myteacherstyle tag on your social media posts. 

P.S. A huge shoutout and thank you to my sweet sister for taking these photos for me and editing them. I appreciate you Em. <3

P.S.S. This blog post came to be because of a few requests from fellow teachers. If there is something you would like to see on the blog, comment below and I will work on it! 

CRAZY FOR ERIN CONDREN!

Four little words changed my life recently, and I'm thinking they could change yours too, so I'll share them with you: Erin. Condren's. Teacher. Planner.

Boom.

If you're not convinced about the life altering power of those four words, or if you've maybe heard those words before but have no idea what I'm referring to - read on. A lot of the teachers that I follow on Pinterest & Instagram have been posting all about their Erin Condren planners and how much they love them. I was intrigued and perused the website and read a few reviews online. I'm a pretty cautious shopper and really want to make sure that I know what I'm buying and that I'll like it, so I searched the internet far and wide to find out how people felt about their experience and to see if this planner was truly worth the "investment." I finally decided to get one and let me tell you, it was the BEST decision!! The school year hasn't even started yet & I can already feel what a lifesaver this planner will be for me this year. I know that you can put your schedule on your iPhone and do lesson plans online... but I'm pretty old school so I love the fact that I can take notes, lesson plan, look at my calendar, track parent contacts, data, and so much more all in one convenient & cute place. Without any further ado, here is my review of the 2016 Erin Condren Teacher Planner!

Here is a quick breakdown of what the planner includes:

- Personalized covers (I chose to go with the standard cover)
-Tabbed months
-Graph paper (for tracking data, seating arrangements, etc)
- Absent Log (which I turned into Parent Contact Log... more on that in a bit)
- Year at a glance section 
- Monthly spread calendar
- Weekly spread calendar/lesson plan section
- Notes Section
- 4 sheets of stickers (some blank & some with specific labels pertaining to school events)
- Double sided  folder
- Sheet protector (I put my Daily Schedule & District Calendar in here)
- Zipper pouch
- Snap-in bookmark

Now let's hop into the planner!

As soon as I opened the beautifully packaged box, I was greeted with some exciting freebies (pictured above, along with more!) and this beautiful cover. I chose to go with the standard cover instead of personalizing it for a few reasons. One, because it was a bit cheaper. Two, I knew it would get to me faster. And three, because the planner covers can be interchangeable, I knew I could order a personalized one later if I changed my mind. 

As soon as I opened up the planner itself I knew that the two of us (my planner & I) were going to get along well this year. I love how the front inside cover is  lined dry erase. I can foresee myself using this in meetings, or to quickly jot something down. Also, all the tabs that you can see on the right side just make me so happy. The first few pages after the cover page include spots for me to put in personal information including an "All About Me" section and web resources.

After that, we come across the Birthday section. Looking at how blank this page is right now makes me sad, but in just three weeks from today I will get my class list and I will be able to fill this puppy in. Yay!

The next section is for the Absent Log. I don't know about you but my District takes care of absences online, so this section was pretty useless for me. I decided to personalize it by covering up the Absent Log title and turning these two pages into a Parent Contact section instead. I'm looking forward to testing this out. Last year, I had a more in depth PC log that I plan on still using this year for situations that require me to document more detail... but I think I will use this for most quick contacts. 

After this is a few pages of graph paper that I plan on using for seating charts and/or tracking data. Next is a section for long-rage block plans, just a quick snapshot to plan out the whole year at a glance. I'm very visual, so I appreciate this section where I can look at my whole year spread out  on two pages.

Next, we come to the monthly planning section! Between each month you can find three pages for notes and an inspirational quote. Above is the quote for August. Feeling pumped for this first month!

Here's August!! As you can see things are starting to fill in quickly! I LOVE the pages of colored stickers in the back of the book. As you can see, some of them I wrote on, and the "First Day" sticker is one of the school event stickers provided. I want my planner to look really clean & cute, so at this point I'm lightly penciling in some of the things I know that I have coming up, but I don't have all of the solid details yet. I plan on going in as soon as I do have those details solidified & making a sticker for those things. I've been writing on the stickers with my black Flair pen or my Sharpie pen. Both work great!

After the monthly spreads, comes the lesson planning section! You can also see my ruler that snaps in and out of the planner. I'm using it as a book mark right now. I love the planning section. It is the perfect size for what I need and is very clean cut, which I appreciate. 

Ta-daa! The Student Checklist pages. Right now, they're looking a little naked but I have big plans for them when I get my class roster! I'm going to be using this section to keep track of things such as permission slips, turned in assignments, etc. I am not planning on using this for grades, but more for checking in and some quick formative assessments. 

I LOVE this two-sided pocket folder towards the back of my planner. As you can see, I am using this side to place in my to-do list, the other side I will use to place any handouts from meetings. After this is a sheet protector that I have put my Daily Schedule in and my District Calendar.

All in all, I just adore my Erin Condren Teacher Planner. I am so excited to use it. I hope that you're geeking out over this planner as much as I have been. If you already have one of your own, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the planner, how you've tweaked it to make it your own, etc.

If you don't have one and are interested in getting one, I have a code that can get you $10 off your first Erincondren.com purchase. Click on the link below:

https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/jessicawhittaker0114

If you have any questions about the planner, or want to see more pictures of it (including the pages I didn't show) comment below! Happy planning!