Teacher Toolbox

I want to go ahead and throw this out there..... This project was NOT my idea, and YES it did come from Pinterest. Thank you to whoever thought up this idea and also to the person who thought it was incredible enough to pin. The OCD in me truly appreciates it.

When I first saw this teacher toolbox on Pinterest, I thought I would have a coronary. I LOVED it. Anyone that knows me can tell you how much I love to organize things and I knew instantly that I wanted to make one of these.

The storage box itself came from Lowe's and was only $16.47. This particular box has 22 drawers, 8 large and 14 small. There are other variations of this storage box that offer 18 or 39 drawers, but I felt that 22 would be just perfect for me. Here is a link to the storage box: Stack-On 22 Drawer Storage Cabinet.

If you haven't discovered teacherspayteachers.com yet, then I really don't know what you have been doing on the internet. This site offers some INCREDIBLE resources for teachers of all grades and subjects. The premise of this site is for teachers to offer up their original lessons and other creations to other teachers for pretty small prices and sometimes even for FREE. I am pretty positive that I have downloaded every free item on the website. PLEASE, go check it out. With that being said, I found the labels to fit this teacher toolbox on Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is the link to the labels: Teacher Toolbox Labels- Dot Theme.

The labels are done in PowerPoint meaning that they can be personalized to fit your individual needs. I changed up some of the labels because I knew that I would never use some of them. All you have to do is print them, cut them out, and use some double sided tape to attach the labels to the inside of the drawers. An incredibly cheap and easy way to organize these small materials and keep them from cluttering up your desk.

I hope you all enjoy your teacher toolboxes! :)

Am I really about to GRADUATE??

It seems like just yesterday that I was crawling around in diapers, and just this morning that I was graduating from high school, yet in only 20 days I will be a college graduate. The past 4 years have been a whirlwind to say the least. People always told me that my college years would be the best years of my life, but I certainly hope not. If the best years of my life include being so stressed out about getting papers and projects done that I could pull my hair out, I think I got ripped off a little bit. But the truth is that I wouldn't trade my time in college for anything. I have proved to myself that hard work and dedication do pay off, for me being in the form of a degree. When I walk across that stage to receive my diploma, all of the late nights and weight that I've gained from midnight trips to Taco Bell will be worth it. :)

Honestly, though, I wouldn't have been able to survive these 4 years of college without some very important people who have always believed in me and supported me when I didn't think that I would make it through. The first of these people would be my boyfriend, A.J. When he came into my life, I'm sure he could never have imagined the role he would play. He has been my shoulder to cry on when I was sure that I would never get an assignment turned in on time. He was there for me through the loss of a family member in my junior year. He continues to treat me like a queen and make sure that the weekends are used for relaxing and escaping the difficulties that I face at school during the week. I could never thank him enough for everything that he has done for me. I love you, A.J.

The next few people have been there for me through thick and thin, disagreements and happy times. Tiffany, Jera, and Macy, each of you have such a special place in my heart. Not all girls are blessed with some amazing friends and sisters, but I guess God saw fit for each of you to be in my life and part of my family, whether it be by blood or by friendship. Thank you all for the uplifting words, prayers, and Mexican dinner dates. I love you girls!!

Lastly, I want to tell my mom how much I appreciate and love her for always putting my needs ahead of her own and for being as close to a perfect parent as one could get. In my entire life I have never gone without anything I have needed or wanted and that's all thanks to my mom. She has invested a lot of time and money to put me through college and I think that walking across the stage at graduation is just as much an accomplishment for her as it is for me. All I want in life is to get married, have kids, and make my mom proud. I hope that one day I can be half the mom that mine has been. Thank you for the daily phone calls, reminding me of how proud you are of me, supporting me in everything I do, and for buying my groceries while I've been student teaching. :)

In 20 days, I will be entering the work force as a teacher. Only God knew that this is what I would spend the rest of my life doing and I'm beyond thankful for him placing these people in my life to help me on this long and hard journey.