It's all in the name!

I had one of my "aha" moments just seconds ago!  The end of the year wrapped up for me yesterday and I'm now into cleaning and organizing mode {something I'm really OCD about...thanks mom}.  I've been stressing all week about getting into my closet and how I'm going to organize in preparation for next year.  I like to purge and throw/give away items that I know I'm not going to want/need for the following year so that I can make room for new, fun things.  I also just got hired as a teacher for my district's summer reading academy {YAY} and know I won't be able to spend as much time as I would like in the classroom over the summer.  So ANYWAYS... God is amazing in directing me to find certain things just when I need them most.  This morning I was reading about Debbie Diller's book to find some fun things for math work stations and stumbled upon Mrs. M's post on Debbi Diller's other book Spaces and Places!!  Lightbulb moment!  Mrs. M talked in her blog about using file folders and multi-colored post-it notes to create a design for your classroom before even stepping foot out of your house!  I love this because I, like many of us, move my classroom around 100 times before I finally get it just the way I want it. 

Even more exciting... as I was posting a comment thanking Mrs. M for her wisdom, I read Cheryl's comment from Primary Graffiti!!!!  She shared that Lakeshore Learning actually has a classroom designer that you can use for FREE! Shutup!!! This is too good to be true.  You can click the link above to be directed to their site.

Needless to say, this is why I titled my blog "Beg, Borrow, Steal!"  I love learning from other outstanding teachers and grabbing their ideas.  There is no sense in 'reinventing the wheel' and spending hours creating something that another fabulous teacher has already done for you!  I love being apart of a network of teachers that truly inspire me and help me grow as a professional educator!

Here's to all the men and women I "stalk!"  :)