Teachers play one of the most important roles in our lives growing up. They are our role models, our best friends, our confidants, our parents away from home, and so much more. Teachers are continually molding the minds of children and young adults all over the world to prepare them to be the next citizens and leaders in our society. Without exaggeration, they are changing lives every single day. discounts for teachers
With all that teachers give to us, it is important that we give back to them. So, just in time for back-to-school, we have rounded up a list of companies that offer discounts for teachers as a, “thank you” for what they do.
Each store is linked for you convenience, just click on the stores name, and it will direct you to their discount page!
Supplies
Target: July 13-20 get a 15% off discount on back to school essentials and supplies in store and online
Michaels:15% discounts for teachers year-round and special sales for educators throughout the year
Staples: 5/1-9/15 The Classroom Rewards Program lets 5% of each purchase by parents go back to the teacher of their choice as long as they are signed up for Staples Rewards
Office Depot and OfficeMax: 7/14–9/28 Teachers can get 20% back in rewards on qualifying in-store purchased as long as they are signed up for Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards
JOANN: 15% off discounts for teachers on every purchase daily
The Container Store:year-round discounts for teachers exclusively through email when you sign up for their free Organized Teacher Discount Program
Meijer: 7/7-9/28 use their 15% off with coupon for select school and office supplies; teachers can get a new coupon every time they shop in-store at the service desk
Lakeshore Learning Store: 15% off in-store qualifying items when you join their Teachers Club Members
Also be sure to check out Discount School Supply and Dollar Tree in-store and online, for amazing prices year round on all back-to-school essentials.
Books
Books-A-Million: 20% off discount on all items purchased in-store and free online shipping year-round with a free Books-A-Million Educator’s Discount Program Card
Barnes and Noble: 20% off publisher’s list price all purchases for the classroom
Book Warehouse: 15% off in-store purchases when you sign up for their free Educators Book Club
Thriftbooks: offers 15% off all used class sets when you have 20 or more used books in your cart and you use code “APPLE” at check out
Another resource to find cheap books is First Book Marketplace, where all books are 50-90% off and they have free resources. They also have discounted supplies and basic needs for children including snacks, personal hygiene items, and clothing.
Free Resources
PBS: PBS Learning Media offers free standard-aligned videos, interactive, lesson plans, and more
National Geographic: offers free activities, lesson plans, videos, infographics, photos, and more for Pre-K- Higher Ed
BLICK: offers free lesson plans and educational videos for visual arts education, and will also offer your school a discount if you purchase art supplies in large quantities
redwritethink: offers free lesson plans, student interactivities, calendar activities, and print outs in reading, writing, grammar, critical thinking and more for grades K-12
COMMONLIT: offers a free digital library of fiction and nonfiction for 3rd-12th grade classrooms
NASA for Educators: offers hundreds of resources for free that support the STEM curriculum
sharemylesson: offers thousands of free lesson plans that you can manually align to your standards of teaching, they even have lesson plans to focus on gifted students and students with disabilities
Scholastic: offers free lesson plans, classroom printables, posters, calendars, apps, and other resources as well as discounted books
Clothing
Madewell: 15% off your entire in-store purchase when you show your Teacher ID
LOFT:15% off your entire purchase when you show your Teacher ID
Banana Republic:15% off your entire full-priced, in-store purchase when you show your teacher ID
J. CREW:15% off your purchase with your Teacher ID
New York and Co.: 15% off your entire in-store purchase when you show your Teacher ID
Talbots: 15% off a full-priced purchase when you show your Teacher ID
Be sure toenter the $2,500 Academic Award Giveawayfrom California Casualty for your chance to win $2,500 to purchase supplies for your students and your classroom!
Happy back-to-school preparation! 🙂
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a free quote by calling 1.866.704.8614, or visit www.calcas.com.
Summertime for teachers doesn’t necessarily mean “vacation”. There are, lesson plans to develop, hours of PD sessions, and classrooms to prepare. Many teachers have summer jobs or teach summer school, so accomplishing goals and tasks that get put off during the school year is easier said than done.
We’ve put together a game plan to help you accomplish the top five realistic goals that teachers tend put on the back-burner during the school year. Even if what you want or need to do varies from the list below, writing down your goals is a solid first step to achieving them – especially if you are a teacher who is short on time. So open up your planner, grab your Flair pens and get ready to amaze yourself.
Goal #1: De-clutter
Less clutter = less stress = happiness 🙂
How to Accomplish: It’s time to channel your inner Marie Kondo. Getting rid of all of the clutter you’ve put aside planning to get to later needs to be the first thing you do this summer. The first thing?! We know. Bear with us. The sooner you put away all the stuff you carted home from your classroom, address the mountain of laundry in the corner, and tackle the layers of memories of years past- barely hanging on- beneath the magnets covering the fridge; the quicker you can start enjoying your summer. Clutter causes stress. To avoid stress, we avoid cluttered areas or try to pretend it isn’t there. Identify the area or room that gives you the most anxiety and start there. The quicker the clutter is gone, the quicker you can focus on more important things-like a cold drink by the pool.
Goal #2: Sleep
This one is pretty self-explanatory…
How to Accomplish: Draw the blinds and turn off all of your alarms. zzZZZZzzzzZZZzzzZZZzzz
Goal #3: Exercise
It’s beneficial for your physical AND mental well-being.
How to Accomplish: You don’t have to go crazy, buy a gym membership or start training 24/7…unless you want to. Exercise can range from number of different activities like: taking a walk, swimming, riding your bike to the playground with your children, or an intense game of water balloons. Set aside 30 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week to move your muscles and de-stress. Start looking at exercise as positive, like playing with your kids, and you will be more likely to do it instead of sitting on the couch dreading getting on the treadmill.
Goal #4: Work On Yourself
Take some time for “me-time”.
How to Accomplish: Whether you want to get started on your MBA or have a Harry Potter marathon in your PJ’s; write down a few things down you want to do this summer, solely for YOU and YOUR happiness, and make sure to follow through. Here are a few examples that we have rounded up & linked to sources for you, just click on each word!
Create & Read a Summer book list (for fun, not work)
You give so much of yourself during the school year. Be sure to take a little time during the summer for yourself to do and discover things that YOU love.
Goal #5: Spend Time with Friends & Family
They miss you during the school year.
How to Accomplish: Make a point to do things together as a family, like eating meals at the table, taking a road trip, or having a picnic in the park. Soak up all of the family time you can. During the summer is also a great time to talk to the family that doesn’t get to see you every day, like your parents or grandparents. Schedule time to visit or talk to them on the phone. And don’t forget about friends! Friends play a key role in our happiness and mental health so, set aside some time to get together for a night out, a backyard BBQ, or your other favorite activities.
The key to accomplishing summer goals is to keep them realistic. So set aside some time, choose what goals would make you the most happy, and go get your highlighters because this summer you are going to accomplish ALL of your summer goals. One color-coded tab at a time.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
Accumulating professional development hours for re-certification can be expensive, especially if your district doesn’t provide the professional development resources for you or offer monetary reimbursement for coursework. You already spent enough of your own money on your classroom, so why spend more on professional development? No need to worry! There are online resources that offer free professional development in the form of webinars, webcasts, and modules. Many of these resources will also provide you with a certificate upon completion. Let the FREE professional learning commence!
6 Free Online PD Resources:
ShareMyLesson.com – ShareMyLesson.com offers a virtual collection of free, on-demand and live webinars while you earn professional development credit. ShareMyLesson has an “expansive library of science, math, social studies, English language arts and health-related resources.”
EdWeb.net – EdWeb.net is a online community for educators and has live and on-demand professional development webinars. Upon successful completion of the live or recorded webinar and a quiz, attendees will earn professional credit.
TeachersFirst.com – Free, virtual workshops for educators. When you participate in a live session, you are eligible to receive a certificate of completion. TeachersFirst also has archived sessions you may watch for free, but no professional development certificate is awarded.
LOC.gov – The Library of Congress offers self-paced, interactive teacher modules geared toward helping teachers learn how to use the resources available on the Library website. Each module is about one hour.
SimpleK12.com – “Professional Development In Your Pajamas.” SimpleK12 is a teacher learning community that also offers free on-demand and live webinars, among other educational resources, for teachers.
SciLearn.com – Scientific Learning provides free online webinars featuring “practical, neuroscience-based techniques to promote student learning.” You can watch a pre-recorded session or register to attend a live webinar. All sessions are about one hour.
*Teacher Tip – Check out the websites of the publishers of your textbooks. Many times, publishers offer free professional development to go along with your adopted resource, particularly if the resource has an online access feature.
“This brings hope. Helping us build back is really important. To makeover this space means a lot to everyone.”
That’s was the reaction from David Smith, president of the Teachers Association of Paradise as the staff at Paradise Intermediate School (PINT) was treated to their new school lounge makeover from California Casualty.
The Camp Fire damaged PINT, forcing it to find a temporary home in a former hardware store, 25 miles away in Chico. Thirty-five PINT employees lost homes in the fire. The hardware building still has aisles and overhanging merchandise signs, but the teachers, administrators and support staff have done the best that they can under the circumstances. paradise school lounge makeover
Understanding the incredible stress that PINT administrators, instructors and support personnel have endured, California Casualty, which provides auto and home insurance to CTA and ACSA members, donated a School Lounge Makeover® to offer a more soothing, useful area for PINT employees to take a break, relax and recharge. To keep the warehouse leasable, designers were limited in what they could do.
EON Office designers have been working on the project for months and revealed the finishing touches. The updated lounge has new paint, comfortable furniture, coffee station, dining areas, tables and other accessories, such as artwork, book cases and rugs, to offer a more comfortable and calming environment. It is designed to be relocated to the school in Paradise when repairs there are completed.
“Thank you California Casualty. This school lounge is definitely an uplift, and a much more inviting space,” said PINT electives instructor, Heather Brown. Paradise Intermediate School Lounge Makeover
Educators can learn more about California Casualty’s School Lounge Makeover and enter for one at their school at www.schoolloungemakeover.com.
I know, I know. You don’t need someone to tell you how to appreciate teachers when you ARE the teacher; you know how to appreciate your own kind. But have you really attempted to show your support and appreciation for your fellow teachers in your building? If you have, then you’re way ahead of me. If not, then read on.
In the midst of our busy school day, we sometimes forget that there are simple ways we can show our colleagues that we care about and support them. We often need to be reminded that it doesn’t hurt to demonstrate our respect and appreciation for those with whom we spend our days. Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time to turn your thoughts into action!
As National Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day approach, consider showing your coworkers a little love with some of these simple ideas.
appreciate teachers
Ask for Advice
Soliciting advice from coworkers demonstrates respect. It can also be flattering for the advice-giver. Confide in someone whom you trust and pick their brain. You might like what they have to say and you’ve stroked their ego in the process.
Get Together
Spend time together with other teachers outside of school. Just being present with your fellow teachers sends the message that you care about and support them. Go out for a happy hour drink and appetizers. You might be surprised what you can learn about each other outside of work.
Collaborate
Working together on a common project or idea can help strengthen relationships. You don’t have to immerse yourself into a complicated, time-consuming task. Start small, like how to assess students at the end of a lesson, or what the next hallway bulletin board will look like.
appreciate teachers
Be “Friends”
No, you don’t have to be besties with all of the teachers in your building. This day in age, simply being “friends” on social media can mean a lot to someone. Many of us post about our personal lives. In many cases, our coworkers have no idea who we are outside of the school day. Getting a glimpse into one another’s personal lives can impact our perspectives of each other in a positive way.
Get Personal
Interact as much as possible with teachers in your building during the school day. Rather than shooting someone a quick email, go see them in person. If you don’t have time for a personal visit, call them on the phone. Tone in an email can often be perceived differently by the reader than what was intended by the writer. Avoid confusion, and its nasty aftermath, with a simple phone call or visit.
Offer to Help
Think of ways you can help your neighboring teacher. Maybe it’s making copies, or watching their class for a few minutes while they take a leisurely restroom break? They will appreciate the favor, and you’ve just earned yourself a few brownie points!
Bring A Teacher Their Favorite Drink
This one’s easy, but costs a few bucks. Find out one of your colleague’s favorite drinks and surprise them with it at school. Hopefully they’ll appreciate the gesture and you’ll feel good about paying it forward (and buying that second drink for yourself)!
Compliment A Coworker
Give a fellow teacher a genuine compliment about their teaching. Also inform your administrator and superintendent using specific examples. This doesn’t happen often enough. Don’t let great teachers go unnoticed!
Students are hooked on their Smartphones. Just watch a group of teens – how many are typing or swiping something on their phones?
This is a phone-addicted reality, and many educators are grappling with the idea of allowing students to use their phones for structured school projects. If they use phones outside of school, why not allow teach them to use social media in the classroom?
Channeling “Phone Urge”
The way we communicate and get our news is rapidly changing. A number of instructors are now adapting by using social media in their classrooms. Certain sites, like Snapchat and TikTok, can be hard to monitor; however, integrating other social platforms into lesson plans can aid teachers in keeping students engaged. It can channel students away from using phones for non-instructional use. Plus, social media can help them keep teachers up on what is trending to find “teachable moments”!
Some instructors are now using Twitter to communicate with students and parents about homework, upcoming quizzes and important dates. Others are sending snap quizzes and discussion topics with a Tweet. Research is showing that engaging students via Twitter or other social media helps reduce their urge to become distracted by other platforms while in the classroom.
Teachers are also finding that using memes, GIFs, and emojis allow students to express themselves and convey thoughts and feelings in papers and homework assignments that they may have trouble writing about.
Incorporating smartphones and tablets during lessons can help energize student participation. Many educators are also finding that allowing technology in the classroom presents an opportunity to begin discussions about appropriate and inappropriate social media usage, and the associated dangers.
Resources
The NEA has numerous articles about the use of electronic devices and cellphones in schools.
Education Week blogger, Madeline Will, got great response after asking teachers about using social media and to share the memes and GIFS they’ve employed.
Edutopia has a useful articleon 12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media in the Classroom. It includes creating classroom blogs, sharing school work or news on YouTube, and connecting to other schools through various social media platforms.
For educators still a bit reticent about social media in the classroom, TeachThought has created a wonderful infographic and article about Six Ways Social Media Can Change your Classroom. This reinforces the ideas of learning what students are thinking, knowing what news and cultural things are trending, allowing for easier communication with parents, and globalizing the classroom.
Let’s face it, our world is getting more and more connected. Are your students using social media in the classroom?
Accumulating professional development hours for re-certification can be expensive, especially if your district doesn’t provide the professional development resources for you or offer monetary reimbursement for coursework. You already spent enough of your own money on your classroom, so why spend more on professional development? No need to worry! There are online resources that offer free professional development in the form of webinars, webcasts, and modules. Many of these resources will also provide you with a certificate upon completion. Let the FREE professional learning commence!
