The Rainbow Connection: Pensieves

This summer, after I wrapped up what can only be described as a year fraught with stress and stress and, oh, have I mentioned the stress? I decided to get a handle on the organization (or the lack thereof) in my classroom .

I tackled my storage closet ... as well as my giant piles of papers ... and ummm, the ridiculous amounts of pens and pencils ... and the clutter, oh the clutter! But the entire time I was taming that beast, I was thinking about how I could better plan my days and weeks, keep track of my student data, and make all of that easy and manageable. Of course, I did what any self-respecting teacher would do, I went to Pinterest.

I am having a scandalous affair with Pinterest! That website is ... well, it's like a frozen hot chocolate and a beach vacation and a great-looking man willing to wait on you hand and foot all rolled into one.

I am not even joking.

In my very formal research -- yes! Pinterest IS formal research -- I discovered a few teachers who have organized their lesson plans in such a way that it just really felt ... oh, I don't know ... right. I was telling a friend and colleague about the organizational system I was getting ready to undertake, and here's where it gets weird ... well, a cool weird.

We were actually meeting to go over a book we were both reading, The Daily 5, by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. During my excited rambling about my revolutionary organizational system, my friend said, "You know, that really sounds like the Pensieves in their CAFE book!"

Come to find out, The Sisters, as they are referred to, created a binder they call Pensieves, in honor of Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Pensieves are really binders wherein we can pour our thoughts into ... all our important ideas and data. Brilliant!

I am taking The Sisters' idea one step further, and I've created three pensieves.

I give you, ladies and gentlemen, my pensieves.