Organization Linky Party

Welcome to the blog everyone! This is my first linky party, and only my second post ever! YAY!

I thought I would share 2 things that REALLY help keep my classroom organized:

Book Boxes 

 When I moved into my wonderfully HUGE room last year I inherited a TON of books.  So many that I didn't know what to do with them... So I spent about 6 hours going through them all, getting rid of ones that were in bad shape, setting aside those I didn't want, and organizing the ones I was keeping- YIKES!  It was quite the undertaking- books strewn everywhere and plenty of paper cuts.  BUT I ended up with this:

I LOVE it!  So my labels aren't anything special.  I made them myself and they are black and white and not super cute by blog community standards but they work for me and they cover all the things I want covered! Whenever we are planning I can quick pull out books because I know exactly where they are. 

Table Group Organization

I have 22 kids and 6 tables with pencils, erasers, glue, crayons, notebooks, and journals to keep organized and it was all too much for me! So on a trip to Lakeshore I found the perfect organization tools:

These table caddies and bins have saved me! The kids keep their folders and journals in the bin that matches their table color so I don't have to worry about passing out anything now- OOOO organization and a time saver!  The table caddies keep all their materials in one spot and when the table leaders carry them to tables everything they need is there.  

Want more organization tips?  Hop over to Miss Kindergarten!

Hello Blogging World!

Welcome to The Land of I Can!  My name is Heather and I'm new to the blogging community.  I'm a kindergarten teacher in Virginia, right outside DC, where we don't subscribe to the Common Core (GASP!). 

I have been following teaching blogs for the past year and was finally inspired to start one of my own after meeting many amazing bloggers at the #2013vegasmeetup during the I Teach K conference in Vegas!  So many wonderful people, teachers, and bloggers who share ideas and have created a great community online.  I decided that I finally want to be a part of it! (Here's to hoping it goes well!)

A little about me:

I will be starting my 3rd year teaching kindergarten.  I've also taught preschool and preK, but kindergarten is where my heart is!  I love their eagerness to learn and all their love!  AND I absolutely LOVE my team!  There are 8 kinder classes at my school and, luckily, we all get along and support each other.  My school has the highest percentage of ELLs (English Language Learners) and the highest percentage of Free and Reduced Lunch in our district.  It can be tough, but our kids really are good at heart, even if they forget it sometimes! (or I do...).  

I've been married for 4 years now (WOW) to my wonderful husband Matt.  This is us:

My Blog Name

Lastly- a little background on my blog name.

As I was searching for a class theme at the beginning of last year I came across someone who called their room The Land of I Can.  (I have no idea who it was or where I found it... otherwise I would totally give you credit!)  The name really struck me because I have always believed that ANY student can succeed if you set the bar high enough and push them.  I can't wait to meet my new kinders and get to know them and show them all what they can do!

 Thanks so much for visiting and hope to see you back again!