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Living a More Purposeful Life One Cent at a Time

classroom

Clorox Wipes, Classrooms, and COVID-19: A Lesson in Accepting Help

March 11, 2020 by Penny 12 Comments

Bow, curtsy, tap toes, wave, smile, nod. These are just some of the handshake alternatives that are enjoying their turn in the limelight. There are also peace signs, Spock signs, salutes, air high-fives. If you’re my middle school students, you might just take to greeting one another with a squirt of hand sanitizer. (Actually, don’t … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Wonder Tagged: classroom, community, friends, gratitude, spending

Teacher Talk: Lessons from Thank You Cards

January 8, 2020 by Penny 13 Comments
Lessons from Thank You Cards

“You’re really writing a card for that?” “But, Miss. It was only a picture!” I’m lucky to receive gifts as a teacher. Of course, I have some favorite teacher gifts from over the years. But I treasure every time a student and their family thinks of me. Recently, it occurred to me that I’ve written … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Wonder Tagged: classroom, contentment, enough, gratitude, lessons, money, students, teacher, teacher talk, time

The Best Teacher Gifts I’ve Received

December 11, 2019 by Penny 2 Comments
The Best Teacher Gifts I've Received

After spending an actual lifetime in the classroom, you would think that I would know a thing or two about the best teacher gifts. But this is a hard post to write. Not because I can’t pick a favorite gift (I really can’t!), but because there is so much noise surrounding teacher gifts right now. … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Celebrate Tagged: classroom, gifts, holidays, students, teacher, teacher gifts, teaching

To Everyone Who Went to Work Today

September 9, 2019 by Penny 27 Comments
Going to Work is Something to Be Proud Of

Years ago, I made a fairly bold declaration as a total newbie poking around the FIRE space. I said I wasn’t leaving my classroom, and I meant it. Now, wonderfully, more and more people are realizing that financial freedom doesn’t have to mean retiring early…or ever.  Even so, there is so much talk about the … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Make Tagged: careers, classroom, dream job, early retirement, FIRE, retire early, teaching, work

Teacher Talk: 7 Ways to Build a Library with Free or Cheap Books

September 12, 2018 by Penny 11 Comments
7 Ways to Find Free Books Cheap Books for Your Library

The research is undeniable. Reading is hugely beneficial for kids and teens. What’s more is the numerous benefits reading provides just about anyone. Additionally, if you ask most writers what makes them great at their craft, you’re likely to hear one thing over and over again: great writers are great readers. But there’s a problem. … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Teach Tagged: cheap books, classroom, classroom libraries, free books, Freecycle, libraries, secondhand, teach, teacher talk, teachers, teaching, thrifting

Teacher Spending Statistics and that Norwex Request

August 29, 2018 by Penny 20 Comments
statistics on teacher spending

I logged onto Facebook. That was my first mistake. Every once in a while, I can’t resist the temptation to check in with far-flung relatives, so I log on. There were three messages waiting for me. I knew what they were without even clicking. Like death and taxes, there is another certainty, albeit much more … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Spending Tagged: budget, career, classroom, classroom expenses, education expenses, MLM, multi-level marketing, Norwex, teacher, teaching

Pencils, Mansions, and Tone Deafness

February 13, 2017 by Penny 20 Comments

How many pencils does it take to function in a 22,000 square foot mega mansion? Zero, if you’re Betsy DeVos. If you somehow missed the tweet that one of her staffers posted after her first day of work at Secretary of Education, it was a joke that backfired tremendously. Politics aside, it proved something I’ve … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Wonder Tagged: classroom, classroom supplies, DeVos, education, Kleenex, pencils, perspective

Bah Humbug: A Little Scrooge in Me

December 7, 2016 by Penny 22 Comments

December is a lot of things for a lot of people. For me? Well, it’s mostly a race to finish A Christmas Carol before winter break begins. The Dickens classic is part of the curriculum so I’m up to my eyeballs in ghosts, chains, and mince pies. While the iconic antihero Ebenezer Scrooge is typically … [Read more…]

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Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: A Christmas Carol, budget, Christmas, classroom, consumerism, Dickens, electricity, heat, literature, minimalism, money, Scrooge, students, teaching

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