Educators work hard, and we love businesses that want to thank teachers for all they do. Check out these fun discounts for teachers and don’t forget your school ID!

1. 15% off at JoAnn Fabric and Michael’s with your school ID.

2. offers 20% off classroom purchase. Who says your class can’t read that best seller you want to read?

3. Half Price books offers 10% off all purchases for educators. They also give away FREE books for teachers during the summer!

4. The Container Store gives teachers 15% off.

5. Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and The Limited all offer 15% off with a school ID. Also check out other stores like Black House White Market and New York and Company who often have back to school discounts for teachers in August and September.

6. 15% off most products and services at

7. Students, faculty and staff can save 5-10% through the Apple Edu Store. Check out the store here: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing

8. Pier 1 gives a 15% discount with a school ID.

9. Horace Mann Insurance offers home, auto, and life insurance at discounted rates for teachers across the US.

10. offers up to 50% off the normal subscription cost on home delivery of The New York Times for K-12 teachers.

Fact: Teaching takes a lot of time and is a lot of work. While teachers do have at least one planning period per day, there is typically additional work (lesson planning, paper grading, etc.) which might need to be done outside of the working day. Weekends can be a time to find a great coffee shop, slip on some headphones, and grade the 147 essays students turned in on Friday in a timely manner.

So, where are some nice spots to sit and grade/work/read in the city of Houston? Read on, friend! There are a wonderful variety of places which make for solid work spots, so get excited!

1. Onion Creek

   
   http://www.onioncreekcafe.com/

   Location:
   3106 White Oak Dr., Houston, TX 77007

   Pros: Onion Creek features outdoor seating, a menu chockfull of delicious salads, sandwiches, and burgers as well as breakfast + coffee options. Seating choices include couches, outside tables, and little tables inside. Charming little flower arrangements adorn each table and bring smiles to the faces of folks hunkering down for a few hours of work.

   Cons: The OC’s parking lot is on the small side; however, there is an adjacent lot which accounts for this.

2. Agora
   

   
   http://www.agorahouston.com/
   
   

   Location: 1712 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77098

   Pros: Two story coffee shop with tasty coffee and spittin’ distance from the wonders of Montrose. Wi-Fi accessible and casual vibe.

   Cons: Parking lot is tiny, and Agora can fill up quickly, with seating becoming a problem.

3. Café Express
   

   
   http://www.cafe-express.com/
   
   

   Location: 3200 Kirby Drive #100, Houston, TX 77098

   Pros: Ample parking and ample seating-the weekend work day dream. Choose between booths and tables, select from the giant menu with tasty options, and access Wi-Fi in order to have yourself a great little work day.

   Cons: I am hugely biased-I see no cons to this place, largely because there is always parking and always a seat available.

4. Brasil

   

   http://cafe-brasil.net/

   Location:
   2604 Dunlavy St., Houston, TX 77006

   Pros: Great indoor and outdoor seating with a delicious menu of pizzas, salads, pastries and more. Access Wi-Fi and devour a warm cup of coffee to get your work done in good taste.

   Cons: Because this place is that tasty, the line can get pretty long. If you are in a rush, do not come here. But if you have some time to spare, the wait is worth it.

5. Empire Café
   
   http://www.empirecafe.com/
   

   Location: 1732 Westheimer Rd., Houston TX 77098
   Pros: Ample indoor and outdoor seating with a full café menu and accessible Wi-Fi. Take advantage of Empire Café’s coffee drinks served with two free cookies. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you do not leave without getting a slice of one of the fabulous homemade cakes.
   Cons: None! Always a great place to get some good work completed.

Image Sources: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Did our Classroom Organization 101 post leave you wanting more? Here are some advanced organization systems to get your teacher life organized and class running smoothly.

Share the link to your favorite organization system below. Happy organizing!

What is your role on the TEam?

I am excited to be joining the Teaching Excellence team as an Instructional Coach for the 2013-2014 school year. I will be transitioning from my current position as a 9^th Grade English Instructor at YES Prep North Forest where I also coached Men’s Volleyball and Girl’s Soccer.

Where did you study?

I studied at the University of Virginia in the heart of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is the most gorgeous campus I have ever been on and I had the most formative moments while attending school there.

Why are you passionate about education and teacher development?

I think your eyes would get tired reading my long list of reasons, so I will keep it as short as possible. I have always worked with children in my summer jobs and slowly transitioned from working with those from high income backgrounds to those with low income backgrounds, an experience that made the disparities between the two very apparent. I applied to Teach for America as an exciting way to give back to the country that has given me so much and challenge the status quo I had seen in my work. In my teaching experience, the gains students can make when presented with a strong instructional leader are incredible. I am excited to do my part of ensuring that each student has the chance to have a great teacher, no matter their experience. To go from being responsible for the 80 ninth graders I currently teach to being ultimately responsible for every student of each of my New Teachers will be an exhilarating experience unparallel to anything else I have done with my life. I cannot wait to make sure that every student gets the excellent education they deserve.

Describe a successful teaching strategy that you used in the classroom or that you frequently recommend to your teachers.

I love jig-sawing material. Split your classroom into multiple groups (the number is dependent on the number of items to be taught) and make them responsible for a specific component of your lesson (think: key points). The students in each group will create a creative way to remember the key point through song, dance, picture, hand gesture, something and then teach it to the other students. As they are creating their memorable moment, the teacher circulates and assists students to make sure that their presentations match the expected outcome of the teacher. After presentations, hold the students accountable through checks for understandings.

I love this process because it makes students responsible for their classroom and their education. With a little bit of extra prep work by the teacher to create groups and their materials, students have an active, participatory role in their classroom.

What advice would you have for an educator that aspires to become an instructional leader?

Save everything, get feedback frequently, learn from those on your campus. I still have my materials from when I went through Teaching Excellence. It was a life saver after I graduated from TE to be able to go back and quickly reference that “foldable format” or “Big 6 check list.” Additionally, by getting coached by the instructional team on my campus, I was able to see the best ways to be coached while enhancing my own skills. When I felt comfortable, I would pop into other classrooms and watch other excellent teachers. This gave me the opportunity to see the various teaching styles of various subjects and access the collective brainpower of the instructors on my campus; they had so many great tips and strategies that I could not have originated all on my own.

When you are not working on closing the achievement gap, what do you enjoy doing?

I love being outside! Whether I am running, hiking, reading, or just sitting outside, I think there is so much value to enjoying the freshness that is the outside. I cannot express how happy I am when I am in a place that has never been touched by machinery and the sounds of mankind are obsolete. I know that sounds a little lofty, but it is hard to express how great the outdoors is without it. J

Oh, and I love brunch.

Which TE-shirt is your favorite and why?

I love the “Start Strong. Finish Stronger.” shirts. They are wonderfully applicable to any moment in life. You can always finish stronger than you did earlier in the day, week, year. It reminds me of the continuous push that TE has for itself, its teachers and I should have for myself. I also definitely stole the slogan for my Girls’ Soccer Team….:)

What is your role on the TEam?

I am an Operations Coordinator for TE. What this means is that I help with the planning and logistics of Induction, PLS and certification.

Where did you study? List all that apply.

I received my BBA from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Why are you passionate about education and teacher development?

Like everyone else on the TEam, I am passionate about education and teacher development because I feel that all kids deserve strong teachers that challenge them to think and push them to success. I also believe that in order to be successful, teachers must have a strong system of support. Coming to TE with an operations background in the corporate world, I am grateful to now be directing my skills toward supporting TE teachers and furthering education in Houston.

If you had to describe your work on the TEam in three words, what would they be?

Collaborative, detail-oriented, fun

When you are not working on closing the achievement gap, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy exploring Houston with my husband Zack, spending time with family and friends, and doing anything outdoors.

Which TE-shirt is your favorite and why?

I like the “Redefine Possible” shirt because I think this statement defines the work that TE does. Plus, it was my first TE shirt J

Baz Luhrmann’s
The Great Gatsby hit theaters recently, and high-school students across the country filed into theaters, eager to compare the flick to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel. Classroom instructors additionally expressed excitement at the thought of having an updated version to show to students. But when should movies be used in a classroom? SHOULD movies be used in the classroom? We at Teaching Excellence wanted to get some answers on best-practices for usage of movies in the classroom, and we knew just where to turn.

Kinder award-winning
YES Prep Southeast AP English teacher, cross country coach, and movie blogger James Sheridan was gracious enough to share with Teaching Excellence a few of his best practices around the art of using film in the classroom in order to drive instruction and impact student achievement.

Should movies be used in the classroom? Why or why not?

I am a huge advocate of movies in the classroom as long as they are studied as texts, not merely used as rewards.  I think instead of using a movie only as a reward or break, I think they are powerful tools to teach critical thinking skills, note-taking, listening, as well as apply some of Kelly Gallagher’s “Deeper Reading” principles in terms of studying method and meaning, especially upon multiple viewings.  That being said, we can’t go overboard on films in class.  I try to incorporate some aspect of film for each six weeks, though we only watched two films straight through this year.

What steps should a teacher take when determining what movie to use, when, and why?

I think movies are something I incorporate in my Essential Questions as an AP Lit teacher, so I don’t necessarily just show films of books that we’ve read.  For example, I show scenes from “Eight Men Out” when teaching “The Great Gatsby” in order to provide context for the Black Sox scandal, the post-WW1 era in the big cities, provide a window into the American Dream at that time.  It makes the chapter on Meyer Wolfshiem throwing the World Series a bit more understandable.  I showed early scenes and a few major speeches from “The Crucible” to my class because the context of the town of Salem, the churches, and the starkness of it all is difficult to visualize (plus it is a play!).  I like listening to actors perform some of the major scenes and speeches that we will analyze and write about, and not just in terms of what was changed, what was kept.

I think questions for a teacher to consider include: 1. How is this film relevant to the EQ’s and Big Goals of the classroom?  2. Do we need to watch a clip, a scene, a major part, or all of the film?  3. What is the best use of time with teaching the film?  I am a huge fan of doing less but reviewing a scene to deep read it and analyze it closely.

What should students do while watching a movie in class?

Students need to be taught explicitly how to take notes during a movie, shown examples from the teacher on the doc. Camera, and then held accountable in 3-5 minute film viewing bursts for sharing out.  “What did you see?”   “What did the director do?”  “What choices were made?” are three of the most common questions in my class.  Ideally, these notes culminate in film reflections or papers or some other kind of writing that can be evaluated or shared.  My students wrote film reviews at the end of Semester 2 in the style of Roger Ebert and other critics seen on www.imdb.com.

Describe a movie that you use in your classroom.  What is the purpose? What is the result for students?

We watched “Rebel Without A Cause” as part of our “Pride and Prejudice: What is Love? Unit.”  I provided a little background (director, actors, time period, etc…), and then we watched the opening scene in the jail 2X, breaking it down to themes and messages and symbols.  Students loved finding the things that the director put there once I drew their attention to it.  The subtle message is that it takes multiple times to understand and figure out a film and a book (any text).  Then, we stopped the film 30-40 minutes in, had a discussion, returned to our notes.  The next day, students finished the film, me breaking it at certain points to ensure comprehension, ask some questions I had scripted already in my lesson plan.  The culmination of the film viewing was a Socratic Seminar where they tied the social codes and expectations of Jane Austen’s world to the world of the 1950′s LA and Jim Stark’s family.  There could have easily been a written reflection as well.  Students had to use their notes to receive credit.

How can a movie increase student achievement?

A movie, used strategically and with accountability pieces, can build inferencing skills, practice identification and analysis of symbols and motifs, and is a natural fit for exploring method, meaning, and so what.  For example, Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock uses swirling imagery and the endless circling and chasing of Madeline by Scottie to represent the maze-like confusion of obsession, showing how possible it is to lose one’s self in the pursuit of something desired.

Is there anything else that you would like teachers to know or consider when they make the decision to use a movie in their classroom?

Watch the movie first!  Make sure that you speak with your School Director about anything controversial or R-rated, as well as putting information that is clear to parents and students if there is something that will be a bit rough.  Film clips are a great way to hit different modalities of learners, but don’t be afraid to use a less is more approach.  Conversely, two times a year, I am 100% fine with diving deep into a film (Rebel Without A Cause, Vertigo) in order to really explore it and add it to our texts studied this year.  I also like showing multiple versions of Shakespeare scenes (using YouTube or my own DVD’s) if the speech is a major one that we are diving deep on.  There are also fun adaptations (we watched the opening scene of an Australian Macbeth with 3 Witches desecrating a cemetery because it was 2 minutes, set a tone, and was on Netflix) as well as strange adaptations (we watched a scene from “Throne of Blood,” a Japanese samurai version of Macbeth by the great director Akira Kurosawa).  I think making sure you watch and know what scenes, moments, methods you want to focus on will make any film-viewing experience a great one.  Also, use film criticism and essays from www.imdb.com and online sources (Houston Chronicle, New York Times, etc…) to show models of successful criticism. Last, hang movie posters up in your room to build awareness and preview (tease) upcoming films, units, books!  In my room this year, we have had “The Great Gatsby,” “Throne of Blood,” and “Vertigo” up in the back at points way before we saw them!

Thank you, James, for your thoughtful responses! We are excited to see teachers implement these strategies in their classrooms in order to use films in an impactful manner!

What films have you used in your classroom? How will you use films in your classroom moving forward?

After about 3 weeks of school, my classroom usually looked like a tornado had just swept through Room 134. The added stress of the stacks of papers on my desk and markers rolling around on the floor was definitely not what I needed as a teacher, and I learned that staying organized was crucial. If you are like me and need to get your teacher life together, do yourself and your students a favor and take a day to put some systems in place that will make staying organized much easier. Below are some quick and easy ideas to stay organized.

1. Plastic Bins: Get plenty of plastic bins. They are cheap and a great way to store all the things you use in the classroom but may not need every day. Although it may take more time, make labels for each bin so that you can easily get or put away what you need.2.  Plastic Drawers: While you are at Target getting your plastic bins, also get some plastic drawers. These drawers are the perfect size for papers of all kinds, and you can sort by what you need to do with the paper (grade, give back, copy, file) or by class period. 3. Shoe Hanger: Over the door hangers create a simple solution to storing things you frequently need that are small and easy to misplace. These are cheap and adaptable to whatever you need to organize- art supplies, books, and manipulative. 4. Sharpened Pencils: As a teacher I spent 2 years constantly dealing with students going to the pencil sharpener until I found this magic trick. Have a basket with freshly sharpened pencils and a basket for dull pencils. When a student needs a new pencil they hold it up, and you either bring them a new one or signal them to go trade out their pencil. Bonus of this system is that students LOVE the job of sharpening the dull pencils at the end of the day. 5. Coffee Cans: Start saving your coffee cans. These can easily be spruced up (or not) with some colored paper or fun duct tape. Cans are great for storing colored pencils, highlighters, and other school supplies.

 What organization systems do you use in your classroom? Share you ideas with us in the comment section.