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Welcome! I hope to use this blog to share some of the amazing things my class and school does to make learning fun! I have been teaching for 15 years already! I started teaching 3rd grade in a Parochial School, then I was hired to teach 1st grade for three years, was moved to 5th grade for 2 years, and then came back to 1st grade in the district where I attended school. I love that I'm able to give back the the school district that guided me to become the teacher I am today! I have a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, certified 1-8; a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction; and my Administrator License Pre-K-12.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

So I have an addiction...

It's become blatantly obvious to me and I don't know if I want to admit that I need help or not because as teachers we can all rationalize our addictions...I know you know what I'm talking about.
What's the saying??  Pictures tell a thousand words???
Here you go...

 Those are all of my personal books that I "use" in my classroom.  They are all my picture books.  I decided to bring them all home this summer to sort through and start creating units to share with you and my teacher friends at school.  I also was thinking about keeping them organized here at home so that I would have more room for the kiddos and their things at school.  I mean...look at some of these titles:

You know all of the fun things we can do with those books...right??  How can I part with any of them?

This doesn't even include the books I had autographed when I went to Mazza last November...
(These aren't even all of them...)

or the books I have packed away at school for my classroom library....and I know I have another box or two around here somewhere.

While I was cleaning organizing moving piles in the garage this afternoon I came across these:

They are two giant tubs of chapter books...class sets and literature circle sets from when I taught 5th grade...like 6 years ago...
I think I'm going to post them in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop and see if I can sell them (I think a piece of my heart just broke).  They're quality sets...Roald Dahl, Walk Two Moons, Surviving the Applegates.  So I need some advice before I post them on there...
1.  Should I sell them as a complete set (in some cases 25 of the same title)?
2. How much should I charge for them?  They are all gently used...maybe used only two times because I taught 5th grade for two years.

Any help you could give me would be appreciated!
As for the boxes of books waiting for me in the front room...I took them back to the garage.  It was too overwhelming for me on this beautiful sunny day!

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14 comments:

  1. Ms. WoldJune 26, 2012 at 4:27 PM

    I know what you mean! I am organizing my classroom library since I am moving up to 2nd next year and my random tubs of book aren't going to cut it. I've entered ALL of my books into a spreadsheet (that is 28 pages long) and have gotten their lexile level (since it correlates with AIMSweb) and am now sorting them by author and/or type of book. It's overwhelming but I know that I will be glad I did it.

    ✪ Miss W

    Miss W Teaches

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:49 AM

      Oh my goodness! A spreadsheet! Now that's an idea!

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  2. Jen RJune 26, 2012 at 4:31 PM

    I have SOOOO many class sets of books like that, that I have JUST lying around in bins...and i have a HUGE bin of just personal books that I won't be using for a while either (unless, for some weird reason I'm moved out of 2nd grade...)...I'd be interested to see if it sells on TpT...I might do that too!! Let me know!

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:50 AM

      Absolutely! I've sold my college textbooks on Amazon so I might look into that too!

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  3. UnknownJune 26, 2012 at 5:26 PM

    I think selling them in sets would be great, I know this year I taught 9th grade LA and my students have disabilities I was looking everywhere for those exact titles in sets like that, sometimes I could find five at a time but I needed more and it cost me about $2 a book plus shipping to get them.
    Amy
    The Resource(ful) Room

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:51 AM

      Thanks for the information on what you paid...very helpful!

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  4. ElizabethJune 26, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    Girl, you are not alone :)

    Hum, should you sell or not? Here's my thing. I have been moved around so stinkin' much (I've taught 1,2,4,5) that there is no telling where I might end up. As alluring as getting some $$$ for the books are right now, what if you got moved? I'm only teaching math next year. So, I just boxed mine up and stored them.

    If you do decide to sell, would $25 for the set seem reasonable to you as a buyer? It would to me. Is that enough for you as the seller? See, that's the thing. I'm not sure. Good luck with your decision.

    Gosh-I totally sound like a Debbie Downer. I'm so sorry :(

    Elizabeth
    Fun in Room 4B

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:54 AM

      You don't sound like Debbie at all! I finally started reading The Book Whisperer yesterday and it made me question myself! We don't usually move around in our district unless an opening comes about and you're interested in it...so I think I'll be in first grade for awhile...at least until I move to the administrative side of things. :)

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  5. JillianJune 26, 2012 at 8:29 PM

    Jen,
    I am both thrilled and heart broken by these pictures. Thrilled because I too have a book collection(problem) like that and...wait for it, I have not yet begun my teaching career! I am still a student and have been collecting all the books I can get my hands on, for my children yes, but with the knowledge that they would someday grace the shelves of my very own classroom:) The part that breaks my heart is knowing that I do not have the funds to nab all those books you are going to be selling.

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:57 AM

      I was just like you! I worked in a children's bookshop while going to college and totally benefited from my employee discount, freebies from the publishing companies and sales at the shop! You'll have your classroom soon and your children will be so blessed to have you as their teacher!

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  6. KateJune 27, 2012 at 10:36 PM

    My house looks exactly like this! Plus, tons of art supplies, manipulatives, and of course...bins! I'm seriously a teaching supply hoarder! BTW, make sure you stop by my blog and join because my first giveaway is going live in less than 24 hours!

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 9:58 AM

      Ha! I try so hard to keep my home a home and keep my classroom at school but I think my home is becoming my classroom away from school! I'm hopeless! :)
      Heading to your blog now!

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  7. Primary PossibilitiesJune 27, 2012 at 11:57 PM

    I have a ton of books downstairs in bins that I haven't taken to school yet. I am making it a project to take get another bookshelf and get them in there this summer!

    If you sold them in split sets, someone could buy both of them if they needed that many. These days, I can't see a teacher in 4/5th having 25 students reading the same book. Most have leveled reading groups of some sort.

    Stephany
    primarypossibilities.blogspot.com

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    1. Jenn LongJune 28, 2012 at 10:00 AM

      Thanks for the advice on selling them in smaller sets! I really need to make up my mind! :)

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