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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Calling cards, anyone?

I was recently contacted by some folks at Uprinting.com who wanted to offer the readers of Learn Me Good a chance to win 500 free business cards or 500 free brochures! Uprinting.com has been around for over 25 years and offers free file review and helpful customer service!

Now you might be thinking, Just what in tarnation is a TEACHER going to do with business cards?? Well, that's the whole point of this little giveaway! The sky (and your imagination) is the limit! Maybe you just want them to have something to throw at kids standing in time-out corner! Maybe you want to have some that say "Official Insubordinator" or "I don't do windows!" Or maybe you want to have something to pass out to friends, family, and people you meet that says a little something fun about yourself.

That's what I plan to do with MY business cards. Use them as little advertisements for Learn Me Good the book.

Entering the contest is super simple. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, describing what you would use the free business cards or brochures for.

The best entries, as judged by my girlfriend, my dog, my pet raccoon, and me, will win the cards or brochures.

This contest will run from May 11-June 1, 2009. Please please please, feel free to blog about this contest and link to it from your own blog or website.

Winners who reside in the US and Canada will receive free shipping; costs will apply to anyone else.



Good luck, and be creative!

18 comments:

Christy said...

I have a side business, since I don't make much money as a teacher, and I would use them to make better business cards for that.

Jen said...

I am always writing my blog address, email, cell phone on things for students since I have the policy, "I would rather have you contact me with your question than come to school with an excuse." So I would have that statement and my contact info on the cards.

Thanks!

educat said...

The old lady school marm in me (and she's usually quite latent) would like to kick old old style with bidness cards.

Do you remember how Laura Ingalls Wilder got calling cards in "These Happy Golden Years"? No? Well, pretend you do. She got printed cards with her name and some flowers. It was all the rage back then to go calling during your Sunday afternoon wagon/sleigh rides and you'd leave your card with folks.

Or I'd tape them inside the books in my classroom library. Whichever.

Valerie Roberson said...

I'd love to have a cards with my contact info and class website/wiki on it for students and parents.

laura said...

I've always had business cards, it's a hangover from my management day. I'm continually amazed at how impressed people are when a teacher gives them a proper business card. Mine have cartoons on one side (I have a variety of topics) and then contact details on the other.

Anonymous said...

What would I do with business cards? I'd use them to help promote myself as a substitute teacher and hopefully thereby get some interviews for fulltime positions. I've been a sub for five years now - since I've graduated - and have had about the same amount of interviews.

I'd also use the cards to help myself get noticed more as a substitute and pick up more days... I need more work. :S

Rachel in Canada
ralavery AT gmail DOT com

House of Prayer SLO said...

Hello.
I work in alternative education and students rotate in and out of our program on a weekly basis. I would use the business cards to hand out to parents/guardians and students so they can know exactly who to contact regarding their academic career.
Plus I can use some to win a free lunch at the local mexican and chinese food place!

The Bus Driver said...

As a bus driver, i'm constantly giving my name and cell number to various teachers/coaches/trip organizers etc on trips. I'd love to have a set of business cards to be able to hand out rather than search for a pen and paper, which is often unavailable on a bus.. or ironically, they;re available, just not at the same time.

heck i'd even throw in a shameless plug for learn me good the book on one side of the card LOL

thanks!

Anonymous said...

shameless promotion. i teach music. i would love to have brochures to pass out (especially to 5th grade or during march - music in our schools month) that promoted music and its connection to other learning. my district theoretically sends these out in the mail, but who knows. so many people in our world are trying to push our arts education, when really, in enhances all other education so well. someone has to get that word out there.

Wendy Mueller said...

I'd like to use non-traditional business cards as "Caught Being Good" cards. Instead of my name and info, they'd have a blank for the student's name, some sort of "Way to go!" comment, and then my name at the bottom. They could be passed out in the hallway, attached to assignments that are top notch, or quietly slipped to a student who is handling a bad situation well.

What a great idea for a contest!

loves2teach said...

I would make new brochures to pass out at open house. Although, that means that I will probably tear my hair out when I still get the same questions that were answered in said brochure...

loonyhiker said...

I love using business cards. I hand them out to encourage people to read my blog. I also talk to teacher groups and organizations about how they can use technology in their classrooms to enhance their instruction and meet the needs of their students (the talk is free if they pay my expenses) so I am always needing to give them my contact information.

Mrs. McGrew said...

I like the idea of being able to quickly give out my class web site, email and other contact information to students and parents quickly and easily. This would be one less thing I would need to create and spend money for so I can do it elsewhere for the classroom.

Meanwhile, I keep dancing said...

I would love calling cards for meeting my new neighbors and giving colleagues at conferences my contact info!

Surani said...

I would create a success brochure called "How to Succeed in Ms. J's Class."

Reason: I sent home a "Plan for Success" last year (my first year) but how many parents (let alone students) actually read the whole thing?

Instead, they will get a brightly colored, glossy, attractive brochure that organizes the important information using as few words and many pictures as possible - and all words would be in both English and Spanish.

As a result:
1) Hopefully more parents would read it

2) Hopefully more parents will keep it around (I once read a blogger say "if you want a teacher to keep something forever, just laminate it" The same can be said for all people and glossy brochures!")

3) Hopefully it will be easier for parents to find later in the semester when problems come up.

Ideally it would end up on a few refridgerators. :-)

I would print out an paper insert that fits nicely into the brochure, for parents to fill out and return in lieu of signing and returning the whole syllabus.

Finally, with 500 copies, I would have enough to ALSO require each student to paste one into the front of their math notebook, so when they ask me the same question again and again I can answer "See your brochure. See your brochure. See your brochure." broken-record-style.



My success brochure would have basic info on the front (class, graduation requirements, teacher email, website, tutoring hours, etc.) on the front, and inside basically cover 3 questions:

1) How do I raise my grade?
~ brochure would cover tutoring, looking at website resources, quiz retake opportunities, & how there is NOT unlimited extra credit so the child should start working!

2) I'm confused and falling behind!
~ brochure would cover tutoring for one-on-one help, website resources, how quizzes can be retaken, & how learning takes time so start now!

3) How can I help my child succeed?
~ brochure would cover requiring them to come to tutoring & get my signature as proof, how to check their grade online, & how to help them learn (a few study hints, like "ask them to explain things to you" and "you don't need to know the material, you just need to be a pro-education parent"

4) What's math good for, anyway? A brief plug for why math is important: its Beautiful, Brainfood, and Brings independence.



Also, designing it would be fun and give me some outlet for all my spare "teacher energy" this summer ;-)

Melissa B. said...

When my Dad retired, he missed his business cards. So he had a couple of simple ones printed up. They simply said, "Frank B.: Blimpwasher." Then some contact info, etc.

I think mine would say, "Melissa B.: Blimpwasher & Blogger." With some contact info, perhaps.

HappyChyck said...

I totally impressed my colleagues last year when they found out I was handing out business cards to parents on during open house. It only took me a decade to think of something like that.

So, I was aiming for some brochures: "Everything You Need to Know About Being Successful in Ms. A's Class," but never mind. Lib totally kicked my butt there.

Brochures are a good idea. Something to think about for the next year. Secretly, I would name mine: "Parents: Read This Before You Start Spamming My In-Box With Your Unfounded Accusations."

Victoria Westcott said...

I would give my prize to one of my teachers from across Canada & America who are moving to teach in London, England this upcoming fall. They can use them to pass around to schools that they want to work at. Supply teachers rarely do this, and it really helps!

I'm not sure how I would choose who to give the cards to, but I imagine it would involve a similar process as you've done here & of course, I'd link back to your blog. ;-)