D 5 in ACTION!!

Sorry I've been away, and there's so much to share! I've got more to post at the end of the day, but right now my kids are doing it! I introduced word work today so now they are more excited and not as tempted to talk to each other while reading. I have a few taht are talking quietly during their word work which shouldn't be happening, but I think as long as the Read to Self-ers are reading independently it should be all right. Yes? I wish I brought my camera today. Will post pics tomorrow!

Oh! Photobooth!

Big Day Tomorrow!

So tomorrow is the big day. I've prepared. I've studied. I've worked.

I'm not quite finished as I will make my final push tomorrow morning before the kids enter the door. Library organization will have to be done in increments and I'm okay with my library being in somewhat disarray. As long as books are in a basket and put in some sort of general order: Picture books by author's last name, non-fiction by topic, readers in various baskets, collections (ie Berenstain Bears, Clifford, etc.) together. It'll be fine.... I just remembered I never opened my 12 boxes of crayons to put in the desk group baskets. Yet another thing to be added to the morning chore list.

Daily 5 will be put on hold for a day or two as we have to get prepared for it: decorating book bags, putting books in their bags, prepping the assessment sheets, etc. I will be starting the Daily 3/4 in math at that time as well.

In news a little closer to home, my daughter also started her first day at the sitter today. She had a great day. A little crying, but a lot of playing. Mommy was nervous for her, but knew she was in good hands, so she could focus a little more on her work today meeting new parents and staying awake during staff meetings.

Tomorrow, this mother of two will gain 24 new kids (thankfully out of diapers!) and is excited to guide them along the path of learning. Yes, I will be thinking about whether or not the food I packed for my daughter will be enough, or if my husband and son are enjoying his second to the last day of summer vacation looking at a giant bug exhibit. But meeting my new kids, learning from them, hanging with my colleagues and having "adult" conversations again, is exciting and well worth the summer wait.

Wish me luck as I get my lunch packed, my clothes pressed and an early rest!

Sneak Peek

I've got one more day of prep left before the troops arrive on Tuesday. I've added some pictures of what the room looks like now. Keep in mind I've got about 4-5 hours or so of work to put in, so bulletin boards and library should look better afterward. I have yet to put up my CAFE board, but I'm playing around with the idea of changing it to FACE instead. I love the idea of a CAFE and the word itself sounds more beautiful, but I like that FACE is a word that the kids will have an easier time with since it "follows the rules". I'd put it up on the board as "The FACE of a Reader".


Do you think I should go with CAFE or FACE?

I'll let you know my decision tomorrow!

From the front looking back.

Read aloud, sharing area.

Games on shelf, looking toward the front of the room.

Science/ Discovery Area. Student portfolios housed below.

Crunching out the Curriculum

I was once one of those teacher who thought that after the first couple of years, the rest of my career would be smooth sailing. Sure, go through the lessons a couple of times and I should be able to use the same plans.

That was me. But after these first couple of years, I realized I have so much more to learn; so much more to try; so much more to do! Teaching is one of those jobs that never let you sleep. Yes, it's summer vacation, but how many of you out there can't help but dream of what you're going to do for the next school year? The real question is how many of you think of the next year while you're still wrapping up the school year?

All in all, I've spent much of my six months of maternity leave and summer vacation mulling over this upcoming school year. I've bookmarked nearly 100 websites, visited numerous websites, spending hours upon hours getting inspired. I've planned out my long range plans, committed to implementing Daily 5 and CAFE in my language program. I've reorganized my math layout, and have just begun weeding through my enormous library.

Despite all this planning, however, I don't feel quite prepared. There is still so much more to do. I think once I have that chance to get into my room in a couple days, I'll feel much better. My wonderful husband has been gracious enough to keep the kids busy while I work this week. Now that it's crunch time, I'm starting to feel the pressure of being prepared, having my lessons ready, getting all the prep done, and be welcoming and ready on that first day of school when 24 kids come bounding in my classroom door.

Let's begin...... Day 1, 8:00.....

Excitement is Building

So I've been working on my room a little bit here and there and I thought I'd post some pictures up on how it's coming along. Ideally I'd like to have my Promethean Board moved before school starts, but we're not sure if that's going to happen. I also have lots of clutter to clear through. Things will be much better when summer school is over and I can move some things around and really spread myself out. I'm lucky that the teacher who works in my classroom during the summer is one of my good friends so I've been in and out.

Although I've moved some things around already, these are my "before" pics:

The back corner... my "teacher" area. To the right is the math area. That door in the corner is our bathroom (basically one toilet).



This is the other back corner. The red bulletin is on our back door. This also shows our Tree House in the back corner. I usually keep all the art supplies under the counter. We have a double sink. Between the sink and the bathroom is one of my closets.

Our math area along the side wall. To the left is my teacher corner. To the right is our computer table and library.

Here is our library in the front corner. It's under construction. You can also see my whiteboard and the whiteboard sticking out from the wall is my promethean board.

This is the other side of the room. You can see the Promethean board in the front of the room. There are two closets to the right of that. Our doors are on the sides of the windows. We have cubbies below the windows. The kids hang their back packs outside on hooks.

I'd like to post some "after" pics or "in the process" pics soon. Only a week and a half left! Wish me luck!

Wrapping Up My Life as a Stay at Home Mom

It's hard not to count the days down til school starts....especially since I've been away for so long. My last teaching day was in the middle of last December. Since then, I have been lucky enough to spend the days with my new daughter for her first six months of life.

The first few weeks blurred into gray matter as sleep, changing, rocking, carrying all melded into each other. An added challenge was to make sure our first child was well cared for as well. Our son was a champ welcoming our new bundle of joy. Thankfully as she turned the corner into her third month, she found her thumb and since then (knock on wood), she's been content through the night. Daddy and I are still adjusting our late night life to accommodate her early to bed-early to rise schedule.

Somehow the last 4 months flew past me with barely an acknowledging whisper. I look at my calendar and I can't believe I've only got two weeks left to finalize my school plan, set my room, prepare EVERYTHING for my first few weeks of class, and get my personal schedule in order.

As I start this new week, I'm going to start planning everything out, write my To Do list and fill up my calendar, and waking up early. Well, more than just "waking up" rather, I'd like to be completely alert and ready to start my day when my daughter wakes me up before 6!

I'm one of those people who needs a clean slate to feel accomplished. I am sooooo looking forward to getting all my preparations done so I can be roaring and ready to go on August 3rd!

T Minus 2 weeks

Welcome to my first teacher blog! I'd love to hear your comments and insights as I embark on my third year as a first grade teacher. This January, my family has been blessed with the arrival of my baby girl. Our little family is now complete with daughter, son and dog. As I adjust to my new life with two kids (6 months and 4 years), I'm seriously taking a look at my professional life and am eagerly trying to find that balance between school and home. in other words, I don't want to be spending my hours after school at school.

I will also be implementing some new ideas in my classroom this year. I am excited to redo my literacy block after reading The Daily Five and The CAFE Book over the summer. I will also be trying out the Daily Five strategies in my math curriculum as well.

I enjoy the company and hope you enjoy the ride along with me as I test out these waters and sail away into another wonderful school year!