Will the planning pay off?

Today was the last day of prep work before the kiddos arrive tomorrow.  There are a few last minute things to take care of in the morning and with the help of my trusty assistant.  I've decided not to let the empty bulletin boards bother me.  It will be filled soon with the precious work of kindergartners-turned-first graders. I will also be adding to them as I introduce new items into our daily routine.  As of right now, my Daily 5 board is empty.  As I introduce each new piece, I will add it to my board and make it really meaningful for them.

On another note, I heard a really beautiful poem today, read by one of my colleagues at our faculty meeting:

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"

Just a little reminder of how the little things can make the biggest difference not only in a child's life, but in our own lives as well. 

For my wonderful followers, I wish you all the best in your new school year.  May you be blessed with laughter, tears, growth, and love. If there are moments when it seems that life has turned itself upside down, turn yourself upside down with it.  Sometimes it's nice to view the world in a whole new way. 

-jt-

Professional Reading List

For those of you who are interested, I have compiled a list of books that I have read, am still reading, and would have liked to read this summer.  Most of them have to do with literacy instruction and classroom management.  For me, those are the two biggest areas of development for children at this age.  Feel free to let me know how you liked these books, or if you have any others you'd like to suggest.

(In no particular order)


The Next Step in Guided Reading, Jan Richardson
Teaching Children to Care, Ruth Sidney Charney
The First Weeks of School, Paula Denton & Roxann Kriete
Growing Readers, Kathy Collins
Reading with Meaning, Debbie Miller
Making the Most of Small Groups, Debbie Diller
The Daily 5, Gail Boushey & Joan Moser
The Cafe Book, Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

If I had more time, I would have liked to have gotten a hold of Morning Meetings.

-jt-

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Of course I'm talking about this last day of vacation, but I'm also talking about the school year. 

Bulletin boards to prep, name cards to write, labels to print.  Lots to prep, lesson plans to write.  Like most teachers, I spent my summer looking up new ideas and tweaking my plans to fit the new set of incoming first graders. Thanks to the wonderfully populous World Wide Web, I've gotten so many new ideas.  There have been no shortage of teachers willing to share their amazing creations both on PT and their own beautifully crafted websites.  My brain and computer are filled to capacity.

So this year, I'll be implementing Daily 5 again, mixing it with a little Reader's and Writer's Workshop, adding a dash of Guided Math strategies, all the while holding down the fort under a Responsive Classroom approach.  My reading list has been limited to the books I already had on hand, but have not quite solidified in my "signature" classroom. I'll list the ones I found most instrumental for my curriculum in my next post. 

Before I buckle down and set my first few weeks of school, I'm going to take a little "me" time and go get my hair done.  Haven't done it in ages.... I guess that's what happens when you have two little rugrats to chase!  Wonderful hubby will be taking them to the park for some fun while I'm gone.  =)

Then, it's back to work!  Prepping lessons, prepping classroom, prepping lunches and bags for tomorrow.  Summer's over.  Time to play! 

-jt-