It's go time

School begins again on Tuesday and I'm honestly a little excited. I'm not really ready to get up at 6am again, but I'm ready to teach. I miss all the kids a lot and getting back into the swing of things sounds fun. Aside from many meetings last week, I was able to get in and get my new classroom setup. I think it looks nice and the idea of not having 34 desks is amazing. I was actually able to set up multiple centers in the room without overcrowding the place. I think it's going to be a nice environment for the kids, even I'm looking forward to hanging out there everyday!

New classroom

Today was my first day back to school to begin setting up my new classroom. It was so refreshing to have a new slate to work with this year! Maybe I'm strange, but I really do enjoy setting up my classroom in the beginning of the year. It's the perfect time to start to put together a plan for the year. Since I'll be moving into a Special Education position this year, I've decided to lay my room out based on centers. I know I'll have students on varying ability levels, so I plan on studying units as a class and then differentiating their individual work. I feel centers will work great for this type of environment. It will allow some students to work on project below their frustration level independently, while allowing me to rotate to other centers to push higher level work. I honestly feel that planning this way will almost be easier than having all of students at similar levels. With the small number of students I'll have, I feel this strategy will be able to function effectively for everyone. All in all, I'm really looking forward to this year!

New Beginnings

It's getting close to the school year again and I'm really excited for this coming year. I'll be moving into a Special Education position next year and I'm feeling very positive about this. I really feel it's where I should be and where I can be most effective with children. Having 34 students last year had me so stressed to try to meet every child's needs that it was very overwhelming. I admit I'm a bit of a perfectionist and the constant worry that someone was getting left behind last year made it really hard for me. I'm looking forward to having fewer students and higher standards for each one. I know it's within my reach to meet all of their needs and I'm not going to slow down until I do. I'm really looking forward to a great, creative year filled with learning both in the classroom and out. Right now I'm looking into field trips we can take to expose the kids to new things. I know it's going to be a challenge at first to plan and meet each students needs considering the different grades and ages, but I think I'll do well. I do wish I knew my class list to plan effectively, but I guess I'll just have to wait it out. Here's to high hopes and a positive future for me and my soon to be students:)

Around the World

Nothing has ever proved this effective when getting children to learn basic addition and subtraction facts. It's amazing! We've started playing "Around the World" with addition and subtraction flash cards in the 10 minutes right before lunch and it's been a huge hit! The first couple days were rocky and whenever someone would get one right or wrong there would be a giant outrage of screams and clapping. With a little modeling and practice they have become experts of the "sophisticated clap" and no longer need to have a parade for everyone who answers a problem correctly. My students have been quietly and attentively watching each player take their turn and, for the most part, have stopped whispering the answer. It's so cute to see them get really excited for students that they would not have typically thought would "get far." It's built a new sense of community within my classroom and I'm really thankful it's working:)

Junior Achievement Day

Another great day! It was Junior Achievement Day for our school so we had a volunteer come into our room. The students had a great time and so did I, I even think the volunteer enjoyed our company! We learned about our needs vs. our wants, how to use a map of our community and the skills you need to have certain roles within a community. Overall I think the kids learned alot and had a great time in the process. I'm hopeful of good tomorrow, I think(hope) something's working...

A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words

Today was a good day. No, you didn't read that wrong, today was actually fun! In the morning we played a game using facts and opinions, the Area Walk-Through was a success in my classroom, we placed 3rd in the Historically Black College contest, we played around the world for math and started Our Body Books in science. I don't know if it was the good night's sleep I got or the chocolate donut I ate this morning(which is not on my diet and was only eaten because it Staff Appreciation Day) but I had energy. I felt it and my kids felt it. We had many more smiles than punches today and I would say mostly everyone in the room had fun at some point. Now all I need is to come in with this energy everyday...I may have to eat a donut every morning, but would that really be so bad?!:)

So cute!

"Even in the midst of crazy days it's quickly realized how sweet and innocent they really are." -Me

A New Week

Another week with my students starts tomorrow. At this point in the year, stress is at a high point for me and my students. I realize that I need to remember to have fun with them everyday. I know my best days are when I myself am happy and ready to be there. I have engaging lessons planned for the week and I'm staying positive this evening in thinking this week will be rewarding. We'll be doing 2 projects this week, one in Science and one in Math. I remember back to our Social Studies project on community involvement. My students loved this and it was a high point in the year. For this week, my plan is to get that feeling back in my classroom.

Hard at work...:)

Spelling Tests

As I begin to prepare for the coming week I realize I'm going to have to ask Joe to draw new spelling word pictures. I bet he wishes he never agreed to this task:) My students love these pictures and look forward to the surprise of seeing what they will be each week. My hope is that will help my struggling readers prepare better for the test. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed at this point.

Reflection

I recently attended a symposium on experiential learning and power of reflection. Each day in my classroom brings new experience to my life. I feel that by allowing myself to grow through each challenge my day brings I can begin to change struggles into success. Taking the time to reflect on the things I encounter will ultimately make me stronger. Being a teacher pushes me to be the best I can be not only for me but also my students. By reflecting I plan to learn the most I can about myself through my experiences.