After a summer of desperately trying to find a job (which included many, many complete and total breakdowns full of tears), I was finally offered a position. I will be teaching preschool at a community-based preschool. Not only will I be teaching, but I will also be in charge of preparing the preschool to be worthy of receiving a state grant that ensures free preschool for four year olds. This involves implementing a curriculum, since they've never used one before, and instituting the state's standards. Sound intimidating? It pretty much is. I feel like I'm in way over my head, but hopefully once the school year gets rolling, I'll feel better about it.
I've spent the last two weeks getting my room set up. I've arranged the centers and rearranged the centers twice now, and I'm hoping I've found a format that works for me. The hardest part about this whole thing is that I'm working from scratch. The teacher before me was not a certified teacher, and she didn't have training in The Creative Curriculum. As a result, I am now sorting through everything to try to make it fit into the parameters of the curriculum. This process takes a lot of time. I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on the Toys and Games center. My goal for this week is to tackle Dramatic Play and Blocks. Dramatic Play scares me the most. It's the center with the most "stuff," and I have no system in place (yet) to organize the "stuff."I also spent a great deal of time the last two weeks getting my room decorated. I've decided on a jungle theme. Unfortunately, I don't think the theme will be as strong as I'd like it to be. I'm struggling to make it shine through in all the elements of the room that I would like it to. It just seems like a lot to do when I through it in with the rest of my To Do list. I have been able to do some pretty sweet bulletin boards, which I am really excited about. I might try to put some pictures up in the future (we'll see how I do with this whole blog thing).
On top of all of this, I'm getting married in less than 80 days. Honestly, I really don't care too much about the actual wedding. As long as I am married at the end of the day, I'll be happier than ever. I want people to have an enjoyable time though, so I guess I should get some things done.
Honestly, I'm super overwhelmed right now, and I'm desperately trying to hold it together. I am hopeful for the future though. I'm excited to have kids in my classroom (first day is September 1). I'm looking forward to getting to know them and to discover how I can mold their learning lives.
