It's nice to do something that has nothing to do with school for once....
Learn to code
3 years ago
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Fall Pictures
This has absolutely nothing to do with teaching, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. I've been killing myself for my job; I desperately needed a hobby. My first anniversary with my husband is today, and he bought me a camera - like, a really nice camera - a Canon Rebel to be exact. It's fabulous! Here's what I did today:
It's nice to do something that has nothing to do with school for once....
It's nice to do something that has nothing to do with school for once....
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Oh My Word....What a Couple of Weeks
Man, long time and no post. We started school last Tuesday, and I struggle to find the words to describe how it has gone so far. I love having larger classes. I feel like there are so many more opportunities for the students to learn social/emotional skills. Plus the literacy activities I have been able to do with them have been incredibly deep and efficient. It is just an all around better preschool experience (especially when you keep in mind that I had a class of four students last year...).
I just have so many more behavior and developmental concerns this year. I was spoiled last year - I know this. I never worried about behavior issues, so I could really focus on academics. I was worried that that meant my students didn't get the necessary practice on the social/emotional front, but when I see them interact with the new students this year, they can totally handle it. There are rough spots, of course, but they just handle routine and being together really well.
Now, I've got a handful of new students, most completely new to the school experience, and it's a whole different story. In the last seven school days, I have had hitting, name calling, pushing, rumors of biting, throwing, kicking, and screaming. It's a challenge, and it's exhausting.
We've done some great things in spite of our struggles though. We started a study on balls, and it has been going smoothly so far. We've completed the exploration portion of the study, and we're going to start investigations next week. We're headed out for our first field trip tomorrow, and I'm anxious to see how that goes. I'm going to introduce the trip boards. The kids will be taking note of how other kids use balls, and I'm excited to see how it works.
Man, tired for tonight. Hopefully, I'll find a chance to update this weekend.
I just have so many more behavior and developmental concerns this year. I was spoiled last year - I know this. I never worried about behavior issues, so I could really focus on academics. I was worried that that meant my students didn't get the necessary practice on the social/emotional front, but when I see them interact with the new students this year, they can totally handle it. There are rough spots, of course, but they just handle routine and being together really well.
Now, I've got a handful of new students, most completely new to the school experience, and it's a whole different story. In the last seven school days, I have had hitting, name calling, pushing, rumors of biting, throwing, kicking, and screaming. It's a challenge, and it's exhausting.
We've done some great things in spite of our struggles though. We started a study on balls, and it has been going smoothly so far. We've completed the exploration portion of the study, and we're going to start investigations next week. We're headed out for our first field trip tomorrow, and I'm anxious to see how that goes. I'm going to introduce the trip boards. The kids will be taking note of how other kids use balls, and I'm excited to see how it works.
Man, tired for tonight. Hopefully, I'll find a chance to update this weekend.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Teacher Talk Tuesday
It's the day to give advice to new teachers over at Blog Hoppin'! Since I'm pretty much a new teacher myself, I can only offer a year's worth of advice. Hopefully, it benefits someone out there! :P
Okay, first of all, take breaks! Don't feel like you have to change the entire world within the nine months you have your precious kiddos. It's easy to think about/do school all the time, but you'll go insane. Give yourself some you time!
Secondly, work hard to build strong, positive relationships with the parents and families of your kiddos. The closer you are to them, the bigger the impact you can have on your students. Families are super important, so make sure you acknowledge that in your classroom.
Thirdly, don't set yourself up on an island. Seek out your co-workers and use them! Their experience is valuable to you. Trying to do everything by yourself will drive you crazy!
Fourthly, start organized and stay organized. The second you let piles start to grow on your desk you will find yourself drowning in stuff to do. Take time at the end of every day to put everything back where it belongs.
Finally, write everything down! Kids say the funniest, most ridiculous, craziest things, and even though you want to remember them, you won't. You have too many other things to think about to remember the funny thing Johnny said at breakfast. Write them down as soon as they happen so you have an account of them. When life starts getting you down, you can pick up your Funny Things Kids Say journal and laugh and laugh and laugh, and suddenly, life won't seem so horrible.
Like I said, I don't necessarily have all that much experience in this crazy field, but hopefully what I do have to share will help some new teacher out there!
Okay, first of all, take breaks! Don't feel like you have to change the entire world within the nine months you have your precious kiddos. It's easy to think about/do school all the time, but you'll go insane. Give yourself some you time!
Secondly, work hard to build strong, positive relationships with the parents and families of your kiddos. The closer you are to them, the bigger the impact you can have on your students. Families are super important, so make sure you acknowledge that in your classroom.
Thirdly, don't set yourself up on an island. Seek out your co-workers and use them! Their experience is valuable to you. Trying to do everything by yourself will drive you crazy!
Fourthly, start organized and stay organized. The second you let piles start to grow on your desk you will find yourself drowning in stuff to do. Take time at the end of every day to put everything back where it belongs.
Finally, write everything down! Kids say the funniest, most ridiculous, craziest things, and even though you want to remember them, you won't. You have too many other things to think about to remember the funny thing Johnny said at breakfast. Write them down as soon as they happen so you have an account of them. When life starts getting you down, you can pick up your Funny Things Kids Say journal and laugh and laugh and laugh, and suddenly, life won't seem so horrible.
Like I said, I don't necessarily have all that much experience in this crazy field, but hopefully what I do have to share will help some new teacher out there!
Meet the Teacher
Okay, so I might be a day late in the post, but I didn't know about the Teacher Week going on over at Blog Hoppin' until I stumbled upon it today. I figure better late than never, so I'm going to jump right in.
A little something about me...
Well, I'm in my second year of teaching, and I teach preschool in a Christian preschool. Last year was pretty awful. I spent most of it trying to rebuild the program after the previous director left unexpectedly. Thinking back on that now, it seems like a lot of responsibility for a first year teacher, but I survived, and the program has definitely grown! I got married last November to my high school sweetheart, and we moved to a new house last month. We're finally feeling "settled in" and are talking about starting a family now!
How long have I been teaching?
Well....I guess I answered that in the first question. I'm going into my second year. I was pretty fortunate to find a job my first year out of college, even if it wasn't the job I originally envisioned myself doing. I love it though, and my passion for early childhood education has really started to grow since I tangled my life with the lives of a bunch of three and four year-olds.
You might not know...
That I grew up in the middle of four brothers. Now that I'm old enough to really begin to understand the demands of being a parent, I wonder how my mom and dad managed. I have an older brother who is very dainty (he hates to get dirty!) but very smart (he's a pharmacist). My three younger brothers were always the ones who caused the most trouble. The oldest of the younger ones is in college, and last I checked with him, he dreams of managing a store of some kind (his dream changes about as often as his clothes). The two younger ones are twins and they are juniors in high school, which is something I'm still struggling to comprehend. They seem too young to be close to graduating from high school.
What am I most looking forward to this year?
I am most looking forward to actually knowing what I am doing! I did a lot of trial and error last year, which helped me understand what to do and what not to do, but, at the same time, it wasted some precious time. I'm also looking forward to being able to devote all of my time to preschool. Last year, I was working on my early childhood endorsement while taking five classes through the local area education agency and working two jobs. I didn't have much time to really devote to preschool.
What do I need to improve?
I need to be more organized! Instead of waiting until I had a stack of anecdotal notes that touches the ceiling, I need to record them every day before I leave school. I also want to be a little better about not devoting too much time to school. I rarely saw my husband last year, and I missed him. I can change that.
What teaching supplies can I not live without?
Post-It Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them and use them all the time. I like that I can make one note on each post-it and then throw it away when I've taken care of it. It's very therapeutic.
I also love my label maker! It has really come in handy the last few days as I try to organize my classroom.
I feel compelled to mention the obvious - books. As a teacher, I can never have too many books!
A little something about me...
Well, I'm in my second year of teaching, and I teach preschool in a Christian preschool. Last year was pretty awful. I spent most of it trying to rebuild the program after the previous director left unexpectedly. Thinking back on that now, it seems like a lot of responsibility for a first year teacher, but I survived, and the program has definitely grown! I got married last November to my high school sweetheart, and we moved to a new house last month. We're finally feeling "settled in" and are talking about starting a family now!
How long have I been teaching?
Well....I guess I answered that in the first question. I'm going into my second year. I was pretty fortunate to find a job my first year out of college, even if it wasn't the job I originally envisioned myself doing. I love it though, and my passion for early childhood education has really started to grow since I tangled my life with the lives of a bunch of three and four year-olds.
You might not know...
That I grew up in the middle of four brothers. Now that I'm old enough to really begin to understand the demands of being a parent, I wonder how my mom and dad managed. I have an older brother who is very dainty (he hates to get dirty!) but very smart (he's a pharmacist). My three younger brothers were always the ones who caused the most trouble. The oldest of the younger ones is in college, and last I checked with him, he dreams of managing a store of some kind (his dream changes about as often as his clothes). The two younger ones are twins and they are juniors in high school, which is something I'm still struggling to comprehend. They seem too young to be close to graduating from high school.
What am I most looking forward to this year?
I am most looking forward to actually knowing what I am doing! I did a lot of trial and error last year, which helped me understand what to do and what not to do, but, at the same time, it wasted some precious time. I'm also looking forward to being able to devote all of my time to preschool. Last year, I was working on my early childhood endorsement while taking five classes through the local area education agency and working two jobs. I didn't have much time to really devote to preschool.
What do I need to improve?
I need to be more organized! Instead of waiting until I had a stack of anecdotal notes that touches the ceiling, I need to record them every day before I leave school. I also want to be a little better about not devoting too much time to school. I rarely saw my husband last year, and I missed him. I can change that.
What teaching supplies can I not live without?
Post-It Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them and use them all the time. I like that I can make one note on each post-it and then throw it away when I've taken care of it. It's very therapeutic.
I also love my label maker! It has really come in handy the last few days as I try to organize my classroom.
I feel compelled to mention the obvious - books. As a teacher, I can never have too many books!
What I've Been Up To
In the midst of the late-notice new students, I've been super busy getting my classroom put together for a new year.
One week ago today, this is what the room looked like:
Pretty sad, huh?
Since then, all furniture has been brought back in, and I've added a few touches.
For example, the bulletin boards:
This one is for displaying art projects the kids make. Each kid has his/her own spot!
This will be where I post pictures of the kids. I think it'll be a good reference for name recognition too.
My Morning Meeting board! It's completely interactive this year, which I'm excited about. I got the weather chart from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I made everything else - the job chart, daily schedule, emotion of the week chart, and alphabet strip. I just feel much more organized!
I'll post more pictures soon. I'm working on organizing all the "stuff" I have in the classroom today, and hopefully I'll be able to put some more thought into how to set up an outdoor classroom.
One week ago today, this is what the room looked like:
Pretty sad, huh?
Since then, all furniture has been brought back in, and I've added a few touches.
For example, the bulletin boards:
This one is for displaying art projects the kids make. Each kid has his/her own spot!
This will be where I post pictures of the kids. I think it'll be a good reference for name recognition too.
My Morning Meeting board! It's completely interactive this year, which I'm excited about. I got the weather chart from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I made everything else - the job chart, daily schedule, emotion of the week chart, and alphabet strip. I just feel much more organized!
I'll post more pictures soon. I'm working on organizing all the "stuff" I have in the classroom today, and hopefully I'll be able to put some more thought into how to set up an outdoor classroom.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Marathon Day
Today was crazy busy! I started rolling this morning at 8, and I got home at 8 tonight. I'm not necessarily complaining; I like that I have things to do.
I started off by heading to the nearest city big enough to have a Walmart. (It's 30 miles from here.) I managed to secure some poster board for my morning meeting board, a shoe organizer for my bucket filler door, and some tablecloths to cover my bulletin boards. Then I headed off to Target to find some buckets for the bucket filler door and some lunch. (I forgot to make my lunch before I left the house this morning.) I also hit up Staples to find some binder rings.
I managed to create my bucket filler door, my weather station, and get a good start on my bulletin boards during the day! That was in between phone calls to organize home visits, visits from various board members, a few conversations with co-workers, and preparing for a spontaneous meeting.
The meeting involved writing an Emergency Preparedness Plan, and it is a pain. So many specific details....So many things to arrange... It's tedious, but it'll be nice to have in place when it's all done. It's a little scary to think about the things that might happen that would force us to actually use the plan....Hopefully we never have to.
Right now, my classroom has been completely disassembled. We're having the floors waxed on Thursday, so I had some people come in tonight to help move everything out and into the rooms across the hall. It's sad to see the room this way. I want it to be fixed again, but it's all good! I'll have beautifully cleaned and waxed floors by Thursday afternoon! Yay!
I'll post pictures of all of my work as soon as I can re-assemble my classroom, I promise.
I started off by heading to the nearest city big enough to have a Walmart. (It's 30 miles from here.) I managed to secure some poster board for my morning meeting board, a shoe organizer for my bucket filler door, and some tablecloths to cover my bulletin boards. Then I headed off to Target to find some buckets for the bucket filler door and some lunch. (I forgot to make my lunch before I left the house this morning.) I also hit up Staples to find some binder rings.
I managed to create my bucket filler door, my weather station, and get a good start on my bulletin boards during the day! That was in between phone calls to organize home visits, visits from various board members, a few conversations with co-workers, and preparing for a spontaneous meeting.
The meeting involved writing an Emergency Preparedness Plan, and it is a pain. So many specific details....So many things to arrange... It's tedious, but it'll be nice to have in place when it's all done. It's a little scary to think about the things that might happen that would force us to actually use the plan....Hopefully we never have to.
Right now, my classroom has been completely disassembled. We're having the floors waxed on Thursday, so I had some people come in tonight to help move everything out and into the rooms across the hall. It's sad to see the room this way. I want it to be fixed again, but it's all good! I'll have beautifully cleaned and waxed floors by Thursday afternoon! Yay!
I'll post pictures of all of my work as soon as I can re-assemble my classroom, I promise.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Creation of the Word Wall!
Today was a great day! Can I just say that? We got another new student signed up, which potentially (haven't heard back from everyone who requested registration forms) puts our total up to 16! Four more than last year! So psyched about this! There is still a lot of fear that the bottom will fall out and all the students will leave (which is probably irrational and unlikely to happen), but I'm praying that doesn't happen.
I really feel like I got a lot done - mostly arranging things, like home visits and volunteers. I'm really excited about a new addition to our routine for this year. Every Wednesday, the church has a free-will donation dinner for the community. The cook who makes all the food has offered to have special cooking sessions with the preschoolers during the day (while she's waiting for her food to cook properly)! The potential here is fantastic. We'll be out of the classroom, in a real kitchen, interacting with another adult and making some phenomenal snacks! I'm really looking forward to the whole deal!
I also worked on my classroom word wall today. Last year, I failed to maintain the word wall's potential. I had one and I would occasionally add words to it, but it wasn't something I kept up-to-date. Geeze, I didn't even have pictures with my students' name cards on the word wall. (I'm pretty embarrassed about that one.) I have learned from my mistakes, and I plan to truly utilize the word wall this year. Here's a picture of what it looks like:
and up close:
I really feel like I got a lot done - mostly arranging things, like home visits and volunteers. I'm really excited about a new addition to our routine for this year. Every Wednesday, the church has a free-will donation dinner for the community. The cook who makes all the food has offered to have special cooking sessions with the preschoolers during the day (while she's waiting for her food to cook properly)! The potential here is fantastic. We'll be out of the classroom, in a real kitchen, interacting with another adult and making some phenomenal snacks! I'm really looking forward to the whole deal!
I also worked on my classroom word wall today. Last year, I failed to maintain the word wall's potential. I had one and I would occasionally add words to it, but it wasn't something I kept up-to-date. Geeze, I didn't even have pictures with my students' name cards on the word wall. (I'm pretty embarrassed about that one.) I have learned from my mistakes, and I plan to truly utilize the word wall this year. Here's a picture of what it looks like:
and up close:
I haven't added my students' names yet, but they'll be the first words up there. I plan to take a picture of them when I do my home visits, so I can add a picture of them with their name on the word wall. (I'm also going to take a picture of them with their families to add to the dramatic play center! I got this idea from a class I'm taking, and I'm really excited about it.)
Wooo! I'm flying pretty high right now, which always scares me a little bit. I'm just really excited about this year.
Wooo! I'm flying pretty high right now, which always scares me a little bit. I'm just really excited about this year.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Too Much Stuff...No Place to Put It
Geeze...I feel like I've been completely neglecting this blog. I've been working on getting a classroom blog ready for the parents and families of my preschoolers, and hopping over to this blog has slipped my mind.
The floors of my classroom are going to be waxed next week, which means I have to move everything out of the room and into the Sunday school rooms across the hall so this can happen. Ugh. I'm so not looking forward to it. Having just moved into a new house, I really want to be done with moving for a while....Oh well, we'll make it through.
I've been feeling pretty frustrated in my classroom recently. I know that I've already been able to spend more time in my classroom than most teachers get to spend in theirs over the summer, but I still don't feel like it's anywhere near ready for another year. I'd give anything for another room in which to store the toys and things I'm not using. There are too many cluttered shelves out in the open - they're ugly and disorganized and I'm cheap and really don't want to go out and buy a bunch of pretty totes to make them look pretty and organized. What to do? What to do?
What a disappointing entry. :( I'll try to do better tomorrow.
The floors of my classroom are going to be waxed next week, which means I have to move everything out of the room and into the Sunday school rooms across the hall so this can happen. Ugh. I'm so not looking forward to it. Having just moved into a new house, I really want to be done with moving for a while....Oh well, we'll make it through.
I've been feeling pretty frustrated in my classroom recently. I know that I've already been able to spend more time in my classroom than most teachers get to spend in theirs over the summer, but I still don't feel like it's anywhere near ready for another year. I'd give anything for another room in which to store the toys and things I'm not using. There are too many cluttered shelves out in the open - they're ugly and disorganized and I'm cheap and really don't want to go out and buy a bunch of pretty totes to make them look pretty and organized. What to do? What to do?
What a disappointing entry. :( I'll try to do better tomorrow.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Vacation Recap!
We survived our vacation. We went back to our hometown for the weekend about an hour after we got home from vacation, so it felt like our vacation was five days instead of three. The five days were a bit of a whirlwind. We:
Today, while I was at the classroom, I found out about three more potential students for this year! I'm so excited! That puts us at 15 students, which is 3 more than last year, which is just awesome! It's easy to feel like there's no hope for us, but there are signs every once in a while that prove that feeling unnecessary.
I managed to create picture labels for toys and games and art today, so that just leaves me with discovery and dramatic play to take care of. Our open house is August 31, and our first day is September 6. I can get that all done before open house, I think!
- hit up the amusement park/water park - I almost fainted (Seriously - I couldn't see anything because my vision clouded over. I was nauseous and sweating profusely.) from the heat while waiting in line for the amusement park rides, so we decided to spend most of the time in the water park. I'm incredibly glad we did, it was a blast! I love me a good water park!
- visited college friends - We finally got to meet our friend's son. We've known her for a year and a half and have heard plenty about him, but we didn't meet him until Thursday night. He's a cutie.
- shopped
- ate at our favorite restaurants
- walked across campus in the pouring rain under one umbrella
- went to a high school friend's wedding - The first wedding I've attended since Kyle and I got married. I never thought about how different a wedding would be when I'm experiencing it as a married person, but it is different. It's easier to see the small things don't matter in the grand scheme of things.
- went to one of Kyle's co-worker's son's birthday party - He turned two and loved every second of the attention. He was so excited by every present and even more excited about his cake.
- visited both of our families
Today, while I was at the classroom, I found out about three more potential students for this year! I'm so excited! That puts us at 15 students, which is 3 more than last year, which is just awesome! It's easy to feel like there's no hope for us, but there are signs every once in a while that prove that feeling unnecessary.
I managed to create picture labels for toys and games and art today, so that just leaves me with discovery and dramatic play to take care of. Our open house is August 31, and our first day is September 6. I can get that all done before open house, I think!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Headin' For Vacation!
My husband and I are headed on a mini-vacation until Friday, and I am super excited! We're not going too far, only 120 miles from home, but it's a break none-the-less. We're headed back to the city where Kyle went to college. I fell in love with that town during my countless visits there during the four years we were in college. It's no:
(Maui!)
(Maui!)
But it'll be fun. We're going to hit up a local amusement/water park, visit some friends in the area, walk around campus for old time's sake, and eat at our favorite restaurants. More importantly, we're going to sleep in and not feel bad about it and spend some quality time with the Food Network! I'm hoping we can stop at an outlet mall in the area too.
While I love my job, recently I have been feeling like I can't have a personal life because it interferes with my work life. I need to change that; I need to give myself some time to just be me - not be a preschool director/teacher. I'm looking forward to it.
While I love my job, recently I have been feeling like I can't have a personal life because it interferes with my work life. I need to change that; I need to give myself some time to just be me - not be a preschool director/teacher. I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, July 22, 2011
What's That? A Productive Board Meeting? No Way!
We had one of the most productive board meetings of the year last night! It was phenomenal! Normally, I leave board meetings feeling like I have a million things to do and no time to do them, but last night I left feeling at peace with our goals and decisions. That's the key of it all - we actually made decisions. Usually, we fluctuate back and forth for a long time over basic decisions and our meetings have been known to last up to three hours. Last night, we were focused, we had an agenda, we made the necessary decisions, and we were out of there in an hour and a half! I was impressed.
Since registration didn't go as we had planned, we have teamed up with a marketing professor from a local college (she's a member of the congregation) to develop a marketing plan. We spent the last two months doing research - just trying to find out what the general perception of our preschool is and what the community wants us to offer. We looked over the research last night and did a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis based on what we discovered. When we finished the analysis, we created two solid objectives to be completed by next July.
Our objectives are:
1. Organize and complete at least 10 community events (field trips, charity fundraisers, public appearances, etc.) by July 31, 2012.
2. Apply for and receive a QRS rating by December 31, 2011
I think they are completely achievable objectives which will help us promote our preschool for the positive place it is.
In other news, my husband and I are getting ready to move to a house tomorrow! It's been a crazy week that way. We've been making daily trips up there to move truck-loads of stuff, so we only have to put furniture and big things in the U-haul. I have mixed feelings about the move. I'm excited because it's a house (we have a yard, laundry, a mailbox - all of those good things), it's closer to my job (same travel time for Kyle), and it's in a smaller town, but at the same time, I'm worried about how I'll be received there. I'm afraid of a negative response to my presence, but I'm taking a leap of faith and hoping those concerns aren't real.
Now to get all of this packing done...:(
Since registration didn't go as we had planned, we have teamed up with a marketing professor from a local college (she's a member of the congregation) to develop a marketing plan. We spent the last two months doing research - just trying to find out what the general perception of our preschool is and what the community wants us to offer. We looked over the research last night and did a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis based on what we discovered. When we finished the analysis, we created two solid objectives to be completed by next July.
Our objectives are:
1. Organize and complete at least 10 community events (field trips, charity fundraisers, public appearances, etc.) by July 31, 2012.
2. Apply for and receive a QRS rating by December 31, 2011
I think they are completely achievable objectives which will help us promote our preschool for the positive place it is.
In other news, my husband and I are getting ready to move to a house tomorrow! It's been a crazy week that way. We've been making daily trips up there to move truck-loads of stuff, so we only have to put furniture and big things in the U-haul. I have mixed feelings about the move. I'm excited because it's a house (we have a yard, laundry, a mailbox - all of those good things), it's closer to my job (same travel time for Kyle), and it's in a smaller town, but at the same time, I'm worried about how I'll be received there. I'm afraid of a negative response to my presence, but I'm taking a leap of faith and hoping those concerns aren't real.
Now to get all of this packing done...:(
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Break Out the Champagne!
I FINISHED MY ENDORSEMENT!!!!!!!
I just turned in the final assignments (read: six five-page papers....yuck!) tonight! If all goes well and I pass those last two classes, I will now have three endorsements on my teaching license! I feel like every sentence tonight needs to end with an exclamation point - that's how excited I am!
Now to fill out all the lovely paperwork that goes along with asking the state to add a few words to my license...
I just turned in the final assignments (read: six five-page papers....yuck!) tonight! If all goes well and I pass those last two classes, I will now have three endorsements on my teaching license! I feel like every sentence tonight needs to end with an exclamation point - that's how excited I am!
Now to fill out all the lovely paperwork that goes along with asking the state to add a few words to my license...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Last First Time
Because I am a teacher - a teacher who loves reading and has a passion for instilling that love in every student who enters my classroom - and because I'm particularly emotional today, I feel the need to express what is going on in my heart today, as I prepare myself for the end of the Harry Potter era.
I grew up with Harry Potter - so much so that I feel like he is my fifth brother. People bring up the argument all the time demanding to know why I see him as such a hero. He lies, cheats, steals, disobeys authority, and many other horrible things I'm sure I'm forgetting. That's what makes him so special to me, though; he's human. Nothing about him is incredible, and he makes mistakes. He's an average/slightly above average wizard, who knows a little more about the dark arts than the others simply because of who he is. BUT he has a passion, a heart, big enough to conquer all evil. He takes on problems that are much bigger than he is, and because of this passion, because of the love and loyalty he feels for those around him, he is able to succeed. He epitomizes all the values I hope to instill in my students and my own children: friendship, loyalty, family, care, strength, endurance, bouncing back.
At midnight tonight, theaters all over will be showing the last movie in the Harry Potter saga, and I'm devastated. I know, there's nothing new in the movies - I've read the book. I've been clinging to these movies though. They kept the story alive. I know I can reread the books and watch any of the movies anytime I'd like, but there's something about the first time. There will be no more first times.
I cried when I finished the last book (which I devoured in one day - just because I couldn't stand to not know what was going to happen - now I wish I had taken some time and really cherished that last first time).
I'll probably cry tonight.
To Harry Potter! To everything he taught me and to everything he'll teach people who continue to read the books!
I grew up with Harry Potter - so much so that I feel like he is my fifth brother. People bring up the argument all the time demanding to know why I see him as such a hero. He lies, cheats, steals, disobeys authority, and many other horrible things I'm sure I'm forgetting. That's what makes him so special to me, though; he's human. Nothing about him is incredible, and he makes mistakes. He's an average/slightly above average wizard, who knows a little more about the dark arts than the others simply because of who he is. BUT he has a passion, a heart, big enough to conquer all evil. He takes on problems that are much bigger than he is, and because of this passion, because of the love and loyalty he feels for those around him, he is able to succeed. He epitomizes all the values I hope to instill in my students and my own children: friendship, loyalty, family, care, strength, endurance, bouncing back.
At midnight tonight, theaters all over will be showing the last movie in the Harry Potter saga, and I'm devastated. I know, there's nothing new in the movies - I've read the book. I've been clinging to these movies though. They kept the story alive. I know I can reread the books and watch any of the movies anytime I'd like, but there's something about the first time. There will be no more first times.
I cried when I finished the last book (which I devoured in one day - just because I couldn't stand to not know what was going to happen - now I wish I had taken some time and really cherished that last first time).
I'll probably cry tonight.
To Harry Potter! To everything he taught me and to everything he'll teach people who continue to read the books!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Making Improvements: One Day at a Time
I spent the last two days in my classroom organizing some centers and cleaning up the mess left over from Saturday's festivities. I'm pretty excited about the progress I've made. I feel like I have a much better understanding The Creative Curriculum, and that is helping me design my classroom with more clarity.
My biggest concern about my classroom last year was about how much open space I had. Now, I didn't mind this too much, but I did notice the kids seemed to wander a lot. This often lead to running and all sorts of craziness. By itself it wasn't horrible, but when other kids were trying to build tall towers or focus on a quieter activity, these crazy running bursts were distracting and often destructive.
I managed to turn my classroom into decent centers today! I've rearranged the room two times now this summer, and I think I've finally discovered an arrangement I like.
I started by organizing my Toys and Games center. After reading the chapter on it in The Creative Curriculum, I took everything off my shelves and put them into four piles: self-correcting toys (toys with a clear-cut way to go together), open-ended toys (toys with no right or wrong way to use them), collections (items that are open-ended and share commonalities), and cooperative toys (games children play together).
I realized I had about a million toys in that center! Way too much - no wonder the center was always a mess! I ended up choosing only 4-5 toys from each category to put back on the shelf. When I head back up there next week, I plan to label the shelves and the baskets like I did in the block center to make clean up easy for the kids.
Here's the finished center:
I'm loving that I have a table in the center this year. Last year, the kids took the toys wherever they wanted...It was a mess.
On the top of this side of the shelf are my collections. (Although, really, I think these collections belong in Discovery. It's all I have right now though.) Below are the open-ended toys - teddy bears, pegs and pegboards, links, beads, alphabet blocks, and magnetic letters. The self-help frames on the bottom right are actually self-correcting toys, but this was the only place I could fit them.
On this side of the shelf are my self-correcting toys and my cooperative games. The self-correcting toys are on the top - nesting cups, shape stackers, shape box, puzzles, and color pegboard. The cooperative games are on the bottom.
My biggest concern about my classroom last year was about how much open space I had. Now, I didn't mind this too much, but I did notice the kids seemed to wander a lot. This often lead to running and all sorts of craziness. By itself it wasn't horrible, but when other kids were trying to build tall towers or focus on a quieter activity, these crazy running bursts were distracting and often destructive.
I managed to turn my classroom into decent centers today! I've rearranged the room two times now this summer, and I think I've finally discovered an arrangement I like.
I started by organizing my Toys and Games center. After reading the chapter on it in The Creative Curriculum, I took everything off my shelves and put them into four piles: self-correcting toys (toys with a clear-cut way to go together), open-ended toys (toys with no right or wrong way to use them), collections (items that are open-ended and share commonalities), and cooperative toys (games children play together).
I realized I had about a million toys in that center! Way too much - no wonder the center was always a mess! I ended up choosing only 4-5 toys from each category to put back on the shelf. When I head back up there next week, I plan to label the shelves and the baskets like I did in the block center to make clean up easy for the kids.
Here's the finished center:
I'm loving that I have a table in the center this year. Last year, the kids took the toys wherever they wanted...It was a mess.
On the top of this side of the shelf are my collections. (Although, really, I think these collections belong in Discovery. It's all I have right now though.) Below are the open-ended toys - teddy bears, pegs and pegboards, links, beads, alphabet blocks, and magnetic letters. The self-help frames on the bottom right are actually self-correcting toys, but this was the only place I could fit them.
On this side of the shelf are my self-correcting toys and my cooperative games. The self-correcting toys are on the top - nesting cups, shape stackers, shape box, puzzles, and color pegboard. The cooperative games are on the bottom.
Pretty cool, huh? I'm not sure how well I'm meeting the requirements of The Creative Curriculum, but I feel better about it now than I did.
I moved to my art center after I finished Toys and Games. Last year, I planned art activities for the kids. They were normally process art projects, but I told them what supplies they could use and most of the kids were working on the same project at the same time. I want to have a more open-ended art center next year: a place where kids can go to exhibit their creativity whatever way they choose.
Here's what my art center looked like before (please don't laugh....):
Pretty awful... No wonder the kids never used it the way I wanted them to. After studying the chapter on Art in The Creative Curriculum and a quick trip to the dollar store in town, this is what my art center looks like now:
I added painting supplies (paint shirts, paintbrushes, paint, tins to put paint on, and sponges), play dough and play dough tools, collage materials, glue, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, paper, and yarn.
I moved to my art center after I finished Toys and Games. Last year, I planned art activities for the kids. They were normally process art projects, but I told them what supplies they could use and most of the kids were working on the same project at the same time. I want to have a more open-ended art center next year: a place where kids can go to exhibit their creativity whatever way they choose.
Here's what my art center looked like before (please don't laugh....):
Pretty awful... No wonder the kids never used it the way I wanted them to. After studying the chapter on Art in The Creative Curriculum and a quick trip to the dollar store in town, this is what my art center looks like now:
I added painting supplies (paint shirts, paintbrushes, paint, tins to put paint on, and sponges), play dough and play dough tools, collage materials, glue, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, paper, and yarn.
I'm pretty excited about the possibilities here! Allowing the kids the freedom to do art at their own will - so exciting!
Monday, July 11, 2011
What I'm Reading
I've been spending a lot of time this summer trying to beef up my classroom strategies. When I started my position as a preschool teacher last year (I was hired only three weeks before school began), I had no idea what best practices looked like at this level. I took four professional development courses throughout the year, plus the classwork I've been doing to get my endorsement, and those efforts got me through last year. Now, I feel like I have the tools to turn my classroom into a fantastic place for learning.
I've especially been looking to the experts for ideas. Here's what I've been reading this summer:
The Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker, and Cate Heroman
This is the curriculum I've been working to implement in my classroom. I speed-read most of the book before the year began last summer, but I know I missed out on a lot. This summer I have been re-reading to help reorganize my daily schedule and my classroom layout. I've moved around almost all of my interest areas and am currently working to make the areas easier for children to use. There is a newer edition than this, but this is the one I have so I'm making it work for me.
Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover
This book is phenomenal! Katie and Matt share many ideas about how early childhood teachers can help children see themselves as writers and compose picture books. It is so amazing to see the examples they provide of writing their three and four year-olds created. Of course, those picture books don't look like the ones we look through in the library, but the kids who create them have gone through the writing process and are proud of the stories they have written. I've been working through this book and coming up with many ways to change up how I talk about books with my students and how I to encourage them to spend some time in the writing center.
Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas
I just got this one for my birthday from my fabulous husband. (I know - I'm a nerd. This was the only thing I asked for for my birthday... What can I say? I have a passion for what I do.) I was so excited to see a book about early literacy skills from the literacy gurus, Fountas and Pinnell! There is a great book study going on over at Pre-K Pages, and I've been enjoying hearing everyone's thoughts as they read this book. Another awesome thing about this book (and keep in mind that I'm easily amused) is that it has built in tabs, which makes it easy to peruse. I'm excited to really delve into this book to see what wonderful ideas I can take from it.
And just for fun, I've been reading:
The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This book makes me laugh out loud. It's fabulously light-hearted and would make a great beach read. Now, if only I could find a beach...
I've especially been looking to the experts for ideas. Here's what I've been reading this summer:
The Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker, and Cate Heroman
This is the curriculum I've been working to implement in my classroom. I speed-read most of the book before the year began last summer, but I know I missed out on a lot. This summer I have been re-reading to help reorganize my daily schedule and my classroom layout. I've moved around almost all of my interest areas and am currently working to make the areas easier for children to use. There is a newer edition than this, but this is the one I have so I'm making it work for me.
Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover
This book is phenomenal! Katie and Matt share many ideas about how early childhood teachers can help children see themselves as writers and compose picture books. It is so amazing to see the examples they provide of writing their three and four year-olds created. Of course, those picture books don't look like the ones we look through in the library, but the kids who create them have gone through the writing process and are proud of the stories they have written. I've been working through this book and coming up with many ways to change up how I talk about books with my students and how I to encourage them to spend some time in the writing center.
Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas
I just got this one for my birthday from my fabulous husband. (I know - I'm a nerd. This was the only thing I asked for for my birthday... What can I say? I have a passion for what I do.) I was so excited to see a book about early literacy skills from the literacy gurus, Fountas and Pinnell! There is a great book study going on over at Pre-K Pages, and I've been enjoying hearing everyone's thoughts as they read this book. Another awesome thing about this book (and keep in mind that I'm easily amused) is that it has built in tabs, which makes it easy to peruse. I'm excited to really delve into this book to see what wonderful ideas I can take from it.
And just for fun, I've been reading:
The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This book makes me laugh out loud. It's fabulously light-hearted and would make a great beach read. Now, if only I could find a beach...
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