Full Days!

Today was the first full day of school!  It last from 8:50 to 3:20, but I actually didn't think it felt that long.  The kids did though and asked more than a few times if it was time to go home yet.  : )

Otherwise, they did great and had a very productive morning.  The afternoon was not quite as good but hopefully that will get better as we settle into the long day.  

I am down to 19 kids because one transferred schools, but they all show up, on time, everyday!  I have had quite a bit of parent contact already but luckily very supportive parents.  They want to know what is going on but are good at following up at home.  I am still staying at school until 4:30 or 5 and then bringing stuff home to do but am starting to feel fairly caught up.  Now, it's time to move on to the "projects" list that I made for when I actually felt a little bit okay about what I had to do.  

The First Note

Besides a note from a parent asking for paperwork, I had yet to receive any notes from parents.  That is until yesterday.  This is the note word for word:

M wanted me to write a note.  She won't tell me why so here's the note. Thank You, Ms. G

HA!  Definitely a good way to start the year.  I prefer this over one another teacher got that was not so nice or friendly.  Otherwise, we are starting to settle into a routine.  I planned WAY too much for the first week.  However, that will make planning for next week that much easier.  I have 1 boy who is going to be challenge and is definitely testing me but everyone else has responded well.  There is a lot of asking to go home, to recess, or lunch.  They do work well though when we are actually finding the time to work on something.  For those of you who don't remember Kindergarten very well, we are learning how to write the letters, name colors, shapes, and basic reading ideas.  Basic but necessary.  

And finally what everyone has been waiting for . . . pictures!  Before and after of my classroom.

My First-First Day of Kindergarten

As another teacher said to me later this afternoon, "you will now never have another first "first day."  I made it through my first day as a teacher!  Wow.  It seems like it has been a long time in the making.  It was GREAT first day.  I didn't have any criers except for a brief moment in the middle of the day when one girl got a little overwhelmed by it all and teared up a teensy bit.  She recovered very quickly though so I'm not going to count it.  They all showed up right on time and for the most were a little shy.  A few chatterboxes that can't seem to get the idea of waiting their turn to talk but I really think it is going to be a great class.  They listened pretty well and we made it through the day without anyone getting hurt, getting lost, crying, or having an accident.  

We also didn't get much done except the rules, reading 1 book, part of calendar, putting their supplies away, recess, and a little bit of play time in the classroom.  I only had 1 boy manage to sneak his supplies home at the end of the day and nobody got lost.  I almost didn't get 1 child on the bus, but I remembered at the last minute and because one of the buses broke down and things were running slow, he made it right on time.  Getting everyone in the right place at the end of the day is definitely the most chaotic.  1 boy doesn't like to play at recess and 1 tends to wander aimlessly around the classroom but I don't think anyone said anything really funny or off the wall.  Shucks.   They had a lot of questions, and it is going to be very easy for me to forget that I have to explain EVERYTHING and I think that's why the 3 hours felt like 6.  I was wiped by the time everyone was finally gone.  Big day tomorrow with PBIS school tours and demonstrations.  Thankfully, no extra work for me.  This weekend, PLANNING.  BIG planning.  

Oh yeah, and when I come home, I moved out of G&Gs and into the apartment with Bethany.  Whew.  I am going to sleep like a baby.  There are still a few things like sweatshirts and my printer at Prairie Ridge but I will stop and get them tomorrow.  For now, I just really wanted something to sleep in and stuff to make a lunch for tomorrow.  Now, if only I could figure out how to plan centers . . . 

Week 1: Monday

The first week of school!!  

I spent all day in training for the reading curriculum that I will be using.  It's called Gretchen Courtney, and I think it is very good stuff.  It's a little complicated for Kindergarten and will need tweaking and adjusting to make it really work for me and my classroom, but I think I will enjoy doing it and working with the district woman who is helping us.  I also met a few other new teachers in other buildings but didn't make any instant friends.  

Then, I had two hours to prepare for open house!  I finally have a class list so I spent it quickly writing out names on name cards and on stars for their cubbies.  I have nineteen students.  10 girls and 9 boys.  10 white and 9 minorities either black or hispanic.  Two boys and possibly a third who were retained and will be in Kindergarten for a second year.  However, they were retained because they have August birthdays and were just very young and immature last year. Otherwise, it is a wide range of ages.

There were not a lot of parents, but I did meet 4 students and about 6 parents.  I wasn't extremely prepared and couldn't answer all their questions, but I still had one parent ask about volunteering and coming in to the classroom to help so that was definitely the highlight of the day!  These seemed to be the more dedicated of the parents and some awfully kids that are a small piece of happiness (aka: cute).  I'm pretty sure I'll have a hard time falling asleep tonight thinking of everything to do tomorrow and the first day on Thursday but I'm off to try anyway.

In the Beginning

In the beginning, I had only a few upside down tables, 3 pocket charts, a cart of books, 2 carpets, a random collection of posters, and what seemed like miles of empty walls, chalkboards, and bulletin boards.  After four hard long days of sorting, stapling, shopping, arranging, sorting, sweating, rearranging, shopping, laminating, cutting, and stapling I have 5 right side up tables covered in stuff, 1 upside down table covered in stuff, 4 beautifully decorated bulletin and chalkboards with nothing on them, 8 tubs of categorized books, a calendar area, 8 tubs of sorted toys, and a brain that won't shut down.  

It's come a long way in four days and still has a long ways to go in the next four.  Reinforcements arrive tomorrow to help me move into my apartment and help do a few jobs in the classroom if time allows.  I'm tired and a little bit crabby but there is no one here to mind. 

 The highlight of the week was definitely visiting the School Shop today and getting to buy lots and lots of stuff.  I was a little pressed for time so I didn't really get to browse the way I would have liked but that leaves all that much more to discover next time.  Next time, Erg Adoo.  It's a place in Springfield that one of the other teachers is obsessed with.  If I liked The School Shop, I can't imagine what that place will be like.  

I'd Like to Offer You . . .

I've heard that it's a good idea to write down everything that happens to better remember and learn from our experiences.  I think I have a a great opportunity for both in creating this blog so I've decided to try and see how far goes.  This is my teaching story.  This is how it started.

I scheduled my interview on a Thursday and interviewed on Friday.  The only person there was the superintendent and it lasted three hours.  Just him and I.  Talking.  For three hours.  It went well.  Then, I waited.

On Thursday of the next week (one week after scheduling the interview) I was at work at the CDL when N came down to my room to tell me that the superintendent was on the phone.  I assumed that meant they were talking with my boss for a reference but what she really meant was that they were on the phone for ME.  Oh.  I took the call and was offered the position of Kindergarten teacher.  I said I wanted to see the classroom and meet the principal but when I hung up, I told everybody I had a job.  You couldn't have wiped the smile off my face.  The first to find out?  My boss.  The next?  Everyone else at work.  I couldn't call anyone else to tell them until I got off work but still got to celebrate with great people that I had worked with for 2 years.  

Leaving work, I tried to call White Lake to tell mom, dad, Jim, and Nolan but nobody answered.  Second call?  Bethany.  I didn't know much about it except to say that I had a job but that was all that was important.  I got through to White Lake after hanging up with Bethany and everyone celebrated my news.  Mom cried.  I didn't.  Next?  FACEBOOK!  That was pretty much how everyone else found out.  It's the best way to spread news.  In total, I had 22 comments and 10 "like this" comments on my status.  

By Saturday, I decided that since I had already told everyone else that I was going to teaching Kindergarten maybe I should call and officially accept the position and I did.  It felt great to know I was gainfully employed for at least 1 year.  Especially since my summer jobs lifeguarding and at the CDL were over that Friday.  Now if only I could see my classroom . . .