A quick update...

We are well into the school year (it's already November!), and I have yet to blog. So here's a quick little update, and hopefully I'll remember to post more often.

• I have a delightful class of 26 this year. They are awesome!
• My school is undergoing renovations, thanks to the bond issue that passed. We received new paint, I had a shelving unit removed to increase square footage, and as of this weekend, new carpet!
• I had my very first student teacher this year. She was UH-mazing, and I know any school will be lucky to have her on staff.
• There have been many, many changes in our district this year: report cards, teacher evaluation tool, implementation of new standards, etc. And, my school has been put on "the list." At times it can be overwhelming, but I am fortunate enough to work at a site that believes in each other, our community, and our kids. We can do better, and we will do better.

That's all for now.

I love my job!

Superhero Walking- The first two days of school

Last Thursday, I welcomed 20 new kinders to our school. On Friday, I welcomed 2 more. I am thrilled to have these precious ones in my class this year, but I always forget just how little they are when they first arrive. Everything is so new and exciting, making sitting and listening quite a challenge. Our theme this year is superheros, so we concentrated on learning two things that Kindergarten Heroes need to learn how to do: listening and walking in the halls.

We discussed how Kindergarten Heroes use 5 Star listening skills. Their eyes are watching, ears are listening, mouth is quiet, hands are still, and feet are quiet & still. We practiced what 5 Star listening looks like, feels, like and sounds like. My little heroes did very well for the first time, and I know we will master 5 Star listening very soon.

While 5 Star listening was hard, Superhero walking was an even greater challenge. Just like 5 Star listening,  we discussed and practiced what it looked, feels, and sounds like: Our bodies stand straight and tall; our heads are held high; our hands our on our hips; our feet on brown and white. We practiced, and practiced, and practiced some more. It's quite a task for my little heroes, but I know we will master it as well.

Other than working on those two skills, we read wonderful books like:

  and   and   and   .

We wiggled and danced to:

  and  and   and  .

It was a thrilling, exhausting, amazing two days. And I can't wait to do it again on Monday.

Now, if I can only get rid of this cold.

I love my job!!!

It's that time again...

That's right folks, I have a job for the fall, which means I''m back. And even better, I now have tenure! Whooohooo! I can now breathe a tad bit easier when the end of the year comes.

However, I have moved schools once again, this time back to my "old" school. I am super pumped for this upcoming year, I can tell it will be a great one!

I am also looking forward to growing this blog. I have some great posts planned and some great resources to share.

Well, that's all for now, off to cut some laminate.

I love my job!

And so it Begins!

I know, I totally fail. School has started, and I even had a back-to-school post. I just didn't post it. I will try to do better ;) Without further ado, here is the aforementioned post:

Our First Day of School was this past Thursday (the 12th). Every year, I am amazed at how little my new students are, and how dependent they are for everything! But I know that in just a few weeks time, they will have our procedures and policies down, and will be growing by leaps and bounds.

The first day back also made me realize how much I took for granted last year. I started in October, so someone else had done the hard work of laying the foundation of procedures, I only had to tweak them a tad when I started. This year, I am starting from scratch. It's hard. But I love it!

I have 20 kids this year, an almost even split between boys and girls. And as is my m.o., nicknames have already been assigned to a few. Meet a couple of my kids:

The Whiner- This little boy was my only crier the first day, and was down right inconsolable. It took three teachers to get him to my classroom, and one to keep him from bolting out the door. My principal removed him for a while, and then brought him back to join us; sitting with him during morning work. While he did not cry the rest of the day, and only once the next day, he has a maddening habit of whining when he doesn't get his way. Which is pretty often because I am the teacher and he's not in charge. But on Friday, I did catch a glimpse of the sweet nature I knew was somewhere behind the fear and whining. I don't think this nickname will stick for long.

Dennis- This kid is Dennis the Menace without the charming little overalls and cowlick. He seems to get himself in trouble without the slightest idea of how. He does, however, have this amazing smile that seems to charm the socks right off of most people. It's gonna be a fun year with this one!

As of now, those are the only nicknames. I'm sure as I get to know their personalities, I'll have more. For now, Happy Back-to-School!!

I'm Back!!!!!

I got word yesterday that I will still be at a different school, but I will be in kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year! I am pumped!

We're back!

So I was too exhausted to post on our first official day back from Spring Break, so here is a quick recap:

Our schedule has been overhauled to accommodate centers twice a day, literacy in the morning and developmental in the afternoon. It was chaos for a bit, however, it smoothed out and I was able to work with two reading groups and informally assess where we are. My superkids totally blew me away with their reading; we are exactly on target for Spring (which is a pretty big deal considering they had a string of subs until October when I was hired)! Ms. M, our literacy coach, returned to our class, much to the delight of my budding sprouts. We learned, we laughed, we played, and it was a fantastic start to the last quarter.

Today, we added to our numbers, bringing our class count back up to twenty. Our new friend was shy, but was welcomed warmly, and soon felt at ease. Again, chaos ensued when it was center time, but we figured it out and got down to business.

I realize this is not a very detailed post, however, I am one tired teacher. I will try to do better on the morrow.