Back In the Groove

Oh, the bulletin boards.......

And with that, it is official:  I am back in the groove of teaching!  I rarely take pictures of my classroom or me in it for that matter, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of our first hallway bulletin board (or at least half of it, my camera battery died right before I could click the second picture!).  I love doing bulletin boards, its one of those creative processes about teaching that I love. This particular bulletin board was based on a book called "On the First Day of School I Met...."  It is a fantastic, wonderfully illustrated, simple book of all the crazy creatures that a little girl meets on her first day of school.  The craziest one is the little girl at the end!  We read this on the 2nd day of school and I had the kids make rip art creatures afterwards of the creature they imagined meeting on the first day of a fictious school year.  They did a fantastic job, really stretching their creative skills, and adding a written description on their creation.  It made for a cute bulletin board at the beginning of school!

Beyond bulletin boards, I am into the teaching groove in every way.  My goal this year in terms of my own teaching is to stay prepped ahead of schedule.  I started the year with the first 2 weeks of school basically all prepped and copied.  This made me feel so comfortable and relaxed-I felt like I could really concentrate on my kids.  I am starting to prep/copy the next month's worth of paperwork, which is a lot of work, but I am really hoping to stay on top of it so I can have all my maternity leave stuff prepped to the degree that I will be comfortable leaving my kids pre-AIMS in the hands of a sub. 

I am also working to include more technology in my lessons-now that I have technology!  I now have a document camers, projector, and mobi in my room; I should have a laptop and a smartboard in the next month or so.  I was so used to using an overhead projecter last year, it is more work than I anticipated to make the tech switch!  I'm excited though and looking for ways to incorporate technology in my room.

So far,  I really enjoy my group of kids.  They are very different from last year.  They have certain manners that last year's kids did not-when they have a question, they quietly come out of their seat to ask me.  They keep their backpacks on ther chairs without prompting.  They all brought their own materials and keep them neatly in their desk basket.  So far, I really don't have any major issue-kids...whereas half my class qualified as that last year!  Although its a bit premature, I do think this group is slightly lower than last year, particularly in terms of math.  With that being said though, the absence of major behavior issues really leads me to believe academics will move faster, especially with the things I learned professionally last year.

I am only worried about a few kids right now, simply because they are floaters.  They float off during lessons and as a result, they don't get it.  I believe those kids are going to be doing reading intervention in the mornings and the afternoons anyway, but it is still my goal to find a way to reach them.  I have a pocket of boys who are best buds-4 of them. I have no idea how they all ended up together. They are good boys, but if one of them starts something, the others join in!  I love working with boys, which I know is weird, but its true-I relate to them more quickly;  I just have to stay on top of them and I think they'll all be okay.  I know its not fair, but I admittedly have my "favorites", just those students I already enjoy talking to and working with because of the connections they make!  It is exciting to me to think of how I will be able to bring the best out of all my students, especially using what I have learned (I Know, I already said that).

Overall, I am excited about this year of my professional life.  I miss my kids dearly but as I've mentioned before, I realize this year will fly by and be shorter than normal, so I am really trying to enjoy every minute.  I also realize that more likely than not, this will be my last year for the second time, at least until the kids are all in school.  That thought makes me enjoy the moments more often than not and to really try to maximize and stretch my teaching abilities.  The frustrating days will come, but I do truly enjoy what I do; it is a blessing for which I am grateful.

Bring on a year of awesome bulletin boards!  I"m ready!