Happy New Year!

December 30^th? Really?!! I can’t believe it is nearly 2008! As I sit at my parents house and contemplate my new years plans, I realize…I have never though about any year past 2007!! Weird I know, but true. 2007 is the year I graduated college, the year I have known in my head since high school and probably even before...I’ve never thought about any year after this! However, I know 2008 will be great as I receive my masters certificate (hopefully) and get a full year of teaching under my belt. It is amazing how the years fly, ok, now I sound old!!

As I post to my blog, I notice December 15^th got away from me and I never posted. It was in the middle of the “ice storm” and my internet was messed up..and then, I just forgot I guess! Things are going good. I have really enjoyed this break from school. I thought I would work on school things and fellows homework, but I have used the time off to catch up with “me time” and hang out with friends and family. The break sure did go fast, but I find myself thinking about school more often. That is the thing about being a teacher, you don’t ever not think about school in some aspect!

Still no teamboard, but I am hoping soon. It is amazing how quickly the weeks fly because I feel that I am always typing the weekly newsletter. Fellows work is really picking up and I know this will be the busiest semester of my life…I believe I am ready for the challenge but know I will be glad to have it all over! Throughout the semester I have told myself things will be different after winter break…so now I am excitedly nervous to go back. Will my kindergarteners remember what all I have taught them, our routines, procedures, and my expectations? I hope they come back more eager than ever ready to learn and I hope this break refreshes me and my peers. Happy new year to everyone and I hope you are feeling as lucky as I am to be a teacher (not only do we love our kids, we get a great winter break!) Happy teaching!

Already December?

Tomorrow is the 65^th day of school! Unbelievable. Things are going great in kindergarten. Still no SmartBoard, but I think about it daily. Today at lunch my team was talking about our excitement for our own SmartBoards. Since one teacher on my grade level has a SmartBoard we thought of the idea to take turns each switching rooms during her computer lab time. That way the other kindergarten teacher and I can learn about them before we have them in our room and our kids can benefit from our instruction.

Although I really want one, I will say that I am lucky that the teacher on my grade level invites all three classes into her room to show united streaming clips, interactive websites, and interactive games. My kids are leaning how to use the SmartBoard even though we do not have one.

I still do my weekly newsletter and doing it in Publisher is so easy for me. It is easy to edit and I know the parents appreciate the information provided. This week I taught nutrition and was surprised by the MU extensions website for the food pyramid and food groups. Great resource to have, I feel as though my “favorites” section on my computer keeps growing, I always bookmark ideas so I do not have to search from them later. I have also started to make individual files for units on my computer because I make so many of my own worksheets and writers workshop materials. That way next year, I will know where to find them!

That is all for now, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are loving teaching. I know fellows is picking up with projects and papers. I turned in 2 papers tonight. We are almost done with our first semester…unbelievable! Happy teaching!

November...

I can’t believe that today was the 56th day of school! What’s more is that it is almost Thanksgiving…time flies when you are having fun. Hope that you are all doing great too.

Technology in my classroom has continued to be very beneficial. I am getting a new student tomorrow and it is so great to just add her name to my class list, make a cubbie label, and print a name tag from documents that I have saved on computer. As far as kids using technology, I am still waiting for my room computers to be fixed. My students do use the computer lab once a week though, and they are really getting the hang of it! I am lucky that my team does so much together because my kids are exposed to the SmartBoard because a member on my team already has one. Every time I am in her room…I get more excited to get my own. It is going to be such a great learning tool!

Kindergarten is the place to be…hope you are all loving teaching as much as I am. I’m off to watch Dancing with the Stars…anyone else watch that? My kids love to talk about it with me…so I can’t miss a minute! Ha! Happy Teaching!!!

One Quarter Down....3 to go!

It is hard to believe that it is already November. Tomorrow is Halloween and I know my kids will be pumped. My kids love going to the computer lab and my television is still my primary means of using technology. I can show websites that I like, pictures of the kids, and use it to view United Streaming clips from my computer. I can’t wait to get my SmartBoard, who knows when I will get it! I am lucky that the kindergarten teacher on my team has one and lets us all use it!

Conferences went great! I had a lot of informational guides typed up for my parents and they seemed to really appreciate them. I also compiled a list of useful websites for my kids to use at home. I need to work on my school webpage, but it seems to be something that I push away to another time. I don’t know about you all…but I feel that Fellows paperwork is really piling up!

Everyone says the month of November flies by. I can’t believe how fast first quarter went! I still rely heavily on the internet for lesson ideas, and I am amazed at all the teachers out there who upload everything they use on the internet! THANK YOU TO THEM! Happy Teaching everyone…it’s almost Christmas break!

I love Fall

Hello Everyone!

Well, I don't know about you all...but recess duty has gotten a lot better with this beautiful fall weather! Some days, I think we should just have class outside alll day...oh Missouri weather! So, here I am half way in to October, a pro at lesson plans, late nights, and too many hours spent at school. I love every minute of it! Although I will say I had no idea that I was going to be this busy. While in the copy room the other day, someone asked..."is teaching kindergarten easy?" How do I reply to that answer...NO! I calmed myself and said it is a joyful challenge that takes a lot of patience and isn't for everyone...but by no means is it "easy." I thought the question was rather rude...if it was easy would I get to school at 7 and stay late every night, would I spend time at school on the weekends, and never seem to talk about anything else? My answer...no it's not easy..but this question made me think!

I survived grandparents day and loved it. Everyone thought my room was great, my teaching style respectful, and my patience impeccable! lol. I received many positive comments, and I really enjoyed the day. It is great for others to see what goes on inside my room! The highlight of the day was a picture powerpoint that I put together and had showing on my tv after lunch with captions for every picture. There were 60 pictures...and the grandparents loved it!

This week I will be swamped preparing grade cards for parent teacher conferences. assessments in kindergarten are very time consuming...but I love the ownership that I feel over my students successes. I'm sure I'll stories to tell in my next posting! Other than that, everything is great here. I hope everyone is having a great year and taking time for themselves. I went to the Mizzou game last weekend and am in Tulsa this weekend visiting my twin nieces, it is amazing to watch them grow!

Ok, words of encouragement, as I sit at my brothers computer, i see the quote..."The happiest people don't have the best of everything. they make the best of everything they have." Happy teaching!

Already October?

Wow! Time flies! I can’t believe it is already October. School has been going great. Our themes have been butterflies, apples, and letters. Technology has really helped me because I was able to find butterfly PowerPoint’s and pictures on line, and play them on my classroom tv. I also collaborated with the other 2 kindergarten teachers to show interactive internet sites with the team board. I can’t wait to have one of my own! Our school has nettrekker.com it is an awesome search engine that has allowed me to find lots of lesson plans and age appropriate websites.

I have been taking a lot of pictures in my classroom and the kids love it. I download them onto my computer and play a slideshow on the tv. The kids are silent, and are so excited to see the pictures right away. I have also made some pretty neat newsletters to send home to my parents that show what is going on at school, instead of just telling. I have gotten a lot of positive comments from the parents.

This week I have a field trip, a release day, and grandparents day. It is going to be very busy! I have found a literacy website that I LOVE. Carlscorner.com has tons of free printables, center ideas, and lesson plan ideas. I have been busy copying everything off this year, and filing it so that next year I won’t have to go and investigate to find everything again.

My classroom is still coming together. There are lots of little organizational things that I still have not done, and I know I will feel much better once I do. I feel like I spend a lot of time there, but there is still so much to do. At least I enjoy every minute of it.

My home computer is still broken, and I am lost with out. I miss my color printer most. How sad is that? I like for all my binders to have nice covers, and the black and white just isn’t cutting it for me. I am glad my parents aren’t too far away because I can come home and print when I really need to.

Classes are going good, but they are picking up. I need to get working on my journaling and get ready for parent teacher conferences. I have been keeping a lot of my kids work so I think that will help guide my conferences.

Other than that, not much is going on. I am always busy, but that is the way I like it I guess. I am going to Columbia next week for the Mizzou game so I am excited about that. But, I also know I have to get a lot done at school this week so I don’t feel guilty about leaving for a whole weekend.

Hope everyone is doing great! Kindergarten is going good. Happy fall!

First 16 Days...

Wow, it seems unreal that I have had my own class for 16 days. I am really getting to know the kids and their needs. Being in kindergarten, the beginning of school has primarily focused on routines and procedures. Things are going good, but I know building community takes time.

My fellows classes have been a joy. It is nice to have weekly meetings with peers who are having similar experiences. I love my school, and I love my job so networking with other first year teachers is a great outlook to discuss my challenges.

I have 14 boys and 6 girls in my class. It isn’t balanced at all, but so far it has not created a problem. It is kind of funny though because I try to get the boys to use the bathroom as quick as the girls…they haven’t realized that the girls line only has 6 and that is why it is so fast!

One thing that I want to work on is planning. I find myself planning every night and morning. I want to be able to plan a whole week in advance so I am not constantly working on preparing the next lesson. I don’t think I realized the amount of time I would be spending at school, but coming in early in the mornings allows me to organize my day and take time for myself before school. I have used many lessons off of the internet and it is awesome to have a computer in my room to pull ideas from. I have found a lot of websites that have ready made lesson plans, worksheets, and center ideas. It is also nice that the copy machine and printer are right across from my room.

A sad thing in my life is that my personal laptop computer died. I am investigating getting it fixed vs. buying a new one. I didn’t realize how much typing I did at home to prepare for school the next day. I am ready to get it figured out! I can’t get on my blog website at school, so that has been a challenge. Once my home computer is up and going you will be hearing much more from me.

Hope everyone is doing great! Happy teaching!

August Excitement

School is about to start! I've waited for this moment forever, but it seems to be coming at me very fast! Throughout the year, I will be using this blog to discuss things happening in my classroom. I will be talking about my teaching style, student learning, and first year strengths and struggles; all through the use of technology. Hopefully vocalizing my reflections will help me to become a better teacher. I just learned that I will be getting a SmartBoard in my classroom, so I can't wait to utilize it with my kiddos and learn about the neat features of technology! Please visit often and leave comments! Welcome to my first year journey!!!! (Time to put to work what I learned in college!) YAY!!!