Summer in the City

The heat is unbearable. There are water restrictions, of course. After school dismissal is complete torture! My clothes is practically wet when I get back to get my things after school.

Pure misery. I'm ready for the changing of the seasons. I'm ready for RAIN!

Please, Lord, send the RAIN!!

First Day of School

I was nervous about teaching older kids (3rd and 4th graders). I mean, I liked my first graders. I found out quickly there was nothing to be nervous about. Instead there's lots to get excited over. Like the fact that there was no crying at all. There's lots of independent, self-motivated students (not true for all). And their humor is SO stinken fun!!

I don't know if they'd never read Miss Nelson is Missing, but they giggled so much when I read it to them. I loved that! I was telling them that I could be either Miss Nelson or Miss Viola Swamp. They for sure have tested it and I am proud to announce that my teacher look was perfected yesterday. It received an AMAZING response! YES!

When I got home, I received a phone call from one of my sweet friends. I was in the middle of finishing up a small project and I told her I'd call her back. Well, I didn't. Why? I had fallen asleep around 9:30 pm on my work and slept so hard that I actually DROOLED all over my arm and my work. Thankfully it was laminated!! Whew!

So - that was my first day. It was super duper! And super exhausting!

My Classroom - Before and After

{BEFORE} Honestly, I didn't know where to start. The good thing was that the teacher there before me was AMAZING at getting her stuff and moving it to her room. She's been really helpful.
How did I get through this? Well, I made a plan. I mapped out my room and started working from one area to the next - throwing things away or organizing them and putting them away as I went through the room.

{AFTER}
I started by putting all the tables in the middle and hiding the chairs behind a wall - just so that I could SEE what I wanted to look like without the stack of chairs. Then, I decided what work stations I'd have in the future: whole group, small group, computer station, library, writing station and listening station. I designated the areas and then went to town.
My favorite spot is the library!! Are you surprised? I still have to work on it to get it sorted by genre.
I can't wait for the room to be "ACTIVE"!!

My Dad is the MAN!

I seriously wonder how I'd make it every year without the help of my family. They help me SOOO very much to get ready for school. Well, more than what I should ask of them. My mom comes to clean every crevace...and makes a sour smelling room smell like fresh laundry!

My dad - well, he helps me with lifting boxes, etc. This year, he takes the cake!! My kids didn't have a place to store their backpacks and I didn't really know what I was going to do about it - except for having them hang the packs on the backs of the chairs (not my favorite). So - what does my dad do? He put together some hooks to hang in my classroom and they worked like a charm!

Kuddos to my dad! I wouldn't be me without him!

Mission Statement

There are MANY times that I feel inspired to write a mission statement much like Jerry McGuire's. This week would be all about the hoarding problem school teachers have. It's disgusting!! A classroom should be asthetic!

But in all reality, what would I accomplish in writing said mission statement? NOTHING!

Rant concluded.