5:00am wake up
6:00am Brian Leaves
6:30am I leave
Teach
Teach
Teach
3:00pm school is out (2:30 for Brian)
6:00pm actually leave the building (and that's early sometimes)
Eat dinner at some point
Do more work to prepare for the next day/rest of the week
Find time to play with Toby
10:00pm (or somewhere around there) find our way to sleeping
Wash, rinse, repeat. And by the end of the week we are exhausted.
Ah, the life of a teacher.
So, what have I been doing the last couple of weeks? Preparing for the darlings that I teach everyday, of course. I spent a lot of time getting my room ready this year, and I made some significant changes.
I've struggled with the layout of my room for the past 2 years. When kids sit in theater seats during a class, I've noticed they seem to take it less seriously. Instead of a classroom, it's more of a "let's hang out and not take this seriously" class. So, Mrs. G in her infinite wisdom, gathered the superheroes of her school (her awesome janitor) and got some tables put in the large, empty space in the middle of the room. It's amazing how just having tables can change the learning environment for kids. Just in the few days that we've been in school with kids, I have seen a huge transformation in how my class is perceived. I now see my students more focused and ready to learn. I love it!
I decided to stray from my secondary roots a little bit and lean more into the elementary world as well. I decided I would bring a theme into my room this year: owls! It's a hoot! (ok, lame joke, I know) Here is a glimpse into my lovely room so far.
I purchased my own bulletin board this year as we have had some budget cuts (surprise!), and I have
nowhere to actually post things on my wall.
Yes, that's a QR code in the bottom right corner. I'm high tech, folks. Interested in where it leads you? Check out my website for my program by clicking here!
I reorganized my desk as well, giving myself some more space to store my things and provide some cozy features. Ignore the mess. It's always a work in progress. :) Note my Walmart Scentsy--the students keep commenting on how great my room smells. "It smells like cookies!" "No, it smells like cupcakes." Makes it feel a little more homy.
I also added some cute cork boards next to my school laptops with reminders pinned to them for my students.
I never truly thought about the work that my teachers put in to making my years in school a blast. It can be incredibly exhausting for the teacher; trust me, I know. So here's a "thank you" to all my teachers. Thanks for taking the time to ensure I had a great place to learn. I remember my first grade classroom that had a loft where you could go only on special occasions. When I was a new student in that awkward middle school phase (you know what I'm talking about!), my teachers were oh so helpful in making me feel like I had a place to be at my school. In high school, I had some of the greatest teachers who impacted who I am today through how much they cared about every single student. I am so lucky to be inspired by those wonderful people.
Some of my favorite moments are when I feel encouraged by my students, who have no clue how they just impacted their teacher's day. Take for instance this darling. I found this next to my laptop in the middle of class on the second day of school this year. Never had her in class before this year. She made my day, and she didn't even know it.
So, now, it's the middle of week 2, and this teacher is feeling pretty positive about how the year has started. It certainly hasn't been perfect, but I'm keeping my head high. One of my goals this year is to be more positive (note my last post), and I feel like it's happening. Here's to staying positive and continuing to have a great year!
