So, if you have been reading for a while, you have seen pictures of my daughter, my house, my dogs...but do you know what I do all day? I thought I'd share with you the other piece of my life: teaching kindergarten!
I love my job and it is truly the job that I always wanted. I am soooo blessed to be employed in the first place, let alone in the highest-rated district in Franklin County (whoop whoop!) I'd love to show you all my kiddos, but that's a little no-no. Trust me, they are adorable. I have 41 of them. 21 in the morning, 20 in the afternoon.
Right now is one of my 2 favorite months of the year. I love teaching them about the growth cycle of apples, pumpkins, researching farm animals with them, reading silly farm books, and going to amazing Stratford Farm. Even better, we learn about bats, spiders, and have a Halloween Party that is one of the highlights of their entire year. (If you are wondering, my other favorite teaching month is February).
I start my morning with them at 9:30 and end at 12:00. Then I have a lunch break/planning period until 1:20, when the PM kids arrive. They leave around 4:00. It is so nice to have that long lunch break that allows me to go run errands, go sit down at a restaurant, and get a lot of stuff (copying, staring at pictures of baby on the wall) done.
I have been working with my teammates Ann and Heidi for 8 years and we are like peas and carrots! Luckily, we share the same sense of humor, political views (teaching is quite a political job, unbeknownst to the public), and are there for each other when we are completely falling apart or just need a Starbucks in the morning.
Yes, there are huge challenges right now in education. The 2 1/2 hours that I teach are fast-paced and usually a lot of fun. But the demands of testing the kids are disheartening and are leaving less and less time to do fun things like plant seeds and make leaf prints! I try to make the room as inviting as possible and thought I'd show you a few of my favorite spots or ideas I use...
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| We start the day by picking the Lucky Duck out of the basket. That lucky person gets to do the calendar routine, pass out papers, and be the line leader! When all the clips are out, we throw them back in and start over. |
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| Above my word wall, I have birthday bags. I write all their names and their birthday on the cupcake. The kids always think there are presents inside. Sorry to disappoint! |
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| The crown jewels of the primary hallway! These are the owls my mama made over the summer with her Cricut machine. They are awesome, and will go home with the kids in their portfolios in May. |
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| Close-up! |
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| Our current bulletin board: Don't let the pigeon drive the bus. If you are a mother of a 3-6 year old, go find all of Mo Willems' books, pronto! |
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| My personal bulletin board beside my desk. Of course, a baby gallery, along with 2 of my most-used forms, the band-aid bag, and the sub folder. I'm not sure what I will do with the orange section yet. The kids' class promises are above. I refer to them often. |
So, there you have it! A look at my second home...
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