Change - A Kinder Thang!!

I am so excited to embark on my newest professional challenge - Kindergarten Teacher {and as of 5/5/12 Kristan King, M. Ed.!!!!}

AAHHGG - is my first response.  I know many of my non-teacher peeps are thinking {as a family friend Beth said} "It's not that different from 1st, Kristan.  I mean what's 1 year?!?!"

Okay, moment of truth - about 5 years ago I said, "I will never teach Kinder."  HA...eat some crow girlie!  Well I have a mouthful & for all you who feel as Beth does I'm just gonna say, 1 year makes a WORLD of difference.  Eons - TONS, no joke 1 year is a big deal with 3-7 year olds.

I am excited too - there is something extraordinary about being the FIRST.  First to teach how to be in school, how to eat lunch, how to form & walk in line, how to recognize print & begin to decode it, first to spark that love of learning...

Okay - now I'm tearing up!!  I know {cheesy, I am cheese ball}.  So pray for me on my new adventure & I truly send up praise to the Lord for answering my prayers for the past 2 years.  I am looking forward to loving my team & my job - I know BOTH can happen, simultaneously - and I won't settle for anything less.  And, PTL my team has already "shown the love" and I can wait for planning to begin...

My Kinder journey begins on 5/9 with Kindergarten Round-Up - Yee Haw!!

How Did I Miss This?

So, I've spent all day on Blogger! Basically I've tapped into the collaborative teaching community that is 1st Grade Teachers blogging...and I must say - WOW!

My head is spinning with ideas - can't wait to start my Johnny Appleseed unit Monday & even more so because I found a MILLION ideas to enhance it.

I'm so excited for all my new stuff that I added all my favorites to a blog list...don't be sad if you're a blogger friend, my blog list is for my TEACHING ideas. Maybe I'll just turn this blog into a teaching one...but hence I've got one with my new school website! Can't wait to post photos and clips of my students' apple work.

Lovin' blogs right now :0)!!

Balance

Well in the thick of back to school - my life, desk, house - basically EVERYTHING can get out of whack!!

It is amazing how 1 list turns into 5, all with unfinished tasks! Every year I wonder - how do I do this all? How will I overcome this pile? Is it always like this?

A wise teammate/friend told me that the beginning of the year is like labor. You forget how hard it is because you have the reward of the child - if I remember the start of every year I would STOP teaching (just like a mother, if her only memory was of labor, she'd likely not have more children). What I remember from year to year are the moments of insight, humor, and the products of a year-long effort - sending class after class to the next grade with confidence that they'll be successful the following year.

Right now my life is totally out of balance! I'm working at developing so many things at once, but I have to slow down and enjoy the moments and remember how it took the WHOLE year to master centers, calendar, writing groups, reading groups, and really our daily schedule (to be honest :0)).

I'm going to calmly approach this week - despite my overwhelmingly heaping desk & lists of unfinished to dos. I am not going to NOT do what is expected of me, but I am going to strive for balance and try really hard to keep calm so I can just ENJOY my wonderful 23 6 year olds!!! My class is truly a great one - a gift I've been entrusted with. I am so anxious to start this week now...

Dreams Begin Here

I am so excited to start my 7th year...teaching 1st grade...with a Disney themed room.

Every year I start out with a "theme," I guess. But, they never stay - I change things up and don't change my language or meeting place names (ie meetings happen at "carpet" & daily calendar is called "calendar"). SO dull...I know, but it works.

This year I am excited to change things up! I'm naming my classroom after different parts of the Magic Kingdom Park in Disney World. Gonna be fun & I'm super excited to mix it up.

My introductory bulletin board is called 'Dreams Begin Here' & I'm excited to learn about & accomplish some dreams to this year's group of 6 & 7 year olds!

Yay for Creativity!

So I am a pretty crafty person. I am always trying this or that...hey, what can I say: I LOVE a craft project! And I come by it naturally...my sister, mom, and I are always sharing our creative escapades with each other.

My sister has been using "Pocket Books" in her classroom this year. I asked about them when she told me about them in Aug. or Sept. - but as any of you teach-peeps know, out of sight out of mind & I failed to get more info. or respond with interest, so Shawn stopped talking about it and the subject wasn't brought up again, until...

Now that I'm working on my Master's, there are a few more responsibilities as far as data & research are concerned. I do many of the things I've always done, now I just have to calculate and report out percentages of proficient students etc.

Well my action research project is about developing independence in descriptive writing by using small, differentiated groups. So I formed my writing groups, but to teach them I have to have something else for the kiddos-who are not in group-to do. Writing groups also run into my Science/Social Studies time, so integrating was ESSENTIAL for success.

So, who do I call when I need ideas & strategies...my sister!! She reminded me of the Evan Moor "Pocket Book" series -- I proceded to order Jan., Feb., Apr. - July. We're sharing...she has the others. So together we'll have the complete 12 month series.

Last week my 1st Graders started their first one...Famous Americans. And...they LOVE it! Today we started sewing bookmarks with their initals--to remember Betsy Ross. They know so much about her & because of the hands-on connections to making a 13 starred & striped flag & sewing an initialed bookmark, they have remembered EVERYTHING about this unit.

They are experts in: John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, & after Friday...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gotta love it when you see the light bulbs shining--so bright they're blinding me!!!