Saturday, July 30, 2011

Chugging on along

So I have found some great resources!  I am very very excited.  www.kellyskindergarten.com has been sooooo very helpful.  Of course, I have also been very confused!  This center thing is really getting to me.  I think I have too many ideas.  I am not sure how I am going to make everything work.  And I still need to get a po and go to Landmark books and get my calendar and stuff that I have on hold.  This was the secretary's first week back so I didn't want to bother her.  I get the feeling that she can be a little grumpy! (This might be putting it mildly if the looks I have been getting mentioning her name are something to go by.)

Anyway . . . starting something new is very interesting.  It is cause for a lot of introspection.  I went into this for the right reasons.  I am glad I did it.  Of course, I am very scared that I won't be able to continue from here on out.  Will my convictions be enough to carry me through?  Will I lose myself in this?  I guess now is the time to put my big girl panties on and suck it up.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

I am just testing this right now. I seriously doubt I will use mobile blogging very much if I have to text the entire thing. Not as simple as typing.

eeek!

So back to the centers!  I am sooo overwhelmed!  I have to sit down and map out some basic ideas before I continue just hapharzardly throwing things together.  I will have a better idea of what I need when I receive the pacing guide, but I won't get that for a while.  So until I get that I am just going to through things together.

Our enrollment is waaay down as of right now and that worries me.  I mean last one hired first one fired!  Or maybe they will just switch me to somewhere else, which will make all of this money that I have spent for nothing.  I am spending no more money!  sigh.  Overwhelmed am I!

I have a job now what

OK.  I think the title says so much that I almost don't need to blog.  I have a job.  I have mixed feelings about my job.  It is in a regular classroom.  Not in a resource room as I hoped or even in a self contained room.  But I am excited, because after my experiences in a special education room, I was a little put off by it all and didn't know for sure if that was what I wanted to do. 

The teacher in my resource room was an absolute nut and I didn't like her at all.  When I completed her evaluation I put down that she was a poor communicator and that if given an opportunity, I would never work with her again in any way shape or form.

Anyway, back to the job situation.  I entered my classroom and it was full of . . . four tables, teacher desk, a cabinet and some ramshackle things that my wonderful co workers collected for me.  From this I had to create a classroom.  I gotta say I already love these ladies that I am working with.  They have been so helpful.  My principal seems really great, though a little stressed.  I think I am on the right track.  I just didn't imagine that I would be starting from scratch in this room.  I have spent so much money, that if I keep on like this, I will need my entire first paycheck to replenish my savings.  There is so much and my education did not prepare me for any of this.  I went in one day and just sat there kinda looking.  I have so many ideas running through my mind that I don't seem to really get anything done.  Good news, the other secretary will be back and I will be able to get my calendar and all that put up.  Also, the principal is ordering me a rug so I don't have to worry about that.  I just need to find some small rugs for a couple of centers and get my center stuff organized.  I can do it. . . because there is no other option is there??!?!?!

Speaking of centers, I am going to do like a center station with tubs where all my center materials will sit.  The kids will rotate through, get stuff from each of the tubs and complete it.  Some of the centers through the week will have some take home materials while others won't.  For instance, they will copy and trace letters and that will be something they take home.  But when they use letter tiles for the letters that won't go home.  I have found sooo many interesting blogs and other things that I will have to make a post with an entirely separate link for those.  Whew!

Did I mention I started graduate school also?  Shoot me now!