My Classroom is ready!

Well, my classroom is ready for school to start! The walls are ready, at least.  Except for behind my desk.  I have a couple of personal things (sports pennants) and another poster to put behind there.  I think that will be it.  I hope it is!  My sister Jessica helped me get all my walls done.  Thank goodness she has gone through this before and knew what needed to be done and how to do the design stuff.  I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the actual setting up of the classroom and how to begin to be a teacher.  Sometimes I wonder what I actually learned during those 4 years of college!

My room looks really good, if I may say so myself!  I have an information center where I am going to put the calendars, list of assignments, and anything else that my students need to know.  Then I have a HUGE Word Wall.  I know I will have enough words to fill it, but wow it seems reeeealllly big!  On my back wall I have room for all my students' work...yes all 110 students!  I put up a nametag and a sheet protector that will have their work in it for every single student.  And when I say that I 'put up' every single thing, I mean I stapled all of them. It took 5 staples for every student.  That is 550 staples! just for that bulletin board.  I woke up this morning and my shoulders and my arms were killing me!  I also have a writing bulletin board, since that is a big thing that my students will be concentrating on this year.

After class today, my mom and I went shopping for back-to-school clothes, notebooks for my students, and other errands.  It was a lot of fun to go back-to-school shopping with my mom again!  All around us were kids getting ready for high school or going off to college.  It feels like I am a kid again hitting another hurdle in growing up...my first day of an actual career.

Oh well, this could be a really long posting if I let it, but I am tired and need to get some sleep.  Bye!

Shopping! or Ode to Walmart

I get to combine two things that I really love: shopping and school supplies.  In recent years, I have not had to buy a lot of school supplies because I have so many supplies stockpiled.  Now I get to buy supplies for being a teacher and  some for all of my students! I have been looking for cheap individual white boards and I finally found some for $1 at Staples.  BUT, they only let me buy 2 at a time and they ran out after I only got 8 of them (4 trips total).  My friend told me about a wonderful place called Wal-mart.  They matched Staples' special price and I was able to pick up a lot  of other supplies there too! 

Tomorrow, I am making my first trip to a school supply store! My sister is coming to help me decide what I want on my bulletin boards.  I am thinking of doing a travel/expedition theme in my room.  Hopefully, that will fit in with my school and 8th grade class.  I also am making plans to start building my Smartboard in my room! For a definite anti-Math person, the making of a Smartboard is going to be very interesting and challenging!

New Session!

The first day of the new session is always mind-opening and intimidating.  I have to say that I really enjoyed being done at 10 in the morning.  My enthusiasm was dimmed slightly after I remembered that I have to go back for tonight's class.  I am a little worried that one day I am going to forget that I have a night class and just not show up.  Even though, those statistics are so memorable! : )  

I had a real scare today when I got home.  A fire engine with lights on was in front of my house as I pulled up.  Images of having to handle a family crisis on top of this CADRE thing were flashing through my head.  The fire engine and ambulance (which came a minute later) were for my next-door neighbor.  He collapsed in his bathroom.  I watched with my nephews as they took him to the ambulance and performed CPR outside.  We later learned that he did not make it.  It really reminded me that as much as I complain, rant, and vent about my hectic and stressful life, I would rather have this life than change it in any way.  It also makes me very thankful for everything and everyone in my life.  So thank you all.

Rest in peace Mr. O.

At the end of the (first) tunnel!

I am completely done with my first 6 hours of graduate school!  And I survived!  Now for the weekend and on to the next 6 hours!!!!  But really, these classes have been fun and it has been great to meet these amazing people who I will be working with over the next year and beyond.  I have learned a lot and I want to include all of the new things I learned in my classes in my classroom.  I am counting on my associate and all my new friends to keep encouraging me to keep trying these new things and not settle for the comfortable old ones. 

I have also decided that I will keep blogging throughout this journey.  I think it is a great way to keep everyone notified of my progress and happenings.  I also want to look back on this journey and see how far I have come.  So keep looking and checking in, I will be here!