Beginning of the Year Planning in Full Swing

Well, here we are, t minus six week days until the official first day of school. It seems to be that as a teacher, no matter how much you plan, how much you try to do in advance, your to do list mysteriously becomes ten times longer over night with all the little things. I am pretty sure that there is a to do list gnome that roams around at night with the monster that eats socks from the washing machine. Like most teachers I didn't spend my entire summer doing nothing. Sure, we (teachers) take a break but we are thinkers, researchers, and analyzers by nature, spending the summer sitting around isn't in us. By the time summer comes to a close teachers have taken a few moments to breath and then delved into research, classes, curriculum development, conferences, and planning in an eagerness to pass on our newly found knowledge to our students. Having settled on some back to school activities to introduce students, routines, and expectations the next step will be to figure out how to arrange the classroom. Classroom arrangement is one of those things people take for granted. I always hear from friends and family who aren't teachers "does it really matter how the classroom is arranged?" As teachers we know the answer is yes. A classroom arrangement is just as important as seating at a concert, sporting event, the stock market floor, a business office, or an operating room. How items are configured in the classroom can effect the entire flow of the room and create that sense of comfort. I put quite a bit of thought into my classroom arrangement. I like to have a library area for students to chose books and a quite space to independently read in. A space for projects and extra supplies is important, as is a small group area. And, let's not forget how one decides to configure student desks themselves. I am off on a mission that will allow my students a collaborative feel but afford them the ability to feel independent when necessary. Still stuck on this idea, I feel a couple hours of pushing furniture around in my future . . . Stay tuned for the decision.

Rocky start . . . or Maybe a Chance to Figure Out How to Swim.

A new school year is about to get into full swing. I had planned on blogging at least once a week last year and in the craziness of taking on a new school, a new position, and new responsibilities I was just barely keeping my head afloat. I hit my stride just as school ended . . . . . So, when we fail we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and we try again. We learn from our mistakes and move forward. With that said I am going to try a new goal of every other week and if I fit in more than that, then, hey, I will take it.
I am looking forward to a new year. Even though there are more things sitting in flux for the beginning of this school year I feel more settled. Schedules still aren't finished, the tech department may or may not have everything installed and ready to go, we have two new teachers in our grade level, and a whole new group of exciting new faces to look forward to. I plan on hitting the ground running this year. I would like to see, well more like hope, that this year my students will be trying to keep up with me instead of me keeping up with them. We will see.
School starts two weeks from today and I still haven't seen the inside of my classroom since we were released for summer break, this will not be the week with trainings to attend to and the beginning of next week. I foresee spending some weekend time . . . That's okay. As I have said, I feel more settled this year, check back with me next week and we will see.
My hopes for this blog is a place somewhere that I can share my classroom experiences and tools with other educators.