spring

I may be jumping the gun a bit here, but it seems as if spring has come to Gallup. Last week we had afternoons in the fifties, contrasting heavily with the mornings in single digits, but that's spring in the desert. 

Spring has also come to the Hall House. With this spring semester we found ourselves exhausted by the start of a new semester of grad school and we found ourselves sifting through items that we rarely use and making trips to Goodwill to donate that which was still in good condition. (We even managed to drop off our goodies without going in to replace it all, as is our usual modus operandi.)

It has been fortunate that we had a three-day weekend following our first week back to our very busy lives. We have been allowed to mix work with fun, cleaning with relaxing, and all in all, have a pretty balanced weekend. Sure, there are chapters to read and papers to write, but we're taking things at a more relaxed pace which is nice.

For me, this is quite the change. Perhaps a good one. I generally go full force, right out of the gate. But, maybe after so many years of go, go, go, I'm figuring out how to apply my slow and steady running strategy to life. When I have a due date that is several weeks away, I don't need to be working on the assignment now. I can balance my drive to be successful in school with the joy that I find in long, lazy runs and afternoons of crafting.

Spring is here. A time of new growth, of blossoms, of sunny afternoons. For me, it may just mean a time of growth in how I approach life. Spring is good.

thirteenth schmirteenth

While I have never been much for superstitions, today the Friday the Thirteenth superstitions were crushed to smithereens. It all started with the mister shouting out at six this morning that we were on a two-hour delay. I had already gotten my workout in and was in the midst of getting ready for the day, so I progressed as I would on any other day.

I got to school with two and a half hours of sweet silence to myself. I finished lesson plans for next week, I prepped the classroom for next week, I made a new batch of salt dough to replace ornaments from yesterday that had been too wet and therefore broke when they were taken off of their plates, I revised our daily schedule to fit the late start, and I found time to start writing out lesson plans for the week following Christmas vacation. It was busy, I was running around like crazy, but came away feeling very accomplished.

My kinders showed up bright-eyed and bushy tailed and full of energy. After a sugary breakfast of syrup-infused waffles and saying the pledge we jumped right into learning. Our morning circle went off without a problem and the kiddos read the morning message without any help from me (they're good, I tell you)! We moved on to a quick review of the week with sounding out CVC words and going over our comprehension skill for the week - drawing conclusions. We moved right on to our weekly assessment and all of my little learners earned a 100% on their work! Yay! We cheered and everyone got a sticker for their hard work this week.

From there we moved right into a math review so that we could tackle the math assessment before lunch. We had big holiday plans for the afternoon, so we wanted to get the hard stuff done right away. We reviewed making and taking apart numbers four through ten and everyone was on their A-game. Each person was called on to give examples for different numbers and they were given guidance when needed. With all of my kinders showing off their smarts, we squeezed in the assessment right before lunch and were able to give ourselves another cheer when once again everyone passed with flying colors (there was one 94%, the rest earned 100%)! Stickers were awarded and we lined up for lunch.

When my class returned we worked on creating pony bead ornaments for them to take home. Wreaths and candy canes took up the majority of our afternoon. While the kinders were hard at work I pulled them for individual assessments in reading. Once again they did great. My lower leveled students are showing some growth and overall twelve of the sixteen that have been here this week scored 80% or better! I'm in heaven today. What can I say. To reward my kiddos they all received a roll of Smarties for being such smartie pants today.

To top things off, all of my students were picked up in a timely manner. I'm almost afraid to leave school for fear that my magical bubble of goodness will burst. But, as I mentioned, I'm not really one for superstitions. Off to my magical crafting world to knock out some of those looming Christmas gifts!

Some of today's ornaments

Our classroom tree!

who was that man

First off, this is the time of year when things are in go, go, go mode. In teaching, in personal life, even in my sleep I feel like I'm making plans for the holidays. Therefore, there is not a whole lot of blogging going on. It will return on a regular basis in the new year for sure. As for now though, I am busy planning, crafting, and trying to make some sense of the little bit of free time that I happen to find (which really is practically nonexistent - therefore, life doesn't make much sense right now).

This afternoon, during our math intervention time a random man walked into my classroom and poked around a little bit and then left. We have had so many people in and out of our building lately, and it's the time of year for observations and walk throughs, so I didn't think much about it. Then, after students were dismissed, I learned that the man doing walk throughs was our new superintendent. I can say, my assistant was observed. I was not. I was overlooked as I was working with my small group (extra small today due to absences). I'm not sure what he was looking for, but I hope he found it.

While my assistant was observed, I learned from other teachers that they had interesting happenings while the superintendent was in the building as well. One, who was free from teaching duties for a couple of minutes took a dying plant out to her car so that it could be given special care at home. As she hurried to take care of her errand she ran right into him. Oops! Another asked him who he was and told him that he was there for cleanup and wasn't going to see much. Then one of her students walked up to him and said, "Who are you?" in the manner that only little kids can. Sounds like a good afternoon was had by all!

In other news, my kinders are still saying incredible cute things. Today, while waiting for parents to pick them up, one of my students and his sister were simultaneously talking about spinach and singing Christmas carols. One exciting verse, sung to the tune of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer was 

"Popeye the sailor man, had a very shiny nose."

I started laughing at that and missed the rest. Love them! 

 

everything but the kitchen sink and then some

What a busy couple of days! On Friday we were go, go, go in Room 1 Kindergarten. We had our weekly review sessions followed by our end of week assessments in reading and in math. I was observed by my principal for our lovely new state evaluation system for teachers. We had a rushed special at the computer lab and then wrapped up the day with a parade to celebrate the close of Red Ribbon Week (a week against bullying and drugs).

After school was over I squeezed in the finishing touches on prep work for the coming week as well as a little bit of grad school work, and then I was thrown back in the trenches. My school had our annual Fall Festival Friday night and I was on the face painting crew. With my iPad on hand I was able to look up whatever designs the kiddos wanted and then tried to carry them out with the horrible face paints that the school provided. Grease paints may wash off easily, but it's really hard to get any color to show up when they are dollar store grease paints. Oh well, everyone walked away happy with their transformer, vampire, zombie, and kitty cat faces. In the end it was a fantastic evening - even if I didn't get to leave my table until 15 minutes after Fall Fest ended. I was able to whisper a quick hello to the mister when he stopped by, but didn't have a break to say much more as I had a little one that just kept asking me to paint different colors on her face. She had no clue what was going on, other than the fact that people were getting their faces painted and she wanted in on the action.

Yesterday the mister and I took some time to soak up the sun and get a good hike in before our trails start to be covered by ice. He took me on some new trails and then we wrapped up the miles by coming back on an old standard. We saw tons of animal tracks and while we were hopeful to see some mountain lion tracks (there is a warning sign up that mountain lions have been seen on the trails this year), all that we got to see were those of giant rez dogs that were chasing after deer and some jack rabbit prints. The afternoon consisted of some grad school work before going out to try a new (and delicious) restaurant. When we got home we watched some Dr. Who (a new favorite for me) and I finished up a birthday present for one of my adorable nieces.

Today I've been back at the grind. I started out by getting a good workout in, but then had to go about my usual cleaning routine. After that, it was all grad school. However, I won't complain because I am now done with one of the three courses that I was taking this semester. With any luck I'll be done with the other two before Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a restful weekend and are ready for the week to come!

to be seen

Today I get to fully embrace this fall break thing. By putting in my time yesterday, I can sit back and soak up the freedom of not having lesson planning to worry about. I am also fortunate in that I do not have any major grad school assignments looming over me this weekend. I can breathe. What a wonderful feeling!

This afternoon the mister and I are headed to Chinle and Canyon de Chelley. If you just tried clicking on that link, you'll understand why I titled this post "to be seen." Thanks to the government shut down it is to be seen what I will be able to experience in and around the canyon. One component of this trip that does look to be in my favor is that the canyon is technically Navajo land, the government shutdown cannot take away tribal lands, even if it can shut down the visitor's center.

The mister has a 55k race through the canyon tomorrow. He will have the opportunity to run where many gringos do not have the chance to go. He will be able to pass through native lands and run to the base of Spider Rock. I am so excited for him to have this opportunity and cannot wait to hear about his experiences.

In the meantime, I will soak up whatever components of the Navajo culture that I can. I will drive around the rim and see what there is to be seen, assuming that the government cannot shut down the roads that go to people's homes in the canyon. I will also enjoy the cultural celebrations and presentations that will take place this evening after race packet pick up. We've also decided to turn the next 36 hours into a Navajo cultural celebration by also stopping in Window Rock, the capital of Navajo country, to visit the historical museum and zoo on our way to the canyon.

I'll let you know what the government shutdown is doing on Navajo land tomorrow! Until then, here is a photo of the canyon that the mister took last May when we visited.

frogger

I wish that I were talking about the old Atari game. It was one of my favorites, in terms of video games. Every rendition of it that I have played since Atari went out of style just hasn't been the same. Instead, today's frogger is the result of something else that I love to do - crochet.

There is a very special little girl in my life that has a birthday coming up on Friday. While I cannot spend her special day with her, I can send her something that was made from the heart, and not just purchased from the store. This morning after going on a short hike I spent the bulk of my day crafting this little guy (and taking breaks here and there to do some grad school reading and writing). 

Happy Birthday Maddie J!

One of the things that I enjoy more and more, as I crochet and do more amigurumi projects is being able to make something up and go with it. Patterns aren't necessarily needed any more, because the base of these projects are pretty universal. I decided that since I know this little girl loves her daddy's aquarium and the little friends that live in it, I would send her a little aquatic friend. I hope that she likes it as much as I do!

dead battery

It happens to all of us. The battery dies on something. In recent years I have heard complaints of batteries dying on Kindles before someone is able to finish a book, or the battery on their phone dies before they are able to take a quick photo of something that is priceless. Today, the battery that died was mine. Well, my computer's battery died as well, but that wasn't until after my personal one did.

It take a lot of energy to teach. Last year, I think that I lived in a little bubble of confusion that kept on bouncing me along, somewhat effortlessly. It's easy to have energy when you do not fully realize the implications of your position, how to meet the goals and objectives of your position, and when you don't really understand what you are doing wrong or how you can fix it (or at least try to fix it). 

This year I am tired. I had the summer to really evaluate what it means to be a kindergarten teacher. I have a better understanding of my goals, and as a result I am pushing my students further. To do this, I am also pushing myself further. I spend time trying to develop dynamic lesson plans that fit within the district mandated curriculum. I put myself out there to try and keep my kinders engaged in a less than exciting lesson that just needs to be taught. I spend endless hours looking for new and exciting resources. I write grants. I develop hands on materials (manipulatives). I teach.

Today, I was super excited to see my kinders after being away from them yesterday. We had a fantastic morning that was focused on oral language development (a fancy way of saying that we talked a lot). We did center work. And more center work. And we celebrated National Book-It Day. Then we did more centers in math class. Then I had a meeting. Then we did our exciting smartie pants end of day wrap up (I swear, I'll actually write about this one of these days). Then my kinders left. And with them, my energy vanished. My battery died on the spot when the last student climbed into his father's truck.

Still, I went back to my classroom and had a meeting with my mentor. As a second year teacher I am a part of a mentoring program to help me to become a more effective teacher. This means more work. And of course, on top of that I have grad school work. And lesson planning. Do you get the point? I am exhausted. 

This afternoon though, my computer's battery died. This year I have taken to leaving my charger at home. Today, I found good reason to do this. When my battery died, I had to leave (well, not really, but it seemed like a good excuse).

The good news is that we have fall break next week. Four whole days of no teaching (just planning, grad school, yada, yada, yada). I am ecstatic. 

sometimes it is okay

Collaboration. I know that I have ranted about it in the past. But, sometimes it is okay.

On Wednesdays, during my planning period, I have a grade level meeting during which my two fellow kindergarten teachers and I plan for the coming week. We review what has worked well for us in the previous week and changes that we might like to make to have our classes run a little more smoothly and effectively. I have really grown to enjoy this time with my fellow teachers, who are, unfortunately, both planning on retiring at the end of the school year. They have taught me a lot in the past year, and these collaboration sessions have allowed me to grow as a teacher and become more effective in my practice.

Last year, I was soaking up all of the knowledge that they could throw my way. This year, the tables have turned a little. Our school has become more technologically advanced, providing each classroom with C.O.W.s (Computers On Wheels). We all have laptops, document cameras, and projectors. This allows us to access the digital resources that were developed to match our mathematics and language arts curricula. Therefore, this year I provide technical advice, and they continue to give me an abundance of ideas to help me teach a concept in a new way that may make more sense to struggling learners. This year, we collaborate, we all have different strengths to share to help one another out.

As I said, sometimes, it's okay! 

appreciation

I am fortunate in that the state of New Mexico mandates that kindergarten teachers have an assistant in their classrooms. This opens up a whole new world of opportunities for me. Last year neither my assistant nor I were really sure about what we were doing or how to really collaborate as it was the first year that either of us had been in the classroom. We meandered through the school year, figuring out what worked and what did not, and basically managed to stay afloat. This year, it is a completely different story.

We have flow. The students know what that flow is. They know that they will not get away with things like asking one of us for something and then turning to the other if the first says no. We are equally in charge of the classroom. During language arts the students work together on a whole group lesson and then break up into centers. As students rotate through the centers they work with me on one skill and with my assistant on another (and a third group works on sustained quiet reading). Six weeks into the school year we have the routine down. Students know when they are working with which teacher and what those expectations are. As I said, we have flow - not just my assistant and I, but our students as well.

That flow was put to the test this morning as my assistant had family obligations that took her out of the classroom for a couple of hours. First thing in the morning, the students asked, "Where is Mrs. S.?" I let them know that Mrs. S. had an appointment and that she would come to school later. We worked through the first part of our morning routine and then centers came. I walked the entire class through what they would be doing at Mrs. S.'s center without her. They handled it like champs. After I got my group situated, I checked in with hers and everyone was on task.

Pure magic. I couldn't help but imagine what my classroom would have looked like had this happened last year (it was not pretty by any means). Everyone had told me that the second year of teaching is so much better than the first (and each year after that even better), but today was the true test for the rules and routines that I have set up. I love feeling prepared and like I can actually do this on my own. But, even if I can do it on my own, I am so appreciative of the help and support that I receive from my assistant.

get it done

As usual, the weekend has been full of getting things done. School things, home things, life things. It's nice to have the weekends to help make the rest of the week run more smoothly.

Yesterday I had a fantastic day of food, fitness, and a little bit of fun. I took a break from my usual long run and did some walking to accommodate for a slightly sore ankle. I walked downtown to the farmer's market and co-op and came home with a couple of bags full of goodies. Our countertop filled up with fruit, veggies, homemade jam and bread. 

After dropping off those goodies I drove out to the state park and hiked my favorite local trail, Pyramid Rock. With all of the rain that we have been getting the desert is green, green, green. It's fabulous! I followed up my hike with a trip to the grocery and wrapped up shopping for the week. 

In an unusual mood for making food, I started prepping food for the week. I got fruits soaked (in water and white vinegar to help them last longer and clean off any junk that they acquired in transit) and put away. I prepped a veggie lasagna with squash, eggplant, and mushrooms. I made hummus from scratch. I made beans (also from scratch, a habit that we acquired in Peace Corps). Things are looking pretty spiffy around here considering we have two nights of grad school this week that we'll need quick food for.

We topped off the evening by going out to Gallup's monthly Arts Crawl. We saw a friend perform with the local belly dancing group and watched some other friends workout with a local fitness group called Iron Warriors. We also got rained on. After checking out our favorite art stores/galleries we decided to call it an early evening and got to the car right before a blinding downpour began.

Today has been equally productive with cleaning and laundry done before noon. Grad school has been thrown into the mix, with the mister wrapping up one of our group assignments for our technology in education course. We've had some more good food and are building up energy for a busy week to come.

Happy Sunday! Remember to rest and rejuvenate!

breathe

And, breathe

It is before 7AM on Friday morning, and look at that. My lesson plans are done for next week. My materials are prepped and sorted. It is shaping up to be a good end to the week and I think that I will be able to sit back and breathe this weekend.

Of course, lesson planning isn't all that there is to teaching. In between the breaths that I take and the sitting back and relaxing (which, if you know me, I don't really do all that well) I will continue to work. I have programs to look into for my RtI (Response to Intervention - the time that is set aside for intensive work with struggling learners) time and there are always little odds and ends to take care of to help make the classroom run more smoothly. But, the big picture is that my planning is done. If the other things are not taken care of right away, my classroom will not fall apart. As I said, I can breathe. And that is a fantastic feeling as I wrap up this first month of school.

Happy Friday!

turn it off

It is currently more than an hour past my typical bed time. The main reason for this is that I had grad school tonight. As a result, my brain will not shut off. Class ended at 9:00, and then the mister and I stopped by to visit with a friend that we have not talked to in a while. 

I love grad school because it gives me contact with adults who are functioning at a higher level than the kinders that I surround myself with all day long. However, when I leave my kinders I am in a happy and relaxed place (most of the time). Life is easy when you're learning your numbers and letters. You're not spending your time dissecting disabilities in a special education class or thinking about strategies for teaching reading. I can settle into bed nice and early, read a good book, and turn out the light without a care in the world. When I leave grad school though, my brain is experiencing a level of rapid fire thinking that is hard to put out. I cannot just turn it off as much as I would like to. Sure, I'll still turn in and read a good book before falling asleep for the night, but it is always a question of how long it will take me to succumb to the sleeping part.

With that, I am off to read that good book (currently Eat and Run) and hopefully catch some Zs before my 4:30 wake up call. 

Sweet dreams!

take it easy

I know that for many, Labor Day marks the beginning of a new school year. Here in New Mexico we are approaching our fourth week of school, and this three day weekend was a breath of fresh air. A chance to slow down for a little while and take it easy. Having three days to accomplish what is usually done in two means that you can squeeze some fun and exciting things into the mix (such as Saturday's trip to Albuquerque).

This morning I got up and did my usual workout before jumping into some grad school work. After a while though, I decided that I needed a break. So, the mister and I decided to head out to our local park and do some hiking (or rather, I hiked and he ran). It was a beautiful respite from work, a beautiful morning in the sun, and some welcome time with nature.

My favorite local hike: Pyramid Rock

Me, at the summit

A Navajo symbol of good luck or fortune: The horned toad

Last year I made a point of trying to hike Pyramid at least once a week in the spring. The last time that I climbed it was last May. It was nice to have a day to take things a little slower, to take it easy, and to enjoy my community. Of course, once we got home work began again, but that's okay. I had my break. Now I can jump back into my classroom full of energy tomorrow morning and cram five days of learning into four!

life

Sometimes, it happens. Life takes over no matter what your plans are. When I started this blog at the beginning of August, my plan had been to write a little something every day as a means of reflecting upon my teaching experiences and life in general. The highs, the lows, and whatever happens in between. Friday evening I decided that while this was a fantastic idea, sometimes I also just need me time. Or we time.

On Friday, after work, I ran around town trying to complete some errands - some I completed successfully, some not so much. I got home and was able to stock the fridge with hazelnut milk (my newest food addiction) and put quarters away for laundry. I had failed at getting the mister and I registered for a race at the end of September, due to the chamber closing early and then only having registration forms for the bike portion of the weekend of events, no signs of the ones for the half marathon. Life, it happens, and not always as planned.

That evening the mister and I did something unusual for the school year. We sat back, ate some delicious homemade lentil lasagna, and watched a movie. Yes, we relaxed. Knowing that we had a long weekend in front of us we didn't feel pressure to knock out just a little bit of work before hitting the sack. We looked through our Netflix queue and finally watched The King's Speech. It was well worth the time out from our busy lives. During the movie I also finally finished making a blanket for a friend of ours from Costa Rica who is due to have a little girl any day now!

Yesterday morning I went about my normal Saturday morning routine and checked off a beautiful 10 mile run through the high desert. During the last couple of weeks we have had a lot of rain for the desert and I was surprised by the abundance of green. I was also fortunate in that it was an overcast morning so I did not need to battle the heat of the sun, though I did have to deal with some stomach problems. Oh well, life happens, and you keep on keeping on. I finished up my 10 miles in just over 2 hours, which I was quite pleased with (the last mile was accompanied by the howls of coyotes in the distance). This is my longest run on record in well over a year, after battling injury after injury. 

After I left the trails the mister called and we decided to go to Albuquerque for the day. This is once again something unusual for us. I think that I went to Albuquerque "just because" once last Thanksgiving with friends, but the two of us have never done it. Sure, we've been to the city since moving here a little over a year ago, but for things like going to the airport, to run races, or for medical appointments. Yesterday, we shopped. I the past year I have lost a little over ten pounds, and therefore was in desperate need of clothes that fit me well. We also took care of some things on our list that we've been putting off, such as buying new towels and other basic household goods. We topped off the day with a delicious Japanese/Sushi dinner. It was a true treat for us.

And now, life goes back to normal. This morning I worked out and cut tags off of new items and prepared things for laundry. The mister threw together some home fries and a crustless veggie quiche. We are moving past our 36 hours of "freedom" (granted by this long weekend) and settling into work: grading papers, updating student data folders, creating newsletters for the month of September, reading for grad school, doing household chores. 

We may take a break from life on occasion, but it always finds us in the end. Enjoy your long weekend (if you are fortunate enough to have Monday off)!

flow

As I approach week four of the 2013 - 2014 school year, I find myself gradually coming into a flow. The systems that I had in place last year are coming back to me, and with a year of experience behind me, I'm getting back into the teaching groove.

I typically get to school an hour before my students show up. This gives me time to make sure all of my materials are ready to go so that there are not any down moments for the little guys to go crazy. I also just like being prepared, and this time allows me the time for not only material preparation, but mental preparation. I review my lesson plans, check my materials, make any changes to account for any materials missed the day before, or to allow for review of materials that the students did not grasp the first (or second, or third) time through. And I breathe.

This morning I found that I was able to move through these typical steps much faster than I was during the first two and a half weeks. This meant that I spent nearly 45 minutes lesson planning this morning. Now that I am comfortable with the lesson planning template that I came up with, I was able to plug information in and wrap up next week's language arts plan before the day even "started."

As the day progressed, I found that my students are coming into a flow as well. They are no longer asking every five minutes if it is time to go home yet (or now, they ask if it is Smartie Pants Time, when we do our daily review and wrap up). They moved in and out of centers like pros. The lined up quickly and quietly (or at least faster and quieter than they previously did). We're onto something here.

This afternoon I was able to prepare my monthly calendar and reading log for September, along with a notice of weekly learning objectives for the month. Tomorrow morning I will be able to update my kinders' take home folders so that families know what is coming up, and what they should be reviewing with their children on a daily basis.

I'm feeling good about this whole teaching thing. I've loved it from the very beginning, but this week I am beginning to really feel like I'm finding the balance and flow to make my year a little bit smoother, and my time management a little bit easier.

And it only took three weeks. (And a year, but who's counting?)

sunday

Today's pile

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of sitting down and doing some crafting. I could relax, without any worries, and just be. On Monday, the realities of being a teacher and a grad student sank in. Classes started and with them, the pile of work grew exponentially. This Sunday, I am able to go about my normal morning routine, but I know that instead of sitting and relaxing and taking some me time, I will be sitting and reading, or writing, or finishing up the last little touches on my lesson plans for the week.

This semester, the mister and I decided to take three graduate courses. This may sound slightly insane (and perhaps it is), but by doing this we will only need to take one course when next summer rolls around. It will be a month long course as opposed to one that consumes the whole summer. While we may be kicking ourselves for it now, I think that we will sit back with a sigh of relief next summer when we are able to head east and enjoy some time with friends and family that we have not seen in far too long.

On today's plate I have reading for a class appropriately called The Teaching of Reading, some more reading for Introduction to Special Education, and I will probably sit down and pound out a couple of assignments for our "bonus" class, Technology in Education. This "bonus" class is one that everyone has told us is tedious and somewhat annoying, but from what I have seen so far, this also means that it is easy. I have completed some of the assignments already, such as "Write a 5 page paper about yourself," and "Write a 5 page paper about your family." Others include, "Use Paint to create four pictures that tell a story and insert them into PowerPoint." I think I've got this.

On a positive note, it is just after 9:00 and I have worked out, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, vacuumed, and started laundry. The mister is plugging away in the kitchen so that we have some tasty treats to eat on the run (i.e. during a 15 - 20 minute break during classes on Monday and Wednesday nights), and so our Sundays go. Welcome back to reality. 

i survived

the first week of school! And, it wasn't even an act of survival. My kinders are awesome this year. I ended the week with 16 on my roster, and roughly 90% of them have been through a minimum of one year of pre-school. Some of them have two to three years of pre-school experience. It is so evident in how they behave in the classroom.

My little learners can follow directions (at least as well as I expect four and five year olds to follow directions - and yes, I do have four year olds in my class). They enjoy drawing and coloring and most can even color inside of the lines. A majority of them can write their names and know a bulk of their letters. Most can count (beyond ten) and write their numbers. These kiddos are sharp. I know that I have mentioned this before, but they are just blowing me away.

Here's a glance at this week in review:

Monday

We got to know each other, practiced some procedures, read stories, jumped into reading by ourselves, reviewed letters, numbers, the calendar, and went to PE class.

Tuesday

We met a friend new to our class, did our baseline assessment for language arts, worked on writing Aa and Bb, practiced our numbers, read number stories, and went to music class.

Wednesday

We reviewed our classroom rules and procedures, practiced reading to ourselves again, listened to stories, learned about characters, drew pictures of what we think school is all about, did our baseline assessment for math,  reviewed the calendar, and went to library.

Thursday

We met another friend new to our class, reviewed characters, authors, illustrators, titles, title pages, reading to ourselves, the letters A - E, writing our names, learned the words I, am, practiced writing our numbers 1 - 5, and went to PE class.

Friday

We reviewed everything from this week. We wrote our names, reviewed the elements of stories and our sight words, drew pictures of characters, reviewed our letters, had a fire drill, prepared for next weeks math lesson by cutting out flash cards, went to music class,  practiced our silent reading, and drew pictures of our goals for the year.

I feel like I have taught more this week than I did all of last year. These kiddos are incredible. Next week we will jump into our standard schedule of 30 minutes reading intervention, 25 minutes of morning meeting, 100 minutes of core reading, 15 minutes of recess, 50 minutes of language development and sustained silent reading, 40 minutes for lunch and recess, 60 minutes of math, 30 minutes of Navajo Language & Culture (or academic enrichment for those that do not go), 40 minutes of specials, and 30 minutes of math intervention. It's going to be jam packed full of learning, but I think we'll fall into the routine pretty quickly. 

Happy Friday! The weekend is here (does that mean I need to lesson plan?)!

like christmas

Last spring the teachers at my school were told that they had less than 24 hours to spend $100 on classroom supplies. Any time a teacher is told that they have money to spend on their classroom is reason for celebration. However, with the end of school year craziness, state testing, field days, moving up ceremonies, etc. etc. etc., these supplies were ordered and then moved to a little back corner in our minds and covered with cobwebs. Today however, those cobwebs were cleared away. At the end of the day an announcement was made for us to go and pick up those magical supplies. It was really a little like Christmas. 

I went down to our secondary book storage room and was handed my materials. I now have three centers ready to go for literacy development. Two of the center kits will be used to bring my little learners that are below level up to level. One of the kits will be used to push the brighter kiddos in my class to the next level so that they are ready to blow their first grade teacher's socks of next year. I am beyond excited. I came back to my room and began cutting cellophane wrappers off, pulling cardboard protectors out of spiral bindings, and assembling pieces. Yes, I realize that it is still the first week of school and some of the materials will not be used for some time, but, as I mentioned, I am excited. I love learning tools and I cannot wait to use them in my classroom!

Also, I finished my baseline assessments today, so I have even more reason to celebrate. I can now begin to go about a normal daily routine. I also found out that I will not need to proctor some of the assessments that kindergarteners are required to complete, so I will not be pulled out of my classroom for endless hours during the coming weeks. I think that that deserves a whoop for joy!

Even with all of this excitement I will admit that this first week of school is leaving me exhausted. I was struggling well before 7PM last night and that was only after two days. I feel a little better today, but man, these kinders are zapping my energy! I am full of it when they are in the classroom, but as soon as the last one says goodbye at the end of the day it feels like my battery has suddenly died. I'll get used to it though (of course, next week grad school starts back up so I'll have a whole other kind of adjusting to do), it'll just take some time for me to reestablish that sense of balance.

balance

Today we are having a gathering of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) that are teaching in Gallup as a part of the Peace Corps Fellows (PCF) program at Western New Mexico University (WNMU). At the beginning of the school year we all come together to meet the new fellows, to talk about teaching, and to mentally prepare ourselves for the school year that is to come. This year I have volunteered to talk to my fellow teachers about balance.

Balance has been an important component of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up as an honor's student, a student athlete, and a dancer (all of my own choosing, no helicopter parents here). All of this meant that I had to carefully budget my time. In high school this had me doing homework in the time between the end of school and the start of practice (soccer, cheerleading, tennis, swimming, and a couple of times theater). I fully utilized any study hall periods that I had and hit the books as soon as the final bell rang to ensure that I would have all of my work completed for the next day of school. Once practice started I was engaged with my friends as we ran, stretched, and completed any number of crazy drills. Once practice was over my mom picked me up and faithfully drove me to my hour and a half long dance class 30 minutes away. This was my life. As you can see, balance was key.

I may not have thought much then about how this practice was a valuable life skill to have, but now it is what keeps me sane. I have years of experience with juggling tight schedules and meeting deadlines while being pulled in a million different directions (again, all of my own choosing), and it suits me. I plan everything so that I can make it all work because I am stubborn and do not want to give any of the pieces up. So, as an adult what does this crazy schedule of mine actually look like?

My days during the school year are pretty full. Building off of yesterday's mental meanderings about teaching for time off, I do not have time off. I am a teacher. I am a grad student. I am a human that has personal interests. As I mentioned earlier, I do not want to give any of those things up. They are all a part of who I am. I wake up at 4:30 in the morning so that I can workout and still get into my classroom about an hour before it is required. I need to work out so that I have the patience and energy (yes, I am energized by working out) to keep up with my kinders all day long. I need to get to my classroom early because it gives me peace of mind to know that everything is in its place and all of the materials that I need to keep the day running smoothly are in place. I need those three hours before the school day begins to make sure that I can be ready to greet my kiddos as the enter the classroom and let them know that I am excited to see them and to learn with them.

As a kindergarten teacher I never stop moving. From 7:30AM until approximately 3:00PM I am with my students (yes, I have a couple of breaks here and there, but I am always thinking about what we have done and what we have yet to do before the final bell rings). I run around trying to meet all of their needs, I read stories in funny voices, I dance and sing with them during wiggle breaks (or just when teaching in general), I demonstrate how to write letters and/or numbers over and over again, I tie approximately a million shoes a day (something that I am hoping to eliminate this year), I hand out tissues for runny noses, I remind kiddos to flush the toilet, I pick up the random learning tools that have rolled into corners, sharpen pencils, and help students develop fine motor skills through cutting, building, and creating. Every one of those activities needs to be built into my schedule so that I can show the powers that be that I am actively engaging my students in an attempt to meet the standards and the individual needs of each student that I interact with during those seven and a half hours.

Once my students leave my time in the classroom does not come to an end. I work on lesson plans and prepare materials for the coming day. This is a huge part of how I balance my life. Last year I managed to create an after school schedule that helped me to pinpoint the important components of lesson planning (standard identification, how that standard will be assessed, how I will make sure my students learn the skills to pass the assessment of said standard, copying and/or creating resources to be used to help students develop those skills) and assigned one component to each day of the week. By scheduling these specific activities I was able to have my lesson plans done and my materials ready for the coming week by Friday afternoon at 5PM. I learned that I could walk away from my classroom on Friday and feel that I did not need to work (on teaching stuff) over the weekend. I also rarely stayed at school past 5:00 (sure that makes nearly an 11 hour day, but this is how I found my balance).

Two nights a week my day does not end when I leave my classroom. Instead I go to grad school where I sit and learn more about the components of education that can make my teaching experience better for both myself and my students. From 5PM until 9PM I sit and absorb whatever it is that I can take into my classroom and improve my practice. On the nights that I do not have class I typically have assignments to complete. This is the work that will often be carried over into the weekends because I do have a life outside of teaching and school. This is where I can nurture the parts of me that are devoted to my family and myself.

I think that the true nature of balance is finding time for yourself. I love to dive into crafting as time allows. I try to make a point of not buying gifts for my beautiful nieces and other family members, instead I try to knit or crochet most of them (this year I may try to ease myself into sewing as well). I love to eat delicious food with my mister and relax in front of the TV with something from our Netflix queue. I like to make occasional trips to the pool, to go running, and to inhale as much of nature's beauty as I can while hiking and/or climbing. I love to read, and to write. I enjoy getting together with friends for game nights and pot lucks. I like to go out and sample the fabulous restaurants in town. I love going to Gallup's monthly Arts Crawl downtown and hanging out with friends while listening to good music and seeing people's creations. These are things that make me complete as an individual and so I squeeze them in as often as possible.

My life is all about balance, about nurturing all of the unique components that come together to make me me. In order to be the teacher, student, and individual that I want to be, this is how I find balance.

And I still manage to go to bed by 8:30 most nights!