Behind

I am not procrastinating but I have not been doing the blog, as I should be.  I had a wonderful afternoon with the girls.  I am just flabbergasted though how teachers work so hard to get a job in this tough field and then throw it all away.  I understand we are all human, but really, some simple common sense would be good.  I get so tired of seeing it in the papers and on the news.  It is everywhere and just does not make sense.  I am super careful and cautious about everything because I know a suspicion is enough to sink a career.  I am so tempted sometimes to just go slap these teachers and say what on earth were you thinking.  I of course have enough common sense to know I am unable to do that without a lawsuit anyway.

Content

I have missed a few days had a few things going on. 
I find it interesting how unhappy with education some people are.  I love proteacher as a resource, but sometimes I go to the vent board and look around.  I have commented a few times as well, but I am amazed at the unhappiness.  I say this because I love my job and I am content with my pay.  I know everyone wants to make more money and I am no different.  I just don't feel the need to complain about what I make.  I think I am fairly fortunate compared to many people, and I am blessed with a wonderful husband.  I also feel like if you hate your job that much find something else to do with your life.  I would hate to have a child with a teacher who hated what she was doing.  As teachers we have this awesome opportunity to impact a life what is there to be unhappy about!

Bead Counters and Design

Busy but productive day I finished my classroom set of counters 10s and 20s.  Not hard to do but time consuming.  I still have a couple things to do before schools starts.  I am sure I will get it done though.  I also played around with my room design.  Lakeshore Learning has a great feature for that.  Looking forward to an informative workshop tomorrow.

Number Bracelets

I have completed my number bracelets classroom set 5, 10, and 20.

Getting Crafty

Anyone who know me knows I am not crafty.  I can be creative but not really into the whole crafty thing which is surprising I know for teaching K.  I decided in my bid to be proactive that I would go ahead and take care of some of the crafty projects I needed done.  I think I mentioned I went to JoAnn's and bought supplies.  Today I am working on subitizing flash cards as well as number bracelets.  I also hope to make the counters with the smaller pony beads so I will not have to order the bigger ones.  That will not be done today though.  I will post a picture of my efforts when I am done.

Planning Ahead

Today while out shopping, my family and I went to JoAnn’s Fabrics.  I wanted giant pony beads to make counters with, but no luck today.  I go t regular ones with the plastic lace.  I also got pipe cleaners to make bracelets and plates with yard sale stickers to make flash cards.  I plan on working on those projects this week but not tomorrow.  Tomorrow I am going to get precise measurements of my classroom and then go to Splash Country.

I want to measure my room and contents to do a detailed floor plan.  I am completely changing the room and need to see what space I have for possible new furniture.  I have a new rug coming right after school starts from Donors Choose.  I will also have our new class pet.  They put a new air conditioner in as well as new blinds.  I need to make the layout of the room more functional as well.  It is easier to move furniture on the computer than for real.

I plan on being proactive this year

My goal is to have all of my required professional service done before school starts.  That way I will be over my goal and can pick and choose what I want to do.  By Friday of this week, I will be one hour short so the training I have over the next few weeks will put me over my goal.  I have also started to preplan for the school year.  Last year I didn't use a planner and just did it electronically.  I bought two deluxe planners on sale from Carson-Dellosa.  I like the layout and they offer places for center planning.  I am hoping this will assist me in my planning and make it easier as well as keep me on track.  I used pencil so that I can make changes and incorporate grade level planning as well.

I want a less stressful life there were times last year that I loved my job but not my environment.  I felt like I was in high school with mean girls.  It was not everyone on my team just a couple, but that was bad enough.  Finally, the stress got to me and I broke down a little.  I have more control over my life than that and I need to show it.  The good lord led me to the place I belong, and I need to just embrace it.  All the petty stuff does not matter in the long run.  We all have our own gifts and cannot do things the same way.  I am going to be me, enjoying the experience, and try to enrich the life of at least one kid.

I went to a wonderful conferance this past week with Dr. Jean.  I felt it was important to mingle with educators from across the country, and have the oppurtunity to hear from an expert.  I feel like I learned so much now the trick is to put into practice.