First Year Teacher

The cohort and I only have 3 semesters left after this one.. We have 2 semesters of classes and 1 full semester of student teaching. It really flies by fast. We go to our classes every Monday and Wednesday then before we know it, it is the end of the semester. We always talk about how we're scared of being first year teachers. I've found some really awesome ideas on Pinterest and I thought I would share them on here.

Here is an entire blog dedicated to this girls whole first year of teaching, its really pretty interesting.


That's so Second Grade

One idea I really like and plan to carry on is packets for students who come into the middle of the year. I mean we make enough packets for students on the first day. It would be beneficial to have a few packets made up for students that come in the middle of the year.

                                 Click for Source of this idea
A few other resourceful websites are:

Teachers Pay Teachers : this website allows teachers to post lesson plans, things for the classroom, a variety of different useful things..Some are free and some they charge for. I signed up and got some really cute stuff for free already.

Worksheet Place: again another useful tool for teachers who need help with lessons

Education.com : another great resource

Teacher Appreciation :)

I think that it is important to show appreciation to our educators. They spend a large portion of their life with our children. Teacher Appreciation week is coming up in May and I hope to make a few gifts. I'd like to make one for my daughters teacher and for  a teacher that allowed me into her classroom to gain some hours. I enjoy being crafty, so  I hope to make something pretty outstanding for them. I can't wait to see what my students do for teacher appreciation week. I've been told I will receive a lot of coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments. 

Last year, I made my daughter's teacher a crayon wreath. 

This year for my placement teacher I made her a candy dish

At Home Projects

My step daughter has had to do a few at home projects for her class(Kindergarten and First Grade). I like these projects because some of them are set up in a way that we're able to get to know her on a different level. Another reason I like these projects is because it allows me to step away from my busy schedule to spend some time with her and do a fun project. We have created two posters; her Star of the Week Poster(for both kindergarten and first grade) and her 100th day of school poster. In Kindergarten she had to dress up a turkey as something so that he wouldn't get eaten. Of course she chose a princess. This year we created a scarecrow according to her likes and dislikes. They had different questions for different parts of the body, for example he got specific eyes if she was an only child or had siblings. She also created a snow man in the same way.

I'd like to use some of these projects in my classroom becaues I feel that they're a way to get parents to interact with their kids. Parents sometimes get caught up in the hustle and bustle of their world and these moments can slip by. One thing I really liked was these teachers sent some supplies home that you could use to make the project. This showed that they understood that not everyone has the materials to make them at home. I would also do this if I sent a project home. Send the basic materials and if parents can, they can branch out further.

Below are pictures of some of the projects Makayla and I created together.

         

 

Classroom Theme!

I really like it when teachers have taken it upon themselves to personalize their classrooms. I especially like it when they use a theme throughout. I like the feel of a theme because the classroom decor is cohesive and will generally cause less of a distraction. The environment should be warm and inviting while encouraging education. I'm still unsure of a theme I would use for my classroom, but I really like owls. I found some owl classroom decoration's that I think would be so cute in my future classroom! It's fun to dream right?! 

All images were found on Pinterest.

Decorations!!

Wow! The semester is coming to an end and it's just so crazy that it has came so fast!! I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to post about next and I think I've found it.. Door decorations! You're probably very confused, why would I want to post about this? It is a sure fire way to either welcome someone into the classroom, let everyone else know what you're learning about, or to simply go with the next holiday! Besides, it can be A LOT of fun!! I just love decorations outside the classroom on either the door or a bulletin board.  Pinterest has a ton of inspiration for different types of doors!

Below are some cool examples of doors that I found on this site dedicated to doors and bulletin boards. Below is an example of different types of boards.(Rainbow Within)

For More examples go here:

Rainbow Within Blog

March was reading month in my placement and each class was assigned a different country to explore and read about. My class chose Italy. I decorated their door with gondola's and we added their picture to the boats. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture with their pictures in them, but this is a picture of the door before hand.