Work Day #10 and #11

Hello Y'all,

Well I worked in my classroom yesterday and today.  Mr. Hubs and my Little Love came with me today.  Mr. Hubs hooked my computers back up and cleaned them out and everything.  My little love seemed to enjoy undoing some of the things I had finished with.  Oh well, I am almost finished so no sweat.  She was really good today, all things considered.  

I will need to put one more day in and then I should be finished!  I will not be back in there until next week.  Tomorrow Mr. Hubs and I are going to go watch a matinee of Transformers for date day and the school is closed for the halls to be waxed on Thursday, Friday and Monday so I can't get back in until Tuesday.  I would have to take my Little Love with me or to Nana's house (her WONDERFUL babysitter) on Tuesday and Wednesday due to Mr. Hubs working if I went either of those days so I will probably wait until next Thursday.  Well that was a bit of a ramble.  

Over the past two days I have:

1. emptied, sorted and gotten rid of all but two of the various cardboard boxes from my old room.  I know what is in these last two boxes; I just have to decide where to put the contents.
2. had Mr. Hubs hooked up my computers and he even clean them.
3. had Mr. Hubs clean and hook my refrigerator back up!  (He volunteered to do it!)
4. cleaned bins.
5. put my tables where I want them to go.
6. cleaned my pocket chart stands.
7. hung valences in my windows, my closet alcove and on the classroom door window.
8. hung curtains over the four shelves that store my manipulatives.  My mother and father came down Monday and helped make the curtains for everything.  That took all day so technically I should call it a work day as well!
9. sorted games and manipulatives.  This is an area that still needs some work and will probably not be worried about until I use them during the school year.
10. began hanging clothespins from the ceiling using fishing line...this lets me hang student work from the ceiling.

The room is really beginning to look like a classroom and not a storage room.  I am really excited about it!  I don't have anything decorated for a classroom theme yet; I've just sorted, thrown out trash, and put things away.  

I haven't quite decided on a classroom theme for this coming year.  I keep thinking about it.  I probably won't make a decision until the week before open house.  But decorating is easy once I decide on my theme.  The most time consuming part of decorating is writing student names over and over.  

Still to go:

1. finish putting away what is left on the tables in the classroom.
2. clean up from Little Love's visit!
3. sweep on last time.
4. place chairs.
5. put lights in my lamps.
6. bring my computer bench to school.
7. clean and put my carpet down for the whole group area.  (The janitors will shampoo it when the have time!--They really are wonderful.)
8. finish hanging clothes pins from the ceiling.
9. put pocket chart carts out of the way and place my big book easels and reading easel in their spots.
10. set up my daily math wall.  It won't have a lot on it due to the fact I prefer to use the Promethean Board.
11. decide on a classroom theme.
12. decorate.
13. write student names on things.
14. attend mandatory district trainings.

Well it is late and I need to get little love settled down for the night-so good night all.  

Mrs. Hall

Work Day #9

Howdy Y'all,

I worked in my classroom again today.  I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.  It is still a long way off; however, it is getting closer!

Well, I'm not going to post much tonight; I'm too tired.

Night all,

Mrs. Hall

Work Day #8

Hello Y'all,

Well today was very long.  I just got home from school.  I worked on leveling all my books.  It took a while and I think it was worth it.  I used two different leveling systems.  If we had an A.R. test on it I leveled the book using A.R. and I used Fountas and Pinnell whenever I could find the level for the book.  These are just for the student's self selected readings.  I have leveled readers that I have to use that go along with our reading program.  I feel that this is going to give my students a LOT of choice for their self selected reading books!

Well, as I said it is late and I am tired...night all!

Mrs. Hall

Work Day #7

Hello Y'all,

I worked on my room again today.  I sorted and matched listening center books.  I now have piles of books around the room, along with everything else.  I have center stuff and math manipulatives everywhere.  I still have a few boxes of books to sort through.  

It's going very slowly, but that's okay.  I want to organize it to the best of my ability as I go along.  

We do Accelerated Reader tests in 2nd grade and that has been a bear to sort through as well.  I'm sorting through read aloud books, book sets, A.R. books, listening center books and books that are very easy readers (which I am sending back to the new Kindergarten teacher).  

I'm sorting through my centers and trying to decide which ones are appropriate content for use in 2nd grade or which are too easy.  I'm sending some of my centers that I've made back to Kindergarten as well.

I am also cleaning everything as I go, which is very tedious; however, I will appreciate it later!

I'm going to sort my literacy centers and games into general areas and then more specific within each general area.  For example, one bin will be phonics.  It will then be organized by beginning sounds, medial sounds, ending sounds, etc.  I feel that this will save me time during the school year; it is just very time consuming right now!

Well....that's all for tonight.

Night all,

Mrs. Hall

Work Day #5 and #6

Howdy Y'all,

Short post tonight.  I've been at the school for the past two days.  I now have some of my books on shelves, some of my math manipulatives on shelves.  My leveled readers are all sorted by theme and week (unless I find more).  Teacher's Editions are put back together, etc.  I've taken out more boxes than are now in my room so that is a good thing; however, still way too much to do.  Just because it is out of a box does not mean that it is put away!  I have a large pile of books laying in the floor because the bottom of the box they were in fell out when I picked it up to move it :-(. 

The majority of the room is still one very HOT mess, but better than it was! 

I am striving to be completely finished by July 1st so that I can spend July enjoying my family (except for training days and jury duty).  I'm hoping to do this so that I am less stressed when the week before school arrives.  I want to be able to go in a couple of days before school starts to work on lesson plans, put student names on things and swifter dust.  My goal is to be completely ready for open house before July 1st even though open house isn't until right before the start of school!

Well all, I hear Mr. Hubs and my little love finishing up in the bath so I'm off for the evening!

Night all,

Mrs. Hall

Work Day #4

Howdy Y'all!

I worked in my room again toady.

Today I:

1. sorted through my math trailblazers teacher's kit and organized it.
2. sorted through my HM teacher's kit and organized it.
3. sorted through my social studies alive teacher's kit and organized it.
4. sorted through my classroom management kit for HM reading and organized it.
5. sorted more leveled readers.
6. sorted through a small amount of games and put them into zip top bags.
7. washed bins.
8. wiped down bookshelves.
9. numbered science and social studies textbooks.
10. almost finished emptying the two shelves in the backpack closet.  (There are no doors and only two shelves, both of which are above me head; it's more of an alcove.)

By the way, sorting through transparencies and their backing pages takes FOREVER!  I spent the better part of the day sorting through three different content area transparencies that were not in order.  It was exhausting.  Plus I had to sit in the floor because I can't find the tops of my tables due to the boxes covering and surrounding them.  After a while my legs kept falling asleep!  This was a lot of work; however, it will pay off with dividends when school starts back!

Well, all in all it was a productive day, just not in appearance.  The class doesn't really look any different. (Except for the crates of teacher materials and leveled readers sorted and placed on the shelves near where my small group table will eventually be located.)

Well all, I'm off to try to encourage my little love to use the potty.  

Have a great evening!

Mrs. Hall

Time to declutter my classroom!

Hello All,

I went back to school to work in my classroom today.  I need to take my camera with me and take pictures; however, I will probably wait until it is finished.  As of right now, it is one big, hot mess!  

I've decided where to have my reading nook, where my student tables will be, and I think I know where I will place my math wall.  Although ... I use my Promethean board for most of calendar time.  I do like to have a physical calendar up for the students to use.  

I've placed my writing materials, sorted my leveled readers and decided where my teacher table will be.  I've put bookshelves where I think that I want them and am pretty sure that I will like how I have everything.  Right now it is about sorting through boxes and boxes of stuff.  

I've begun going through games and putting them in gallon zip top bags instead of keeping them in their boxes.  They boxes look ratty and are very bulky.  The bags are easily replaced (and cheaply too!) and don't take up as much room.  I am going to sort them by subject and skill after I have them bagged.  This will make finding a game for a certain skill so much easier!

I am looking at things very judiciously as some of my stuff is really too easy for second.  I am deciding what to keep, what to send back to the new Kindergarten teacher, what is useless to anyone and needs thrown away, and what I need to store.  This is a long and tedious process, but in the end it will be worth it; I know that when I am finished I will be very happy with the results.

I still need to:

1. Hang curtains.
2. Cover my one bulletin board with fabric.
3. Put boarder on my word wall. (I'm going to use a thin ribbon as it is a small space and I want as much room as possible for words.)
4. Dust my computers.
5. Finish sorting through the bazillion boxes of stuff from this room and the one I left.
6. Move the tables into their homes.
7. Clean and put down my carpet.
8. Sort A.R. books.
9. Get bins for student supplies.  I like to have two for each table (seats 6) and each table has its own color.
10. Clean tables.
11. Purge filing cabinets.  (This will be a big job and make be tackled a little bit at a time through the coming school year!)
12. And probably a million other things that I cannot think of right now.

Well, I literally worked from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. tonight, moving shelves, sorting through boxes, books, and games.  I am tired and I think that I will call it a night!

Night all!

Mrs. Hall

Summer To Do List

Here is my summer to do list:

1. Spend more QUALITY time with my daughter.  Romp, play, growl, laugh, blow bubbles, etc to her little heart is full and happy!
2. Spend more QUALITY time with Mr. Hubs.
3. Sort, Evaluate, Purge:  (This is very daunting!)
• Sort through my kindergarten and first grade stuff.  Keeping only what I will use in my second grade classroom.
• Sort through the second grade stuff that was left in the classroom I will be in this year.
4. Organize the materials that I will be keeping in by skill taught.
5. Preview the reading, math, and social studies curriculum for second grade.  
6. Get my new classroom ready for open house by the end of July.  Makes me very nervous after moving in all the boxes and emptying the closets.  The room, once nice and empty, is a big, fat, stinking mess!  However, my great hubby has volunteered to watch my little love on the days he is off so that I can work as much as I need to.  I just have to balance this with the first two items on my to do list.

Well, it is late and I am getting off here.  I've promised little love a day of wild rumpusing tomorrow!

The Start of Something Great

Howdy Y'all!

Okay, I know that school has only been out a few days, BUT, I worked in my new classroom today. It was very nice and empty, now it is a hot mess! Let me tell you, administration should let you know you are moving grade and/or rooms a month in advance, before you've packed up over half of your classroom! Now I have boxes from second grade that were left for me and boxes of stuff that has been sorted and LOTS of boxes that have not been sorted.

So here I am at the START of summer, working in my new classroom as time permits without my little love (i.e., when Mr. Hubs is home), so I can start sorting the unsorted stuff. I have everything out in the room, closet is empty and began sorting some today. I have to sort and send stuff to the new Kinder teacher as I find stuff I don't want for second grade. Whew...it will take awhile. I'll have to try to remember to take a camera next time I work in there and then figure out how to post the pictures so everyone can see the hot mess before I finish the room.

But, it's all good...I now have a reason to go through 12 years of accumulated stuff and really evaluate whether I will use it or not.

Oh, BTW, a huge shout out to the janitors at my school; they did most of the moving and were beyond helpful today. I am extremely lucky to work with such wonderful people!

Let Me Introduce Myself.

Howdy Y'all!  Welcome to my little blog.

First off, let me tell you a little about my life.  

I am married to my best friend who is truly my other half.  We have a wonderful, adventurous, stubborn, charming, hilarious, defiant, loving two year old girl who is the light of our life.  We have an old, mean, white cat who is reluctantly adjusting to our home having three humans instead of two!

I have my bachelor's and master's degrees in early education from Morehead State University.  Go Eagles!

For the past 12 years I've taught Kindergarten, first grade or a K-1 split at the same elementary school.  

Next year will be a new and exciting adventure for me.  I will be teaching second grade for the first time!  I felt that entering the blogging world was a great way to embrace and celebrate this new experience.  

I am truly looking forward to this year and the opportunities that it is bringing!