My Very Own Classroom!

With school just around the corner, 6 days away to be exact, I have gone into full fledged panic/excitement mode. Julia and Ryan have already started school, which gave me the push to work hard with the free time I have! It has also been very nice living with another teacher, to bounce ideas off of each other, proofread worksheets, and use each others craft supplies. It is a blessing to live with her, to have someone to come home to and veg and talk about the day, and have someone who really understands what goes on. It is also wonderful to be able to talk about home and our family and friends, and how we both miss good Wisconsin cheese! I love her dearly, and am so glad God blessed us with teaching jobs near enough to live together.

So, here are the logistics of my teaching gig. I have been spending the past 2 weeks at my school, decorating my classroom and learning the new curriculum, and I am feeling pretty ready to go! The phonics is still intimidating me, but I'm hoping that once I teach it, it will come easier. Otherwise the rest of the subjects are very comfortable for me!

I have 8 students in my class, 7 girls and 1 boy! A small class, yes, but I am so excited for a small class, especially for my first year! And I have so many activities in mind that I can do with this size. I have already met a few of my students, and have heard from other teachers about how excited my students are to have a new teacher. One of them asked the kindergarten teacher if I had blonde hair and blue eyes. She told her I did, and the girl replied with, "Oohhh! She is just like I pictured her!" They are all so excited to have a blonde haired, blue eyed teacher. Apparently this isn't a big Dutch area...

Below I have put up some pictures of my classroom. It is not completely finished yet, but I wanted you all to see it! Some blank bulletin boards and other areas are being saved for student work. I am also still toying with some ideas that I have floating around in my head. We'll see what I can accomplish in 6 days! I've gone with a slight jungle theme, which evolved into a lot of monkeys. It has been so so fun to decorate my own classroom, to set things up the way I want, and to think about real students using this room and the things I have set up. I love teaching so much and I am beyond excited for my students to fill this room and to have it bustling with activity!

Thanks again for all the prayers. I feel as though I can never say it enough! Keep Julia and Ryan in your prayers as they have already started school, and I will be starting on Wednesday. Can't wait!!

My classroom! With the little desks...so cute!

Calendar and weather bulletin board.

My personal favorite spot in the room, the class library and theme bulletin board.

My student's hooks, cubbies, and mailboxes area.

My desk and work area. The green and yellow bulletin board is for their weekly jobs.  It is also my subtle hint of packer-ness in my room to ward off all the steeler-ness around me! :)

Back table for group work, and cupboards and counter, which will work as centers of sorts. Still working on the details :)