Yes, I did actually start teaching full-time this year!

So, of course I got all excited about my new full-time teaching job and set up a blog to share with you all the details.  THEN........I didn't blog.  For a long time.  Because, life happens.  I am realizing it is a very busy transition to go from staying home full-time to working full-time.  And in addition to doing that, I am currently rehearsing for a play that I will be performing in October along with four other lovely ladies and also taking a graduate class.

I am not sure where to start with sharing everything I want to share.  It may end up being a really random string of posts that seem disjointed.  But, since I'm the blogger, I can be random if I want.  haha

I guess I'll start this back-to-school post by sharing some photos of my classroom.  It took many, many hours and a lot of rearranging to get it where I wanted it.  However, I am pleased with the result.  As I may have mentioned before in an earlier post, we follow the Creative Curriculum.  So, I am required to have certain interest areas available in my classroom.

The photo below shows my dramatic play area.  I have a play kitchen that I made this summer out of an entertainment center.  The second photo shows it better.  It turned out really cute.  The littles play with it every single day.  

The tall doors on the left open to shelves with play food, dishes, etc.

These two shelves and the bead table are part of the Toys & Games area.  The table at the very edge of the photo is actually slid back to right between those shelves in the open area.  I just moved it for the photo.

I wanted a lot of space for children to build so my Block area is right next to where we meet for group.  You can't see it in the photo, but there is another shelf full of wooden unit blocks.

Sand and water play is a required part of our classroom.  Right now I just have garden sand in the table.  It is kind of a pain to change it out, so we will probably have it out for most of the year.  The littles love it.

This is my Library area.  I will write another post about the couches and chair.  I slip-covered them because the ones I inherited were all torn up and did not fit into my color aesthetic for the classroom. ;-)

Some thoughts

I know blog posts are more interesting with photos, and I will have many to share here, but right now the only classroom photos I have are ones where literally everything in the room is pushed off to the side for the carpet to be cleaned.  So........not very interesting.  But.........the carpet is getting cleaned today and tomorrow.  So when I go back on Monday, I will get to start arranging everything and I am VERY excited about that!!

A few initial thoughts about my new teaching gig..........

First, it will be a lot different than teaching in a private Montessori school.  In my last teaching job, I had full autonomy over everything and was blessed with a HUGE classroom which had 2 bathrooms right in the room, a kitchenette with storage, a foyer for coats/backpacks, an office for me and another storage room just for me.  Yes, I was very spoiled, and I knew it and appreciate it at the time.  I'll also note that I was teaching in a room that had been designed specifically to be a preschool classroom.  So, that explains all the bells and whistles.  Contrast that with my new placement which is in a public school classroom.  The school is about 50 years old, so kind of short on square footage as well as storage space.  BUT........I am going to make it work and it will be fabulous.  I have so many ideas spinning in my mind.

Second, probably because of my Montessori background as well as inspiration I've gleaned online from looking at Reggio Emilia classrooms, I have a very specific aesthetic for how I believe environments for children should be prepared.  And it is quite a bit different than the way many classrooms for young children are arranged.  In the college class I'm taking, I am actually doing my final project about classroom design, materials selection, etc.  I will try to share that project here on the blog in some way.  I know there are others out there who believe, like I do, that young children deserve and can appreciate a room that is beautifully prepared and (hopefully) devoid of the bold primary colors and icky plastic toys that are so common in early childhood settings.  I admit, I am kind of a snob about this (i.e. very picky about what I want in my classroom), but I will find research to support my beliefs because I know they are supported by best practice research.

Third, it will be different teaching in a setting that is a.) not Montessori and b.) part of a public school district.  Mostly, I am going to look at this as a positive thing.  Yes, I love my Montessori.  However, I am honestly looking forward to being able to have a housekeeping/dramatic play area as well as a block area.  I am looking forward to being less rigid about how materials are used than I felt I could be in a Montessori classroom.  Also, I think being part of a larger entity will be nice in terms of connecting with other teachers.  I think I am one of 12 ECSE (early childhood special education) teachers in my district.  So I am already excited about team meetings.  (I know that is kind of geeky, but I really am!!)  The one possible disadvantage of being part of a public school is that I don't have as much freedom in setting up the classroom as I did before.  But I'm really looking forward to the support I will be able to get from my colleagues, both other classroom teachers and district administrators.

So, overall, I am REALLY REALLY excited to start getting my classroom ready.  I have so many ideas that I will share here over the summer.  And when I meet my little ones in August, I will have a TON to share.  I hope you will stay tuned with me!!

Starting Over

After three years of staying home full-time to homeschool my sons, I am starting a new adventure this fall.  I have accepted a position teaching early childhood special education in a public school district.  I accepted the job in February and have been anxiously awaiting the day when I could finally get into my classroom and start setting up.

Yesterday, the day I'd been waiting for finally arrived.  I had been SO excited in the days leading up to Monday.  However, as I drove to my new school (about a 25 minute drive), instead of excitement, I found myself suddenly tearing up.  I had a long wait in road construction, so I called my husband at home to try to ferret out why I would be SAD on a day I had looked forward to for so long.  The only thing I could figure out is that on my first drive to my new job, it finally sank in that I'm ending a chapter and starting a new beginning.  While I'm looking forward to the journey ahead, I realize that I am also sad to leave behind my homeschool days with my sons.  I know that we are making the best decision as a family, but starting something new is still hard.

Anyway, I am writing this blog to document my new adventure in teaching.  I will have a lot more to say here soon, but for now, I have to go write a paper for a college class I'm taking this summer.  More about that later too!