The First Year in Numbers

180 - days of school
23 - number of students at the beginning of year
3 - students who moved in during the year
0 - students who moved out
26 - total number of students
16 - boys
10 - girls
1 - brand new teacher
4 - throw up incidents
3 - broken arms (all right arms)
Innumerous - shoes tied, coats zipped, hugs, cards received, giggles, smiles . . .

After three VERY long days of packing/moving/unpacking I am DONE!!! At least for a few weeks. One of the questions I get asked all the time is what I am going to do with three whole months without work. Contrary to that belief, there is still lots of work to be done in the classroom to be ready for the next year. Here are my summer plans:

June: Visit Suzette in Northern Idaho and relax. YAY! Close on house. Paint/carpet/move in. I think this will take most of the month.

July: Enjoy new home. Work LOTS in classroom. Organize books. Plan units so that next year won't be so stressful. Lots of hiking & maybe even a camping trip with the family.

August: Set up classroom for the next year. Since I have a new classroom I need to figure out where to put everything, and how to make it work for me. Visit to Island Park Idaho. Start a new school year!

It is going to be a very full and very exciting summer. I am ready for a change of pace! Now if the weather would just cooperate . . . :-)

Last-Day-Of-School Jitters

I can't believe the year has passed. After tomorrow, I will no longer be a first year teacher. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. It has been a big year, and an exhausting month. Along with all the joys of the end of the school year I am moving classrooms, so I have spent much time trying to pack boxes and organize, while filling out all the necessary paperwork that must be done for each child.

I think I am almost there. Report cards have been sent home. Grade promotions have been filled out. Pictures taken (don't save picture taking until the last week, I discovered that I look tired in all of them!). Gifts wrapped. Thank-you cards written. Half of my room is in boxes. The other half waits. My room has become a sparse, empty, desk-less place that smells of antibacterial cleaner and old books. I have to admit, I am not a fan. I miss all the cheerful surroundings. The motivational posters surrounding the classroom. The colorful work of students here and there. Now, the room is decorated with cardboard boxes. Not exactly my style.

My eyes are bloodshot and swollen. I am so tired, which is good in some ways, because it keeps me from thinking about the fact that tomorrow my students will file out of my classroom, and onto bigger things (like second grade!) If I think about it too hard, it will make me want to cry. Because truth be told, I like these kids. Even the stinkers. I get attached to people easily. I also worry that I may not have taught them all they needed to learn.

But it is too late to worry about that now - because tomorrow is the last day of school. And though this post does not convey it, I really am excited for the break (oh sleep - how I have missed you)! I think I will me more excited once I get through tomorrow, and the moving process. Keep calm and carry on!

(please excuse any grammatical/spelling mistakes in this post, as well as anything that might not make sense. I keep catching silly things, but there are probably more!)

For anyone who needs a pick-me-up today . . .

I read this on a blog one day and found it inspiring. I thought you might, too.

"As we stopped off the side of the road to take some scenic pictures the next day, another car had parked 50 feet or so away from us. Two men got out of the car and began unloading their road biking gear. As we looked around at the scenery, I turned around in time to see the two men on their bikes begin climbing the fairly steep road up the canyon. I smiled and called out, "you're braver souls than I!"

One biker man smiled and called back out,
still pedaling, "You could do it too!"

I snorted and countered, "Yeah right! In my dreams."

Then the biker, almost out of earshot, called out without looking back,
"So dream!""

now granted not all of us WANT to ride a bike up a hill
but how many things that we might want to try
that there's an inkling of desire to experience
do you we say, "only in my dreams" to?

I vote we all take this advice and Dream.

What dream will you strive to achieve this summer?

Hey, Thanks!

I was grocery shopping the other day when I saw a tray of samples. I love samples. I think they make shopping so much fun! The lady in charge of the table was telling another customer about the product as I reached for a piece of chicken on a toothpick. She held up her hand and said,

"Wait, are you over 16? Anyone under 16 must have a parent with them"

She was totally serious. I started laughing. I laughed and laughed. Then I thanked her for making my day before assuring her that I was over 16, and enjoying my skewered chicken.

Spring

You know, I thought that since I made it through the first few months of teaching, the rest of the year would be a breeze. It did get a lot easier for a while, but this end of the year stuff is rough! I feel like I am living at school once again. The good news - two more weeks and we will be DONE!

Other good news - spring has finally arrived! And with it come many bouquets of dandelions each day after recess. Usually, by the end of the day, my desk is covered in them. I wait until all the kids have left before I throw them out. One day I threw them away during lunch, and one little boy said (with dismay) "Miss Katie, someone threw flowers in the garbage!" I learned my lesson!

This last week we have been able to have our windows open for the first time this year! It feels so nice to have cool, fresh air. It also let to this conversation:

(I heard a strange squeaky sound. You have to know that funky sounds have been a major issue with this class. Since week one we have been working on making first grade noises, so that they would stop making weird sounds with their hands and mouths)

Me: Who is making that sound?
Students: What sound?
Me: That squeaky noise.
Student: Um, Miss Katie, I think that's a bird

We all had a good laugh over that one! I'm not use to being able to hear outside noises!

Hope you are all enjoying spring!

Dear First Grade,

I love you.

That is all.

Katie :-)

appreciation

This weeks was one of those weeks where you just hold on and hope for the best. It has been crazy, and busy, and many times frustrating. However, it was also Teacher Appreciation Week. I think I may have the best Room Mothers in the whole world. They worked so hard and really made it a special week. They went way above and beyond. They spoiled me like crazy. Every day I thought "Really, there can't be more!" and yet there was.

I was given all sorts of plants. They must have known that I have been thinking about growing something so that I could feel like I was nurturing something! There were tulips, another kind of flower that I don't know the name of, a potted houseplant, and a tree. Yes a tree. A Hibiscus tree to be more exact. I am hoping I can learn enough about plants to keep all these beauties alive!

One day a set of hangers showed up in my box in the Faculty Room. It had this cute note on it:

One day I had this sign hanging over my door:

with a whole bunch of Easter Eggs filled with notes from my students, and LOTS of candy!

There was also a bag of Bliss Chocolates. Divine.

This was one of my favorites. A little boy gave it to me yesterday, and I LOVE it! How creative!

They also made me an adorable book, however this post is already long enough as it is, and the book deserves a post of it's own! Stay tuned!

It definitely left me feeling very appreciated, and sad that in three short weeks I will send these cute little kids on to second grade. It also gave me some things to fill my new house with! I may not have much, bit I will have plants, and hangers! YAY!