Dreams really do come true

My dream is within reach. I can almost touch it. A classroom of my own. Students who will call ME their teacher. “Ms. U” has a whole new ring to it. Yes, I considered my student teaching students to be my own, but, come September I will be the sole teacher for twenty some students. I will be responsible for setting up the classroom, planning lessons, writing name tags, learning the unfamiliar curriculum. I know it isn’t going to be easy or stress free. But I can’t wait! 

For as long as I can remember I’ve known that I wanted a job where I could be with children. As I got older, my dream began to take shape. Not only did I want to work with kids, but I wanted to help them learn, I wanted to instill in them my love for learning. I wanted to help set the foundation for them as they began their 13+ years of school. And now, here I am: a teacher.

After a countless number of job postings, applications, interviews, and weeks spent waiting… The phone call came that changed everything. My mindset has shifted from “where will I be teaching? What grade will I have? Will the school be nice?” to “I have a classroom! I get to teach kindergarten!” and now “How do I get ready? Where do I begin!” My mind is racing, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.    

Let the adventures continue as I take on kindergarten in a whole new way! 

Catch Up Time!

So it has been two weeks since I officially completed student teaching. But oh so much has happened since that I still want to share and record, here it goes!

Teaching:
After finishing student teaching I had one week left before I graduated college and I just couldn’t  be in town and not see my kids. I observed a preschool classroom on Monday afternoon (just for fun). Tuesday I returned to my classroom for the afternoon and oh how the kids got excited! They attacked me with hugs, smiles, and “I miss you Miss U!” Can’t say I didn’t love it :) Thursday I was actually able to sub in my classroom all day! It was a rush to get all of the paperwork turned into the school and a letter had to be written from my college but man it was worth it!! The students kept asking me as they came in the classroom that morning if I was really going to be their teacher. 

Field Trip and Moving:
Friday I went on an all day field trip with the kindergarteners to the children’s museum. Our class was fortunate to have an abundance of chaperones so I only had two kids with me for the day.
Right after the field trip, I met the moving crew (my parents and amazing second mom!) back at my apartment. We started moving my things out of college for the last time. Thanks mom, dad, and second mom!!

 Two of the kid's favorite exhibits, the cloud climber and a giant light bright 

The Big Day!:
Saturday was the big day, graduation day. My final day at SMSU. My final day of college. The day my new journey in life would begin, finding a job. Graduation day was a wonderful day but it sure had its fair share of hick-ups before I walked across that stage! 
Friday night I realized where my cap was… at home… 2.5 hours away. Yup that was a fun problem to solve! Thankfully I still had my wonderful roommates who sent some texts and were able to find a replacement one for me (thanks again Haley!!) 
Then, the morning of graduation, we had to be at the school at 8:40 but the ceremony didn’t start until 10 (crazy right!?) I woke up that morning at our apartment for the last time. I got ready and finished packing my few things that were left to move out. The apartment was bare, we’re talking three girls with only as much stuff as they could fit in a suitcase left in this apartment. I realized I had no breakfast to eat. This was a problem, but, thankfully my parents brought me something before the girls and I rushed off for graduation. 
During that rush to the school, I somehow managed to drop my tassel… on the ground… not realizing it until I was already in the school. (Yup that’s problem number three for the day incase you’re keeping track!) God was watching over me though. My parents just happened to walk in the school shortly after I did and picked up the tassel for me. 

After the ceremony, we had a little party at the Pizza Ranch with friends and family. I got so many wonderful children’s books to add to my future classroom library! So grateful to my friends and family! 

I also got an unbelievable surprise when I opened the present from my student teaching mentor and students. 

A quilt!! Each student colored/decorated one of the squares. I was speechless and brought to tears by the thought and love that went into this amazing treasure I will get to have for many years to come. Thank you Erica and students!! 

Now I am working on finding a classroom to call my own. I have been filling out and sending as many applications as I can. Fingers crossed the right school and I find one another soon! 

An Overflowing Heart

My heart is overflowing with and an endless amount of knowledge, gratitude, and love. My 16 weeks has come to an end. 16 weeks of getting to know each student as an individual. 16 weeks of falling in love with 22 kind, smart, and knowledge thirsty kindergartners.16 weeks of teaching and working with students. 16 weeks of learning from the most amazing mentor teacher I ever could have imaged (thank you Erica!). To say I feel blessed to have had the student teaching experience that I did would be an understatement. 

I have fallen in love with these kids. Especially the ones that push your buttons and make you question your sanity for wanting to spend all of your time and energy with five and six year olds. But I do. I do want to spend all of my time with them. Although today was hard as I said goodbye to MY students, I wouldn’t of had it any other way. They have become just that - my students. The feeling I got today as I watched the tears fall down one of my students cheeks as I said goodbye, that is why I want to teach. Knowing that I was able to touch his heart so deeply and make a positive impact, that’s a pretty great feeling.

Now, on to the celebrating! Each student wrote me a thank you letter. I loved each one but thought this post would get to long if I posted all 19 of them. So, here are a few.

("Thank you for reading us books! I will miss you! I hope you have fun!")

("I am so happy you helped us because you helped us be smart kindergarteners.")

("You have need a great teacher this year! I will miss you when you are gone!")

("You are the best teacher. Your are pretty. I miss you. I like your hair.")

("You help us learn. I like you! Thank you for helping us! I am happy for you. I miss you!")

Erica and the students gave me the book “The Last Day of Kindergarten” by Nancy Loewen. Fitting right?! Here is the best part, two notes written on the inside. One from her and one from the students.   

Complete with each student's signature!

 

Nancy Loewen actually visited the school this year and Erica was able to have her sign my book!

I had the hardest time trying to figure out what present to give Erica. How could I possibly show the depth of my gratitude?   

Through words of course!

With the help of my beyond amazing mom, I gave each student a tie blanket and book. They LOVED their blankets and couldn’t wait to read their books! 

I put this little note inside each student’s book:

We made cupcakes as a class for the students to frost, decorate, and enjoy during snack. Each student was able to help with making the cupcakes!  

Needless to say, the day was filled with smiles, “I will miss you”s, a few tears, and lots of  hugs.

A week I could never be ready for

I blinked and 15 weeks of student teaching flashed before my eyes. This is the last week with my kids. Let me say that again, my LAST week with the students I have come to know so well and developed a true teacher-student relationship with. At a school I have called my own and spent so much time at. Yup, Friday will be a hard day. I have already accepted that. Tears will fall, goodbyes will be said, and hugs will be given. 

But, I still have three days so we aren’t going to talk about that final day just yet! Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday this week I am observing different classrooms. I will get to see each grade level and different subjects at each. Tuesday, I observed four classrooms - two kindergarten and two first grade. It was fun seeing different teaching styles, room set ups, and (of course) the students.

Going from teaching full days to not even being in the classroom has not only been hard on me but strange for the students! I hardly see them during the day so when I am in the classroom, they swarm me with questions, hugs, a few “I missed you Ms. U!” heart melters, or stories they didn’t get to tell me that morning. I think they miss me as much as I miss teaching them!   

I catch myself thinking something or doing something and can’t believe how much I have learned and the experience I have gained. 16 weeks isn’t long enough to learn all things kindergarten but boy have I learned a lot! I have grown, changed, and become a better “teacher”. 

One thing that has defiantly grown is my longing for a classroom of my own. Thinking about my future students in my someday classroom. Students that will come to me at the beginning of the school year at academic levels that are miles apart. Some will never have been to school before. Some may not know how to hold a pencil while others can write words. But each one eager to learn. Yes, these students will challenge me and all that I have learned about “teaching”. But oh how I can’t wait! 

The Innocence of a Kindergartener

Today we had a severe weather drill (as did all of Minnesota I believe). We talked with the students about severe weather and how to stay safe if there would ever be a tornado. I showed the class a short YouTube video of a tornado so they could visualize the severity of the wind and weather it entails. We discussed that it may look cool as a tornado spins in the sky but they are VERY dangerous and we should never go outside to watch a storm.

In the afternoon there was an actual school wide drill. The students quickly went into the hall and got down into a crouch. An all clear was given and we returned to the classroom (the students were champs through the drill!)  After, the students were returning to their work when one of our little boys grabbed my hand and we quickly walked to the window. He pointed and said “look at outside Ms. U!” I asked him what he was showing me. He told me it was sunny and there was no rain. He apparently missed the class being told this was just a practice for sever weather and thought there should actually be a storm outside. 

Needless to say it was the highlight of my day! Oh how I love these innocent kindergartners :) 

Preschool Visitors (April 17th)

Last Thursday was quite a day! It was like a Friday since the following four days (Friday through Monday) was our “Spring Break”.  

I blinked and last week ended! (Or so it seems) It was another week of great experiences (which always seems to be the case) Thanks to the four day “Spring Break”, we had a short week. 

Thursday was a learning experience from start to finish for me that I won’t soon forget! My mentor teacher was sick and the school had a difficult time finding a sub to come in for her. On top of that, it was “preschooler’s and their parents visit kindergarten day”. So, there was a lot going on! As of 8:00 they still had not found a sub so a title teacher came to our room to fill in until one could be found. I taught the entire day which included leading the preschool visit day (I had not planned to lead this so I was a bit frazzled). The preschoolers’ visit included welcoming 10 preschoolers to our classroom, as well as their parents, doing a name cheer between the kindergarteners and preschoolers, and leading an art project! (An art project for ten preschoolers plus 19 kindergartners while 20 parents are watching!) But, the kids were awesome and the visit went exceptionally well. I learned how to think on my feet and go with the flow. 

For the art, I paired two kindergartners with each preschooler. Together, the kindergartners helped their new preschool friend create a duck art project. 

A short but busy week

Kindergarten Round Up!

A new experience for me this week was kindergarten round up. I had not been a part of this before so I was glad the timing worked out and I was able to go. It did make for a long day (especially since the day started with a meeting at 7am!) but it was a wonderful experience. 

There were two sessions, 4 and 6pm. We had between 16 and 13 kids for each round which was a nice size group. Parents dropped their students off in one of the four kindergarten classrooms and then went to the gym to learn about the school’s kindergarten program and all things school. The 45ish minutes we had the kids was spent playing with toys in the classroom, listening to a story, and making an art project. While we waited for all of the kids to come in, we played with and tried to get to know them as much as possible. The two kindergarten teachers in the room were looking for signs of students being ready for kindergarten or behavior issues that may need to be noted when planning classes for next year. Then, I read “Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come” (by Nancy Carlson) to the class before starting the art project. Since our school is the Tigers, the kids made a tiger puppet.

Each student was able to take home a school readiness packet of school supplies! These bags were filled with such wonderful materials. A book, letter puzzle cards, a scissors, crayons, a mini notebook, number puzzle cards, and a packet for parents on what they can be doing at home to prepare their child for kindergarten. 

Easter Egg Activity

For reading today, the students did a magic egg activity. They first drew a picture of what they would want to find in a “magic egg”. I was excited to see how many different things the students chose! Then the students had to describe what was in their egg. They wrote what it looked, sounded, and felt like. If we had more time, I would of read these three items to the class as clues and had them try to guess what their classmates drew. 

This is a four day week and I can’t believe it is already Wednesday! Thursday will be another busy day as some of the preschool students are coming to our classroom to visit and see the school/classroom where they may go to kindergarten next year.

That “teacher” feeling

I survived! This was my second full week of full takeover and I have to say, it’s bitter sweet to see it ending (I still have 3 weeks left but will start doing less and less). There were ups and downs in the week but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I felt something these last two weeks that I can’t put into words. I got the “teacher” feeling. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t taken me this long to put myself and view myself in a teacher role but it just seemed so real these last few days. I look at my students (yes, they are MY students too) and I feel a connection to each one of them. I truly feel like I know them - what makes them tick, how they learn best, what they need, how I can help them. I think all of this has been building up inside of me and finally spilled out today. I have been in numerous classrooms for lab hours, pre student teaching, and to volunteer but actually getting to have a classroom that feels like mine is incredible! (Thank you Erica, I am beyond grateful!!)    

This week in reading we did an author study (loved it by the way!) On Friday we read our fifth and final book from the study. The lesson went in a completely different direction than I had planned but it was one of my favorite reading lessons yet. The class discussion we had was so unbelievably rich. The students got it! And I could not have been more proud of those almost first graders. Those students I have been blessed to call my own since January. That moment an individual student, you worry is tuning you out completely, participates in the conversation and prove they have been listening the entire time. Yup, it was pretty awesome.    

Sorry for all the mushy feelings talk but I couldn’t help but share. I am blessed to have gotten this amazing experience, students, school, and teacher to complete my student teaching.    

Assessment Day (April 10th)

On Thursday, it was our assessment day. Each kindergarten teacher gets an assessment day - one day to focus solely on assessing their students while a sub takes over their teaching duties. At first, I did not know what to expect from this day. I didn’t know what we would be assessing the students on or how difficult it would be for me to catch on to. But, our day went well and the assessments flowed smoothly. I loved getting to work one on one with the students! Seeing the students faces light up as they showed me how much they knew was a huge bonus. It was however, quite difficult to sit at a table, outside of the classroom, all day when normally it is just the opposite! On a normal day I sit to each lunch or do something on the computer quick but that’s it, the rest of the time I am teaching or running around the classroom working with/helping/behavior correcting students.  

(This is the basket of supplies we used for assessing. Got to know those materials pretty well!)

Concert Day! (April 3rd)

Thursday was a big day, the kindergarteners had their Spring music concert! The concert was amazing - the songs were adorable, the students sounded perfect, everyone did an outstanding job of remembering the words and choreography for each song, and the kids loved having their families visit them at school.  

A Spring picnic was the concert’s theme. All eight of the kindergarten classes worked together to create a mural for the wall that the students would stand by for their concert. Each classroom created/designed a different part of the mural - one class made the picnic basket and ants, another made the blanket, our students painted fruit and so on. Then, after school on Tuesday, all of the kindergarten teachers and paras came together to put the mural up on the wall. It was an amazing site to see so many people working together to put this beautiful, springy “picture” together for the kids. I love that each kindergarten student played a role in decorating the wall.  

Art! (March 28th and April 4th)

Fridays are art days in kindergarten. During morning meeting, at least one student asks not if we are having art but what we will be making. I love it! Art is such a wonderful way for students to express themselves in ways they may not be able to within other parts of the school day. 

Last week we decided it was time for the snowflakes to go. They were adorable and a wonderful combination of math, symmetry, and art for the students but it’s spring! (Even if the weather thinks differently :) I thought kites would be much more season appropriate. Each student was given a piece of white construction paper that they could decorate anyway their little heart desired. Students could use water paint, oil pastels, or ripped paper to design their kite. Then, each student chose what size and shape they wanted their kite to be. I required the class to first draw what shape they wanted their kite to be on the back of their paper with a pencil so I could approve it before they started cutting. My hope, was to have the students cut as little of their hard decorating work as possible. The kites were finished with yarn and bows before being hung up in the hall.

Art this week, was a mosaic flower. Students were given a flower shape cut out of white paper and one inch squares in a variety of bright spring colors. I allowed the class to decorate their flower however their little heart desired.

I could not have been more pleased with how they turned out!

Week of March 17th

Conferences

My first day of student teaching (oh so long ago) it was conferences night. I had only spent one day with the students and my head was spinning with information and a school day worth of experience. I enjoyed sitting in on conferences and meeting some of the parents of these students I have gotten to know so well. 

On March 20th, we had conferences again. Talk about night and day! This night of conferences was such a wonderful experience. I was able to participate in each conference, share my experience and observations of each student as well as meeting more parents. I loved seeing and being able to share with parents the progress each student has made from the beginning of the school year to now. 

St. Patrick’s Day

I gave each student this little note and a stick of gum for St. Patrick’s Day. 

On St. Patrick’s Day, we read stories about leprechauns, learned how the day was originally started, and watched a video on the annual event of coloring the Chicago River green.

Reading

In honor of the first day of Spring, I combined rhyming, word families, and flowers into one reading lesson. Each student was given a flower that had a word ending in the middle. The word endings included -it, -an, -ap, and -at which was in the center of the flower. On each petal around the flower, students wrote a word using the ending they had been given. After all of the petals were filled in, students discovered that all of the words they wrote rhymed!    

March 10th - 14th

Hardly seems possible how many weeks have already gone by! Each day I learn more, do more, experience more, and grow closer to my students. Week by week I am teaching another subject as I work towards fulling “taking over” the classroom for two to three weeks. 

Monday (March 10) was an inservice day so it seemed like a shorter week than normal. On Tuesday, the students had an awesome day! I was prepared for behaviors that would reflect a three day weekend but was pleasantly surprised.     

Reading this week was focused on a Phonemic Awareness Curriculum. Lessons centered around the book “The Relatives Came” by Cynthia Rylant. On Tuesday, the class learned three vocabulary words that were taken from the story. During Daily 5, students were encouraged to incorporate these words into their writing. 

To teach the vocabulary words, each student created a three page mini book. Each page focused on a different vocabulary word. The vocabulary word was written at the top of the page then students used the word in a sentence and finished by drawing a picture to help them remember the word.