Second Year Teaching Second Grade!

I told myself that I would keep my mind teacher free until I was back from Beaver Lake. The week I got back, I went back into my classroom and started getting it ready. It was SO much easier this year than last year. I was able to really organize and go through things. It feels more open than how I had it organized last year. More room for the kiddos to move around. A little tour...

My desk area

Color chart, Punch cards, Writing materials

AR/Math Wizard posters

My word wall at the front of the room

All those reading tubs drive me nuts but I moved them down so it'd be easier to get to them. We're still using the materials but creating things to be more Common Core aligned. Hoping this year is easier than last year planning everything!

Math manipulatives, flashcards, and games

Where most of the learning takes place :)

My helper getting things ready! The only problem was he picked up being protective and barking over the summer from Rambo. He was on high guard being in a dark school! Rambo taught Bear how to bark and Bear taught Rambo how to swim better. 

LOVE my new carpet in the classroom library area. 

Classroom Library

We have been busy this week learning the rules and procedures! I was more relaxed on getting through things this week and tried not to stress. We pushed a lot of things to the next day if things took longer than I thought. I have 23 kiddos starting the year off! They have all been really sweet. We used a lot of Kagan Classroom Building Structures getting to know each other this week and played a lot of games. We're already getting started into the curriculum this week which is crazy to think about.

Our Bulletin Board. We're going to use these to put on the door as the students receive Terrific Kid throughout the year. We used sharpies to go over our words and the kids really took some time to color them. They looked great! 

I planned a few Chrysanthemum lessons one afternoon. We completed a story map as a class, discussed things that made us wilt or bloom, made new words out of our names, and created these flowers.
The number of petals are the number of letters in the name and number of leaves is the number of syllables in their name.
I did this at the end of the school year last but decided it was perfect for the beginning of the year to get to know each other and talk about how everyone is unique and special. :)

Survived the first week, onto the second. :)

Summer 2014 Update

I wish I would have kept up with the blog through the first year of teaching. Needless to say, teaching took over my life and it didn't happen. I just finished my first week of my second year and I'm going to try to update it more often!
I had a really relaxing summer. Already missing it! Lots of time at the pool, lake, and spending time with the pups. Bear has gotten so big over the summer. He just turned nine months. :)

These three pups were my three amigos over the summer. 

We went back to Beaver Lake towards the end of summer. Love our annual lake trips. The place my Mom and Austin found was amazing! My brother came down with my nephews for part of the time which was a lot of fun. Momma Linda of course made a feast for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We're already planning our lake trip for next year. Nothing better than relaxing and floating in the water! 

The most important boys in my life! :) 

The older I get the more appreciative I am of everything this woman does for me. 

Love this guy. 

Miles is going to be a heart breaker!

Carter's frog he caught. He talked about getting a pet all vacation. 

Austin and my Mom named the boat after my Grandpa.

We've been going to Tuttle since we've been back and the water is 100% different! It was so nice to be able to see your feet and it being clear. Then coming back here, it's so dirty! We've still had a great time though. Sad that the weekends are limited but that just means football season is around the corner!

Hanging out at Council Grove at Caitlin's lake house. 

The Bittners at Tuttle. 

It was a great summer but I'm fully back into teacher mode. Missing the stress free days already. :)

September and Football Season!

School has been going pretty well. We're getting into the swing of things! I try not to let the stress get to me and take it one day at a time but by Friday I'm wiped! I've been living for my weekends which have been busy spending time with my family. We've had lots of birthday, wedding, and K-State football celebrations. A few weekends ago we went to Kansas City to celebrate my nephew, Carter's fourth birthday!

 

My little superhero.

My baby nephew, Miles.

My cousin, Heath, married his beautiful wife, Darice, the same day!

The most important boys in my life. My pops and brothers.

My new Wednesday lunch dates. It has been a blessing in disguise getting a job in Junction City because I get to see my Grandma so much more.

The Graham grandkids all grown up.

My biggest supporters when it comes to surviving teaching! They get to hear it all. Love them to pieces.

Happy 22nd to my brother Austin!

LOVE K-State Football season!

First Few Days of School!

The kiddos first half day was last Wednesday! It was an exciting and exhausting half of a week. I absolutely love the school that I'm a part of and really enjoyed meeting the kids. It's so fun to finally share all of my hardwork with them.
We did a lot of get to know you activities and practiced procedures. It was awesome to have the Smartboard in my room. I created a slideshow to go through with the students as learned about one another. I'm really looking forward to learning more about the Smartboard :). I look at it that if the technology interests me then it's going to engage the students also.
I bought a ton of writing prompts from TeacherPayTeacher that are common core aligned. The students answered the prompt of what they wanted to be when they grew up. They did awesome! It was so fun to read and to watch the students try their best on their handwriting. We always filled out and colored "Guess Who" sheets which we'll continue to share and go through this week before we put them in the hallway. They are very colorful and fun for the kids to answer.
I'm trying to reflect and think of things that worked and didn't work to reference to in the years to come but am drawing a blank. We are going to begin our curriculum tomorrow and at first I thought it was too soon but now I'm looking forward to getting into a routine with the kids along with practicing and modeling the expectations and procedures of the classroom and school. Hand in hand.
Most of all, I love the collaborating and family support I have found at my school. I'm able to collaborate with the other second grade teacher daily and she has really taken me under her wing and shared her ideas with me. My mentor is awesome and is going to really help me with my reading this week since she was the second grade teacher in my room last year. I'm just feeling very happy with how things have worked out in life! Phill Robertson says it best...

"Following Jesus has been a blast. The Lord has blessed me mightily. It is what makes me happy, happy, happy." - Phil Robertson

Beaver Lake and My Classroom!

Last Tuesday I started my New Teacher Inductions. We had a week of training and today was my first day in the building in service and working in our rooms. To say the least, I'm overwhelmed!! So much information and so many things to do that most people never know we do! Although I came home really stressed out and got ahold of my top five people to complain to; I am so happy to be in the school and district that I'm in. I have already learned so much and I have found an amazing support team in my school. :) I couldn't be happier!
I was lucky that my principal let me in before my family vacation this summer to Beaver Lake, Arkansas!

It was a week filled with nothing but anchoring in a cove and relaxing with the family! A few of my favorite pictures and highlights of the trip...

My Mom planned the whole vacation and I can't say it enough; this woman is my rock. I have no idea what I'd do without her. I can only hope to be the woman she is today :)

My family. So grateful that my parents can still go on vacation together.

We shared another awesome vacation together.

KC Grahams are always tons of fun plus give me the two cutest nephews.

We had a ghost tour of the a haunted hotel, The Crescent.

Last but not least; Rambo. My very favorite pup. 

Now for my classroom, some before and after pictures! I've added a lot more since then but haven't taken pictures yet. 

I never thought I would walk into a classroom with SO much stuff!

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CAFE board, schedule pocket chart, and behavior punch cards.

The one thing I worried about in college was having books in my classroom. I have SO many books now between Mrs. P, the classroom, and my own.

Classroom library; now I have a rug in that space.

The kids' book tubs.

Before

My desk area :)

Word Wall and what I'm thinking will be the word work station.

Don't let the old school closet door fool you; it holds A LOT of stuff!

 

After I organized and all of this stuff comes with the room.

How many sticky notes I had! I never thought. I'm grateful; do not get me wrong but it was overwhelming to organize!

My small group instruction.

I'm hoping I remember the outlet of blogging during this hectic year! It will give me a source to reflect whether it's private or public posts. In a week from today I meet my first group of kiddos! :)