finished :)

My first year of teaching is complete! I had NO IDEA what I was getting into this time last year when I signed my contract at my school.

It was a fantastic year looking back. August 5, the evening before our first day, we had open house. When the last student/parents left, I looked around my room overflowing with school supplies & broke down. I had no idea what to do with all of the school supplies before the kids came back the next morning. There was no where for the kids to sit.

Lucky...no, luck had nothing to do with it. Blessed by God was I.. because I had an incredible mentor teacher assigned to me. Kym Buskirk came in to check on me right away & called in reinforcements. In 15 minutes, Kym, my principal, 2 other Kindergarten teachers, & an assistant teacher were helping me put finishing touches on unpacking/putting away. My principal hugged me for five minutes & has continued to mother me since that day.

I've come a long way since that day. No amount of education prepared me for organizing school supplies, teaching students with 21 different levels of ability, teaching boys how to use a urinal, teaching a student with a DD ruling (developmental delay), tiering 6 students, keeping up with paperwork, using assessments/data to make instructional decisions, wiping away tears-giving away hugs-putting on band-aids-teaching character education within the same 35 seconds, & teaching 21 sweet five & six-year-olds how to read, write, & count to 100 (& beyond).

and Ole Miss School of Education was good. My student teaching experiences were realistic, but there's nothing like being on your own to teach you how to really do this job.


My first class of students will always have a special place in my heart. Always, & they will be missed.


I have begun a new journey. Instead of teaching another year of Kindergarten, I have taken on the job of transition to first grade teacher. This will be the class for students who need an additional year before moving on to 1st grade. I will be teaching Kindergarten & first grade skills to prepare them for 1st grade. I have quite a group. It is diverse... still 17 different levels, but I get to add a new challenge this year... dealing with learning disabilities, 17 tier notebooks, & a few students with severe behavior problems.

Instead of being the sweet new teacher like I was last year, I have a new persona to take on.... serious, strict, & organized. Also, I have my first Jehovah's Witness student this year. No more lunch time prayer & Bible stories. I also have to be careful around holidays; I can't teach skeletal system at Halloween, Christmas, & Easter lessons.

Even though these things may seem negative, I am THRILLED about next year. I already love my seventeen students, know about their strengths & weaknesses, & can't wait to learn even more about teaching. :) If I'm going to teach a class like this, it needs to be during the season of my life I'm currently in... when teaching can be my focus.

I'll talk more about next year's group after Monday -- their orientation is Monday morning, & I have a parent meeting at 10 am. :) I'm planning to give them a taste of what we'll be doing in my class & teach them how to help their children with homework. These are seasoned parents.... they know how to do "big school" now. I think it'll be a better use of time to work on good study habits & answer their questions about next year. :)

WHAT SUMMER VACATION?