Recycling

I've been slacking!
Thanks to hurricane Sandy (who, by the way, has been way more intense than expected), I have some time to blog.
Looks like it'll be a short 3 day week.
I was supposed to be attending a workshop this week but Monday got cancelled because of the storm and the second part of the workshop (today) was shortened..but all in all I definitely learned some things that I'll be bringing back to the classroom and into some units.

So how has year 2 of teaching been, you ask?
For one, having a REAL summer was rejuvenating. I'm still feeling well rested thanks to all that time off..and that's made a huge difference.

I'm also feeling like less of a hoarder this year. If you currently saw my desk, you might think otherwise..but the rest of the room is much happier than last year's room was (in my opinion at least). This past August, the massive amounts of stuff in my room went through a serious cleanse. The library is SO different from last year's (thank goodness). The play area is far less cluttered. The room just feels and looks much easier on the eyes. Yes, it's teenie, but a small space is a fantabulous reason to get rid of that junk you just don't need.

Year 2 has been different mainly in terms of my planning.
I have recycled almost ALL of my classroom systems/procedures and some lessons from last year.
Every weekend, I blog..er, well, blog-search. I've found some amazing kindergarten blogs created by some truly inspiring teachers.
Not gonna lie to you, it's a little bit overwhelming to see their amazing classrooms via their blogging and pictures. They just really know what they're doing (and that's with 20+ students) and it makes me feel very behind. How will I ever get there?
But anywho, on a more positive note, as I go through these blogs, I find lesson ideas. Some do tie into what the students are learning and others tie into basically nothing related to what I'm teaching, but they seem amazing so I save/use them anyways. It's been a relief having these lessons that I know work because there's PROOF of it in the blogs. I'm also teaching with more confidence thanks to this recycling process.
It probably sounds bizarre, but it'd be so reassuring to hear horror stories from experienced teachers about their first years in the classroom. I wonder if there's a blog for that? It'd just be so nice to know for sure that amazing teachers also struggled through their first years on their own. This sounds like deja vu. Have I said this before? Probably.

On a positive note.

Sometimes I can be quite a kvetch so thought this post could be on the optimistic side.
So here goes. I'll share with you 3 things about starting this year that I am looking forward to (and let's hope this helps with the end-of-summer anxiety us teachers tend to feel).

1. The new school building has air conditioning!!!
We moved to a new building temporarily and the AC is already glorious. The kindergarten room is an igloo. Probably too cold even, but for now I don't care! Not sweating while unpacking has been splendid.

2. I'm no longer living in the basement.
I moved upstairs, bought a REAL person queen sized bed, and am in love with my new room. I do miss living in the basement (was down there since sophomore year of high school) but living upstairs has been refreshing. Plus, I got rid of so much dust collecting junk before moving up. How does this help me look forward to starting the new year you ask? Well, for one, there are less bugs in the upstairs bathroom (score!)
And waking up upstairs will be slightly less painful than it was last year (let's pray that this is true). As the months got chillier, waking up in the coldest part of the house became quite the challenge.
Oh, and speaking of starting the day off early, for some reason there is this misconception that teachers start their days around 8 or 9 and get out at 3. I'd like to just make clear now that THAT IS A LIE. My day starts at 5:45 am and ends at 6 pm. I leave my house by 6:45 am (next year I will need to leave earlier since my commute to the new building is longer) get to school at 7:25 (depending on traffic) and prep until the kids arrive around 8. And yes, the students go home at 3:15, but us teachers do not. Preparing and planning for the next day takes a while too ya know.
Okay, but I promised to kvetch less so let's end my tangent there.

3. Kindergartners are adorable and their comments are hilarious. I can't wait to teach, learn, and laugh with this incoming class. 'Nuff said.

That's all for now folks. Sweet dreams.

Here it goes again.

Hiya.
I went to school today to continue the unpacking process. I swear to you I was in there for hours but if you could see the room now you'd think that close to nothing was done. Luckily, I'm bringing the mom force in on Monday. She's amazing and I could really use the direction. My head is refusing to return from its exotic vacation at summer la la land. It's been hard to function and get that teacher 'tude back.
I've had 3 days now of on again/off again tension headaches. They are the worst.
Well, migraines are obviously worse but you get what I mean.
I'm well aware that they're poking and prying because it's just about mid August and I'm not ready to start this year just yet. Recovering and relaxing has been much needed. I'd like to keep this recharging process going for at least another month. Wouldn't that be nice? Summer would be sah-weet if it went all the way through September.
The one productive thing that did get done today was going through the ginormous binders that held pieces of my lessons from last year. Organizing them was...dare I say...fun? Looking back to a year ago felt kind of crazy. Surreal even.
On a whole other note, Lee learned how to ride her bike today! It was an exciting moment. And better late than never. Lil munchkin is growing up fast. 

Sorry for not even attempting to share any type of advice in this entry. I guess all's I can say is after getting through your first year of teaching, relax like there is no tomorrow. Your body will thank you for it once the end of August rears its ugly head.
I did feel a teensy weensy bit of excitement about the year starting today. There is of course something wonderful about starting fresh. Let's hope that more of those chipper moments come up as the next few weeks zoom by.
The sweeping hamster's facial expressions below say exactly how I'm feeling:
Excited, nervous, unsettled, eager..and ready for some serious classroom cleaning.
He's passionately sweeping the table! How cute is that?

You're never alone, there's always someone new-ish.

After wasting some time on pinterest (that's a lie because time on pinterest is never wasted) I decided to randomly google other teacher blogs. And guess what! It turns out that there are other first year fellow teachers posting about their first years of teaching as well! Why didn't I come across these blogs earlier?!
Even though the first year is behind me now, it was still a relief to read their words of wisdom. Now I know that I wasn't alone in this. Yes, there are other clueless, eager, and scared newbies out there. And, to my pleasant surprise, they've endured difficult experiences that seemed to almost mirror my own. This isn't supposed to sound coo-coo or sadistic. It's just SO nice to know I'm not crazy for feeling the range of emotions that seemed to rush through me this past year. It's mid-July now and I'm still recovering.
Did you know that there's actually an article out there called the "Phases of First-Year Teaching?" There's even a "First-Year Teaching Roller Coaster" diagram. I find this semi-hilarious because roller coasters terrify me as do the toughest parts of this past year.

And holy smokes, from September to right meow, that little chart in the article is RIGHT ON.

It's been a while.

I've been slacking.
Two months too late but figured the posts must go on.

So it's here. Beautiful, glorious, and so far even more amazing than I ever dreamed possible. SUMMER. (May be a slight exaggeration, but that's okay.)
I do miss the kiddos. And the sweet gifts and letters (from parents AND students) made my very first last week of school a truly memorable one.

Reflecting back on your first year of teaching is easier said than done. That might be because there's so much to say. I'm not really sure where to begin.
I was told before September that the year would fly. Not gonna lie, it didn't exactly zoom on by. There were weeks, sometimes days, that truly felt like they'd never end.
I'd be lying to you (or as one of my munchkins would call it, "fibbing") if I said that it wasn't a tough year.

Well, let's see.
I...
Was more tired than I think I've ever been (physically and mentally). Learned to hate traffic and rubber neckers like it was a second job. HATCHED ADORABLE CHICKS. Did not eat enough at school and ate WAY too much once I finally made it home. Learned and laughed with 11 amazing and hilarious kindergartners. Have grown more and more grateful for my mom by the minute. Found some fun ways to spice up my lessons on pinterest. Discovered that an obscene amount of caffeine helps obliterate migraines. Created and recreated my first classroom. Made it through (and even enjoyed) field trips. Unpacked and repacked my room thanks to help from some wonderful people. Still can't cook but have slowly taken on baking. Learned that kids love listening (or at least are really good at pretending they're listening) to personal anecdotes. Survived my first year of teaching.

Chickies

We're into May. Officially.

This past week something amazing happened: the chicks in my classroom hatched.
I've been worried about whether or not they'd make it since I first found out that I'd be doing a chick unit back in August...and the fuzzy munchkins managed to break out of the eggs!
An even bigger shocker for me was how much I LOVED teaching the egg/chick unit. Probably my favorite part of the year so far.
We learned about the parts of the egg, observed eggshells (betchya didn't know they're porous), looked at the chicks' and embryos' development each day. Yes, the kiddos were crazy excited about the arrival of the chicks. Having them walk around our meeting area rug was the highlight of each day this week...but for next year, I'll have to work on a way to control the enthusiasm and keep their eagerness levels down a bit. The chickies are so fluffy though, I really can't blame 'em.

I guess the life lesson learned from all this was to always expect the unexpected. The unit I've been dreading all year turned out to be one of my favorites so far.

When I was 4, my parents got me a few yellow chicks to keep as pets. I'd never seen something so fuzzy or so cute before. Unfortunately, they didn't survive long in my presence. They were so adorable that I literally hugged them all to death :(
I don't know WHY my parents didn't stop me, but that's the way the cookie crumbled that day. I was worried that karma would come back and peck me in the toosh and my classroom chicks wouldn't hatch, but thank goodness they made it!
Now, if I can get them back to the farm for our field trip Monday we'll be home free.

Made it to May (almost)

Hard to believe it's almost May. It's bizarre how parts of this year sped by while random weeks seem to move in slow motion.
I'm super excited for this summer. Haven't really had a "real" summer since before starting grad school so it's nice to know there's one waiting for me.
Lately I've been thinking a ton about this whole life as a teacher thing...hence the title of this blog. If I end up teaching for decades, it'll be so strange to look back to this moment and remember my very first year. The one where it all began. I've heard that after you've been teaching for years, the classes, the students, and the months seem to blur, but the first and last years you never forget. They manage to somehow dodge the fog. I hope that happens with this year. I want to remember the laughs. The cries. Those moments where I thought I was at the end of my rope and then looked down to realize there was actually some slack left. Most importantly were those recurring points in time where I'd remind myself "this is why! That laugh, that comment, that student ah-ha moment. That's why you chose this seemingly chaotic yet insanely fulfilling career for yourself." I hope you feel this way too your first year. Even if it's just on occasion. Pinky promise it makes it all worth it.

Welp, guess I'll end this post with the cutest thing I've seen on pinterest today:

What keeps me going

This week we finished the science fair and parent conferences (whoa, what a week!)
Feeling pretty stoked right now.
A few days ago I was asking myself "how are you going to do this?" But I survived. If you're wondering how a highly distraught individual like myself made it, here's how:
I have all the supports I need to get me through weeks like this one.

Let's start with something that I hope you too get your first year of teaching. I call them amazing classroom parents.
That's what I got and holy smokes am I grateful for it. They've made this year such a pleasure and their smiles and genuine thank yous are so appreciated. I had one mom create an adorable outfit for our class moose. Another parent gave our class a brand new CD player after he heard that our old one was skipping. These parents make amazing chaperones and bulletin board designers. Their gratitude and involvement is simply uplifting.

I am also incredibly lucky (and not ashamed to say) that my parents didn't boot me out of the house after I finished school. Living at home this year has been sah-weet. Thanks, Ema and Aba!
Plus, my mom is a teacher too. I wish I could express how amazing she's been. Unfortunately, there are no words that could really articulate how lucky I am for all the lesson ideas, teaching tips, and middle eastern meals she's so good at cheering me up with. 

When I'm stressed out, I get these ridiculous migraines. Literally feels like sharp knives are jabbing at my skull. I had one this week and my amazing staff made and delivered me a cup of coffee. Caffeine is magical because the migraine shriveled away faster than it usually does. So yes, not to brag, but for a first year teacher, I'm pretty freaking lucky to have the best staff in the world. Not only that, but every ounce of advice I've gotten from them has worked.

I also have my boyfriend to vent to when needed. And he always listens. I don't know why he puts up with it, but he does. Thanks, pookie. I love you.

Sorry this isn't exactly advice. More like things you should pray for your first year lead teaching. It's hard dealing with everything on your own, so if you can find at least one person to keep you going, especially when all you really want to do is hide under the covers and sleep for a few months, keep your chin up and remember you're not alone in this.

"I Make Art"

I'm too tired and slightly overwhelmed so no time for a real post today. BUT my amazing little sister showed me this video and thought you might enjoy it too:

 

The students have been singing "I'm sexy and I know it" all week long which is why, believe it or not, I'd actually prefer to get this version stuck in their noggins instead! Not a huge fan of LMFAO. Elmo actually sings it better if you ask me :)

Soap + Water

Today one of my students was eating a ritz cracker while telling me a story about her vacation (not gonna lie to you, it sounded like she had a pretty sweet time). Anyway, mid-sentence she let out a sneeze that, I kid you not, landed all over every possible part of the front of my shirt. There were bits of cracker EVERYWHERE. It was so gross and yet so funny. I saw the stream of chewed up cracker as it flew at me but let's face it...with my luck and slow reflexes, dodging the attack was hopeless. Normally, I'd follow that monstrous achoo up with a chipper friendly reminder (something along the lines of: "Oopsie, remember to sneeze into your elbow next time!") but the situation was just too hilarious. When she saw my eyes slowly make their way down to the swamp on my shirt she let out a very distressed "I'm so sorry!" She was so adorable about it that I just had to let out a giggle and then fake a smile as I attempted to brush the cracker boogers away.

Last year and this year I was warned many a time that during your first years of teaching you get sick...a lot. Not because of the stress, or the lack of sleep, or the newness of it all. It's actually because your immune system is still weak and pathetic and has not yet experienced 3+ years of teaching.
My advice for you, teacher newbies, is to wash your hands as much as you possibly can. I swear I don't have hand washing OCD, and well, if I did, lucky for me, I have a sink right in the classroom. Anti-bac is great but wont suffice. You need good ol' soap and water. Once you've entered the germzone that is your classroom, never, I repeat NEVER, eat anything unless you've washed your hands first. I don't care how desperately hungry you are. Once you've touched that chocolate chip cookie, the germs are on it and in it and there's a crazy chance you'll get sick shortly after. Happy washing.

The last day of vacation.

April 16th. Happy birthday, Dad!
We had a BBQ this afternoon and it was yumazing. It was also 90 degrees and wearing shorts reminded me that my pale legs have seen better days/months.
Speaking of warm weather, if your school does not have AC (mine does not, so if you're in the same boat I feel for you), there are ways to make life less sweaty for you and your students!
1. Get a spray bottle and fill it with cold water. If you can get one of those bottles that has a fan at the end so the water comes out misty that would be splendid. If you can't afford that, a dollar store spray bottle will do just fine. After coming in from recess, transitioning to a lesson, before snack, if it seems the munchkins need a movement break...spray your kids! Make sure to ask each one of them if it's okay before you spray. For some reason, they love it and the water really cools them down.
2. Get FANS for your room.
3. Popsicles. I haven't tried this one yet, but doesn't it sound like a great idea?

September can be pretty uncomfortable heat-wise and May-June can get rather brutal as well. It's not fun to teach or to learn when all you really want is to be sitting in an igloo. Do what you can to make you, your classroom, and your kiddos cooler.

So today happens to also be the last day of vacation.
With all the vacations we've had so far this year, the day before going back to school I get slightly uneasy (mainly with making sure I have everything prepared and getting myself as psyched up as I can for the week). This happened to me last year at grad school as well, so I don't think it's a first year teacher thing. Guessing it's more of a "holy shnikeys, I'm no longer in the safety of my undergrad bubble?! How did this happen?" kind of thing. To describe this odd feeling, it's kind of like, on Sunday nights or during those last, precious moments of vacation, I try to soak it all in. Prepare for whatever is to come during the school week. It's an unnerving feeling. From ages 0-22 I never experienced it. So the last year and a half of this nonsense is/was getting to me.

However, I'm proud to say that we go back to school tomorrow, since April vacation ends today, and I'm NOT feeling as anxious as I had in the past. Not entirely sure why this is...but I'll take it.
 

What you gon' do with all that junk?

Didn't feel like being productive..so thought I'd blog instead.
Guess I'll move us right along to some other thangs I wish I'd known before this year took off.
Next on the agenda: Get rid of that stuff you don't need.
Don't be afraid to throw away or donate your classroom junk. If there's stuff in there that you don't need, give it the boot! Plus, dust is nasty. And extra crap-i-ola will only collect more of it.

Toss-able junky items include:
*Puzzles missing pieces (yes, these could be really cool for a project. So if you're having a hard time letting go, put the pieces in a Ziploc bag and save 'em for later. I'm proud to say I got rid of all of mine.)
*Broken/chewed up pencils. Let's face it, they will not be super useful. Just toss them.
*Dead markers. 'nuff said.
*Board games that after a few weeks of school you notice your students are not interested in. Give them to teachers in older grades. This year, "Torah Slides and Ladders" was just not a big hit amongst my kindergarteners.
*Hardened and/or moldy play-doh?
*Books that are falling apart. Torn covers/missing pages/mold growing inside of them (not even kidding, this happened.)
*soccer balls (it's okay to keep one, but do you really need 4 in your classroom?)
*and, oh, so much more!

I'll never forget the night I went on a throwing away rampage. There was a ton more space and the "oohs and ahhs" from the kiddos the next day said it all. They notice everything! So it was not shocking that the lack of clutter made a difference for them and for moi, me.

Let's start with sleep.

Hi. This is my first blog? We'll see how long this lasts.
Welp, basically, I'm hoping to find a way to write, share, vent, and figure out my first year out of grad school and into the classroom.
Yes, this first year is on the verge of being over...but better late than never.
But it being April now, I guess I can start by sharing with you words of wisdom that I wish I had known back in September. Let's start with 2!
1. If you too are a first year teacher (or, I guess, a first year anything), never forget that even the worst moments have an expiration date. In other words, that thing you are dreading will END. You will get through this. (I tell myself this once a week now and it's surprisingly reassuring.)
2. 8+ hours of sleep helps. A lot. Don't ever lose your sleep. It's just not worth it.
And on that note, sweet dreams for now. -Nitzan