Drumroll, Please...

...because here was my first peek at what my new classroom will look like!

I'm hoping to switch up the room a little bit, so here are all the 'before' pictures. Now, get ready for the photo dump:

The Promethean board and six desks in the resource room. I have five second grade students in the morning for ELA, and in the afternoon for mathematics instruction. (I just found out that I am getting two new friends in my class - twins - so we're going to need another desk!)

Mailboxes and storage

Whiteboard and para's desk

Para's desk and more storage

Small back table for guided reading lessons (I need to get a small whiteboard for this area!)

More storage along the back of the room, windows looking out onto the playground, and my desk in the corner.

I am still getting used to the schedule that was set up by the previous teacher, but it's mostly a good mix of inclusion interventions, resource room teaching, and a bit of co-teaching (it seems mostly in phonics.)

There will definitely be a lot of work to do over winter break - getting IEP snapshots ready, re-organizing data into a system that fits better for me as a teacher, and figuring out what resources will be my go-to's in the classroom. So much to do, so little time!

Now excuse me while I dig into as much of those IEP's as I can handle before bedtime! :)

Until next time, 

TYHO

Good News!

I'm beginning today with both good news...and with BETTER news! :)

Good News: I just graduated this weekend with my Masters degree in Early Childhood Education (PreK-3) and Special Education (K-12)... which means that I am now certified to teach!! I am so ready to be in a classroom of my very own! While I am still waiting for my Early Childhood license, my Intervention Specialist license was completed through an alternative licensure path...which meant that I was able to get a head start on looking for jobs...

Better News: I HAVE A JOB! (PTL!) I was worried that I would have a very difficult time finding a job in the middle of the school year, and was preparing myself for day-to-day subbing. It seems, though, that the universe had bigger plans, and after only two interviews, I was beyond blessed to be offered a position as an intervention specialist at an elementary school for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year! I am outrageously excited and ready to begin this next step in my journey!

However... this means that I need to get it in gear and prep for this new job! Between the end of my student teaching and graduation, I've had about 5 days to begin to collect resources, follow blogs, and Pinterest. Tomorrow, I get to meet the interventionist that I'll be replacing (she's retiring at the end of December), shadow her for a few days before the end of the semester, see my new room, and, most importantly, meet my new kiddos!

For the rest of today, I'm going to be building a collection of blogs to follow and gathering more ideas to help me along this journey. It's time - I'm finally a 'real' teacher! :)

-TYHO

Let's Give It a Whirl!

Alright, I'm new at this blogging thing, so bear with me. After being so inspired by all of the teaching blogs written by educators all over the world, I've decided to give it a shot and blog my experiences! More to come shortly, but I can't wait to share my passion for teaching with the world! :)

Until then, teach with passion, teach with courage, teach your heart out!