I have yet to do a single thing in my classroom besides bringing in some of my stuff. I got a super cute foam floor puzzle with the alphabet and numbers at Costco for $17.00! I have a really hard time with visual spatial tasks so I have difficulty imagining the furniture in the room in any other formation besides the way it is currently set up. I need to find a way to create some different areas like a writing center, a workspace for parent volunteers, and a small group area in addition to the tables where the kiddos will sit to do their seat work and a whole group instruction area. I have some ideas but I have yet to move anything around. My goal is to do that on Friday and get some areas mapped out on the walls for my word wall and calendar area etc. I am still overwhelmed with how much I have to do and just a tiny bit discouraged about all of the fun ideas I have been blogging about recently. I always find it difficult to join a team that already has everything figured out. I am currently trying to process my role and how I will function within the team. I don't want to be someone who is not a team player, yet I also want to incorporate my own ideas. I value the expertise of the people who have already taught Kinder for years since I have not, yet I want to be a thinker and try out my own ideas instead of just doing what has been done in the past. I am seeking a happy medium between learning from others and still maintaining my own spark and unique approach to teaching Kindergarten. I find this difficult and just feel like it is going to take some time to absorb everything. I got SO much information today that I need some processing time.
In other news, I am really excited about the books I just received in the mail today.
I was contacted by an editor at the International Reading Association who came across my blog and thought that I would be a good addition to their review board. She sent me these three texts, which I am really excited to read. I will review them here of course. I am also signed up now to review ideas and manuscripts that are submitted for publication through the IRA and I got my first review assignment today. I am excited to be part of that and I absolutely heart that I got some free books to take a look at! I feel like I have so much going on right now and I have been going a hundred miles a minute since I arrived back in the states, but I have several teaching texts that I am really looking forward to reading and trying to fit them in before school starts!!
I don't have any more photos of the classroom since nothing has changed so far, but hopefully I will have some new stuff to post this weekend!
2 comments:
I know it can be a really hard line to talk when you are joining a team. I don't think I have any brilliant advice on this but what I usually do is, whenever someone gives me an idea- I'll say something good about it (specific) and I'll really consider using it. But I still don't always use it. I really only incorporate ideas that I personally want to try. I know my team members don't expect each other to do everything the same and most of us don't know EXACTLY what happens in the others classroom anyway! haha.
Don't feel bad about having your own ideas! I think it is wonderful! Who knows they might really appreciate your fresh ideas coming from a different grade level!
Rock on!
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