A New Start

This is my first year teaching, my first year in 5th grade, and my first year in my new town. Advice I have been given from veteran teachers and professors has been to keep a journal this year noting what works, what didn't work, and what I would change for next year. Although I am not too graphically inclined, I do love technology. Blogging seems like a natural fit for journaling my successes and failures as a first year teacher. So without further ado, my first post.

I am already slightly panicking about August 14th, and it's only July 2nd. Here is the ticker tape going through my mind: What am I going to teach? How am I going to make my room colorful and cute when I am starting from absolute scratch? How am I going to manage 26 students? What should I emphasize the first few days??

I have an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a Master's degree in Educational Technology. I am an educated, smart, resourceful person (sometimes), but I don't feel prepared to take on the responsibility for these young people. I can't imagine what it feels like for new parents. My student teaching was two years ago, thanks to my Master's intermission, so I feel a little rusty. I have met my teaching partner, and I am so excited to work with her. In an effort to untangle my thoughts here is a to-do list of some things I am thinking about for my new classroom.

1. Finish reading and implementing "Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids" by Chris Biffle
2. Making birthday pencils using this idea and a birthday bulletin board like this with my Dollar Tree month cut-outs. 
3. Filling in more of my Curriculum Planning Guide I downloaded from Traci Clausen's TeachersPayTeachers store. 
4. Sort through and organize my classroom library. Buy book bins and create labels for each author/genre. Buy a cheap bookshelf, a lamp, and fun seating for my classroom library. 
5. Decide how I want to organize reading instruction. I'm thinking I might try the Daily 5 that seems so popular now. I have seen several teachers' upper grade blogs who have adapted it to their classrooms. I really like the choice that it brings to the classroom. Maybe a trip to Barnes and Noble today to see if they carry Gail Boushey's books? 

There is definitely more in my brain, but I think that's a good place to stop for today. I am in the process of making a Lakeshore purchase list too. There is A LOT on it already. I will post that list when I have it focused a little more. 

Hannah