Aaahhhhh!

I spent just about every minute at school that the doors were open. Somehow, I think I've made some sense out of an overwhelming pile of curriculum, materials, furniture, and expectations. At least, I hope so, because tomorrow is the first day of school. Now, if I can just get to sleep...

Time to Cut Bait! & Yesterday

This last week has been a whirlwind. Trainings and meetings and planning and shopping and sorting and cleaning and hanging paper. I've been too busy to sit down and write so this post covers two topics. Tomorrow night is Meet the Teacher night on our campus. So I expect to spend tomorrow finding hiding places for things which do not yet have a home, then putting the final touches on making the room look presentable. I really don't know what to expect for tomorrow night. We may have many visitors because the community is curious about what we have done to restructure the school, or we may have just a few.

Yesterday, I saw my couch friend walking along the road - we waved. Yesterday was also our district convocation. We heard inspiring messages from the newly elected School Board President, the Superintendent, and our keynote speaker, Dr. Adolph Brown. I had Googled Dr. Brown, and I have to say that he was much more down-to-earth than I expected. It seems like every event that I attend brings on a deeper conversation with myself about what I want my classroom culture to look like and what I need to convey to my students. I've begun taking notes. Here are a few:

• If my students watched any of the Olympics, I want to talk about focus, purpose, training, and the amazing fact that new world records are continually being set, and how this applies to our learning community.
• I want the students to look around them and notice the faces of their teammates and realize that each one of us is responsible for our learning.
• One of the teachers we saw in a video was an absolute cheerleader for her students. She said things like, "I am so proud of you and so happy that you are in my class," and "Aren't they wonderful!" I have to remember to cheer for my students with lots of enthusiasm and to teach them to cheer for each other.
• I hope to help them envision what it would be like to be the most impressive class in the school with regards to the way they approach their own learning and behavior, and then help them to become that - quiet when necessary, sharp like a military patrol, caring and serious about learning. (Without feeling competitive with other classes.)
• I want them to know that they can expect to leave Kindergarten reading & writing. They will become authors, illustrators, scientists, mathematicians, community members.
• I want to encourage them to love being challenged and to let me know when they are not.
• I want to ask them, "Is this your personal best?" I want them to know that if they are trying to do their best, I will never be angry with them. They should keep trying. Just because you mess up doesn't mean you have to give up. (I borrowed this one from Dr. Brown)
• We are also a family. Ohana means nobody gets left behind. (I borrowed that from Lilo & Stitch.)
• Here are some other things Dr. Brown said - The tree is in the seed. Be fair. Make room for everyone, all the time. Be firm with consistency, structure, and limits. Set boundaries. Be fun.
• Everyone gets a do over.
• When things go wrong you don't have to go with them.
• A setback is just an opportunity for a comeback.

And then we danced!

On Mission

Today our faculty received inservice from Coach 4 Success. We did a lot of team-building activities and talked about making connections with each other and our students, and about helping our students make connections with each other. We also learned many different structures for managing cooperative learning and sharing. Our mission statement has been finalized. In case you are wondering, our mission is to empower all students to achieve high levels of academic achievement and to participate successfully in campus life, to provide academic rigor in an authentic and relevant context, and to build a supportive community of lifelong learners who value and show respect for themselves and each other. I learned a lot about a lot of folks today. This faculty is amazing - we all want so much to make a difference in the lives of our children.

Go Team!

Today the school faculty met together for a planning retreat. I have not attended one of these before, and this one was phenomenal. I can't believe I get to be part of this group of 60 or so teachers who share such strong passion for giving our best to our students for the purpose of empowering them to achieve their best. I should explain that almost everyone on this faculty is new to the building and we have been charged with eliminating the achievement gap for students in a low-performing school. Today, we began to craft our mission statement for the school. I can't wait to see what the next week will bring as we continue to consolidate our team vision and purpose.

The Fab Four

Today was our first day of inservice for new teachers and new-to-the-district teachers. It's overwhelming to hear about all of the resources available in the different content areas. The best thing about today was meeting more coworkers and team members. All four of the Kindergarten teachers were together in one room - well, several rooms actually, before the day was over. We are a pretty cool team!

Craig's List & the Kindness of Strangers

I am still chuckling quietly to myself over some of the items people give away on Craig's List. If you have never looked at this, I recommend it. Over the past few days, I have been checking the "free" classification for a couch for my classroom. Today, someone posted an ad for five free frisbees, the kind you get at a trade show or public event, along with the suggestion that they would make good dog toys. Someone else was giving away free cookies and candy that they found when cleaning out their pantry, presumably in preparation for a new diet, because neither she nor her husband intended to eat them.

I did find a couch. It's red and only moderately worn, but I plan to vacuum and sanitize it, then slipcover it before school starts. The man who gave it to me was really nice - works in oil & gas, transferring to Pittsburgh because things are slowing down here in Fort Worth. He lived in a third floor apartment - I hadn't considered this possibility... Luckily, his friend (whose wife also teaches and who was also transferring to Pittsburgh) had just arrived to bring him a big box and was willing to help bring the couch down to my minivan. Since I had a red couch hanging out the back, I drove more slowly and carefully than I ever do. When I arrived at school, the building engineers measured the couch and discovered that it would not fit through the hallway door - it is one small door! I don't give up easily, so I began to look for another way and soon found it. The door at the other end of the hall leads outside and down 2 flights of stairs, hmmm... I grabbed a handtruck and as I was unloading the couch, all by myself, a gentleman walking along the street noticed and offered to lend a hand. We carried it to the bottom of the stairs and left it until my husband could come by at lunch and help me move it. Thankfully it wasn't that heavy & the door was quite near my classroom, so now I have a lovely couch in my room on which my little ones can read wonderful books and share amazing stories they have written.

Miles to Go Before I Teach

I guess I'm finished for the week. I'm not allowed to bring in any personal property until next week. I measured everything and mapped out my classroom on 3D Home Architect. It worked pretty well and makes a good planning tool. Now, I just need to purchase some inexpensive shelving and some plastic totes, make some curtains, and decorate. Here are the photos from yesterday.

These are my brand new computers with Internet access!

Two of my boys reading in the literacy instruction/group meeting area. The light blue chairs on the right represent a couch to be named later.