TGIF!

Goodness this has been a long, exhausting week! I am thankful it is Friday and I get a few days of rest (okay maybe only one because I'm working on lesson plans tonight and on Sunday!) But I will take what I can get. I LOVE teaching and I LOVE all my little 22 (we got a new student this week!) first graders, but whew, teaching is really exhausting. I don't think it will be so bad when I get my portfolio finished and am able to focus on just teaching but for right now, the stress has kicked in and boy can I sure tell it has. 1) I am emotional, 2) I take everything to heart, and 3) I worry all the time. Wait maybe all three of those things occur everyday.

One thing I have learned this past week is somethings you just have to brush of your should and move on and not worry about it. I seem to always have a weighted sack on my back and I just need to brush it off and keep on moving forward! So needless to say, this week has been challenging, but I'm bound and determined to kick it up a notch and put one foot in front of the other and have FUN teaching!

Kids say the silliest stuff! I sometimes take Powerade in a sports bottle and one day a little girl asked me if I was drinking wine! Ha! I had to laugh!

Well I just thought I would write a little blurb since it has been about a week or so since I have updated and added an entry to my blog! I need to get back to those lesson plans! Have a great weekend and GOOOOO Cats! :)

Thanks for reading and until next time,
Miss Andrews

It's Been Awhile!

Ahh! It's been quite sometime since I have written in my blog! Yikes! Many things have taken place over the last several weeks. I have began doing the ritual morning calendar with our first graders and also this interview/name game that Mrs. M does with her class. So that has been excited. We have had parent orientation night and that was a little nerve racking because I had to give a little blurb about me in front of all our first grade parents! I bet my face was beat red because it felt like it was! It has been an exciting, but exhausted couple of weeks. Whoever thinks teachers have the easiest job in the world needs to think again! This is tough stuff, but I do enjoy it!

This coming week I start teaching language arts with consist of a "letter of the day!" This will be interesting but I'm kind of nervous. When I observe my cooperating teacher, everything looks so easy! BUT when I get in front of our students, it's not so easy. I have also came up with a unit topic that I'm going to plan my 2 week unit over which is Pilgrims, Indians, and Thanksgiving! That should be fun and exciting for first graders!

I'm so blessed to be at Amanda Arnold with so many nice, caring people. I adore my cooperating teacher, my clinical instructor, my K-State instructor, our para's, and everyone else!

So overall, I would say student teaching is a huge success so far! The only downside to it is that I want to go home after school and go straight to bed! Yikes! :)

Well, it's Saturday night, 10:00 and I'm off to bed because this girl is tired!

Until next time!
Breah

P.S. If this blog doesn't make any since it's because I'm sleep deprived! :)

Finally Friday!

I DO love being in 1st grade and I do love teaching! But man, has this week been exhausting and we have only been to school for two and a half days! Yikes! I really hope I get into the routine (and quickly) because this is wearing me out!

I absolutely adore all 21 of our little first graders! I had one student ask me to pull his tooth today! I told him just to keep trying to wiggle it and maybe it will wiggle right out! He tried and said it wasn't quite ready to come out just yet! (So cute!) It never ceases to amaze me of how these kids think and interact with each other. I am always learning something by watching them! I also LOVE watching my cooperating teacher and how she interacts with our students. It is so amazing! I am learning so much from her, especially patience's!

Today was a great day! We had "Watermelon Day" today! The kids got to do all kinds of activities with a watermelon and even got to eat some! I, unfortunately, didn't get a piece because I had a meeting in the afternoon when that took place but I know the kids enjoyed it! They were looking forward to it ALL day! :)  Today, I even got to read two books to them about watermelons! It was a fantastic day!

This entry is going to be short and sweet because it's past 10:30 and I am exhausted! I'm adding some pictures! I hope you enjoy!

Thanks,
B



The picture on the left is the first day of school and the picture on the right is me reading a watermelon book to the students for the first time this semester!!!

These are ADORABLE "Panda" cupcakes that a mom made for her sons birthday! They are soo cute! (P.S. the Panda is the schools' mascot!)

Whew! What day is it?!

Well, let me just tell you, I can't even keep my days straight any longer! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! It has been a crazy, but enjoyable, past few days! Monday we had more meetings. Tuesday was a teacher work day AND we had back to school night form 4:30-6:00. It was SO exciting to get to see all (21 of them) of the little 1st graders arrive so excited and enthusiastic to meet their teacher and put all their supplies away! It was a fun evening! And today was the BIG day......the 1st day of school. I was probably as nervous/excited as some of our kiddo's were!

It was a fantastic day! We started the day off by going over rules and procedures. Then we headed to the library for library time. Here they listened to the librarian read a book and they got to check out books. Boy, were they excited! Then we went back into the classroom and did calendar time and talked about some more procedures. Then we got to go outside for recess (which is was really hot out today!). We came back inside and had a birthday party! Yeah, that's right! A birthday party on the 1st day of school (although the little boys birthday was yesterday)! This child's mom made panda cupcakes (our mascot is the Panda) and they were SO cute! I will attach a picture later! Finally, we went outside to take a few class pictures and then came back inside to gather our stuff to head home. Overall, we had a great day and got a lot of stuff accomplished!

Even though it was just a half day, I think I'm going to have some dinner and go to bed! I am exhausted! :)

I will attach pictures later!


B

MEETINGS!

Ahh! Last night I was so excited ( I don't know why because today was just a bunch of meetings)/nervous that I didn't sleep so well last night. I tossed and turned all night and was slightly afraid I would miss my alarm clock! But, as it turns out, I was up early and didn't even have to rush around to get ready!

This morning we had a "Welcome" meeting at the high school. It was kind of neat to go in and see all the new construction they had done to that building. I don't think there is anyway I could go to high school there! It is HUGE!!!! Then in the afternoon we went back to AA (Amanda Arnold) and had a welcome meeting for the staff/teachers at Amanda Arnold! We got to work a little bit in the room but not too much!

I'm going to try to enjoy this last "free" weekend before the semester is in full swing! My parents are coming up and that excites me because I haven't seen them in awhile and have missed them dearly! (I should also note that they don't like to travel so it's very RARE to have them visit). We might attend Fan Appreciation Day! Go Cats! And I'm sure we will grab some dinner somewhere!

Monday the meetings continue and we will learn about the math curriculum! But that about sums it up for today! I'm going to attach some more pictures! Enjoy!

Up bright and early!

My "professional" look for the day!

The classroom I will be in until December!

Calendar corner! :)

This is also Mrs. M's idea! I thought it was so cute! It's for the students birthday and who DOESN'T love Laffy Taffy!?!?! :)

That is it for the day! Kind of a slow, not so fun day, but it was fun meeting other professionals! Have a great week and thanks for reading!

B

Summer has come and gone :(

Today was the last day babysitting and caring for the two children I have spent everyday with since the 1st of June and it was harder than I thought. I am going to miss playing every different sport (baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis) with Peyton and going up to Sutton's room in the morning and seeing her adorable grinning little face waiting for me to get her out of her crib (insert tears here, I am such a sap)! No matter what, Sutton always seemed to put a smile on my face! Sometimes I wonder if I should go into Early Education because I LOVE babies/toddlers! :)

Our day started off with a trip to the batting cages! Whoohoo! Then we followed that up with a dart gun war (which I lost), a round of Phase 10 (which Peyton has got me addicted to this summer! AND I actually won, which rarely happens!), then is was off to (in-gre-di-ent) for some yummy lunch, a nap for Sutton, and some chill time this with Peyton. The whole day seemed to go extremely fast. They had made me delicious cupcakes and gave me a Target gift card (which I'm pondering buying some sweet KSU sweats or something I REALLY need like teaching clothes :) haha!) They are SUCH a sweet family and I am going to miss them all so much! I'm posting some pictures of our summer! Enjoy!

Here is Miss Sutton at the beginning of the summer!

She was a tired girl!

An outing to the Clarion!

Soooo cute! :)

Absolutely adorable!

Sutton and I are quite a like! We both love pasta! :)

This picture was today, our last day together :( I thought I had more pictures of Petyon... I will have to search my phone some more!)

This was also today! Sutton LOVES reading books!

Such a pretty girl!

Sutton and I at snack time! She was eating a banana!

And to wrap up this wonderful but emotional day, I went and walked hills and got to have a dinner at McGraws with this handsome boy!

The cowboy boys even light up! How sweet is that! I LOVE this little boy! :)

Well I am up extremely late and probably won't sleep well tonight and I have meetings ALL day tomorrow! Welcome to the real world of teaching huh!?!

Until next time,

B

Workday #2

Today I went in and help Mrs. Monaco (my cooperating teacher) in the classroom again. I snapped a couple pictures and will soon get more!

Here is the  building I will be student teaching in for the next 4 months!

Smarty Pants!

I thought this idea was soooooo cute! There are Smarties stuffed inside the pants so when a student has done something exceptional or deserves a incentive, he/she may get some Smarties out of these britches!

I love this idea, so thank you Mrs. Monaco! :)

I will try to snap some more of the classroom and she has another adorable idea for birthdays so I will try to get a picture of that also! It has been another long day and tomorrow is my last day of babysitting so I better get off of here and catch some ZZZzzzzzzzz's so I can be well rested for a fun day tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!
B