Day One Down (thankfully)

The first day of school is exciting for some, terrifying for others, and many appear cautiously ambivalent. Yesterday, may have been the toughest "first day" I've been through as a teacher. There were a lot of tears yesterday, most eyes dried within our half day filled with reading, singing, and dancing. With all of the ups and downs I have to apologize to parents - there really was very little time to speak with you. Next week things will begin to calm down and I will be much more available for questions and chatting. If you have any urgent questions or concerns you can always write it down and tuck a little note in the blue communication folder - these should come in each day with your child.

I was so impressed with the way children were using materials and acclimating to the classroom, on the whole it's a very mature bunch! I really am so excited to learn more about each child and YOU, the family.

This blog is another means for me to communicate with you, the families of our pre-k class and it is also a tool for me to document our class life and reflect upon my work. You're always welcome to leave comments on the blog or feel free to email me. In honor of documentation here are some photos of our environment from mess to a new beginning.


This is what I walked in to the week before school started...messy potential at it's best.


The first thing I did was paint all of the bulletin boards a pale blue color. Filling the environment with calm, natural colors is a priority for me this year. You can see a bit of blue peeking behind the furniture mountain.


Block center beginning to come together, the Frank Lloyd Wright poster is a staple in the center during the beginning of the year.


The literacy center in the back and the science center in the foreground beginning to take shape as well.


Although science center is my favorite center, this shelf is covered with paper now until we're ready to open it up in the next week or so.



A very large area is dedicated to dramatic ply this year. I'm hoping the free wall (more like a blank canvas) will allow for creative transformations of the space into..well really anything we can imagine.


These pieces of beach glass will be used to call on children during morning meeting, to insure that every child gets a turn to share.