New school year, new job title

It's official. I'm a 4th grade teacher. I am so excited about the upcoming school year. This week, I took the first step in making the transition. Different grade levels in our school occupy different halls. Our halls are named after different Ivy League schools. Last year, I was on the fifth grade hall, which is Stanford.

Goodbye Stanford..

Yesterday I journeyed to my new fourth grade hall...

Hello Harvard!

Harvard here I come!!!!
I opened the door to my new classroom and here is what I was greeted with...

The front of my classroom

Left side of class

Side view 

Talk about a blank slate. Now the fun begins. Our school theme is SMILES and we have to incorporate smiley faces into our design. I have also decided to use chevron patterns with an emphasis on the color teal. I will be doing a lot of rearranging to maximize space. The room is pretty big so I'm excited to see what I come up with. Stay tuned for the outcome.

My OWN Classroom!

Today I received the greatest news ever. I no longer have to wait for a phone call late in the evening or early in the morning to confirm where I will be teaching the next day. I know exactly where I will be on tomorrow and the next day and the next. I will be in my OWN classroom with my 6 students and 4 teacher aides. I have been hired as a teacher for a Severe/Profound K-5th grade class. I am so nervous and excited. I don't have all the information yet so I await in anticipation of tomorrow and what it will bring. I have never worked in this type of setting before so this is something that is totally new to me. It will give me a chance to gain experience in this area and I am ready for the challenge.

Spring 2011 comes to a close

So today was pretty much a bittersweet one. It was the last day of one of my classes. This means I'm one step closer (and only 2 classes away) to my status as a certified teacher. This upcoming school year, I plan on landing a job in some school district. I have the confidence and the faith that will ultimately put me in my own classroom come August 2011. I cannot bear to enter someone else's classroom day after day. I enjoy subbing to a certain extent and I am thankful for all the preparation that I have received as a substitute teacher over this past year. I have built a camaraderie with the teachers and staff at the schools that I frequent and hopefully one of those will have an opening in my area. If not, then I am willing to take my talents to another school or even district that is in need. For now I am done with the required courses that my mentor teaches so I will not be enjoying her lectures anymore. Upon leaving her class I told her that she would not see me in one of her classes again until I enter the Master's program. She told me that I should really think carefully about what I would like to pursue in terms of my Master's degree and that I should look into Educational Leadership. This thought has honestly crossed my mind for a brief second but now that she has mentioned it, I have really started thinking about it. First things first is this job search to get my own classroom :)