And a 5-6-7-8

These are some pictures from my dance competition last weekend. It was more of a mock competition, but it was still fun. I had humongous false eyelashes, dance costumes and a good time. Yay dancing! Here is a picture of me and my teacher doing a Samba.
This is the beginning pose to another Samba I did with another teacher.
This is me getting ready to do a Tango with a friend of mine from the studio.
More of the same pose for the Samba.

Room 703: Where the Magic Happens

Here we have our computers under the sheet. There are math manipulatives and leveled readers also.
This is my desk and where I also meet with reading groups. Nobody is allowed back there but me, so no touchie.
Here is our no longer virgin word wall. There are six words on it now. Spelling test on Friday. Study up!
Here is what our new writing program (which is rocking their world) includes. Pictured are a circle map and a tree map. Notice one child thought we should include God among the things in the sky. Seriously people, you wish you had my job.
Here are the games we use during choice time. Slim pickins, but they make do.
These are our "growth charts", they monitor the progress we are making with the skills in reading, and also how many books we've read.

The writing area.
Happy Heart Words and Dungeon Words. Don't say Dungeon Words because if you do, I can make life a little uncomfortable. And don't try it in Spanish either because I know both.

Step Up

Go see it.

Peace, I'm out.

D-A-N-C-E Spells Dance

I went to the dance studio for the first time since school started yesterday. All day long I just kept thinking "Eight more hours until my lesson....four more hours until my lesson...two more hours until my lesson..." I was definitely having dance withdrawals.

The cool thing about this lesson was that it was with my teacher, but I had also booked another teacher to watch us and give us feedback. This sounds extremely extravagant, but the only way I was able to do that was because I had been a "substitute teacher", as it were, for this second teacher. As a way of thanking me she gave me some free lessons. I thought the best way to use them was for her to watch me and Myke. She always has amazing choreography ideas, and her dancing gives me chills. Seriously. She is that good.

Anyways, so we worked together and she gave Myke and I such great ideas. She took my half of the choreography up a notch. I'm super excited now for what we have.

Anyways, the whole point of this background is to say how I felt during and afterwards.

My heart was singing. I was emanating pleasure. I am always surprised after times like that how much dance affects me. How central it is to who I am.

So, this next week I have a lesson and two practice sessions with Myke, and another lesson with another teacher with whom I'm doing a Samba. This is all in preparation for Extravadancza, which is a mini competition between the two Arthur Murray studios in the Phoenix area. Yay! Yay costume changes! Yay false eyelashes! Yay tons of fun makeup! Yay high heels shoes that I can point my toes in!

Viva la dance!

Captain Kirk Has Nothing On Me

Survived first day...have some cutie patooties...very smart...all day Kindergarten really helped...also some squirrels...gotta nip that in the bud...must go rest up...no more stamina left...

Progress in Room 703

My classroom is going to be super organized this year. First, I have way more storage options, plus I have the time to make decisions about where I'm going to put things.

Last year as a first year teacher my room was empty, save for the desks. Then at intervals the math and reading coaches would deliver my texts and manuals. I was throwing stuff in cabinets and on shelves like crazy. One cabinet I didn't even open again until the end of the year. This year since all my stuff was already in there, I've been able to organize it better. Plus the layout is slightly different.

Also, I have two new additions to my classroom. An awesome easel on wheels. It is humongous. It is magnetic. It has a storage shelf. Need I say more? Also, this year I have tables instead of desks. You have no idea how exciting this is for me. My heart actually leapt for joy when I saw them in my room. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures of a teacher.

There are so many new and exciting things this year. We've adopted a science curriculum, and it came with kits! We've also adopted a writing program. There are not words to describe how absolutely, positively, supercalifragilistically awesome and timely this is. I won't bore you with teacher speak, but it really breaks down the writing process, and gives the kids language to use while they are building sentences.

That is all for now. I gotta go eat dinner.