Update - First Week of Teaching!

Wow, what a week! This week has been a flurry of activities, lessons, teaching, and so much more. I have a hard time even remembering it. Institute really makes you live each day in the present - you don't have time to plan ahead (although I'm definitely going to try to do just that over this weekend).

Monday was my first day teaching. I was no longer Ashlee - I was Mrs. Hoffmann. For Monday and Tuesday I taught procedures - bathroom, line, and lunch procedures. You might not think that going over the line procedure 10 times is important, but in Kindergarten it is extremely important to your sanity that the classroom have clear rules and expectations. And my lunch line even got complimented by another teacher! I was so excited. Haha.

It's funny to think of the things that I find exciting these days. Sleep for one. And the idea of a cheeseburger from In And Out Burger (yeah, Todd and I tried this place over the weekend. Hands down, best fast food hamburgers EVER).

But I digress...

Yesterday and today were my first days teaching actual academic subjects. I went from teaching for a half hour to teaching for 90 minutes. It was quite the change! I have to say though, I think that it went pretty well. I feel really comfortable in front of the kids and I know ways to keep them under control. You would all probably laugh at me if you saw me in the classroom. I'm like another kid (including acting like a quiet monkey today as I made my way over to the reading circle)!

I had observers in my classroom today. One was the School Operations Manager. I think I'll give you an excerpt of the note that he left for me afterwards (because I'm really excited about it!):

Ashlee,
I am impressed! You seem like a natural. These students love you and they take directions from you very well. Also the camp fire is very creative. I like the way you re-directed the class to "wait for your voice to begin reading." This ensures that words aren't lost and students continue to follow along. Good job!

Now, despite rumors to the contrary, I didn't have a real campfire in my room. But I did make one out of construction paper! I'm quite proud of it and I've gotten several compliments on it (even from veteran teachers who say that they're going to use it in their rooms!). My mom knows exactly how much of an accomplishment this crafting is. I'm pretty terrible with scissors and generally anything crafty.

Our classroom theme for the summer is "Camp Cub" since the school mascot is the Cub. So we have a lot of different camping themes throughout the classroom. We have a mountain with different campsites that serves as our behavior chart. And we also have sashes that we put stickers on every time a student masters one of our assessments. By the end of the summer, they'll be able to proudly wear their sashes home!

Anyway, I need to go back to the classroom for a moment to dismiss students. Things are going great but I'm beyond busy (just ask Todd- I can only call him as I'm on the bus or walking between buildings). I really feel like I'm learning so much. And it's not just applicable in the classroom. After Teach For America, I feel like I'll be so much better prepared to handle anything law school decides the throw at me!

Oh, and yeah, it's getting pretty warm here. Check out that weather widget.