Is It Really Friday?

Where did this week even go though? For real, I'm not sure if this week went quickly or slowly or what. Maybe it's because I knew it was coming for so long that once it actually got here, it didn't seem as big. My final week of work at the main district office has gone and passed and I have transitioned smoothly into the school building. I've yet comprehended that this is a three day weekend because it seemed further away. Now to attempt to recall five things from this past week. Let's see...

Did anyone else participate in the Who's That Blogger Giveaway? I did and I am in love with the freebies that I've won so far. I didn't get a ton correct but the ones that I've received are awesome! The first one I got was a set of gray chevron schedule signs from Nicole over at Teaching's A Hoot! Surprisingly, I was one of only two to guess her picture so I feel pretty lucky. You can check them out on her TPT. They are really adorable and I can't wait to use them! She even has matching Chevron Word Wall Letters for free! Sweet, right?

Maybe it's too early to be thinking about it but I have already decided on the theme for my first classroom. I have fallen in love with so many beautiful classrooms I've seen, that I was inspired to start thinking about my own future classroom. So the theme I've decided on is: nautical! I've always lived near the coast and been in love with anchors, the ocean, sea glass, seashells, and all things nautical. My dad and brother are also in the Navy so that has a bit of influence.

I thought I would get an early start on my nautical theme so I picked up a few cute red and blue pieces for my desk (yeah my own desk!). Of course, you can see my two essentials are in place already, Starbucks and hand sanitizes. This weekend during the holiday sales I will look for more pieces to add. This nautical thing has the potential to be very dangerous, I have a habit of developing obsessions...

Monday, at the in-service for the department I work in, we did the Personality Compass activity that is so popular currently. It turns out I am an East (with a dash of North). East types are reserved and conservative and often only show their easygoing side to people they know well. Thursday at the staff meeting at my student teaching school, we did the activity again and found that 3 of the third grade teachers are also East and my mentor teacher is a North. I loved reading the descriptors and learning more about how my team members work.

I am also in the process of making an awesome Writer’s Workshop bulletin board over the weekend. Language Arts is going to be my focus area at the start of student teaching so I want the bulletin board to set a good tone. One of my biggest hurtles this semester is going to be adapting to our ESL kiddos. We have a number of ESL kiddos in our class including a level 1 friend who speaks only Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. Not even a lick. So this whole ESL thing is going to be a fun adventure. I thought a good place to start though was my bulletin board. I had a friend help me with translating the writing process steps. I’ll post pictures once it’s finished! For now, check out my giant pencil I'm going I use on my board. I am fond of it.

Last but not least at all, this week I participated in “Meet the Teacher” night. We had a wonderful turn out and met almost all of our students and their families. Many of the kids seemed to be a in a bit of a dazed state rather than excited. The hustle and bustle of the night might have been a little hard for some kids to take in, especially with all the parents and siblings there. Still, it was good to see their little faces and introduce myself and now I have a better idea of what to expect on Tuesday.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, third graders are so tall! Coming from first grade last semester, these third graders seem like giants! I mean, I am tall so when I call someone tall, it’s a big deal.