Well school has started off amazing! Even though it has been so hot, at least we have gotten a few heat days. My class is awesome, I seriously think I have the best third grade class at our school. They are so smart and they amaze me each day! I absolutely love having a SMART Board in my room and so do the kids. I have just started getting used to using it and have tried doing a few different things with it. The main thing I have used it for is math, just because the students can manipulate objects on it by moving them all around, it makes for a great visual and hands-on activity. I also like it because I can save all of their work and then refer back to it the next day to begin a lesson. My mentor is slowly showing me a few things every other day or so, just so I don't get overwhelmed with all that it is possible of doing. She is fantastic about helping me figure things out. Overall, I am excited to learn more and more about the SMART Board and integrate it into the curriculum throughout the school year!

Starting the Year!!!

I have been working in my classroom for the past month or so trying to set everything up for the beginning of the year. I picked the worst times of day to go in and paint and set up. I go in about noon every day to start working on stuff and that is the hottest part of the day! You see my school does NOT have air conditioning and it is kind of like an oven in all the classrooms at my school. There is not air circulation, due to the windows not allowing, and there are only two outlets to plug fans into, but they blow around hot hot air. It will get up past 90 degrees is most rooms by 2 p.m.!!!
In my room I have set up the theme of "Wild About Learning." My mom made curtains for my windows that are different animal prints, they are so awesome. I also have a bunch of different borders that go on my bulletin boards that are animal prints as well. I have 6 bulletin boards in my classroom, all of which are 50 years old, so I decided to spice things up a bit and paint them all different colors. They are painted bright colors that really brings some life into the room. I just finished hanging and rearranging everything yesterday afternoon. After I completed everything I sat down in my rocking chair and thought that in 19 days I will have 23 kids in there, I am not going to lie...I am a smidge nervous, but at the same time I am SO excited!!! Going along with technology I am going to have a SMART Board and they are so much fun, there are so many things you can use them for! I also have two computers that are easily accessible for the students, one is at a desk and one is at the back of the classroom and will be used for kids that want to stand up and search on it. There are so many things that I want to do with all of my technology resources, I just don't think there is enough time in the day!
Well wish me luck to the start of my first year teaching, it is going to be a wild and exciting ride!!! =)