It's clear I haven't been a very good blogger. I started this blog back when my niece, Kate, was either a baby or right before she was born. They were going to have one for their family so I decided to make one for me. It only made sense that it would be called Aunt Emily's Adventures. That was almost 7 years ago.
A lot has happened since then, and this is my latest adventure.
I'm going to be brief on here, but my plan is to write more down about my the next year of my new adventure. I'm not sure if I'll do it here or start a new blog. For now, I'll document here and I'll deal with that later.
About two years ago I was in a decent, challenging, and pretty well paid job. It seemed to be a good fit when I started it, and I really enjoyed what I did. But there came a time when I realized I wasn't happy. After some conversation with my mom, I decided to go back to school to get my Masters Degree in Special Education. I quickly got hired on as a paraprofessional at a local school to work there as I was going through the program (read: good experience). P.S. I'm not sure if I have talked about this or not.... which I suppose I could throw in a few graduation pictures here too... I might just do that. We'll see. It could be it's own post too.
Soooo, back to the story. I quit my salaried job and went to work hourly as a para at a great school. I worked there for two years while earning my MS in Special Education, tested a million times, and completed my teacher certification process. All of this brings me to the next photographs.
I'm about to start my first year teaching. I can go on and on about this, but I am exhausted and I think I'll wait to write when my head is a tad more clear. For now, I'll show you the room I started with and I'll tell you about my cleaning out process.
This is what I started with..... and I have to admit that walking into that room the first time caused me great stress. I sent a text to a friend of mine who is going through the same adventure. I'm pretty sure I said something like "I think I want to cry and run away." I'm also confident that she responded with something like "I know. I think that would be easier for both of us." :) Ha... so, I took a deep breath. Because, running away and crying isn't an option. Well, I suppose there will be tears. And, I have to admit there have already been some tears too. Good tears, I promise. This is a pretty good view of my room. You can't see the wall of cabinets to your left, but it's an overall picture. (I do need to clean my phone camera lens...)
Same room, same day... and this is the SmartBoard (COOL) and my desk area. P.S. I have a Wii to use with my kids as well. I can't wait.
In order for me to fully know what I had in my classroom as far as materials, curriculum, assessments, assistive technology, etc.... I had to clean and organize. For those of you who know me...you know I like to organize. I just moved into a new apartment as well and it's a good example of how I like things to have their own places. The cabinets are opened and ready to be sorted into organized (somewhat) piles on the floor in the center of the room. (These pictures are courtesy of my little sister Ilze, who just so happened to be free to help me in my room. For the record, I couldn't be where I was today without her.)
Another view of the room with the beginnings of the piles. Oh, and the curtains have already been changed to a khaki. I want the room to be peaceful and full of natural items, or natural color scheme. I'm trying to decide if we should have a class pet...and if so, what kind. Any ideas? I'm sure there have to be some...
And this, my dear 3 readers, is a view from my room once all cabinets and drawers have been completely cleaned out. Now... don't panic. I've thrown away lots already, but I have more to do too. This was an initial sort...and I'll go through as much as I can, but I can always put some in a cabinet (to be sorted later) before Meet the Teacher in two days. YIKES! There go my nerves again. I'm so fortunate that I have materials. I've heard so many stories of teachers who walk into a blank room with nothing. I'm thankful I've got what I've got. Now, I could do without the materials from the 70's, including those sheets that went through the lithograph (ditto machine). You know, the one where you wound it up to make copies with that awful blue ink? I remember it as a kid...I think. :) So, I'm purging and organizing. I should have taken another picture before I left tonight. I had moved the shelves into the reading corner, organized all the art supplies, paper supplies, office supplies, and changing supplies. I have a lot to do tomorrow with my literacy manipulatives and match maniplulatives too. I have a million books to sort into their groupings for the reading area and I have to decorate it to look cute too.
So, I'm about the start a new year as a new person in a new role. I'm super excited, ridiculously nervous, but confident and optimistic about my future. I can't wait to be Miss Fritts and help those kids. For the record...I'll be an Autism Resource Teacher. That means I'll have the kiddo's who are somewhere on the spectrum and need a variety of assistance ranging from minimal to a bunch. I can't wait. I'll have all boys on my caseload (for now) and I'm ready. I've got two great paraprofessionals that will be with me and I think it will be just a wonderful first year.
When I get worried about it...I like to remind myself that every teacher has been a first year teacher. I can't wait to get the first one under my belt and see where this road leads me.
That's it for now, but I'll be sure to post more often and I'll let you know if I start a new blog. I have lots to talk about...it's just taking the time to write about it. For now, here's a bullet list for me to remember.
*Floppy Disks
*Laminating Rules
*Multitasking Demands
So I went ahead and added a few more pictures. I added one at the beginning that was just me. And here is one with my siblings. My older brother, younger brother, me, and younger sister. Hooray for finishing my MS degree. Next step, PhD...perhaps? We'll see where this road takes me.
