Week 2 with Kinder!

So when I found out I was teaching Kindergarten this summer, I was absolutely terrified! Now, I wonder why...I am absolutely loving it.  Now, I don't think it is something I could do for a full year...maybe if I learned a LOT more patience and was more creative BUT I am enjoying it for four weeks.  Last week was crazy at various times but today and yesterday could not have gone any better.  It has been such a relief to be able to plan with someone else.  Angie (who will be one of my roommates!) teaches the same objectives I am except with a different class, so we only write lessons for every other day and then share with each other.  She was also an education major at the University of Texas at Brownsville and will be teaching Kindergarten in Hazlehurst in August.  She is very creative with her lessons and between the two of us, we make up an awesome team.  Our CMA only has positive things to say about our lesson plans and then our implementation seems to go better than expected as well!

This week, we are working on counting.  The problem is that based on our kids' diagnostic math assessments we did the first day of summer school, 90% of my kids knew how to count and how to count objects.   I remember thinking about how bored they were going to be after doing 3 lessons on counting!  But, Angie came up with a super cute lesson we did yesterday where the kids helped me make soup and then they got to make trail mix to take home---while counting the different ingredients in each!  They were so excited!  And then today, I wrote a lesson plan involving a stuffed animal who loved stickers.  But, we had to count out the number of stickers he wanted.  And of course, this stuffed animal (Mr. Wells) did not like loud noises so we whispered for almost an hour!  They even all waited patiently, quietly, and in their chairs to give Mr. Wells a hug right before dismissal.  One thing I've learned about kindergarten: you can take things that seem silly or not much fun and they will love it! I'm crossing my fingers that my third graders will be the same way!

Speaking of third  graders...I got to meet one of the administrators at Hazlehurst (well she is with the reading program that runs Hazlehurst so she is an outside admin) last night at our district meeting!  Although we did not get to sign a contract, she did have the floor plan of the school for us to see.  As of right now, I will be in room 508...right next to the library!  It's crazy to see it all become a reality!  Either this weekend or next, a group of us will hopefully be going down to Hazlehurst to look at potential housing.  I do have two roommates (Angie and then another girl named Jenna) and they are both awesome!  We are just waiting for the right house to become available.  Please pray that we would be patient and that everything would work out in good timing (aka God's timing!).

Tomorrow marks the official midway point of Institute. Which also means that next week, I will begin teaching literacy...nervous and excited at the same time!  Hopefully I will post some pictures soon of my kids/classroom.  I need to remember to take pictures with my phone or just borrow my partner's camera and upload her pictures.  Thank you all for your prayers and I hope you are enjoying your week!