Three Years of Teaching

Wow!  I can't believe that I just finished my 3rd year teaching.  It seems like yesterday I was starting my first year.  So many things have occurred over the 3 years that I will never forget.  Here are some of those lasting impressions (good and bad) and some things that continue to live on: (Thank goodness I have pictures of lots of these things so I will never forget.)

- No lights on my very first day of teaching.
- Phone calls and letters in Spanish that I actually was able to understand. (Learning Spanish is a major Bucket List goal.)
- Annual Vocabulary Parade
- Tornado warning that lasted so long my students fell asleep
- 4 classrooms in 3 years - in the same grade and same school (Let's just say I don't have too much junk :))
- Starting Recycling (Fridays have become a memorable day every week with the kids doing Recycling.)
- Falling out of my chair during Small Group Reading Time (Yes, my kids know I'm clumsy!)
- Charlotte the Spider Scarecrow and Recycling Reggie Scarecrow (So much fun to do each year!)
- Classroom Olympics
- Leak causing a huge mess in the classroom (Yay! It's now fixed.)
- Top Toucan each week
- Stoufee (a huge doll from Children's Museum) falling over during a presentation
- Annual Grandparent's Day in the classroom
And the list could go on and on!

Most of all I will never forget the memories I have made with each student.  It is so fun getting to know the students at the beginning of each school year, but yet so hard to say good-bye at the end.  I learn so much about their home life, their feelings, and their families that I grow so attached to them.  I hope I always keep my passion for teaching for many years to come.  I couldn't imagine doing anything else!

This year I earned two more things to add to my list.  I earned tenure with Haywood County School and I earned my Professional Teaching License.  Two more things to mark off my goals for this year!  Now, it is on to planning and creating things to make next year successful.  I can't wait to see what the next school year holds, but I will never forget the past years.  They are what made me what I am today.

Here's a video that highlights some of the things we did this past year in Room 10: