I have had a ton of questions about the way I run Centers in my classroom. I had good intentions of sitting down this evening and writing a post about everything I know and learned about Centers in my 14 years of teaching.
Well…
I had the longest and hardest day of the year today. I walked out of my classroom feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I have a group of wonderful kids, but my 27 “Firsties” wore me out…completely. Every muscle in my body ached, I had a migraine like no other, and all I wanted to do was put on my pj’s and watch mindless T.V. all evening long.
So…
Here I am. I am in my pj’s. My television is on and I am going to sit. I am going to enjoy the peace and quiet. I am going to relax and watch my favorite show this evening without the guilt of postponing my blog post.
Hoping for a Snow Day tomorrow! This girl sure needs one…
~Melanie
I so understand your need for the pj’s & relaxation. I needed one too! If you get that snow, could you send some my way, I so need a snow day too! Enjoy your night of tv & rest up!!
Your decorating ideas are so cute. You should be an interior designer. We had a snow day Monday and it was wonderful. Hope you get one soon. Every teacher needs a snow day.
I absolutely love your pirate theme! I presently teach Sixth Grade ELA at a Middle School in Western NY, but spent years teaching Kindergarten/1st Grade. I miss the creativity, but not the physical exhaustion. I live outside of Buffalo, NY and we have only had 29 inches of snow all season (40 inches below normal). No snow days in our near future, but we do start our winter break on Saturday 🙂
We get a break too…woohoo!!!
I can relate. I’m in need of a snow day also…. but for different reasons…. sick kiddos at home. 🙁
Take Care! I love your decorating ideas! I have been slowly updating to the black and white polka dot theme.
Hi Krista!
I just had sick kiddos too! Thanks so much for the kind words! 🙂
Did you get a snowday?
Unfortunately, no! 🙂
I feel your pain.. and know how it feels. I also just had a moment when I realized I should not complain about somethings. I have 11 kids- compared to your 27 that is so tiny! I have taught before with 29-30 kids .. so I understand. Do you have an assistant?
I hope you got your snowday.. if not then I hope things calmed down a little bit and you enjoy your weekend!
Hi Kacey! No assistant. Since I have started blogging, I am finding out that class sizes in my district are out of control. I taught Kindergarten for several years and we maxed out at 28 with no assistant. The management part isn’t as tough as trying to get in all of the assessment for so many kids. I swear, it takes me weeks and weeks to get my DRA’s done. When I finish up, I have about three weeks of guided reading with my kids and then I am back to doing individual DRA’s. There is so much instructional time wasted when I have such a large group to get through. UGH!!!
I can totally relate! This past week was really hard, I don’t know if it was starting the week Valentine’s Day, or me, or the weather, or what….but my kids were wearing me out! Plus, assessments and the doom and gloom of upcoming pink slips (lots of talk going on in my district already, and I KNOW I will be getting one, because I was hired 2 weeks before school started!).
My principal saw me leaving on Friday with a whole bunch of things to work on over the weekend and told me I just needed to give me some me time! I laughed and said I wish! But I did that today, and it feels good! I think I’m ready to tackle my big to do list. So, even though things were stinky for awhile, I am totally restructuring my classroom and schedule and I’m totally stoked about it!! Maybe there will be a silver lining somewhere in there for you too.
Looking forward to your post on centers!
Been there, done that. Enjoy the time you get off. There is no use burning the candle at both ends.
Ms. M
Ms.M’s Blog
A Teacher’s Plan