Tell us a little something about you...
I'm Mary, lover of all things pink and fabulous. I am inspired by kids, great teacher bloggers and of course, Fancy Nancy! I graduated from Boston University four years ago with a degree in early childhood education in 2007. I am currently working on the Master's degree that never ends! I started in the Reading Specialist program and switched to the Early Childhood program last year. I teach Kindergarten 1 in an "inner city" school and love every minute of it. I live with my boyfriend of three years and we are super happy together (but if one more person asks me when we're getting engaged I might scream!).
How long have you been teaching?
This will be my fifth year teaching. I taught Kindergarten (K2) for two years and then switched to K1 three years ago. At first I was terrified of the four year olds (they seemed so LITTLE!) but now I am absolutely in love with it. The kids are so curious, silly and hilarious. I LOVE them! We also have an amazing inquiry based, developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows us to be flexible and add our own ideas and activities.
You might not know...
That teaching was not my first choice career! When I was a little girl I came home from school every day, lined up my dolls and stuffed animals on my bed and taught them using a little easel and my picture books. When she would sit still, I would make my little sister participate too. I even had seating charts and name tags! When I was applying to college, though, I decided that I wanted a job that paid a little more and that I would not have to stand up and fight for. I initially persued a degree in psychology, but changed to early childhood education halfway through my sophomore year. I was not completely happy, and realized that it was because for the first time in my life I was not around little ones. I truly had the call to teach. Even though it meant that I had to overload classes while working three jobs, it was totally worth it. I'm so happy that I made the switch!
What are you looking most forward to this school year?
I can't wait to see twenty two new little faces looking up at me! The first few weeks of school are exhausting but so exciting as well. I love revealing our fabulous centers and reading new books so excitedly that the kids actually clap. Yes, this really happened MANY times this past year! It really does melt my heart. Of course, I'm not so much looking forward to the crying and pants wetting that inevitably comes with the first few weeks, but it's well worth it. I am also looking forward to working with the world's best Para for the third year straight. She really is my "right hand" and is so fabulous with the kids. We are so lucky to get along so well :)
What do you need to improve?
We are working towards our NAEYC accreditation, and let me tell you it is HARD! I would love to hear from you if you have been accredited. Anyway, there are lots of things I need to change to fit the NAEYC standards. The ones I plan to work on first are the handwashing protocol, cleaning protocols. Of course we clean and wash hands, but everything in NAEYC is so darn particular!
Another thing I need to work on is keeping my teacher space and storage organized. I hate to admit it, but it's just not something that comes super easily to me. I have already gotten started with my
book organizing bonanza, but I want to keep my desk and "closet" organized this year. I say "closet" because my classroom came with ZERO storage and I had to rig up a pretty shower curtain that dangles from a ceiling pipe... pretty ridiculous but it's better than nothing.
Last, I want to
What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?
I already wrote about my most favoritest things {
HERE} but here are a few more must haves:
Heavyweight sheet protectors
I use these to "laminate" game boards, display work, keep all of my lesson plans and ideas organized and much, much more!
Dunkin' Donuts Coffee
This is my lifeblood. I literally cannot function without it. The kids are constantly reminding me "Ms. P, you left your coffee in the art center/on the bookshelf/on the floor again!"
Heavy Duty Scotch Tape
I LOVE this stuff! I use it to "laminate" in a pinch, hang things on our damp, crumbly basement walls and so much more.
ELMO Document Camera
I am so lucky to have this as the *one* piece of technology in my classroom. The kids LOVE seeing their work projected onto the wall. I also teach math lessons this way, give drawing lessons, teaching writing and so much more. I also love to use the ELMO to re-read books. The kids are completely fascinated by seeing the illustrations projected. It is also great to teach text features and concepts about print. This spring I used it to read Make Way for Ducklings for the third time, and it was by far their favorite! It is amazing to see the detail in the illustrations, and to be able to zoom in on it.