Moving Up.

Moving up.  Moving up?  Let me explain a little. To understand my title, and why I’m blogging, you have to understand my history.  Here’s a little background...

This is essentially my second career.  I was a legal secretary/paralegal before I decided to go into education.  I went from working in my own office to being the center of attention the majority of the day and collaborating with some brilliant minds.  After going back to college and graduating with a B.S. in Elementary Education, I began teaching within a couple of months.  My first year of teaching was in our state’s lottery-funded Pre-K program inside of one of our school district’s public elementary schools.   College does not prepare you for Pre-K.  Point blank.  It prepared me for K-6.  Not Pre-K.  I attended many training workshops and observed many Pre-K classrooms this past school year.  By March, I finally felt as if I was doing things the “Pre-K” way and had all the little components and documentation and assessments down pat!  Then in early May, my administration offered me a position in 3rd grade.  Just when I got comfortable and felt like I knew what I was doing in Pre-K (FINALLY!) I am moving up...way up!


Now...why am I blogging?

I’m excited to be in such an important grade-level.  It is a benchmark grade after all.  At the same time, I’m scared to death to be such a novice teacher and in such an important grade-level.
To add insult to injury so to speak, 2012-2013 will be our district’s first year of implementing CCSS or the CCGPS as our state as dictated.  I’ll be learning a new grade-level AND learning new standards that demand SO MUCH of me and my students! And did I mention I also have to move classrooms in my building?  Uh, yes, that’s another blog post...

I would like to chronicle my “adventures” as a 2nd year teacher in a new-to-me, high-stakes, benchmark grade-level implementing Common Core.  It may be entertaining.  It may be comical.  It may be a down right disaster.  It will be a learning experience.  I hope someone else can learn from some of the things I do...what not to do, and perhaps, a few things they can do that worked for me.  As I blog, I will add examples of lessons, activities, and resources I’m using.  I will add photos as well to give you a glimpse into my classroom.  I believe in sharing so feel free to email me if you see something you’d like to try.

I hope blog at least weekly if not several times a week starting this summer as I prepare to move up!