To Moving Day and BEYOND!

Oh goodness! It's been a super busy week!

Sunday, I was planning on moving stuff to the church basement but that didn't end up working out.  Why did I need to move things to the church basement you ask.  Well here's the rundown.  We have the 'big school' which is Kindergarten-12th grade.  My school, the 'little school' is for ECE (3 and 4 year olds).  The church basement however is our current classroom because the ECE building has a large crack in the wall and the ceiling.  Does this sound safe for young children to be in?  How about this detail of information:  my desk is in the ECE building.  Not only do I work on my lesson plans in a building that could collapse, it's also freeeeeeeezing cold in there!! There's a door that doesn't shut so the 44 degree weather today was not only outside the doors but inside too.  Since I couldn't move stuff I decided to make sure everything was all sorted and ready to go. I went though the entire building and decided what I wanted to bring ot he basement and what I wanted to leave at the 'little school'.

Anyway, I finally got to start moving stuff on Monday.  We got everything into the back of the truck and were going to head to the church basement to unload.  What do you think happened next?  No guesses?  I'll tell you.  The truck didn't work.  Something near the tire snapped so we had to transfer everything to a different truck. We ended up using a Honda (4-wheeler) with a trailer too.  We moved everything from one building to the other in about 5 trips.  I'd like to make sure I mention this, I love driving Hondas!!!!! Oh my gosh, it's one of my new favorite things!!  If I ever end up back in WI, or anywhere I suppose, I am getting myself one.  I don't know what I love about it so much, the wind in my hair, the feeling of driving again, or the excitement that comes with riding/driving one for the first time ever.  Who cares the reason, though, it's awesome!!

After moving everything to the church basement and eating lunch, we started setting everything up.  The dramatic play, sand/water table, puzzles, games, art supplies, everything has it's own space.  I loved watching the room come together little by little.  The idea that every little bit built off of the previous; it's just like watching lights click when a child begins to understand something.  After everyone else (the 3 year old teacher and my other classroom people) left, I got back to work.  I gave everything a home and started thinking about what else I needed or wanted for the room.

The first day of school was good!  There are some things that could have gone better but it could have been so much worse.  During the course of the day, only one child pooped his pants and one child cried (the one who's dad works in the classroom). I say, that is a successful first day.  I took pictures of the kids with a frame I had made that said "My First Day of Pre-K".  Some kids didn't want their picture taken at first but warmed up to the idea later on in the day.  We used these pictures for a class book on day 2.

Day 2....let's see, what happened?  Is it a blur?  No, not really.  Was it tiring?  YES! I'm used to working with young children but 17 at one time is a lot.  How people deal with over 30 kids at once is beyond me. The kids 'wrote' their names today so I could start to look at progression over time.  I also took note of different things children were good at and need to work on.   This is something I will be doing on a daily basis so I don't have to try to come up with everything all at once. I also will have these to show parents when they ask me how I know their child has progressed in a certain area.

House update:  My breaker box exploded.  Apparently Amy and I both sleep like rocks because neither of us heard a thing and we heard there was a large spark and the BROKEN streetlight went on!!!  Am I sleeping at home tonight?  No.  I'm on the floor in the library with my favorite sleeping bag, pillow, wifi, and TV!!!!! I know, I'm full of excitement for such small things.  Think about it though, I get excited over plumbing now.  Speaking of which, I am showering in a shower tomorrow morning that will have clear water, not orange.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the TV while I can and look at some book orders.  Yes, I may be a 4-year-old teacher and have them for that purpose but I'm also a kid at heart.

Much Love <3

Lauren