Back to School!

School starts Tuesday! I've been working feverishly in my classroom to get all the things ready for my new kids! I'm excited to meet them tomorrow at Meet the Teacher Night! They all come up to school and bring their school supplies to stock in their desks. It's so fun to get those first impression of them. Some of them are really excited and some are nervous, it's cute either way. Here is a shot of my classroom.
This summer I spent some time leveling my books by reading level. So each reading level has a color coded label on the book binding.

They are organized in color coded baskets by Chapter Books or Picture Books.

Here is the wreath I made for my classroom door. I used to have a cute crayon wreath, but it had faded so it was time to update!

It's About That Time

This time of the year is always one with a lot of mixed emotion for me. I'm a teacher, so naturally I L O V E summer. But as the last few weeks of summer wind down, I always seem to be cramming in those last few days of summer sun and relaxation at the pool - and - I start to get that itch. I want to be in my classroom. I want to organize, reorganize, create and plan for the new school year. I'm getting excited. I love teaching, sure there are days I don't want to go to work (even teachers are human), but generally I love my job. Kids make me laugh and smile on a daily basis. I check my class list twice a day to see if I have any new additions and I look forward to the day I get to meet my kids. It's hard to stay away from my classroom this time of year...even as a teacher, back to school shopping is still fun. I love stocking the room with new pencils, crayons, and glue. I love hanging new bulletin boards and adding new touches to my room. But, as much as I want to be there, I'm forcing myself not to go in everyday next week. This week I found my way into my little space 4 out of the 5 days. I just couldn't help it. Every year there is something new I want to do or something I want to do even better. This year (my *years* go from August to July not January to December) is going to be a great one, I can feel it. I have this great excitement for this year. It's going to be not only an amazing year at work, but in life too. My best friend is having a baby. I get to be in another best friend's wedding on New Years Eve (how fun is a New Years Eve wedding?). Will and I will have been married 2 years this March and I love him more now than ever. I just have a great feeling about this school year and I very excited for what it holds!