I currently teach 1st graders, and it is my dream grade level! So much responsibility but so much reward! 1st graders come in reading a little (or none at all) and come out as readers!
I began my career as a PreK teacher. After one year, there was an opportunity to teach kindergarten so I took it. I felt at the beginning of my career, it was important to get experience in as much as I could in different areas of my field. I worked with a great team in kindergarten who helped me grow so much! Then I moved to first grade since they didn't need 3 kindergartens the next year but needed 3 1st grades. I again learned a lot! Then I gave birth to my first son and decided to stay home with him.
For the next five years, I ran a daycare from my home. I had two more sons so 3 boys altogether! Being a daycare provider was a great learning experience and a way for me to be home when my kids were babies. I became a trainer for my state's daycare provider training organization. I provided training for providers and preschool teachers on curriculum and developmental screening.
As my children entered school, an opportunity to teach preschool at a church presented itself. It was a place to try out all my ideas in a very independent environment. I was there for two years and enjoyed it very much.
By this time my children were old enough that I felt I could go back to working full time. I was lucky to find a PreK position in the district I'm currently with. I taught in a state-funded PreK program for six years at two different sites. There were a lot of rules and regulations to follow, but I grew as a teacher in ways I didn't know were possible. I improved the quality of education provided for many children. I continued to perform trainings for daycare and preschool providers. I also presented at the PreK/Kindergarten Conference in my area. It was during these years that I received my master's degree.
Although I enjoyed teaching preschool, my heart had always longed for more academic challenges. When a 1st grade teacher left right before school started, I offered to take on the position. It was hard to leave my preschool classroom, especially since I'd worked so hard to improve the program and had everything prepared for the upcoming year. A coworker took my position which made it easier.
It was a difficult way to reenter the 1st grade classroom, 2 days before school started. Fortunately, I had a great team to help me. We have continued to work together since 2014. I have gradually emerged as a leader of the group. Working with my team has helped me improve my craft while offering support to them as well. Not satisfied with the math curriculum we used, I began making worksheets to meet our needs. As time went on, I decided that I needed to take the plunge and create a year-long curriculum to make our math instruction cohesive. I finished it the summer of 2017 for us to use during the 2017-2018 school year. The best part about it is that as we use it, we see strengths and weaknesses, and I can change and add things a long the way.
Thank you for visiting my blog and taking a peek into my teaching world. I love to help other teachers improve their craft. Please let me know what I can do to help you!
