Happy Days in First Grade

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October 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment

To the New Teacher Down the Hall

New Adventure· new teacher

I remember my first year teaching as if it were yesterday.  After moving across the country to be with my husband and graduating straight out from college, I found myself dropping off my resume from one elementary school to the next hoping and praying that someone would give me a call.

After a long summer of job-hunting and having to pass up on a position because my certifications had not been completely transferred over yet, I finally landed an interview and was offered a position 15 minutes before Meet-the-Teacher Night!
While the nervousness of being a new teacher was quickly forgotten by the excitement of finally having my own classroom, I didn’t realize what was ahead of me.  
The truth is, being a new teacher can be wonderful and exciting, yet it can also be frightening and difficult.  From learning the curriculum to the culture of the school to working on a new team to responding to emails to staying after hours to doubting and second-guessing yourself at night and to all the things in between, everything is new and what a learning curve it was!  
Furthermore, being the new teacher also means feeling like everyone’s eyes are on you.  Everyone wants to know who you are, how you are, what you do, and what you have to offer as an educator and teammate.  As the year goes on, it does become less overwhelming and you will remind yourself on a daily basis “Next year will be better.  Next year will be better.”
So after nine years of teaching for the same district, I moved across town along with my kids and husband, and then I found myself as the new teacher again.
New district, new school, new team, and a new grade.  What a thrill and blessing it is to get out of my comfort zone and go back to a grade level that I once taught and be part of a new school and team who have welcomed me with open arms!  However, the feeling of being the new teacher on campus has reminded me so much of my first year and the lessons that I have learned along the way.

The truth is, your list of to-dos will never be completely checked off as you will add more and more things on it each day.  Do one thing at a time and simply do them the best that you can.  Everyone down the hallway has a long list too.  It’s ok to feel frustrated and even cry from time to time because you feel overwhelmed.  Let it out, dry your tears, work hard, and move on.

You got this.  You have worked so completely hard for this position!  You were born to do this! You may not know everything about the curriculum and you’re still learning about all the new programs and textbooks, but your students don’t know that.  Plan as much as you can and then go out there and teach as a pro!  The more confident you feel as a teacher, the more effective you will be for your students.

Teaching can be isolating.  Reach out  and befriend other teachers and professionals who can help you on your new learning experience.  Some of the best people I know are teachers whom I have worked alongside and are now my friends.  Their experience inspired me, their wisdom humbled me, and their knowledge pushed me to be the teacher that I am today.  
Like all things, this feeling of being new will pass.  So learn from it and grow from it.  You got this.  You were born for this.
   
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Hello There!

My name is Ha. I am a Primary STEM teacher from Texas, a passionate educator of little ones, a teacher-author of interactive educational resources, a lover of Makerspace and STEM, a mother to two, a wife to my high school sweetheart and a forever learner. Welcome to my site!

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Ha ~ Happy Days in First Grade
Where are all of my Rainbow Bright teachers at?!!! Where are all of my Rainbow Bright teachers at?!!! 🌈🎉

Grab this Meet the Teacher slideshow now on Google Slides including the printable on SALE now for 24 hours! 🥰 Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3OMdCfx
🚨FLASH SALE for 24 hours!!! 🚨 Get a head st 🚨FLASH SALE for 24 hours!!! 🚨

Get a head start by snagging up this EDITABLE Farmhouse Slideshow for your Meet-the-Teacher Night and Back to School!!! 🥳

It has all the slides you need to introduce yourself to your students and it’s EDITABLE!!!! Buy now, edit later!🪴 

Snag it up now while it’s on SALE!!!Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3uqvW5T
Are you planning on doing a photo op for your stud Are you planning on doing a photo op for your students on Meet-the-Teacher Night?! 🌟

📣If so, here’s a fun and easy hack! 📣

Turn your anchor chart rack to a cute and easy photo op for your students using a glue stick and streamers! 🍎🎉

Pair with these FREE Speech Bubble Props for PreK-5th Grade! Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3jNdpMl
May we always carry the ideals of what make Americ May we always carry the ideals of what make America loving, kind, generous, and inclusive with us wherever we go and pass it onto our future generations. 🇺🇸

For a more perfect union, we will continue to put in the work, stay informed, and vote for the future that ALL of our children deserve. ❤️🤍💙
I believe in a loving and generous America- the Am I believe in a loving and generous America- the America that opened her arms and provided refuge to my family and allowed us to start anew and build our own American dreams.

I believe in the freedom that is the cornerstone of our democracy and the belief that we are all born FREE to make our own choices, walk our own path, and choose our own destiny wherever it may lead us.

I believe we are better when we are together, UNITED, and accepting of all Americans. 

I believe in these ideals that built our great country and the belief that ALL are welcome.

May all of our students always feel this way in our classroom and and in our schools. 

These activities can be found in the link in bio as part of the Back to School Activities currently on SALE. https://bit.ly/2TfR0w5
This activity right here is one of my favorite act This activity right here is one of my favorite activities for the beginning of the year! 🌟

I make a BIG speech bubble out of black butcher paper and cut out yellow circles for Emojis. ☺️😀😍🥳🤩😟😫

As one of the things on our class Scavenger Hunt during Meet-the-Teacher Night, the kids are asked to take one of the yellow circles and draw the face of an emoji that best describes how they feel about being a first grader. 

This activity is so simple and fun but gives me such information on how the kids are all feeling even before the first day of school!

Using this simple tool, I am able to address any anxiety or stress that they may have during our FIRST Morning Meeting! It’s so powerful to know even before school begins what I need to do to help ease them into first grade! 💕 

We also use the data collected for a graphing activity and then discuss what we can do to help make everyone feel happy and better. 

I love this activity and will definitely be doing this again this year! Swipe to see the before picture.

For the more Back-to-School activities, you can click to the link in bio to grab them on SALE for a limited time! https://bit.ly/2TfR0w5
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HAPPY DAYS IN FIRST GRADE