It's a Jungle in There!!!!!

Not sure if you have heard or not, but I LOVE my job! I teach kindergarten and this is my 10th year in education. I can remember when I started college I wanted to do education, then child psychology, then I questioned it and thought should I be generic and do business. I prayed and prayed for God to lead me in this decision and in the end I knew I was meant to pursue education, so off I went. Then I got hired to teach 1st grade and taught it for 6 years. I can remember saying to my coworkers, if I ever say I want to teach kindergarten just slap me because it will mean I have officially lost my mind. Who knew that I would end up in the wonderful wild jungle of kindergarten. I always thought there was no way I could teach kids to line up, wipe there noses, check their backpacks, and teach them how to function in school and become independent. Well I have to at this moment publicly eat crow! I now teach kindergarten and I LOVE it. My job is amazing! I love my students, my coworkers, and the ladies and gentleman I work with :)! However most of all I love those kiddos. The first day of school you always walk in and think oh my goodness it is going to be a long year and of course you think I may not be able to teach these kids anything! Then you get a few weeks under your belt and everyone settles in and the next thing you know you are settled into a wonderful routine and life is good. There is no feeling better than loving my life at home with my wonderful hubby and boys, but to get up every morning and go to a job I enjoy so much is such a blessing.
I keep promising to share a few pics of my classroom, so this week I took a few pics for you to see my daytime world. I mean while some people are getting to watch daytime tv, eat out for lunch, run errands, or sit behind a desk or at a computer.......I am here in this wonderful world of kindergarten. I am teaching students to read, write, count, and work with basic math skills. I am teaching students how to choose a topic and write a sentence about it. I am teaching students to work together, enjoy their friends, respect students and teacher around them. I am mending broken hearts, wiping noses, sending kids to the potty, sending notes home to parents, putting on Dora band aids. I am patting parents on the back, thanking parents for their help, meeting with coworkers on what we can do for those students that are struggling. I am creating centers activities, hosting university observers, writing lesson plans, grading papers. My job description could go on for hours, but please know that I am NOT complaining I love my job every single part of it. Yes there are days where there are more piles of paperwork than others, but when you see the kiddos learning and enjoying it, it is a blessed feeling. I have 2 kids at home and 22 kiddos everyday from 7:45-3:15. So here are a few pics of my daytime world!

Our favorite place in the room! This is where we spend our learning time together!

Our word wall on my cabinets. My desk area and my Elmo. Our school is so blessed with technology. I have an Elmo, laptop, huge screen, projector, Smart Board and palm pilot.

Our 4 brand new computers!

Our Rhythm and Rhyme center

Our Home Living Center

This is my small group area where I pull small groups and work with kids one on one.

Reading Center

My student's tables where they work on activities.

I thank God everyday for steering me into education! This was the job for me! Even though I told those teachers many years ago to never let me go teach kindergarten, I can now honestly say that I am going to happily stay teaching in kindergarten as long as I can!!!!!!! Work for me just can't get any better than this! Well unless I could teach in my living room in my pajamas and slippers!