Best Layed Plans

I will be organized!  I will be organized!  I will be organized!  I will be organized!  I will be organized! 

I WILL BE ORGANIZED!!!!

Are you noticing a theme here? 

My goal this year is to be super duper organized! Even more so then last year. I will not let a lack of storage space get in my way and I will not stack papers to be forgotten! Least year I was really organizes when it came to my lesson planning. I was always at least a week to 2 weeks ahead with everything by implementing what we call "Jobs". Mrs. Nicole my fellow 4K teacher used this technique in her classroom , but I only really discovered how it worked last year. Basically Jobs are 4 or 5 weekly rotating activities and skills that each student completes. I will do a full post a little later with pictures so you can get a good idea of how they work and rotate. I spent each week last year putting together the next weeks lesson and jobs which was a lot of work but totally worth it. That means this year everything is completed and ready to go. That is unless I want to change something which I know I will do because some activities didn't work as well as I had hoped and others i will probably add more to. The good thing is the majority of my work is done which is huge! You may not think teaching preschool is a lot of work, but I dare anyone to come do what I do for 1 week then come talk to me! most people would probably run out the door screaming and crying! I still have a lot of work to do, just not as much. 

I have already started my pre planning process by mapping out our entire year in my calendar (Don't be fooled into buying a "Teacher" planner which will run you close to $15. I snagged this calendar that can go into my Teacher Keeper in the student section for $5!) I already know when I will start my assessments and when we will start all of our big projects for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mother's Day. I always feel like I am scrambling to get these projects complete so I want them done weeks ahead of time to be sent home. I don't want any surprises this year. I want to be ready for anything the world can throw at me! Preparation is a teacher's best weapon.

Speaking of being organized I am also planning on shaking things up with our centers. I am moving things around and I have big plans for changing out some of our centers throughout the year according to the seasons and our themes. One major change I am going to test out this year is having a mobile writing center. Instead of having a table for the children to sit at I will use lap desks and the floor to allow for more freedom for those students who need a different writing environment. 

Here is a link to The Good Life from last year and our classroom setup. A lot will be changing and I can't wait to document it all right here. 

For reference here is a look back at what my classroom looked like at the end of last year after everything was put away for summer camp.

I hope everyone enjoys there last few weeks of summer break and for my friends starting at the beginning of August I will soon be joining you and good luck on your first days.

-Love Roxanne