12 Days of Kinder (8-31-12)

--This was written after 12 days of Kindergarten:

      It is hard to believe that we have been in school for 12 days. WOW! And to think that today is the first day of September (Happy Birthday Melissa Swens) I feel like it should be Fall time already!! Where are the leaves?! I have been so busy with school, but I wanted to take a moment and make a post, since it has been awhile. I enjoy my new classroom and I truly adore my Kindergarteners. It is so incredible how much one year of teaching under my belt can do for my overall confidence and ability to use my voice for what I believe in and have evidence of it working.
     I appreciate the people I work with, I am so happy to come to work everyday... I actually wouldn't even consider it work. The first few days back to school were kind of emotional lol. I saw a lot of my now 1st grade Kinders...I loved the cries of, "Miss Samuels" and running hugs! Seeing them throughout the day was one of the highlights of being back to school; they have grown so much. Now that it has been 12 days of school, I am getting to know my new group of kiddos better. They are now more than just a name to a face; they are a name to a personality...and boy do they all have great unique personalities. I have 21 kiddos this year in my classroom. I have 13 girls and 8 boys. This is very different from my 5 girls I had last year. I have such compassion for these little ones, and love that as we are mastering our daily routines and jumping into the curriculum, they are enjoying it and are excited to learn as well. The best thing is when they say,"Good morning Miss Samuels!!" as I walk into the gym to pick-them up before school starts.
       2nd year of teaching is soooo different in soooo many ways than 1st year teaching. Here is to a great start to the school year, and hopefully to the year.