My Sad Class

Take a journey with me in setting up my classroom. Fortunately, I have almost everything I need to be successful. However, it's clearly not all in place. The person who set up this classroom was clearly not an Early Childhood Educator. I was told they did just enough to satisfy the Department of Children and Families. Here's what my new classroom looks like. Can you tell what's wrong with this picture? I'll be making the necessary improvements over the next few weeks, with your help of course:) I'll keep you posted on the results.

Helping to build an Early Childcare Program

What a great Thanksgiving vacation! And it's back to work! My business with Centers and Circle Time is moving slowly. On the other hand, my new teaching and building position will begin tomorrow. Since the "Early Childhood Development Center" will be building this program from the ground up, it's unlikely I'll have a class for a few months. My days will probably be filled with preparing for inspections, ITERS & ETERS review, and brushing up on my VPK standards. But yeeah for a paying position:)

The Business of Centers and Circle Time

When I'm not loving on my students in the classroom, I'm entertaining at playgroups, birthday parties, grand openings, and bookstores. My little business "Centers and Circle Time" allows me to take my favorite parts of the preschool day and share them with clients in an hour or so. I recently had the priveledge of working a birthday party for a set of twins, Noah and Leah at a playplace in Casselberry called AmayaPapaya. Since the party was a jungle theme, I wore a safari scrub top (by Baby Phat), earth toned jewlery by "Little Miss Market", downloaded safari related music, and brought my puppet monkey Moe. It was so incredibly cute and we had a blast!

Creating a portfolio

Some time ago, my Early Childhood Instructor advised me to keep a professional portfolio. This portfolio has changed and evolved over the years since I first started. But, it has become instrumental in landing some great opportunities. Lately, I had a desire to assist in opening a new facility. I have never been apart of a project like this except for my own Family Child Care Program. However, I was confident my teaching abilities, background, and love for children would give me a great competitive edge. Here's where my portfolio pushed me right over the top. I updated my portfolio and made a few minor adjustments. On the day I was to meet with the director, I boldly placed my portfolio on the table and thumbed through it as we chatted over the outlook of the program. Towards the end, we discussed Iters and Ecers and I pulled out my latest scores to merely give her an example of what they would be looking for in a program:) Before I left, I was shown around the building and classrooms. She called me on my drive home to tell me how happy she was to meet me. I was certain I was to be apart of this project!

My portfolio is a small notebook with already attached clear sleeves for top-loading papers. It was less than $6 at Office Depot.

Here's what I have in my portfolio:
-My updated resume (so copies can be made from it if needed)
-A page of references (professional & personal)
-My State of Florida Education Certificates
-My CPR and First Aid cards
-Pages from Early Childhood magazines I've been featured in
-Copies of my latest lesson plans
-Copies of my latest classroom newsletter
-Cards/notes/letters from parents
-Recent Evaluations/Scores

And it begans...

There is a tingling sensation in your stomach when you start something new. I guess you can call it butterflies? Although, I have blogged before today will be the first day I am blogging about my love. I am currently a Preschool Teacher. My favorite parts of the day are Circle Time and Learning Centers. During Circle Time I'm able to tell stories, sing songs, do fingerplays and teach! During my Learning Centers I tend to go all out creating Learning Centers that mimick real life situations. I've built a McDonalds, a Publix, and even a Doctors office in one of my centers. It is such a joy to see the children go in and imitate real life situations. Come journey with me, and be apart of the growth of Centers and Circle Time as it unfolds into a masterpiece.