My little "Pumpkin Carvers"

We had such an AMAZING day today! My husband Ben came by the classroom today and spent the whole afternoon with us. He brought us a fall pumpkin and helped carve it for the kiddies! :) They all got to reach in and touch the "goo" after Ben cut the top off. They LOVED IT! He also let each of them take a turn scooping out the inside goodies which totally had them ALL kinds of excited. After we voted on the "look"....Ben carved it for us and then I had each of my babies sign their name because they all took part in the carving. I sent them all home with a seed from our pumpkin and a little poem that talked about planting a pumpkin seed. Tomorrow we are going to EAT pumpkin seeds (the sunflower-like ones!) :) I am SO thankful to have such a supportive husband. He is SUCH a great guy and my babies absolutely LOVE him! I think I might actually have some competition.... lol. "Mrs. Dodge, your husband is SO handsome!" :) I LOVE IT!!!!!

Welcome Jackson!

We added a new addition to our classroom today! I went down to check my box this morning and had a package from Aunt Vikki and AnnE! I was SO excited!!! I opened it up and there was the cutest little frog...with the CUTEST letter. I couldn't wait to show it to the kids and read the letter to them. After breakfast this morning as we gathered at circle time I told them that the class got something in the mail. They had a FIT when they saw it and it was absolutely necessary that we IMMEDIATELY give it a name! We took a vote after the class gave some suggestions and......JACKSON it is! We took a picture to thank her. She really is the best! Love you Aunt V and AnnE! :)

FOUR WEEKS IN....

And I am SO ready for a vacation!!!! I LOVE my job and ADORE my kids...but I'm ready for a break! :) We are supposed to be getting "lead money" from the state (money they give to us as a reimbursement to cover out of pocket expenses in our classroom).....and I think that it will do wonderfully placed in Mrs. Dodge's VACA fund! Where should I go?? Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated! I just want to get away for the weekend....leave on Friday afternoon and come back Sunday afternoon. Hook a sister up! But seriously....I love teaching more than I ever really expected to. My kids are wonderful...fantastic babies. AND might I add...we had our first day of EVERYONE being on GREEN!!! YAY!!!!! I was so proud of them! :)

We did it!

We completed our first week of kindergarten!!!! It was definately a LONG week...with MANY ups and downs...but we did it! What do you want to hear first...the good or the bad? Let's start with the GOOD! :)

1) I have an entire class full of SWEETIES! All 20 of them!
2) We didn't have any SERIOUS behavior issues.
3) I have met many of my parents and have a pretty supportive group.
4) Kids say the DARNDEST things! :) I'm still laughing at them!
5) We have already finished up all of our placement tests...thanks to my AMAZING assistant!

Now for the bad.....

1) I ended up in the principal's office on day 1
2) I received a note from a mother on day 2 wondering "Why I MADE her child walk around all day with his shoes untied?" WHAT?!?!?!?!
3) We had our first potty accident on day 3....FUN! :)
4) I ended up in the assistant principal's office on day 4....thanks to the same mom! (Grin and bear it!)
5) We had our first real accident on day 5 (with blood and my first 'accident report!')....AND let me add that the reason for the accident was the "shoe lace boy"!
6) Another run in with the shoe lace mom on day 5! "Isn't it CONVENIENT that my child get's his card pulled the day AFTER I come down and talk to Mrs. Williams about you?" Hmmm....it didn't have ANYTHING to do with the fact that he was running around in my classroom....AGAINST the rules...and caused a little girl to bleed!!!!! What?!?!?!?!? Not going there....

Anyways...despite all of the 'bad'....the 'good definately helped me overcome this week! Let's see....a few of the sayings that cracked me up:

"Mrs. Dodge, I can speak Spanish because I'm Catholic!"
"Yeah, like when I go with my mom to the store for her beer!"
"Mrs. Dodge, I love you so much!"
"Yeah, well...I don't care! I'm not going to get into trouble!"
"Mrs. Dodge, you are so pretty."
"Mrs. Dodge, I have to go poop really bad."
"What the hell?"
"Mrs. Dodge, my mommy says that she read in all of the papers that you sent home the other day that you will spank us if we don't listen."

:) I know that there are more...but these are just some of the ones that have stuck out. Some of them are just funny...and others...they just make me feel good! :)

Bring on week 2!

"Official" FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!!!!!

FINALLY, I was able to have my WHOLE class together for our "first day of kindergarten". As I blogged earlier...Fay screwed up my "stagger start" last week during our first week...and we were only able to go to school on Monday...with only the first 5 kids in my class. Well, today I had 'em all! And BOY WAS IT FUN! ;) I ended up with 21 kids in my class!!!!! That is a whole MESS of five year-olds! They were a lot of fun though. It was a pretty rough day......between getting to know each other, leaving our mommies and daddies for "big school", not getting a nap like they were used to, eating at a set time, getting to know our rules and procedures, and then there's the bus thing....we're not EVEN going to go there! Oh...and did I mention the fact that I ended up in the Principal's office at the end of the day!!!!! LONG STORY!!!! To sum it up...I sent a bus rider to car line and they never got picked up (obviously!)....so we had to call mom (which was frantic at the bus stop wondering why her baby didn't get off the bus!!!!) But we made it through! Ahhh.....I have to keep telling myself to BREATHE!!!! :) I have got myself all situated tomorrow....because I am NOT going back to that office again! lol.

They really are a great group of kids though. I am totally looking forward to getting to know them all and loving them to no end! They had fun today....despite Mrs. Dodge's blunders! :) Hahaha.......

Let's see how tomorrow goes! :)

He's getting OLD!!!!!

Well, maybe not OLD... but STILL! My little brother..or not so little anymore I suppose....turned 20 today! Josh has grown up so much and it almost brings a tear to my eye...ALMOST! :) We had lunch this afternoon at Outback and it was YUMMY! They sang to him and all...and of course he was eating up the fact that our server was totally giving him the eye! He cracks me up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!!!

Rain...Rain...GO AWAY!!!!

I have always been the type that REALLY enjoys a good thunderstorm and rain.....but I am SERIOUSLY over this storm! I have had 4 days off this week and haven't even been able to go shopping!!!!!! :( I have become REALLY connected to my couch.....I think that I've reached novice couch potato status. I am looking forward to some SUNSHINE!

First day of KINDERGARTEN!

SO...today was my first day TEACHING! It was a WONDERFUL day.....and of course CRAZY!!!!!! :) I could've used a LOT more time. It went by so fast. In Marion County we do what they call "Stagger Start" in kindergarten. Each class is broken up into thirds and the first third comes on Monday, the second on Tuesday, and the third on Wednesday. THEN...on Thursday we get them ALL! It sounds like a really great idea...and it made today SO nice....but now we are having "Hurricane Days" tomorrow AND Wednesday!!!!! This means that I got to meet 5 of my kids today....and got to know them VERY well.....and now I'm not going to get this special time with the rest of my class. :( That makes me so sad! SO...the next time I go in...I'll have my ENTIRE class! I'm excited...but it just stinks that I won't be able to have that time with them like the others. Ahhh...Nature. :)

However, today was FANTASTIC! I had 5 GREAT kids and absolutely NO behavior problems!!!! Now, on Thursday I'm going to be adding another 14 kids to the mix....and 14 DIFFERENT attitudes...SO it could be a different story. :) Hopefully they are ALL little angels like the first group! That would make for an AMAZING year!

Well....despite the STINKINESS of the hurricane and all, I AM looking forward to spending the next two days at home with my wonderful, amazing, INCREDIBLE husband....AND my cute, sweet, snuggly puppies!!!!!! Bring it on "FAY".....I'm ready for ya!

AHHHHH.....starting to FREAK OUT!

Oh my goodness!!!!! I start teaching TOMORROW! I am so nervous and excited and I have SO much running through my head. I am HOPING that I will be able to actually sleep tonight. Right now....it doesn't look so good.....my mind is RACING!

GOOD NIGHT!

Ready for my kiddo's on Monday!

Well...it's Friday and my room is officially READY!!!! I have worked ALL week in there and finally have it put together. I am SO proud of it and can't wait to have my kiddo's come in on Monday. Last night we had orientation and I got to meet most of them and their parents. It went better than I could have ever imagined! My kids were ANGELS and their parents were very supportive and seemed to be very interested in helping me make this year run smoothly. :) I can tell that this is going to be an AWESOME year!!!!! I am going to take this weekend to relax and SLEEP (something that I haven't been able to do lately!). I'm posting some pictures of my "final product".....so let me know what you think! I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

First day on the J-O-B!

So today was my first day at my new job! I got to meet all of my co-workers and the rest of the administration. It was a great day but went by way too fast! We had a meeting from 8-10...in the classroom from 10-11...in the library getting all of our new reading series stuff from 11-11:30....LUNCH BREAK from 11:30-1:00....and then back in the classroom from 1-3!!!! So in all I spent a whopping total of TWO HOURS and THIRTY MINUTES actually working in my room today! Now, because I am who I am....I didn't actually get out of there until 6:30...but still, how the heck are you supposed to do all this preparation in such little time??? GEEEEZZZZZZ! I did get up one of my bulletin boards and my calendar today and ended up rearranging some of my furniture AGAIN! ;) I'll post pictures tomorrow. I'm hoping to get a lot more done then....I mean, I get THREE HOURS to spend in my room tomorrow....why shouldn't I get more done?!?!?! HA! I crack myself up! :)

I hate mornings!

So Ben apparently is addicted to the Olympics (I say "apparently" because this is the first Olympics that we've seen together!) and he had me up ALL night last night watching with him. Of course, I snuck a little blogging time in too. :) I think that it was around 3:00 when we finally went to bed and around 4:00 before we went to sleep as the Olympics then followed us into the bedroom. ;) (Oh how I love my Benjamin!) Then my bestie called this morning at 9:15 and woke me up....so now what?? I can't go back to sleep!!! Do I sit here and blog and waste some time doing "Audra things" or do I go get started on those darned listening center books??? Maybe I'll just make some coffee and sit here for a while reading up on the lives of those I'm interested in. :) Yeah....that sounds nice. Have a great day!

More time in my room....

So I begged Ben to come into my classroom earlier today to help me organize my library. We spent SO much time in there again...and you can't tell a difference! :( The other day I rearranged my furniture and thought I'd post some of the most recent pictures. It really is all coming together so well. I am so happy! My plan for tomorrow is to record myself reading some books for my listening center. I'm sure purchasing them would have been much easier on me (and on the ears of my kiddos!)...but money is TIGHT and so is my time! I have ONE MORE WEEK and I'll be teaching a room full of 5 year olds! YAY!!!!!! (Again....PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!!!)

It's OFFICIAL!!!!

I'm no longer a "chilihead"!!!! And boy it feels GOOD! :) Thursday was my last night on the J-O-B. It was a little sad but super exciting!!!! I have met so many awesome people there over the past several years. Many of them I know that I WILL see again...so that made it a little easier. Now I'm in KINDERGARTEN mode! And I'm starting to freak out a little. My classroom is all set up...but I have to work on my boards, plans, parent letter, centers, PROCEDURES ( and there are a TON of them to teach these little guys!!!!!)....and the list goes on. :( Any words of encouragement or ideas would be GREATLY appreciated! :) I am enjoying this weekend of being totally "off" and go back to the grind on Monday. I have a "New Teacher Orientation" from 7:30-3:30 and I'm hoping to gain all kinds of knowledge from that! ;) Everyone PLEASE keep me in your prayers....I'm SO gonna need it!

One shift down.....THREE MORE TO GO!!!

So..I just got home from work and I'm STOKED because today was the beginning of my LAST WEEK AT CHILI'S!!!!!! I am so happy that I'm finally able to leave that place. Now don't get me wrong....it's been a GREAT place to work and I have made friends with some pretty awesome people....but It's been over 6 years and I am ready for a change! :) I started there when I was 17 and now at 23 SO much has changed in my life and I've "grown up". Anyways....again...I'm SUPER EXCITED to be ending this chapter in my life and beginning a new one. Woo Hoo!

A day with the "bestie"....

So the only thing that I love more than shopping (and my husband) is my best friend Amy! And on Friday...I had them both! We went to Orlando to go "school shopping" for clothes. I had forgotten how fun that is! :) She's a first year teacher too teaching first grade at Harbour View Elementary School. We hit the outlet mall AND the Florida Mall and had a BLAST trying things on and of course...BUYING them! I got some CRAZY deals and am SO excited about wearing them to school! :) That girl WORE ME OUT! I thought I was bad! She was up and running all over the place NON-STOP. I was ready for bed by the time I got back to Ocala. But I wouldn't have traded that day for anything.

Three out of five isn't so bad...

So....with the economy the way it is and all of the budget cuts that have taken place around the country over the past several months.... the budget for education in our great state has been DRASTICALLY decreased! They pretty much froze all teaching positions (at least in Marion County)....and reserved those spots for Full Time CERTIFIED substitutes! Long story short.... to take on one of these positions you have to be certified to teach in the state of Florida but you only make $100 a day (which might sound good...until you hear that it's only for the days that we are actually IN the classroom and can't be stretched over the course of the entire year). Also, it comes with absolutely NO benefits!!!! Really?!?!? So... 18k a year with no benefits to do all of the same things and have the exact same responsibilities as a regular teacher does?? Hmm....something just doesn't sound right there. HOWEVER, this is what I took for this fall....because it was my only option if I wanted to teach (without leaving Florida). :)

BUT......NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS! My principal called me today and informed me that she had a "regular" kindergarten position open up and that it was for ME! Surprised??? Stoked??? Shocked??? Esctatic??? EMOTIONAL??? I don't even know what word would best describe my reaction to that phone call! Holy cow....."Thank you! Thank you so much!!! You SO just made my day!!! Oh my gosh I'm so excited! Seriously...you MADE MY DAY!" I think that was about what came out of my mouth for the first minute of the conversation. :) Gosh...it still makes me want to pee my pants! lol.

So...what does this all mean to me??? I have a JOB...a real JOB! With $$$ and benefits! My husband has this plan for us..... 1) Get married 2) Graduate 3) Get a job 4) Buy a house 5) Have a baby! WELL.... #1 CHECK, #2 CHECK, #3 CHECK.....NEXT??? :) Besides teaching....I can't think of ANYTHING that would make me any happier than having a child! I am looking forward to parenthood and can't wait to start a FAMILY! YAY!!!!! My life is SO amazing!

The beginning of something BEAUTIFUL...

I recently accepted a kindergarten position at College Park Elementary School here in Ocala, FL. I am SUPER excited about having my OWN classroom and my OWN group of kiddos! I am crazy about kids and have always wanted to be a teacher. After 5 years of college....I am FINALLY stepping out on my own two feet and taking on one of the BIGGEST things in my life so far (besides marrying my hubby!). Teaching is going to be so awesome and I can tell that the staff at College Park are going to be GREAT to work with. Honestly...words just can't express how stinkin' excited I am about my career choice! I have spent most of this past week working in my room trying to get it all set up and ready to go for August 18th. AND...might I add...the room is INCREDIBLY HOT with NO AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!! Take a look at these pictures and check out how things have come along so far.....

DAY ONE...

The Room

My MESSY closet

All kinds of storage

DAY TWO...

My CLEAN closet

Now it's in my ROOM!!It's starting to come together

A little organization

DAY THREE...

My "Reading Pad"

The Listening Center

Art Center (and Centers Pocket Chart)

Computer Center

My side of the room (and ABC Whiteboard Center)

Teacher Area

My Desk

More "Mrs. Dodge Space"

MY bulletin board (and part of the word wall)

Circle Time and the front of the room

Dramatic Play Center (I LOVE puppets!)

The sink area and lots of storage

My cramped but organized closet