Blog Hopping! Teacher Week 2011-2012

Some wonderful teacher bloggers are hosting "Teacher Week" starting today! Just click on their button above to link up and post about you on your blog. Today is Meet the Teacher Monday, so read on and meet me!

Tell us a little something about you...
I teach at a year round school, so I have been in session for six weeks! My little ones were so sweet at the beginning, but now the first grade comfortableness is kicking in. I have a wonderful class this year thankfully, and I am loving every minute of it. I am ready for my little break coming up in September though!

How long have you been teaching?
This is my sixth year of teaching. I started out teaching for a year in San Jose, CA. I am from Illinois though, and I came back to good old Illinois after one year teaching third grade out west. I missed my family, and it's expensive out there! When I moved back, I got a job teaching 2/3 at the school I am currently at. After 2 years of that, I moved down to first grade! Yay!

You might not know...
I am a dancer! I was on a dance team in college, and I still coach cheerleading at my school. The school I work at is kindergarten through eighth grade, so I get the best of both worlds!

What are you looking forward to this school year?
I am so excited to work with my first grade teammate for our third year of teaching. We are a great team, and we are doing wonderful things for the kids! I am also excited that we get out in May because our school is being renovated!!

What do you need to improve?
I am working on goal setting with my kids using the "Map sisters". They gave an excellent presentation at our school on the MAP test and how to use this data. Although I don't give it in first grade, all of the things the presented applied. Just good DDI Teacher if you want to look into this!

Also, I am working on differentiating math more. We have a good start with our pretests, now I am working on tubs/games/etc.

What teaching supplies can you not live without?
I am lost without my laptop!!!! Also post it notes, painting tape ( it does not get too sticky ), flair pens, plastic sleeves, a laminator, diet coke (that's a supply right?) and lots of pencils and erasers!!!!!

Click the link above, link up, and post!!!