Blog Debut

It's the weekend before the 5th year of my teaching career begins and I am finally starting a blog. I've been debating this decision for quite a while now, mostly because I'm not sure if anyone will even be interested in what I have to say. But after spending endless hours on Dual Language blogs this summer I decided, why not? Now that I've taught in a DL classroom for a few years I would love to build a community  and share with others what I've learned and continue to learn.

The past 4 years have a been a whirlwind of tears, laughter and non-stop nights of caring and love for my students. There were many days when I beat myself up for this decision to become a teacher. But at the end of whatever day it was I always felt the same- this was the best decision I ever made. Now, thinking back on the "dual language" part of teaching and I still get butterflies in my tummy. Completely cheesy, I know. But if you are crazy about language acquisition then you get me. This is my third year teaching in a dual language setting and let me tell you, teaching has never been this hard. The payout of course comes at the end of the year when I hear my little first graders talking completely in Spanish- but it takes quite a while and a lot of hard work to get there. Don't get me wrong- I believe that teaching in general is very difficult, but teaching students completely in Spanish has had its own challenges.

Back to reason behind this blog... I love reading other blogs. I'm guilty of staying up way too late on school nights because I've found someone who is living the same life I am and who truly understands my day to day living. I love reading about those dreaded first years of teaching and how difficult they are- because like many others out there I also have overcome them and I'm that much better for it. But what I love the most is reading about these teachers' lives and their never ending need to grow and learn. I started the Daily 5 and CAFE last year in my Dual Language 1st grade class and that was what lead me to many of these blogs. It was refreshing to read about other people experiencing the same difficulties and to see how they solved their problems. That is why, as nervous as I am to take this journey, I want to share with others my day to day teaching life.

 I always remember people sharing with me in college that most teachers stop teaching within their first 5 years of teaching. That time frame seemed so far away, and yet here I am starting my 5th year on Monday. Eekk! (no daily 5 reference intended) I cannot wait to see what this year brings and how I will be challenged. The anxiety has already begun but after meeting my little ones this past Thursday I got that "bring it on" feeling again. This part of the year is what I love the most- the part when you dream about all of the good things to come. People say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...ok,ok getting sidetracked now.

Welcome to Señora Plata's classroom!

This of course is the "before" look. My blank canvas. 

One view of the finished product.

A view of the couch.

Cute sign for meet the teacher night. 

I will take more pictures tomorrow (because of course I will need to go in on a Sunday to make sure everything is ready for Monday). Thanks for reading!