Upcoming Events

We are already in the second nine-weeks of school, and we are making very good progress in kindergarten.  We have introduced all of the color words and have learned an additional ten sight words which are now posted on our word wall.  Many of the kindergarten children already can identify all of the capital and lower case letters as well as letter sounds.  Because of this progress, some of them are learning to read from our early readers.
In Math, we have introduced numbers 1-10 and have discussed groups with more/less/equal to amounts.  Each day, we spend about fifteen minutes working at Math stations so that we can use manipulatives to reinforce the concepts we have learned.  The children look forward to these stations every day.  We often get comments about how much they love school.
We finished our unit on pumpkins and will be beginning a unit on transportation.  We will read books about transportation, graph the way we get to school, and write stories about various types of transportation.
We just completed parent-teacher conferences and these were a big success.  We had a great turn-out.  Thanks to all parents who have been such a support this year!

Technology Integration

Colleagues can be encouraged to engage in ongoing technology development  by sharing some of the technology that we have been learning about in class.  They would all be interested in learning about webquest in order to develop lessons for the classroom.  For example, our school is unable to visit the pumpkin patch this year because of lack of funds.  Webquest would enable us to have students watch videos of the pumpkin patch.  They would also be interested in seeing the website I've been working on.  However, as we discussed in class, this may be technology that is no longer necessary.
Most teachers are up-to-date with technology, and many of them are working on Masters's degrees through online programs.  They too, would probably have good technology ideas to share.

Concerns about technology

There are several concerns I have with the use of internet technologies in teaching.  First, I feel it is difficult for students to be able to collaborate face-to face and get the necessary help they might need.  True, students can collaborate online, but I don't feel that method is as quick and efficient.

It can be difficult for teachers to give students the immediate feedback they might need because teachers may have an unusually large number of students in online classes.  Also, there is not much opportunity for "quick-checks." 

Students may have trouble with their computers and may not be close enough to a teacher to get the support they need.  It is much easier to complete assignments when an instructor is nearby to assist.  Problems can receive immediate attention when necessary.

There can be an unusually large amount of written material that students need to contend with.  This would  not be the best situation for all types of learners.  Perhaps these difficulties could be alleviated somewhat with watching a class by video or skyping with classmates.

In some school districts, learners may not have access to the technology they need in order to participate in online education.  In that situation, there would not be much of a solution other than waiting for better resources to become available.

Software applications

In kindergarten, we use E-Math videos in our lessons each day to prepare students for the upcoming lesson.  These are typically fun, cartoon-type clips, meant to engage and entertain kids.  We also have games that come with our reading series which can be used during station time.  Students also really enjoy the site, http://www.starfall.com/  This helps to reinforce letters and sounds. 

I would like to become more proficient at using Microsoft Office.  This would be very useful for writing parent newsletters.  I would also like to develop a blog website with pictures that would be more informative for parents.  I would need to make sure that I first had permission from parents to post pictures.

I plan to spend some time working on various ways to format a newsletter, and working on contacting parents to get permission to post children's pictures on a blog.  Feedback from parents two years ago indicated that parents wanted more information from the school.  I feel these goals would help meet the needs of our families better.

A week in kindergarten

     Hello- This has been an exciting week at school.  I have 25 kindergarten children who are working very hard to learn school procedures.  We find we need a  lot of repetition and practice!  However, things are going much more smoothly than they did at the beginning of the school year.

     We planned many activities around the theme of "apples."  We read apple stories, made apple counting graphs, and observed apples during Science time.  We worked in our "apple" journals as we measured and counted apples, and recorded observations.  We can't wait to start our "pumpkin" unit.

     We have been working on learning numbers 0-10 (counting and number recognition).  We have been learning number songs and poems, and working with plenty of manipulatives- especially apple counters!  We really enjoy reading number books while we illustrate the story with magnetic counters.  The children also enjoy acting-out such stories as "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed."  Math is  a good time to count/eat our various snacks such as Goldfish crackers.

    

    

About Me

Hi- I am a Kindergarten teacher at Fairfield Elementary School.  I have been a teacher for 18 years, and have really enjoyed my time spent with Fort Wayne Community Schools.

Before moving to Indiana in 2008, I taught Head Start, kindergarten, and first grade in Virginia Public Schools.  I received my degree from Longwood University in Elementary Education.

Prior to teaching with Fort Wayne Community Schools, I was a kindergarten teacher for Indianapolis Public Schools.  Although I enjoyed my time spent there, I moved to the Fort Wayne area in order to be closer to family.

I have one daughter who is 18 years old, and she is attending Ball State University.   Her name is Lauren.  My husbands's name is Christopher, and we enjoy traveling, working outside, and spending time with family.  I have a sister who lives in Columbia City, IN.  I enjoy spending time with her four children, my two nieces, Rebecca and Caroline, and two nephews, Matthew and Steven.

I love working with children, and look forward to a successful school year.