No more kids!

Our final class picture!

Thursday night I said goodbye to my lovely Pre-Ks. I have absolutely LOVED this past year teaching. I think I only had about 5 mornings where I genuinely woke up saying "I don't want to go to work today!" I think 5 out of a whole year with 4 and 5 year olds is pretty great! Especially considering that last year by the last couple months I was saying it every morning as I dragged myself to work. I'm VERY much looking forward to actually returning to the same school for a second year. That has never happened to me in my teaching career. I'm thrilled to have finally found a school that I want to stay at. As per usual though, there is another change in my future. Though it is not 100% yet, more than likely I will be teaching a blended classroom next year. I will have 6 or 7 "typical" kids (is there such a thing? hehe) and 6 or 7 hearing impaired kids. I will also be co-teaching with a hearing impaired teacher (she's not hearing impaired, she's just taught H.I. kids before). I'm part excited, part scared to death. This will be a change. Co-teaching!? STRESSFUL!!! I'm not looking forward to that part. We'll plan lessons together, which on the surface sounds great... but the thing is, I'm not a great lesson planner... Well... I actually write great lesson plans - when I write them!! And half the time I do write them, I rarely follow exactly what is written on them. Co-teaching changes that up a bit... I will have more accountability to adhere to the lessons and the schedule. So yeah, that scares me. BUT, I am also excited at the chance to learn some sign language, and try something new! There will be 3 adults in the classroom now, which will help out A LOT since it is a HUGE classroom. Hopefully by adding another body, the kids will be monitored better. Plus, they only want to have 12 kids in the class total, and with 3 teachers, that gives a 1/4 teacher/child ratio, which is the same as I had this year and LOVED! So... I am praying that whoever they hire for the H.I. job will be a perfect match for Ms. Hayes and I. Three women in one room has potential for disaster, but I know God has a plan and I trust Him! :)