The most wonderful time of the year

For a photographer that is. This is the scenery all around me, and tonight after Joey's bath we went outside on our front deck and watched the Northern Lights dance above our heads.

My preschool classroom

I sit here, knowing that I SHOULD blog, but I don't know what to blog about. Well, that's not true. There are many things that I want to write about, but because of the nature of this public forum and the fact that anyone can read this stops me. I am having a personal moral dilemna right now. I am, for the first time in a VERY long time, alienated from members of my family. It bothers me, but because of the details around it there is no easy solution for this, and I fear that this is something that can never be resolved. Sitting in church this morning, the priest talked about forgiveness, and the importance of letting anger and hurt go and to forgive those who have wronged you and asking for forgivess of those you have wronged. It really got me thinking about my current situation. But again, I'm not one to air my "dirty laundry" on the blog, this is not why I started it in the first place. At times I am soo tempted to start another "anonymous" blog, so I can really write what I want without fear of making a very bad situation worse.

With that being said, I promised you a post about my classroom. I have changed my classroom this year, with the emphasis of making it as homey and comfortable as possible. Take a look.

The desk that Rob built for me with plugs. Initially it was for computers but since I am teaching 3 year olds I switched them out for light brights and puzzles.

Our quiet reading / circle time / fine motor skills area. Yes, that is a FULL size couch. This is a work in progress. The bare walls behind the couch will be filled with framed pictures of the kids. I have a whole basket of frames that I have been collecting that I will be filling as the year goes.

Our latest addition, thanks to the school division. A light table!

Our loft. The bottom is a walk in area that I have set up with cars / blocks/ ramps and the upstairs is a mini living room with books. On top of the little shelf are puppets. I put the shelf on an angle hoping they would use it for a puppet stage and they do!!

Joe's first letter

As you know from the past, when I get a call from a teacher about something that happened in school, I have always made Colby write an apology letter to his teacher. Well today, I got a call from Joe's teacher (who happens to be a colleague of mine). She said that Joe took off on her after school without waiting for his brother. Normally he has to wait for his brother after school and they walk across the street to meet me at the preschool to head home. I always get Joe to wait for Colby to cross the street with him because it is very busy at that time of the day with parents picking up their kids, buses coming and going, etc. So, in true form after Joe and I talked about the importance of waiting for Colby, we wrote an apology note. As much as I want to ask her for it back, I'm sure as a teacher she's going to want to keep it herself.

Very seriously writing his letter. I wrote the letters and he copied it.

Translation (and if you look closely you can see it). I'm sorry. From Joe.

Scaffolding!

Just cause i am a geek, and if you are laughing this is for you.