Inspiration!

Inspiration from a recent conference.  If you are in Connecticut, the Seedlings Teacher Collaborative is a wonderful organization worth checking out for professional development and support. 

Tweet!

While I am already pretty adept at locating inspiration on the internet via amazing teacher/classroom blogs, utilizing Twitter as a resource is something at which I am less skilled. I've consulted an expert, populated my twitter-sphere with interesting educator types, and set up my HootSuite account. I'm learning which hashtags to follow and use and we'll see! I'm excited to connect with educators worldwide.  Just tonight, through Twitter, I discovered Renee Dinnerstein and her excellent blog: Investigating Choice Time: Inquiry, Exploration, and Play.

Thank you for that, @maryannesacco!  Oh, and of course, if you are interested, you can find me here: @aimeebogush.

Let's get physical...

Another way I'm prepping for my return to the early childhood classroom this fall is by getting moving.  You've heard of those "Couch to 5K" programs?  We'll I'm conducting my own "Office Chair to K-classroom" program: yoga for flexibility (and the numerous 'off the mat' benefits), T-Tapp for strengthening my core to protect my back, and a little cardio to get the blood flowing.

Professional Reading List #2

More early education books I have been reading in preparation for returning to the classroom include:

• A Guide to Discipline by Jeannette Galambos Stone
• Emergent Curriculum by Elizabeth Jones and John Nimmo
• The World According to Mister Rogers, Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs by Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp
• The Living Classroom, Writing, Reading, and Beyond by David Armington
• The Intentional Teacher, Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children's Learning by Ann S. Epstein

Haven't started these yet, but they are on my list and here in my pile:

• The Block Book by Elizabeth S. Hirsch
• Anti-Bias Curriculum, Tools for Empowering Young Children by Louise Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force

Professional Reading List #1

Prepping for my return to the early childhood classroom has involved hours of classroom observation, web research, and old fashioned "hitting the books" research.  These are some of the books on my current reading list:

• Literacy Beginnings, A Prekindergarten Handbook by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas
• Powerful Interactions, How to Connect with Children to Extend their Learning by Amy Laura Combro, Judy Jablon, and Charlotte Stetson
• The Learning Child by Dorothy H. Cohen
• Much More than the ABC's by Judith A. Schickedanz
• Building Classroom Community The Early Childhood Teacher's Role, Jeannette G. Stone
• The Magic Years, Understanding and Handling the Problems of Early Childhood by Selma H. Fraiberg

Oh, there are many more...I'll add them in another post.

The world needs another kindergarten teacher...

...don't you think?