Penguins, and a little pity party

I don’t have many pictures for you, since I am home on sick leave. But I do have pictures of the centers that I prepared for my sub plans when I’m gone.  I’m a bit controlling when it comes to my classroom (yes, I will admit it), I do like things a certain way, and it’s really hard for me to let go of that control when I’m gone.  I feel such a responsibility to these kids, and I want to give them 110% of me. I would want my child’s teacher to do that. We are in charge of their education, and I want them to get every thing out of kindergarten that they need and deserve. I feel like I am not giving them what they deserve if I don’t teach to my ability. 

So, it’s very difficult for me to be gone, and when my principal tells me that I need to be gone for 6 weeks (ahhhh!!!), I start to have a mini-panic attack.  No, not mini, a big stress attack.  I know that I need to take care of myself, I had a pretty major surgery, but in my mind I had only prepared to be gone for 2 weeks.  (Since that major surgery should have been a minor surgery).  Now, I need to think about how to release that control, and hope that my sub can get all the skills taught that need to be taught now.  I always said, “it’s only 2 weeks, they’ll be fine…”, but now its, “Oh man, 6 weeks…are they going to learn what they need to learn???”

I know my GF friends are probably laughing at me, and saying, Kathleen, go back and lay down, they’ll be fine!  But, if you are my friend, you also know I’m a worrier.  I worry about everything.  Yep, everything.  I’m trying not to worry, and just let go, but it’s really, really hard.  There has to be a 12 step program out there for worrying, isn’t there?

Okay, enough of the pity party, on to the pics.  Here is what my kids were doing (I hope!) for math and literacy centers this week:

Literacy Centers:

The kids went fishing for ending sounds! They are using the little lakeshore fishing poles for this activity (LOVE these!)

We’re working hard on those tricky vowel sounds!  Here they are spinning the spinner and finding a word with that medial sound, and stamping it in the correct spot.

This is a simple roll and write for beginning sounds.  Most of my kiddos have all of their beginning sounds now, but it is good practice for them, as well as handwriting practice!

Blends are brand new for us! Here they spin the spinner and write the blend in the correct column.

This is a write the room activity.  The words are mixed up, they can use the word bank for help, unscramble the word and write it in the box.

Math Centers:

Still working on those number words!  This time they don’t have the extra support of having the word on the dice. Scaffolding, right?! They can always peek up at the number line if they can’t remember the number word.

Working on addition

1:1 and counting and writing teen numbers.

Here’s a new twist on patterning:  first, they decide what their “core” pattern will look like for each row.  Then they spin the spinner to decide which core they will color next.

And the very beginning stages of subtraction.  Roll the die, color in that many fish, and write how many are left.

So, if you have any suggestions on how to let go, please, please tell me!  I’m trying to finish up my snowman and mitten unit, so please bear with me!