Faces I love...

My Sugarbear, Ron...
My Dad...
My Mom...My oldest son Ryan...

My youngest son Scott...

Son-in-law Ed...

Oldest daughter Rebecca...

Son-in-law Gerson...
Youngest daughter Leslie...
Grandson Seth...
Granddaughter Maggie...
Granddaughter Sophie...I am blessed.

Back to school again...

Another school year is about to start. I am teaching in second grade again this year. I will have the dyslexic students in my class again. Hopefully, now that I have actually attended the dyslexia conference, I will be able to better meet their needs.

Here is a quick picture tour of my classroom.

This is the view of the room as you enter the classroom. I use tables with seat sacks as opposed to desks. I have found that missing assignments are no longer a problem because there is nowhere for the papers to get lost! The usual number of students in my class each year is around 20 - 21.

Moving on around the room, this is the view from the corner near the guided reading table. You can see the student cubbies, mail box and student tables.

This is my guided reading area where I do most of my small group instruction. I don't have a teacher's desk. I found that I never sat at the thing and it ended up being a dump zone.
This is the math center. The drawers will contain separate activities/assignments. Materials for math activities are kept in the two shelves to the right.
These are the tubs for my literacy centers. Students work in small groups on assignments that cover anything from word work to comprehension skills. I also include center activities that review science and social studies lessons. The tubs are taken to the tables and worked on while I do small group instruction.
Here are the student mailboxes and the center folder storage boxes. As the activities in the center tubs are finished, the students file them inside their folders. At the end of the week they turn in the folders and I grade them in time to be "mailed" home the following Thursday.
This is my shared reading area and where the class gathers for most whole group instruction.
This is the classroom library from the outside...
Inside view of the classroom library...

And another view of the classroom library.
So, this is where I spend the majority of my time from August until June.

Uncle Eddie...

My oldest daughter, Rebecca, has been married to Edward Joseph Castello for 10 years now. They were married on Grandma Shirley's birthday, and I think Becca did that on purpose so that her forgetful mother wouldn't forget her anniversary.

If I had to pick a husband for Rebecca, it would have been Ed. He is the perfect match for Becca because he seems to be her polar match in all areas. They compliment each other so well.

Ed works overseas; coming home every 6 months or so for some time with the family. He recently got home and we went up for a potluck dinner and some swim time.

Becca does such a wonderful job of holding down the fort while Ed is away. She sometimes takes on some pretty big challenges, just to make Ed happy. She oversaw the entire construction of their house, starting with drawing up the floor plans and purchasing the property. Another of the things she did, was put in an above ground pool. And I do mean, SHE put it in. She had some help, but most of the hard construction work was taken care of by Becca. She is an amazingly independent woman and I am very proud of her.

Miss Maggie Lyn LOVES Uncle Eddie! While we were visiting, Maggie played in the pool with her "favorite uncle" and kept asking for doughnuts. I couldn't figure out why, until Becca told me it was because of the tattoo on Ed's stomach. It is of the words, Fat Boy and the o in boy is a doughnut. Crazy Maggie!

Sophie is at that age where she is still a little stand-offish. Is that actually a word? Anyway, she enjoyed watching the other kids play with Ed and Becca in the pool. She finally got in once her Dad decided to swim.

But, the person that enjoys having Ed home the MOST, is Seth. He is the spitting image of his dad and I love watching them interact. He is especially excited that Dad will be home for Meet the Teacher night, and the beginning of football season. Isn't that the face of a happy little boy?

We all know how hard it is for anyone to find a descent paying job in this economy. I know that the time Ed is working overseas is not easy for anyone in Becca's little family. We all hope that this will be the last year that Ed works overseas.