The beginning of the school year is nearing. As teachers we need to become prepared. I found a great website that has printable sight words for the students. You can print them out and laminate them for durability. The best part is, they meet the curriculum. These words are the very same words I noticed in the reading series. I don’t have to make them up, type them myself, or even think about them. Check them out and print them for yourself. We all may teach in different states or counties, but words a first grader needs to know won’t change.
Teaching is either a profession you will love or hate. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but has many rewards. With so many grades to teach you have to know what age group or subjects interest you the most. For instance, I know I would not do well in a middle school or high school setting. It’s not that I can’t be an educator for those ages, I just find the little ones to be of more interest. However, I have had friends tell me they can’t deal with the crying, accidents, and patients needed to be a primary teacher. You must find the area that interests you the most.
Here are 10 reasons why being a first grade teacher is so rewarding.
1. You go home with a sense of accomplishment. Teaching six year-olds how to read is a big deal!
2. When entering first grade, the children must move 6-7 reading levels (depending on what they are on when entering first grade) in order to move on to second grade. That responsibility is in your hands and at the end of the year when you see all they have accomplished you being to beam from ear to ear. Because of this you gain a lot of respect from other teachers and your principal.
3. The warm hugs and “You’re so pretty” never gets old!
4. It’s great practice before becoming a parent yourself.
5. Patience! It will be tested and you will see that you were more patient than you thought. You begin to see that these children are your children for 180 days of the year.
6. You form relationships with the students and their parents. You may have a rough encounter or two with a few parents, but many want to support and aid you. They want their child to succeed too.
7. You form a bond with other teachers and staff. Some of my dearest and best of friends I’ve met while teaching.
8. You receive a lot of vacation time!
9. The pay is actually pretty good for only working 180 days out of the year.
10. You are constantly learning whether you’d like to or not. Between the children teaching you things and staff meetings, you will always be using your mind. Not to mention your creative side.
As teachers we are always looking for freebies, discounts, and free items. Since school will be starting back in just a few short weeks, I was in search of some handwriting worksheets that I could print and give to the students for practice. One website I’ve always been able to trust with free worksheets is Super Teacher Worksheets. They have worksheets for both lower case and capital letters as well as numbers. If you interested in printing some of these handwriting sheets, click here.
As for the rest of the site, browse for other great items and free printables. They are organized by subject and grade. However, you must have Adobe Reader to download the pages. Happy hunting!
In some schools, the theme is chosen for you. However, many teachers are given the freedom to choose their own theme. Below are the top ten themes for elementary classrooms.
1. Safari
2. Treasure/Pirate
3. Farm
4. Fiesta
5. Busy Bees
6. Luau
7. Western
8. Sports
9. Monkey Mischief
10. Ocean
