Ok, so it has been waaaaay too long since I have posted! I have been so busy trying to get my new class room set up, but am having trouble due to lack of funds. I am starting up new classes and am working on posters, flashcards and other materials that I will be needing. Without a laminating machine however, nothing is getting finished. I am also still waiting on a white board, which I am sure you understand the importance of. All in all though I am super happy in my new space. It is a place to call my own to arrange as I see fit. I haven't posted any pics as of yet because my rooms are completely bare other than my tables, chairs and shelves, which are nothing fancy. I guess I shouldn't wait any longer though, I should just post pics as is and let them serve as my before pics. That is my next goal, to take pics and get them posted. I am so inspired by all the wonderful teaching blogs out there and have some really wonderful ideas about what I want in my classroom and how I want it to look. Now it is just a matter of budget and initiative. I had better go get busy!

My first class...

I was supposed to have class on Monday but so many things came up and I wasn't able to get the class ready in time so I had to cancel. On Wednesday My tables, chairs and bookcase were delivered a couple of hours before class began. I ran around getting things set up for class and managed to be ready on time but the place wasn't very comfortable since I hadn't had time to give it a good scrub. So many little things still missing and I am sure it will take me a while to get everything how I want it but it is a functioning class and for that I am grateful. Now it is a matter of slowly acquiring all the things I will need to make my classroom into what I know it can be. Let the fun begin...

I've got the keys!

I've finally done it. I have paid the deposit and gotten the keys to my new classroom! I am ready to get settled in. Tomorrow I buy the last minute things I need and then head to the class to set up. I am so excited. I look forward to all the fun my students and I will have learning in our new class.

Time to move...

The time to move has come. Today is Thursday, I have one last class in the old classroom on Saturday. Saturday night I get the keys to the new classroom and I have only Sunday to set up because Monday I have classes in the new classroom!
I am very excited! My very first place to call my own! My kids are excited and so are my students. I hope I don't disappoint!
I still have to do some shopping to get a nice whiteboard and all the stationary I will need as well as many other things needed in a new place. These next few days are going to be pretty busy but I look forward to it.
Let the shopping commence!

To theme or not to theme, that is the question...

For months I have been thinking up themes for my classroom. I have been surfing the net for hours on end looking for inspiration and decorating ideas. I have found so many cute theme ideas to choose from. A few of my favorites are garden, fairy tale, jungle and candyland. I came really close to deciding on the jungle theme but in the end decided against it. I decided to go with no theme at all and here is why. First of all I find that no matter how great your theme is, it gets boring after a while and I don't want to go all out buying everything to match my theme only to have to change it next year. The other reason behind my decision not to go with a theme is the fact that I am a perfectionist with an addictive personality. If I went with a theme I would have to go all the way and any little thing that I needed but couldn't get to fit in with my theme would drive me nuts! So there it is, no theme for me. Now I just have to work on making my class as inviting and interesting as possible without a theme to help me. I am up to the challenge look forward to trying to out do myself. Time will tell if I can pull it off...

Finally found it!

After many months of debating what kind of place and where I should rent for my classroom, I have finally found it!
I had hoped to rent a shop lot in a commercial area so that my class would be convenient for the parents. The problem I faced in a shop lot was the high cost of renovation. The shop lot is just one big open area, so I would either have to pay to partition it off or pay the high cost of cooling the entire area to use only a quarter of it for a class. Then there is the cement floor that would have to be dealt with somehow. Carpet, tile and laminate flooring are all very pricey for a place that size and painting the floor is extremely unattractive. There was also the security problem where I would have to install some kind of CCTV to see who was at the door before opening it.
After debating all my options and weighing the pros and cons numerous times, I finally decided to rent a house. That seemed the best choice as it settled all the major problems posed by the other option. In a house there are rooms so there is no need for partitions and each room can be cooled individually as it needs to be used, thus saving a lot of money. The floors are already tiled so there is no cost for me there. There are also grills on the windows for safety and I can see right out the window who is there before opening the door. All problems solved. The only problem I was worried about being in a house is the inconvenience for the parents but I later found out that almost half of my students live in that area anyway. I just hope that I am valuable enough that the others will choose to stay with me anyway. I really love each of my students and don't want to lose a single one!
As for the house that I chose, I think it is great! It is a brand new single story semi detached house with 3 bedrooms. It will be just perfect for what I need it for. There will be a classroom, a reading room and a little office for me to prepare my lessons and do all my printing. I think it is exactly what I was looking for. Now it is just a matter of getting the deposit payed, getting the keys, and getting set up,and I have a whole week to do it! I had better get to it. Will post pictures as I go...

Wish me luck!

I have big plans for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day I plan to go go classroom hunting. With Only 10 days to go there is no time to spare. I know exactly what I am looking for and where to find it. The only question is will it be priced right?
I am on a very tight budget right now so my classroom will probably be quite bare for a while. That's not a big problem though because I have all the time in the world to improve upon it slowly. Part of the fun that I am anticipating is the decorating and personalizing my space and making it the most inviting place possible for my own children as well as my students. I look forward to getting started and to sharing my journey with you. Wish me luck!

Inspiration!!!

I may as of yet still have no classroom. Yes, I know I have less than two weeks to set it up and yes, I am starting to panic...no need to remind me. I am however, using my time to gather inspiration.
I am scouring the net for images of what I want my class to be like and ideas from teachers who have gone through this process already. I am getting very excited! I can picture my classroom in my mind. I am virtually creating my library, though hopefully it won't remain virtual for long! I am making too so many list that I need another list just to keep track of them all. Lists of What I need to buy, lists of what I need to do, lists of contacts, list of new kids that may start soon just to name a few.
I look forward to being able to post pictures of my classroom and share my stories and maybe be an inspiration to another teacher in my position!
Hopefully with all this preparation, once I get my classroom everything will fall right into place in no time at all. HOPEFULLY! Pray for me!

No News Yet

Well I am no closer to knowing where I will be teaching next month than I was the other day. I am however, staying positive and hoping things will work out for the best. My students' wonderful parents have joined in the search for a good location so hopefully the right place will come along soon. If however, the right place doesn't come along in time I do have a temporary plan B and plan C to fall back on.
I really hope it doesn't come to that though because I don't look forward to moving around from place to place and I am sure my students don't either.
I am looking forward to finally having a class to call my own and I can't wait to put all the personal touches in place. The first thing I plan to hang in my class is a picture drawn for me by a very special student of mine. Yuan Yuan is not only a good student but he draws really cute pictures too! (The picture had to be scanned 1/2 at a time because it is too big to fit on my scanner)

How it all began...

It all started in the middle of December 2010 when my husband and I decided it was time for a big change. Things weren't going well in K.L. and we decided to move our family to another city to start over. We were thinking of moving to J.B. since most of my husband's family are in Johore and it is a big city, which is what I was looking for. Due to a few things that happened while we were trying to decide we ended up choosing to move to Seremban 2.
Seremban 2 is not a big city nor in fact really even a city at all but it seemed like a good place for our family. Being American, I was worried that there would be no other westerners in Seremban but my husband assured me that I couldn't be more wrong. I still complained many times though that I was sure that I wouldn't find any "Matsallehs" or westerners in Seremban.
To my surprise on the first day of school when I went to pick up my sons, what did I see but a fair haired light skinned "Matsalleh" lady. Not wanting to miss my chance I immediately went up to her and introduced myself. She was kind enough to invite me to her home and introduce me to a couple more ladies and within less than a month living in Seremban I had a wonderful group of friends! These amazing ladies and our coffee mornings are definitely keeping me sane after leaving everyone and everything i was used to in K.L. Thanks ladies!
It was during one of these life saving coffee mornings that I got to talking more with Ann (one of my terrific new friends) and found out that she was actually teaching English in a little center close to my house. When I told her that I had taught kindergarten English for a while in Saudi Arabia before I moved to Malaysia and again for a while in K.L. She asked if I was interested in starting up some beginning English classes with her. Many parents had been asking her about classes for little ones but Ann didn't have the time with all her higher level classes.
Of course I was interested, I love working with kids and so a couple of weeks later I started my first class. Soon I added 3 more classes. That's where I am now, with Ann and my 4 little classes having the time of my life. The only problem is that Ann will be leaving in less than a month and since her contract is up, the center will go to someone else.
With less than a month I am faced with the challenge of setting up my own center or losing my classes and all of my wonderful students. I need to rent a place, renovate it, and buy books and furniture. That's where this blog comes in. I want document my journey from the beginning and see how far it takes me.Wish me luck!