Mickey Mouse theme

This is the pilot year of our ESE program.  At the start of the year, we intended to offer the program for kindergarten through 6th grade this year, and begin with the secondary students (7th-12th) next year.  Well, we have grown beyond our expectations, and we began secondary services this week.  As the administrator, I have parents in and out of my office all the time.

Initially, I did not spend much time on what my office looked like.  After numerous comments on how "sterile" it looked, I began decorating.  Since I am a HUGE Disney fan, I went with Mickey Mouse.  Here are a few pics of my "Mickey" office.

The first picture is my name above my desk.  The second picture is my bulletin board.  It has a Mickey Mouse calendar.  The shelves were easy because I just bought red and white containers at the dollar store.  Very in expensive, but it keeps with the theme.

These are my white boards.  I use them for my RTI groups.  Since I have an office and not a classroom, I cannot really hang anchor charts all over the place.  This boards become anchor charts throughout the year depending on the group I am teaching.

I have a few pics and quotes hanging around my office like these.  Walt Disney had numerous quotes that are appropriate for educational settings.  He loved children, and it shows in his quotes.  I also have black and white polka dot curtains that really help round out the theme.

I refer to my office as my "Happy Place" at work.  Whenever the day is just too hard, I run and hide in my happy place.  I hope you enjoyed this little look into a Disney fan's office.  

My very first post

Welcome!!  Let me introduce myself.  I have been in the education profession for 10 years.  I went to FSU and received my bachelor's and master's degrees in special education with a focus students with emotional and behavior disturbances.  Yep, I actually chose to work in what is now called E/BD.  I worked for years as a teacher, then as lead teacher.  Eventually, I became a program specialist for the county.  

After starting a family, we (husband and I) made the decision to keep me home to raise the children.  We have three amazing kids, Simon is 8, Noah is 6 and Sasha is 4.  They are the light of my world and bring me such joy.   

I stayed home for six years, and then went back to work for a private school.  It is the best of both worlds.  All three of my children attend the school, so I get to do what I love all the while keeping a close eye on their education.  

In the world of private schools, we generally wear multiple hats.  My hats at the current time are as follows, ESE Director, Curriculum Coordinator K5-6th grade and elementary supervisor.

I love all my jobs, but my favorite is ESE director.  In our area, private christian schools do not have opportunities for ESE students.  Our school has decided to meet the needs of those students.  This is our first year doing our ESE program.  We started with just K5-6th grade this year with plans to expand into our secondary school (7th-12th grade) next year.  The demand has been so great, we are beginning the secondary portion this week.  Very exciting stuff!

So, I plan to share resources and things I am learning on the way on this blog.  I hope you enjoy!