Up and At 'Em!

I am up early and want to go in by 6:30 or so when the building opens. I am most productive in the morning, so I think I can get everything together by that time. I feel rushed and overwhelmed right now, but once I get into real content, maybe that will subside!
I have a block that is really testing me. They are ok the first hour, but go nuts after they are in a little while. I now sympathize more with the 2 hour teachers from last year now!I really do believe that it has to do with them being in one place for 2 whole hours!
Social studies is still not my thing and it is kind of tough to get both taught in such a small window of time to be honest. I wonder if I would make the same decision if I had known that this would be my school year. I don't know what the future brings, but hopefully, I get into the groove.

WHEW! Two weeks down!

I have finished the first two weeks of school! It has been a real learning experience and adventure for me to say the least. I am starting to get into the swing of things, but the time is killing me. One class is really testing me and trying to see how far they can push things, but as all teachers know, there is always one. There are like 35 kids in it and quite a few with behavior plans and exceptionalities that deal with behavior as their disability. The students will be shuffled a little so hopefully that will alleviate some of the behavior issues.

I am trying to get used to working with block schedules. I tend to overextend my science lessons and then run out of time on my social studies. (And we all know SCIENCE IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT ANYWAY!) I am getting both in though. It is weird that the kids take so long to do things. I am thinking I may be expecting just a little too much from them, but they will give what I expect, so I am keeping my expectations pretty high! Hopefully that will be a positive thing that won't come back and bite me on the ass....we shall see!

Second Day of School

It is the second day of school and I came home feeling pretty good about things. I like everything but 1 thing about the new school.....THE TIME! The people are amazing and the students are outstanding. The actually respond to you when you speak to them and overall, they want to do well even if their best is not an A. If corrected, they actually do what is asked. I have not raised my voice nor have I had to issue any harsh consequences. I feel good about things and will do my best to be sure that I keep it that way. There is no negative aura about people so they are not going to be the ones to allow me to be pessimistic or unhappy. They are supportive and care about each other. I think I may be home again!

I am still a little unsure about history. I tried to validate studying history with my kids and talk about what history is and why we study it. I was a little shocked to know that none of my students really knew and understood what the holocaust was. They knew about slavery, but didn't realize that in some countries this still happens. They knew about 9/11 but did not realize why it was important. They were able to tell me about US things. Hopefully, I can open their eyes to the entire world. While trying to validate studying history, I think I also validated it for myself. As many people know, I am NOT NOT NOT a history person so this was a tough task for me. I think that with all this in mind, I will be able to make it great!! More later!

School Starts Monday

School starts Monday and I am no where near having my classroom finished. I went in and did some work a few days, especially today! It was pretty hot and I just couldn't stay too long. All that lifting and moving of things gave me a back ache and I didn't want to pull anything before school starts back! I have a lot of ideas of things I want to do and know the things I need to do...I just need to DO! I want to go back today, but I don't know if I will. I will call tomorrow to get in the building at least tomorrow and get those things I need to get done before the kids come done.

I felt like an idiot when I went to hook up my Promethean Board! I used to know how to do all that but it just didn't happen. The wires weren't like the way I used to bag my wires and the hook ups were slightly different so I just put that on hold....I'm going to...(GASP) ASK FOR HELP! Maybe I can get it going by then!

I still haven't felt like I am at home yet! All of the staff and people who I have met are wonderful and very welcoming. I guess I was set in one place so long that it is hard to come to grips with starting over. I guess I can try to be myself and be at ease...who KNOWS!