1st week
What I don't like: not knowing stuff. Like, you need a basket to take down the lunches, and leave early for instrumental so they have time to set up, and what the needed school supplies are, let alone the ones I'm supposed to have them use in my class. Computer logins. What to keep in their desks and what to keep in the lockers. How to get anything done when someone needs to talk to me about something every spare second of the day. How to collect school fees the correct way. But those are little things and they'll get better with some time.
What I love: the kids. They are funny, they are curious, they are helpful, and they are up for the challenge. I think they'll let me mess with them a little. Like when there's a few stragglers and I say in my mock mean voice "Geeeetttt oooouuuuuttttt nnnnooooowwwww!", they just laugh. Plus, they are well behaved, which is big. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you don't have to stop every two seconds to tell someone to stop whatever it is they're doing. I also love the staff. There are about 5 teachers who stop by almost daily to see how I'm doing and ask if I need anything. Apparently I even have an aide who can help me do stuff but I don't remember who she is or what she's allowed to do.
I thought I was going to cry the first day. Just a little meltdown, and then I could be better by day 2. But I didn't. I think I've been too busy. It's like finals week every day. I'm always rushing around in a state of near panic. Hopefully in another week or two things will calm down a tad. Or, at least by Christmas.
This week I tried to set up a lot of procedures and routines. Reading and journaling every day, current events every week. Grammar every morning. I'm so very very afraid that I will forget something important. Something that they really need to know before they go to 6th grade. I'm also very afraid of their parents. We'll be meeting soon and I think they might like to eat me alive.
What I love: the kids. They are funny, they are curious, they are helpful, and they are up for the challenge. I think they'll let me mess with them a little. Like when there's a few stragglers and I say in my mock mean voice "Geeeetttt oooouuuuuttttt nnnnooooowwwww!", they just laugh. Plus, they are well behaved, which is big. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you don't have to stop every two seconds to tell someone to stop whatever it is they're doing. I also love the staff. There are about 5 teachers who stop by almost daily to see how I'm doing and ask if I need anything. Apparently I even have an aide who can help me do stuff but I don't remember who she is or what she's allowed to do.
I thought I was going to cry the first day. Just a little meltdown, and then I could be better by day 2. But I didn't. I think I've been too busy. It's like finals week every day. I'm always rushing around in a state of near panic. Hopefully in another week or two things will calm down a tad. Or, at least by Christmas.
This week I tried to set up a lot of procedures and routines. Reading and journaling every day, current events every week. Grammar every morning. I'm so very very afraid that I will forget something important. Something that they really need to know before they go to 6th grade. I'm also very afraid of their parents. We'll be meeting soon and I think they might like to eat me alive.
posted by Mrs.B at 8:54 AM
3 Comments:
the ones who want the best for their kids will love you. the ones who don't give a rip and think their little darlings do nothing wrong will be a thorn in your side. it sounds like you don't have any trouble makers, so you might be just fine. just act like you know what your doing all the time. that will fool almost everyone.
I am finding this blog fascinating; it never occured to me when I was in school that any given teacher might be in fear of being thought less than competent.
I imagine the solution is a variation of the ad that says "Never let them see you sweat"; in your heart of hearts you might be terrified, but never, ever, let on to the kids that you are, because in the absence of any information to the contrary, they will assume "us, students, her, teacher" and won't give things a second thought.
You're right- in middle and high school you can never ever let them see you sweat. I'm finding that I can let them see me sweat a little in elementary. But only after the fact, not during. I tell them how I was nervous the first day, how I practiced what I would say, how happy I am that they aren't awful after all- things like that.
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