You can take this job and shove (or love) it

Side note: Just as I was beginning this post, I brought my knees in close to my chest to get my legs under the sheets. Stupidly, I didn't think about the laptop that was balancing on my lap. I brought the freaking thing crashing into my forehead. Ow. I am reminded of Sherry tripping and hitting her face on her laptop. Sometimes... it's like looking in a mirror.


Today was the first day of school. As of 9:30, I began reconsidering my profession. I've had some awfully bad teaching moments, but rarely have I felt so incompetent as a teacher as I did today. The feeling that I had little-to-no control over the classroom was devastating. The children were so chatty, and so unaware of me, that at times I felt invisible. I'm not even sure how to convey information to first graders. I wasn't sure what to write, how to give examples, when a given number of warnings was enough, etc. At times, I felt I was too easy on them. At other times, I felt like a drill sergeant. Sometimes, they were right on task, other times, they were nowhere near the task at hand.

And what am I to do with my two girls who speak almost no English? There's no support system for them, no special aides or programs. They are expected to sit in the classroom and, essentially, sink or swim. I can only imagine how exhausted and isolated they must feel at the end of a 6.5 hour day, having understood about 10 words that were spoken to them. How am I to assess them? How am I to teach them? Oh, I've been trained in using SDAIE strategies and executing small-group ELD lessons, but at this point in time I do not see how I am going to meet these girls needs. If my only job was to teach them English, I could devote my whole day to working with them. But it's not. I have 16 other students to attend to.

Did I mention that I didn't even remember recess? 1:55 came and went, and at 2:15 I realized that we had missed recess.
This is the first time I've been at a school with an afternoon recess, and it threw me.

Sigh. I want to go to bed. And not go back tomorrow.

panic! in the classroom (I never did like discos)

As summer nears its end and the first day of school draws nearer, I am filled with the unmistakable sensation of complete and total panic. The last week has been filled with days spent organizing my classroom, making plans, spending money, and obsessing, night and day, over the upcoming school year. I have no idea what I'm going to teach them. I'm not meeting with the other first grade teachers until August 21. That's a week before school starts. One week. I should be reviewing the teacher manuals, but I've been told that my school doesn't stick very closely to the scripted program. I'm not sure what, other than the standards, I should be familiarizing myself with. Because I feel so helpless regarding curriculum, I have attempted to focus my efforts on that which I can control - the classroom environment. I've spent probably 10+ hours researching, blowing up (via a projector), tracing, and coloring literary and movie characters for my reading corner. Yesterday, I put in almost 5 hours alone, coloring and cutting, until my hands were aching. I recruited my mom to sew pillow cases from the material Sherry and I picked out. I've set up candles and personal photographs behind my desk with the hopes of bringing me some sense of calm. I picked out my refrigerator and microwave (Happy birthday, Jessica) and have been busy making bulletin boards and hanging posters and the list goes on and on and on. I wish I had plans for how I am going to beautifully tie-in Language Arts, Science, Social Science, Math, and Art into wonderfully coordinated thematic units, differentiated for the varying needs of each student, and topped off nicely with a variety of authentic assessment. So far, my plans include: self-portraits, classroom procedures, and survival.

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love. You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!) Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Your Hidden Talent

You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words. You're never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel. People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation. When you're up, you make everyone happy. But when you're down, everyone suffers.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Sherry and Kevin can probably vouch for the line that reads, "When you're down, everyone suffers".

And... as if the results of this last quiz couldn't be predicted...

Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?