Everything went picture perfect and my new students are super cute! The best part of this year is the small class sizes we are having :) I started with 22 students and two have already withdrawn…I only have 20 students in a 4th grade classroom which is pretty rare.
I love it! It will make class management so much easier!
Tomorrow’s the first day of school and as usual, I can’t sleep. First day jitters?
I’m so afraid I’ll miss my alarm and oversleep…or all these disasters will occur when the kids are present! I have to make sure I’m boss with everything I do, yet still keep a positive and safe atmosphere…there’s just so much to think about!
AHHHH GO TO SLEEP, MIND!
Well, Classroom Setup Day 4 is over! I cannot even explain how exhausted I am. I just took two Tylenol because I had no Dayquil, since I may be getting sick out of exhaustion, and it was hard to wake up since my legs were so sore from all the labor all week. People don’t realize how much physical energy is required setting up a classroom (especially if you’ve moved classrooms!) This is my third classroom for my third year teaching this year and I have a feeling we’ll be moving again next year. I think it’s gonna be crazy easy when I have the same classroom two years in a row!
We had open house today, where the students and parents come in to meet the teacher and see the classroom. Normally, I stress out, but this year I made sure to take it easy and do a little more than my version of the bare minimum. My classroom is colorful and pretty, even though not everything is up yet…and although it’s not “perfect” for Open House in my standards, it’s a lot better than what other people have done to their classrooms. I don’t know why everyone else’s classrooms suck so bad. I’d like some better rivalry! Don’t these teachers know we’re all competing?
The parents seem pretty normal so far. No one strikes me as crazy and of course I put on my “I’m the energetic, friendly, positive, happy elementary school teacher who loves glitter!” face. Actually, a student’s grandmother asked if I took a Valium because I was “so smiley” and “couldn’t stop smiling”. I actually was genuinely excited, and was trying to get my personality to distract parents away from the few unpacked boxes lingering behind my desk.
My future students were extra super cute! I love the fourth grade. They are at such a perfect age because they are still so kid-like (meaning they don’t have the attitude adolescents have), yet they are so much more independent and more fun to talk to than those Kindergartner or First Grade Squeaks who make up nonsense knock knock jokes. My 4th graders can actually tell me FUNNY jokes!
And now for the worst part: One of my students walked in with his mother and grandmother, and another man who I assumed was the grandfather. You are not supposed to assume people’s relationships! I don’t know what I was thinking, but somehow I blurted out “So, are you a grandparent?” and he politely, with a smile, told me he was the uncle. THE UNCLE!! And then I took a closer look at him and realized OMG, HE’S SO YOUNG. What kind of a person asks someone if they’re a grandparent?! Well, that would be me! I was so embarrassed and started uncontrollably talking about….something I don’t remember. He’ll always remember me as the stupid, ditzy, air headed elementary school teacher in her la-la crayon world.
Anyways, let’s end on a positive note. A mom said I looked too young to be a teacher, another mom said I was beautiful, another mom said the room looked great, most people smiled around at the classroom, and overall I think everyone liked me. What, you think this sounds like the writing of a freshman in high school? It’s true- I think everyone, parents and kids, all liked me! :)
My classroom is becoming messier as I set up, but it’s getting more organized in my head.
There’s a vision of a colorful, interactive, functional classroom in my head and I can seriously see it. If you walked into my classroom right now, you would wonder what kind of teacher keeps her stuff out in the open everywhere, from boxes to crayons to books to paperclips! But, I can’t clean without the mess because I clean and organize from the inside out.
Just wait. It’ll look great. Might drive me crazy, cuz I’m working so late.
Also, there are some teachers already almost done with their classrooms and their rooms aren’t even pretty. I know I shouldn’t be judgmental or competitive, but honestly, sometimes I wonder how these teachers can be satisfied with their rooms looking that mundane for an elementary school setting. Where’s the color and the cuteness? Even fourth graders loves rainbows and monsters and smiley faces!
I thought my first day of work went great until a minor headache started getting worse and by the hour. Sigh, I guess I can’t wait to organize all my supplies and materials in my classroom tomorrow.
What kind of a teacher sleeps the night before his/her first day of work? How many desks should I put in each group for my tables? I don’t want rows, right? What am I going to do with the bulletin boards? What do I need to photocopy and laminate? Where am I going to put everything since there’s hardly any storage in my new classroom? ETC.
You know it. For us teachers, the real year starts at the end of summer. That’s when we really make our resolutions and buy a whole new wardrobe. Yes, I suppose the same goes for students, too, but this is more important for us since our bank accounts hit an all-time low!
I haven’t written since May because life just threw me on a speedsicle and away I went. June came quickly and I wrapped up the year not with peace and satisfying fulfillment, but with anger and stress as our administrators made us move rooms for no sane reason. Seriously, no sane reason. They made 11 teachers move their classroom in an effort to drive us crazy and not have the time to tell them how much they sucked. I’m only semi-over that, because this late August, I’ll be going back to unpacking that hell of a mess.
Anyways, about that new years resolution…last year, I was so motivated to do everything right and picture perfect. This year, I’m going to be more realistic and hope that I can do the bare minimum in terms of stressing myself out at the nitpicky details, but enjoy my time with my students and try to take them to a land of curiosity and inspiration. Hopefully, I can be super creative and hands-on in my lessons and activities, but keep the planning practical enough to have adequate time for Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, and 30 Rock! Also, I’m not volunteering for any of that extra social committee or whatever crap. I thought it would do me good to be more involved with the staff, but have realized it’s just a waste of time. Classroom first, and classroom second!
There are so many changes this year, from classrooms (as happily mentioned above), to new coworkers…the changes in current staff positions, schedules, curriculum, etc…The new year really is a *different* year each time. I’m actually kind of excited for that little bit of spice…the adrenalin rush of the unknown and the new trials with a set of children whose last year’s notorious reputations will hopefully turn out to be untrue.
I start teacher-preparation-preservice week in two days and I have done absolutely nothing in terms of planning or classroom decorating. I will survive by putting on a fabulous show in front of my kids and my classroom will probably be more colorful and neater than the others who I secretly compete with. They don’t know all my hidden files are a mess and so is my brain. I have to make sure that the first few days of school go smoothly by making sure my hair and makeup is flawless and my students have already learned to be in a straight, solider-like line. The rest shall fall into place.
Here we go again, a typical year in the life of the typical teacher.
Everyone is a reader…
Some just haven’t found their favorite book yet.
I can’t believe it’s May! I don’t wanna lose my kids and my awesome class. I just want it to stay the same. I want everything to freeze.
SLOW DOWN, MAY! Go slow, slow, slow!
Remember I told you about that “bad kid” in my class? The one and only child that drives me wild! Well, he’s progressed a lot this year, so I should start calling him the “Getting Better Kid”…even though labeling children is completely immoral in this profession.
The Getting-Better-Kid hasn’t had a one-on-one repercussion with me in a while. So today, I let him have it!
He can be very immature for a 4th grader. He decided that his partner (who stuck his tongue out at him) was no longer being helpful and he decided to cry. One of my usual tattletales told me he was crying, but I ignored it in hopes that he would get back to work soon. (I also didn’t wanna deal with his immature reaction of crying, which is so hypocritical, I know, beacause I’m a girl and I cry about stupid stuff all the time).
He left his grumpy face on and rested his cheek on his hand so that his right cheek was all smushed up in his eye like a chink (and he’s uhhh, actually East Asian so I’m really doin the labeling thing here).
Here are some very bad things I did/said:
Let’s face it. Sometimes we teachers don’t make good decisions after all. Not when we’re pissed or in the heat of the moment. And although that may go for all professions out there - we’re the ones who can’t risk it the most. Not in front of these children - we can’t do that and we know it. But once in a while, let’s be totally real now: it happens.
Although I thought it was annoying at first and funny when I told my coworkers, I now can finally say it was a bad couple of moves. Tomorrow I promise to give this child LOTS of encouragement, praise, and I won’t exaggerate and mimic him in an intentional effort to embarrass him!
Since it was hot, one of my student’s dad brought in Popsicles for our class today!
It was awesome. He happens to be one of those great parents that teachers love, the kind that always donates tissue boxes and antibacterial hand sanitizer. He volunteers for field trips and parties and sends notes in about his kid. He’s involved, but not psycho involved. He asks questions, but not in a way to criticize the teacher.
Love those few people out there that are the PERFECT class parents!
