One thing I know for sure: I MADE IT! I survived my first week as a REAL teacher, and I am so in love with all of it.
This week has been nothing short of madness and I have been rushing around keeping up my careful balancing act, trying not to let any of my new responsibilities slip. In an effort to reflect and review my very first week of being a grown up... I'll give a brief recap here.
On Monday I arrived to work in a great state of unknown. I had seen my classroom for a total of 3 hours the previous day...had spent the night prior planning "First Day" activities and unpacking. A 7th grade teacher in my building had an open room in her house and is letting me crash until I find my own place, such a stress relief. Meeting my kids was awesome, they drifted in at 8:10 to grab pencils/folders/etc on their way to their first hour extra curriculars. (I have conference period as my 1st hour...which has been a saving grace for prep this week)! Many of them stopped in front of me and asked, "Are you the new teacher?" "What's your name?" as I greeted them with a smile and a "Good Morning!" They scurried off to their classes and I got everything ready for my first day...and the first day of their 5th week! (I did get asked 2 different times, by staff members, if I was the new sub...) We spent the day getting to know each other, determining our class goals for the year and reviewing what they'd already learned. At the end of day one, a student stopped me on her way out of school to say, "Ms. Brown you're really nice and very pretty." DAY MADE.
Tuesday & Wednesday continued with hurried bliss. My class was patient and energetic as I navigated the line between how I teach and how they've been taught. The hardest part is picking up where they left off, since that wasn't clearly determined. It's a big guessing game, combined with what the other 5th grade teachers tell me about curriculum maps and common assessments. It all makes my head swim a bit, just the daily....or hourly dose of new information. 'Things you should know,' 'did i tell yous,' and 'have you figured out...' have become phrases that are always followed with a list of things that are extremely relevant...but just add another spinning plate to my current circus act. I have been discovering a new grading system, parent contact, missing students, accommodations, and MEAP testing all within my first week. It's exciting...and terrifying at the same time. I did introduce and implement my new behavior chart --which has done wonders for the class. I can tell I have 2-3 who strive for outstanding every day... which is adorable to watch them. I have 2 others who make me feel bad by how nice they are..I feel like they are hotel staff trying to wait on me. They are always first to finish their work and come up and politely ask, "Ms. Brown, is there anything I can do for you right now?" HILARIOUS.
Thursday - The overall low in my week. I woke up with a raging sinus headache and feeling like my brain had been replaced with a few bricks. (Not the ideal way to start a day that is full of teaching). I grabbed my green tea and made my way to school -- but the entire day was a blur. Oddly enough, being in front of the class --- I didn't even remember that I didn't feel well. It was the moments when I was sitting (at lunch, during conference, after school) that I felt terrible. I am a lucky lady with a great class that is overall well behaved, albeit a little loud sometimes :). I did finally make my way to the 5th grade teachers lunch...I felt bad that I haven't been over there all week, but lunch was a vital time to make sure I had everything in order for my LONG afternoon. :) I love the 5th grade team, they are all so funny and really seem to be great at what they do. They are in a different building so I don't see them often, and they switch for subjects, but I get my kids all the time. :) I left work at 5, and was asleep by 8... ugh, sickness.
Friday! My first Friday. It was just enjoyable, knowing I had made it through the first week. It's so satisfying to feel successful at the end of the week, knowing how hard you've worked for that weekend. My class was completely set up...an being taught by another teacher at the beginning of the year. With this situation came ALL of her books. My class has a back wall that is nothing but shelves...and these shelves are FULL of books. If you know anything about me, you know this is complete heaven. Just books on books, so many options --- soooo awesome! However, with the power comes great responsibility...and not much space for my very own books. So, the previous teacher, as well as about 4 others came and took what they wanted off the shelves... I sadly had to say goodbye to some books I wanted...which is fine...because I still have way more than I need. After this purging of the shelves, I decided that the hodge podge mash-up of books wasn't my style. My students learned the importance of alphabetizing today...helping me sort books by author, using their tables. I wish I'd documented it, because it was insane. They were all quickly walking with stacks of books saying, 'I have a G, where are the G's' and 'Ms. Brown, I need more books.' After this process...the day was over for the kids -- they left and I stayed. I spent an hour and half putting books back and realizing some of my students need some alphabetical help :) or just got confused in the shuffle. Two co-workers kids walked into my room after school with this reaction, "WOAH, is this the library?!" "Man, you have a LOT of books....who are you anyway?" :)
I can say, one of the best things about coming into the school year at week 5, to a teacher who is now the counselor (one door down) is having a fully set up classroom. Now, it's not exactly how I would do it...but the greatest part is that it allows me to focus on curriculum and make slow changes to the room to fit my style. I don't have to panic that the walls are bare, and the bookshelves are empty...because they aren't. I have a classroom that looks like a real classroom and is FULL of supplies, books, and the tools necessary to teach my class. My focus now is curriculum and creating great lessons and the creative stuff comes at a slower pace -- which is sooooo nice!
Overall, my first week was awesome and flew by so quickly that I'm excited for the next one -- when my grip is just a bit tighter. MEAP starts next week, so the kids will be diligently working, while I twiddle my thumbs watching them... :)
Here's to my first weekend as a salary earning, public school employee. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment