Well, I had forgotten how long it takes to get a bunch of kids settled into new routines and become a community. Also, I had to move into a new room which had not been cleaned out (old middle-school diaries and mummified chickens, yikes) and my stuff had been put into a cargo container (which cargo container? and when found, was way in the back on the bottom). Very exhausting, but the room looked great just in time for the students. I'm still struggling with how to teach both first and second graders, and how to make a schedule that works. I'm also still searching for some of my books and materials. I forgot how much work this job is, especially getting the year started.
On the upside, I am not working completely on my own. I have a great aide, who is great with her camera, and made a very cool classroom ABC book last year. We have read and analyzed a lot of ABC books, and did an alphabet search on the playground and have about half of the letters discovered and photographed (all thanks to the aide! ). Who knew if you looked at the picnic table, you'd find a J?
The kids have written/drawn "what I want to learn this year",and I will, I WILL, record and photograph them this week, so we have that little movie ready for Back to School Night. That will help me introduce the ABC project to the class.
We have explored two students' names and developed some big (open-ended) questions that give us big answers, and some little (one-word answer) ones that we like to know. We haven't interviewed our new staff members yet, but that is coming.
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Hi Harriet:
Thanks for the response. Funny, I was updating the darned thing as you were writing to me--ha ha. I find that I repeat myself a lot, because the little stinkers don't listen! And they are NOT LITTLE. :)
Sounds like big doings at your school. Hope you settle in soon. I know how it is, wanting and planning to get something done, but then...ppplllluuhhh. (That was a spit noise.) I am sure you'll do it, and it will be fab. Have you tried dedicating an hour or two at a time and then not answering ANYONE? That is how I finished my MA thesis. :) Anyway, I wish I had been in your class when I was a peewee. What a blast.
Laurie
P.S. I saw Grace and she looks like a big girl!
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