The Start of the School Year!

So far, not a day has gone by that I do not thank the lord for the job I have. Not only have all the changes in my room have been successful thus far but I have seen a huge change in some of my students behaviors to try to ear rewards with my new punch card system. I have also recruited one other teacher to join me on the behavior plan. She has adjusted the plan to fit the needs of her students (fewer punches and different rewards) and we hope to recruit at least one other teacher. Remind you we only have six teachers in my school. 4 of which are MOCI (moderate) and 2 are SXI (sever/profound).

Anyway, after the first day I called my mom and was explain how great it was to be back. After I told he how great my day was her only response was "I'm glad you find that fun, because I can never imagine." After that I took a second and looked at what had happened: A girl had had a bathroom accident while sitting during our circle time, another student threw things at me, and one student had a crying fit for over an hour. While all this was happening all I could think about is how I love each and every one of my students despite the challenges or behaviors. As teachers to learn to truly care for each students well being and quality of life and you do all you can to meet the needs that have while at school. Also, those things made me realize how great my team is within my classroom. We all worked together and didn't miss a step and not one other student realized that there was an issue.

There has been some movement within the school with placements of Paraprofessionals and it make me worry that my classroom environment may change if one of my paraprofessionals decide to switch rooms. I want everyone to be happy but I am so blessed to have the team that I do within my classroom. We all know what is happening and how to handle the situation. We have one student who gets violent within the classroom and we all know exactly what to do to take control of the situation. I can only hope to remain this fortunate within my position. I could not have a successful classroom without all the assistance I receive from my paraprofassionals. So for all of you neigh sayers out there who think that it is unreasonable for me to have four aids within my classroom of 18, please message me and I will tell you the important part in which each individual aid does to make my classroom successful and how students would not have the success they have without them.

But besides school there is volleyball. The volleyball team has been doing much better this year than they did last year. They have gone played all 5 games for any league match and they have really proven themselves this year. Me and TH (the head coach) have high hopes for the girls this year. If only they realized their full potential.

On top of school and volleyball is Grad School. With both classes I'm keeping up with all but one but that is because they register me 3 weeks late. With everything I am pulling 18 hour days including homework but I barely notice it. I went from being awake for less than twelve hours during the summer  to being asleep for less than 8.

All in all school is 9 days in with 171 days left to go with students. But I LOVE MY JOB, I LOVE COACHING, and then there is grad school.

~Cheers~

Very busy, but very lucky!

Tomorrow marks the official first day of school. This past week I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I feel as though I cannot be prepared enough for the first day of school! Although, looking back to the first day of school last year I remember that it went a little something like this:

• Show up at school at 7:00 (earliest that the doors open for us)
• Walk into my room (this is where I stood not having a clue what exactly I should be doing)
• Students arrived
• Followed lesson plans for approximately 15 minutes
• Watched as all my plans went out the window
• Struggle to keep my head above water
• Send the students home

As the day progressed I did all I could to remain calm and to not freak out! The second day of school I started on academics because I really didn't know what else to do. That first day was so overwhelming that I'm just glad I survived. And now that I am able to look back I'm able to laugh at the mess I was last year and know: if I survived it then, I will survive it again this year.

This year I want to believe that I am more prepared but I'm also just as prepared for all my instructions to fall apart. The difference is that this year, I have a back up plan that actually has another back up plan. So if all craziness ensues I'll be somewhat prepared.

All day I have been trying to prepare my house for me to gone for a while. You know, do things such as laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning from top to bottom, cook a few meals to help last through the week, make sure there are items to eat for lunch, etc. As much as I'd love to give up everything and focus strictly on my classroom, students, and volleyball team I know I have to be a wife in there somewhere too.

Within all the craziness I am very lucky to have a husband who helps out around the house with all the cleaning and cooking so that when I do get home I have nothing else to worry about. I'm also lucky to have the friends and family who support me to make my life that much easier.

Is This The End Or A New Beginning?

For all of us teachers out there we are staring into the impending doom that is the end of the summer! We have had approximately three months off and yet when this time come it seems like school just ended. Though I have spent countless hours in my classroom this summer I still feel so unprepared for the students to be back next Tuesday. Today is my official last day of summer since tomorrow starts our beginning of the year professional development. I will continue my long hours through this week to help me be as prepared as possible to welcome the students back!

Yes, I may be complaining that my sleeping in and boring days are coming to an end, but at the same time I am very excited. I am excited because I love my job and miss my students! I am fortunate that each year I do not get a whole new group of students. The students stay in my classroom for about four or five years and I only get a handful of new students each year. And with all my new changes I cannot wait to dive in a try them out! I think we will have a very successful year, or at least I can only hope.

I want to take this moment to share a few more pictures on the finished bulletin boards:

*By the way, the punch card idea is spreading to the other teachers! Hopefully in the next year it can become a school wide PBS!


Good luck to all the teachers out there as we kick off a new school year! It may be the end of the summer but the beginning of a great new school year!