Well the "first day" is finally over!! We saw about 500 middle school students enter the building this morning, and a few hours later we watched them all walk out. Our 6th graders looked scared to death when they came in. We could barely get them to say "here" while doing attendance. But by the end of the day they had gotten acquainted with the hallways, classrooms, new teachers, and new classmates and were more relaxed. (Yes, I've already had one girl cry on me because someone said something "mean" to her. It should be a fun year!)
"Are you Mrs. Teepee??" I heard this more times than I can count on one hand, but it's always a fun way to break the ice. The new group of kids at our school seem to be a great bunch. I am excited about teaching four sections of 6th grade Math and two sections of 6th grade Pre-Algebra this year. We have a number of very bright students and I look foward to challenging them throughout the year. I know that hanging out with 150 12-year olds isn't everyone's idea of a dream job, but I love it and how exciting it is!
My school in Bullitt County, Ky is in a very rural setting and many of our kids come from diverse homes. It is a wonder that they can overcome some of these challenges each day, walk into school, and still have a smile on their faces. We are taking measures to raise our expectations and they are exceeding them!
Is it bad I am already counting down days to Christmas break? Haha. With KTIP AND classes AND new math standards AND a new teaching assignment AND new school related responsibilities, it will be a difficult year. But I will try to keep my attitude positive and my time well-managed.
Here's to a great second year!
