School's Out For Summer!

The year has come to a close and I feel so much better even though I have a ton of cleaning and packing to do. How do I accumulate so much stuff! After 11 years of teaching and moving my stuff about every 2 years you would think I would have this moving thing figured out. Nope, I don't. I have to figure out a way to get organized and stay organized. I am in dire need of organization help! Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. As for now, my plan is to take this move slow and to do it right. Maybe that will help. We shall see...

Second Grade Here I Come!

Well, today I informed my first graders that I will be teaching 2nd grade next year. They were so sweet and hilarious! They all started clapping and whispering. "I hope I get to be in your class again!" Even a little girl that I have issues with every day was exclaiming to her partner how she hopes to be in my class again because my class is so fun! Funny, that she is in trouble every day and will constantly claim how she wishes she was in another teacher's class!

I have so many mixed emotions. I will really miss teaching with my current team, but am SOOOOooo excited to be back in 2nd grade. I love the age and curriculum! Now for all the purging and packing of "stuff". I think I own more stuff than any teacher in our building. I am beginning to think that my administrators make me move about every 2 years to force me to clean stuff out. Hopefully this will be the last move for quite a while. We shall see where this road leads...

To Go or Not To Go? That is the Question!

When you need to go, you need to go. I don't think anyone will argue with that. The dilemma that I encounter on a daily basis is when you are talking about 6 year olds and the restroom. For them, it is often not the needing to go but wanting to play and missing instruction that raises the red flags for me. And then you have an incident as I had today. I actually had a substitute in my classroom as I was giving literacy assessments all day, so I was not in the room itself. In the middle of testing, the guest teacher knocks on the door, comes in and informs me of a restroom situation. One of the little boys in my class had already used the restroom 3 times in about an hour and was asking to go again. Now any other child I would have just said no, but this little boy is very sweet and honest. I said I would escort him and then there would be no more using the restroom. About 15 minutes later the guest teacher knocks again to inform me that the little boy had wet himself! I felt terrible of course as did the other teacher. The little boy's parents picked him up, took him to the doctor and they are running tests. So, I have to ask, do you say no or go?

Mondays

Monday, Monday, Monday! It began with me sleeping in just a "few" extra minutes, then forgetting my purse which had my cell phone in it and the checkbook to pay the babysitter. I think I need a rewind button for days like these because they are always a sign that things are not going to get better as the day goes on...

If you are a teacher you are well aware of the intense amount of testing that goes on this time of year. We just finished up our first round of testing. I am always so excited to see the growth of my students. I am a well trained and successful teacher so my current students should benefit from my expertise and wisdom as those have in the past, right? Well, all I can say is that for all the time, sweat and tears, I feel to an extent, defeated. I feel like I just failed my final exam and there is no re-take! Next round of testing begins on Thursday. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Four Weeks to Go

As the school year comes to an end, I find my self reflecting more often as well as finding MANY new gray hairs! One might think that after teaching for 11 years that one should know how to work smarter and not harder. This year has proven that that is not the case at all! I have worked harder and more hours this year than ever before. Where did I go so wrong? I may never know. One thing I do now for sure is that there is never the most difficult student or class because when you least expect it, a greater challenge will enter your room. I will never forget this group of 6 year olds. We have grown together, learned together, laughed together and cried together. My mantra for the last 4 weeks...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...