Friday, September 3, 2010

The First Week Back

After another long summer driving their parents crazy,cheering can be heard throughout the U.S. when kids go back to school. Teachers are usually not cheering. We are in a panic.

We have had a blissful student-free summer. For the lucky ones---sleeping in and traveling. The first week back at school we are in a panic to get our rooms ready. A panic to organize lesson plans. (Especially if your school district area changes your mandatory lesson plan format every year.) A panic to have all of the paperwork ready. (You'd be amazed at the amount of paper work teachers do on a day-to-day basis.) A panic to attend all of the mandatory meetings----district, area, school-wide, department, grade-level, etc. It can be as stressful as well, stressful!

That being said, surviving the first day, not to mention the first week, is something to celebrate. (I usually sweat like a pig on the first day and was so nervous getting dressed the first day this year I forgot to put on deodorant---totally gross. Poor kids in my classes. I probably smelled worse than my 7th graders after P.E.)

Well, the first week is over! I'm tired, exhausted, and brain-dead. I called 3 parents to report classroom disruptions their boys were causing, but it was nothing major, and there was only one fight in the lunchroom of my middle school (I missed it--dang it!) and no major craziness occurred in my classroom. (You may recall the "flasher" student who was expelled last year. People at my school still joke that of all of the teachers that had to happen to, it was the nice Mormon teacher. Some joke.)

It was a pretty quiet week. That's got to be a first for me. So either the kids are really good this year (ha ha) or I'm becoming a better teacher. I hope it's a little of both.

4 comments:

  1. Congrats on making in through the week. That first DAY KILLS me! Oh, I am so exhausted when I go home. I am the same way - I sweat like a pig. My kids are pretty good this year too.

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  2. All of my profound thanks and admiration for you and all of the teachers out there. I love to drop my kiddos off and come home to a quiet house. Then they return hours later happy, excited, and haven't fought with siblings all day. Hurray for back to school!

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  3. A day at a time, sis. One week down, how many more to go?? :)

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