1st Day

Yay! The first day of school went very well! Here's a quick run-down of the positives and things that need to be worked on:

Positives

1. The school-wide signal to capture the students' attention works (3-2-1 hand raised--eyes and ears on the speaker).

2. The classroom television and light switch is fixed.

3. My students are respectful and genuinely want to do well.

4. The hallways are quiet and transitioning is easy.

5. No referrals to administration.

6. Everyone attempted today's classwork assignment.

Things to be worked on

1. Seating arrangement--there seems to be pockets of chatty students in each of my classes. I will (re) assign seating by the end of the week, either alphabetically or randomly.

2. Size of classes. I have approx. 25 students in my inclusion homeroom and little to no paraprofessional help. Within two weeks, this number should drop as students will be pulled out for the district remedial program.

3. Lack of a working computer. I'd love to start using the SMA.RT Board in my classroom, however I need a connected computer in order to do so.

Overall, I'm satisfied with how the day transpired. If anyone has tips on how to alleviate student chattiness (6th grade), please feel free to leave a comment :).

Special Ed Inclusion

We just finished our in-service planning at the school this week and I had a chance to look at my schedule & class roster. I knew that I'd be on a 6th grade two man team (I'm teaching ELA/SS, my teammate is teaching Math/Science). I also knew that the class would be special ed inclusion. What's puzzling is that my team teacher is listed as both the Math/Science teacher and the special ed teacher.

Is this legal? My other team mates and I listed our concerns to the administration in writing today. What they do with our list of concerns is entirely up in the air. I hope that I'll at least have a paraprofessional available to assist me. If not, I'll make it through the best that I can until I take maternity leave in January. Please pray that there won't be any angry parents shouting for my head this year!!

P.S. We're having another GIRL!! Yippee!!

P.P.S. Yesterday, I found out that I will have help during my Social Studies class(es).

Pre-planning: Year 3

This year, I'll be teaching 6th grade ELA & SS (inclusion/two-person team). Our in-service starts approximately 3 weeks from now and the students come back to school Sept. 2nd. I'm very anxious this year because I'm due in mid-January and I haven't had to balance a newborn and job responsibilities in a long time (my only child just turned 12)!

I'll probably notify my principal of my intentions this month. Ideally, I plan on taking 12 weeks maternity leave and come back to school around mid-April. It all depends on my family finances and the baby, of course!

My areas of focus for school year '08-'09 is consistency, consistency, consistency. I know what I want my classroom to look like, what rules and expectations I want my students to follow, etc. I just have to make sure that I hold up my end of the bargain. This'll definitely be my 'make or break' year as this still doesn't feel like the 'right' thing for me to be doing right now. Onward and upward!

News that just might affect my teaching

The last day of school was June 18th and I've been on straight cruise control ever since, lol! My principal let me know that she'd like me to teach 6th grade ELA and SS for next year, which is cool. I'll also be on a two-man team which is a bit of a change but I'm sure that I'll adapt quickly.

The news that just might affect my teaching this year? I'm almost 10 weeks pregnant! My husband and I have been trying for quite some time; as a matter of fact, I was scheduled to have surgery on June 24 to fix some defective 'equipment'. Obviously God has other plans in mind!


I've only told 2 very close coworkers as it will be quite apparent in the fall that I'm expecting anyways, lol! I'm slightly concerned about maternity leave (the baby is due on January 20th) but I'm sure everything will work out in time.

Post Break

This is our 2nd day back from Spring Break and all is well. The children were a bit rowdy on Monday but we seem to be getting back into our routine. I finally passed my state's certification exam for English/Language Arts (woohoo) yet I feel slightly nervous about next year--I'm trying to stay put if I can help it!

There's a lot that I'm thinking about as we get closer and closer to the summer:

--Should I work (part-time) or just enjoy the break?
--What if my Principal doesn't hire me for the 2008-2009 school year?
--How do I become the best ELA teacher ever?


In the meantime, I'm looking for cool ideas to implement these final weeks of school (we've started "Holes" any suggestions?)--only 8 more weeks and counting!

Post Break

This is our 2nd day back from Spring Break and all is well. The children were a bit rowdy on Monday but we seem to be getting back into our routine. I finally passed my state's certification exam (woohoo) yet I feel slightly nervous about next year--I'm trying to stay put if I can help it!

There's a lot that I'm thinking about as we get closer and closer to the summer:

--Should I work (part-time) or just enjoy the break?
--What if my Principal doesn't hire me for the 2008-2009 school year?
--How do I become the best ELA teacher ever?


In the meantime, I'm looking for cool ideas to implement these final weeks of school (we've started "Holes" any suggestions?)--only 8 more weeks and counting!

Privilege Meme

I found this meme on Miss A's blog. I would say that my childhood was primarily working class with middle class aspirations. I bounced around quite a bit between my mother, my father, my grandmother, and a family friend's homes so I've experienced everything middle class and below--from the stigma of a parent receiving welfare to living in a suburban neighborhood.~Laniza

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright. To participate, bold the items that apply to you.

1. Father went to college (community college)

2. Father finished college

3. Mother went to college (my mother had a full basketball scholarship but did not finish because she was pregnant with me)

4. Mother finished college

5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.

7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.

9. Were read children’s books by a parent.

10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (violin lessons in 5^th grade-I wished that I kept up with it!)

11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.

13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.

14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.

15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs

16. Went to a private high school

17. Went to summer camp (local Boys & Girls' club)

18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18

19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels

20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18

21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child

23. You and your family lived in a single-family house

24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home

25. You had your own room as a child

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18

27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course

28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (Granted, it was black & white! Ha!)

29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college

30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16

31. Went on a cruise with your family

32. Went on more than one cruise with your family

33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.