Second Week

Week Two is done! I know this is a couple days late, but I spent all weekend doing nothing but grading. Okay, maybe I exaggerated some there, but I'll come back to that. :)

Week two was much more hectic for me than my first week. I no longer had the adrenalin of starting fresh and new, and it was time to get into the the nitty gritty. Already, students were begging me to have grades back to them. I explained I was waiting until the schedule changes finished so that everything was straight. I also had some students worrying about the work load, which I can understand, but I explained to them that the course was designed to prep them for AP (and then college). It made me wonder if I was going to push them to hard, but then I talked with some colleagues and decided that it was okay. This week I stayed till six two nights of five, and two other nights I was at school till 5/5:30. (I ducked out as close to four on Friday so  I could have a full weekend to spend relaxing.) I did get all my pacing guides finished and started on my professional goals. I'm excited for the goals I chose because I think they really help me grow as a first year teacher. One of them was about keeping a healthy mind, body, and soul. I'm  hoping to use this as motivation to try and keep my body healthy. I have a lot of grading to do, especially with my honors classes turning in their complete summer assignment this week. I thought I was going to spend all day Saturday working, but I ended up watching the Olympics at the same time. I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted, but it was nice to relax some and cheer my team on to gold! :) Now I'm excited for week three, especially because I feel that as I establish more of a pattern that I will have an easier time.

First Week

I have survived my first week! :D It was a fun week, but also exhausting at the same time. I came home every day and felt like passing out for the next five days. As a new teacher, there is a lot of things to be constantly be processing and learning, so my brain was exhausted by the end of the day and the week. There were some hiccups in my week, but none so bad that I panicked. I ran out of copies in the middle of class one day, dealt with a missing poster another day, had to crack down on students multiple days, and I still love my job! I was expecting everything to go crazy, and luckily it didn't. I still don't know all my students' names, especially when I see them outside of the classroom! But it's only been one week, and I know I still have more time. I'm nervous that I won't really be teaching them much this year, but I know that is just fear trying to undermine me. I've been blessed with a great support system and I'm so excited to keep going! My students are great, and I know that this is going to be a wonderful year! :) I've already had one student tell me that she loved my class, so I'm really excited to see what happens next. :)

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school! I was so excited, but also a little nervous for a couple reasons. I had gone to a country concert the night before, and I wasn't sure how much energy I would have. It was also my first time having a class to myself, so I wasn't sure how it'd go. Overall, it was a great day! I loved meeting my students, and I'm really excited for the rest of the year. As always, there were a few hiccups, but nothing too bad. My two tenth grade classes went really well, and the students seem like they're up for the challenge. (At least I hope the class is a challenge!!) All of them were polite, and even seemed to genuinely laugh at my silly jokes and slight sarcasm. One of my classes is *huge* by school standards it seems, but hopefully they won't add anyone else to it. If they do...well, I'll figure it out. We may have to stack students on top of each other in order to fit!! Haha. My Public Speaking class was also pretty smooth. The students looked like they were working well together, and I'm excited to start listening to their speeches. My ninth grade classes were where I had the hiccups. The first ninth grade class decided to push against me at the end of class to see what would happen. I did my best to hold on, but tomorrow they aren't even going to know what hit them I'm going to come in so strong. I tried to be inviting and warm so they'd feel welcome to the new school, but I think they took my jovial personality to mean I'm an easy teacher. [Obviously, they've never met me before today.] So tomorrow, they're going to get the lay of the law and wonder if I'm the same teacher. My other ninth grade class wasn't too hiccup-ey, but I unwittingly put four talkative students all near each other. So I had to reprimand them in class, and will be moving everyone's seats soon.

Funny story of the day: I called someone by the wrong name, and horribly mispronounced it. And, with my nerves and adrenaline high, my speech impediment kicked in. I went to say "My fault," and continue on. Instead, my "l"s and "r"s mixed themselves up as they tend to do, and I said "My fart." Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I was so embarrassed. And when I told my sister (who is a third year teacher) this, she just laughed so hard and said "Welcome to teaching!!"

Lessons learned for today? See the following:

• If you're not used to a 50 minute class, they go by crazy fast! Make sure you have things planned for the first couple days that are short segments so that if time ends earlier, it's not interrupting an activity.
• Have your welcome speech outlined. Otherwise you may be like me and either read the syllabus aloud to students or be a little flustered and all over the place. 
• If you're going to wear heels today - be prepared for sore feet. You won't be used to being on your feet all day yet, so I can guarantee you will be feeling it at the end. Sneak a pair of Toms or flip flops into your car or under your desk to change into at the end of the day - your feet will love you.

I'm looking forward to the next couple days! Let's go teaching!!

Orientation Week

Alright, so now I am almost done with my first week of work. My feelings: excited, nervous, exhausted, unsure, and so much  more. This first week, oh dear readers, will be slightly challenging for you. Every day you will have meetings out of the wazoo. Which is good! It means your administration is trying to get you set up. However, it also means you're going to have to process a lot of information which will drain you. (Trust me, I know this.) So here are some tips:

• Take notes. All the time. Keep it in the same notebook so you can reference it. Then use that notebook throughout the year to update notes/add new information.
• Ask questions. I mean, you're a teacher! We encourage questions, so don't be afraid to ask them. In fact, I have probably driven my Administrator and Assistant Administrator crazy. I ask so many questions, and I have a tendency to hound them until I've gotten my answer. Maybe a little risky so early, but because my school is so proud of their high standards, I've taken the risk. They know that I just want to give them the best, so they've helped me a lot.
• Try to get out of your room as much as possible. I know, it's scary this first week because you have so much to do. But if you followed the advice in my first post (aka: plan during the summer) you will be covered in that area. Getting to know your colleagues is really important, especially because you will need their help. Now I'm a little challenged in that area because I get pretty shy/anxious about meeting new people. However, I've started to establish a budding friendship (I think...) with some of my fellow teachers. PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE! Don't be the loner in your room locked up and alone.
• Sleep. You are processing so much information that your brain is on overload. Not only are you learning a ton of new information, but you also are stressed and a roller coaster of emotions trying to get ready. Do yourself (and your classroom) a favor and go to bed early. 
• DON'T STAY ALL NIGHT!!! This is your first week, and you don't want to set that precedent. It'll only burn you out and cause you to be even more tired. Staying late is okay, but don't be like me and stay from 7:30am - 7:10pm and try to get things done. You will leave feeling dead and the next day will be hard - you'll be zombie like from such a long day. During the year you will have days where you need to escape and relax. If you set the habit/expectation of staying late every day now...you won't be able to escape it.

This week has been exciting for me, so don't worry! You'll be finding out about your students and putting all your dreams into reality. Trust me, you will love it, so don't worry! It can be a little crazy at times, but this whole week I have repeatedly stated "I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm so excited." Even though I'm still working right now (reading the student's summer reading assignment) I can still say with confidence: I'm so excited!!!