The First and Second Days of School

The first day of school was hectic, but good.
Lots of procedures, alternating with get-to-know you games, writing biography poems, starting to organize materials, and three free periods, which were helpful to regroup and plan for the day's changes, like not yet having a specialist teacher for Bible.

I didn't get very much sleep the night before, so by the end of the day I was exhausted. Already, it felt like a week of school had gone by, and it was only the end of the first day! Later, I swapped stories with other teachers on the late bus, and it seemed we had similar feelings and experiences throughout the day, so I was comforted knowing what I was going through was normal. I was also really encouraged by the people whose circumstances were sour (like being locked out of their classroom for an hour and a half-improvising lessons in the hallway) but they remained positive about it.
I made an action plan to change my bathroom procedure (1 emergency a week, then the kids flip their card), move some talkative boys, and make transitions quicker.

This morning, I returned for Day 2, and it went a lot smoother than I anticipated. Students were starting to know the routines; that I refused to talk over them, that they could only speak English, and that not even whispering was not allowed in the hallway.

On the flip side, some highlights of my day were:
1) Seeing my students' faces light up when they shared their writing with the class.
2) Getting to know my students more through hearing their stories: a broken arm, a birthday party with a fruit fight, a mouse in a mom's shoe, etc. My students are pretty hilarious, and it's so exciting to see them eager to write and share their experiences! I hope to encourage this even more throughout the year and provide daily opportunities to do so.
3) Teaching my students a Math Place Value Game (Marilyn Burns), where they rolled a die and had to choose where to put the number on their grid. Also, introducing them to their "personal whiteboards" (basically three pieces of paper stuffed inside a plastic sheet); they want to use them all the time!

I'm learning, the students are learning, and we're both looking forward to each new day!
Keep us all in your prayers : )