Busy, busy, busy!

Today was one of those days that felt like a week. We started with VB practice for the varsity this morning at 6:30 since their was a HS quad after school at home. Then I stayed after school and finally got my file folders for each kid organized. Luckily Brandon helped me with that. We left and then went straight to Brandon's parents' house to have hamburgers and okra with them and Meghan while she's home. I'm glad I'm finally sitting down! I feel like the first few weeks of school have both flown by and gone incredibly slow. I'm always busy and feel like I haven't had a moment to stop and think since we started, but yet I feel like we've done so much already that we've had to have been in school for weeks.

I wanted to share today some of the things my kids came up with for their quickwrite today. Basically, I start each class with a quickwrite: a 5-minute, write-as-fast-as-you-can journal entry. For the 8th graders, today, the topic was based off a photo of two bicyclists who were stopped on a road and looking straight at the camera. Their quest was to describe what it was that made the bicyclists stop and look. One kid decided it was because they could see right into our classroom, and they stopped when he announced that today's lunch was Salisbury steak. They were trying to figure out how to get into the classroom to eat with us. Another kid told in detail of the unicorn farm, where the unicorns were playing chess and the goats were singing. I can't remember all of them, but man, the imagination these kids have! Love it!

The 7th graders had a similar creative topic. Theirs was to imagine that they received an official-looking, white, business-size envelope in the mail from a company called Peerless with the words "You May Have Already Won" stamped on the outside in red. They were to then come up with the next part of the story. One kid told the story from a 3 year old's perspective, and she won a lifetime supply of Spaghetti-O's. Another kid wrote the letter that was actually in the envelope: it started out saying you had won a trip to outer space, but then said "just kidding" and was actually a letter asking for money to support research for kids afraid of the colors red, yellow and blue. Another kid told it from the perspective of the oldest man alive, who is 1,979 years old. And still walking (the kids got a kick out of that part).

They just amaze me with their varied ideas! I'm excited to hear what they have to say about Where the Red Fern Grows in 7th grade, and I know the 8th grade will come up with some good tall tales/myths/legends/folk tales/etc. in their unit this week and next.

I love being a teacher so far, but man, I feel so busy!!

First Full Week... CHECK

Wow, I can't believe the week flew by that quickly. All my classes went through their diagnostic units, with some kids realizing that I mean it when I say the deadline. But I'm really enjoying how hard they are working so far. I can't wait to read all their essays this weekend! (I mean that seriously, fyi!)

Reminder to self: breathe...

With IEP meetings before school, volleyball practice and scrimmage yesterday, I am exhausted, but exhausted in such a happy way. Turns out I really do have a knack for this teaching thing. I feel great, and the kids all (all but a couple, anyway) seem to like and respect me and therefore work hard to impress/please me. I've been trying so hard to get the message across that they are in charge of how hard they work, and that I expect high quality out of them, and they're listening. Woo hoo!

After this morning's I've helped to set up the project of disassembling and reassembling a computer for a kid who often gets bored by the end of the day, and Brandon's going to meet him Tuesday to give him some pointers and extra information about what he's doing. I think it'll be good for both the kid and Brandon!

Happy as I am, I'm pumped for the weekend. Time on the Plaza at KC with Meghan (home for R&R from Afghanistan) and the family will be great!

The First Day of School

Yesterday was my first day with kids. It went well, really, though I had planned WAY more than what we could do in the 27 minutes they had with me because of a shortened schedule and 1:00 release. Wow. Except 5th hour, which came at the end of the day and was normal length, due to lunch. I was glad to have that breather at the end of the day.

But I'm really impressed with the kids, for the most part. They were all really paying attention, even when we got to the boring rules stuff, and a few classes had kids that were asking questions too. Some chattering, of course, but what do you expect for the first day. I suppose I should probably make them raise their hands more. It's just not exactly my style... I'm more open. But I'd better hammer down, or it'll only get worse. :)

I'm already pushing things back a day, and I've realized I need a new system of keeping track of what day we're doing what. I have dates on everything that now need to be shifted one day. I guess I better start just labeling things "Day 1" and "Day 2" and so forth. It'll save me a lot of time.

I'm really impressed with my reading class, at least in their abilities to read out loud. I've only got 3, so we got to talk quite a bit in our 27 minutes; since they're all in my English classes, I didn't need to rehash the rules or syllabus. I gave them 3 books to choose from for the first unit, and they chose Night of the Twisters. I knew they would... Kansas kids. :) So today I think we'll read some newspaper stuff on this particular tornado that happened in Grand Island, Neb., that inspired the book, as well as ones around here.

I'm just so excited!