First Week of School

Well, as much as I worked on inventing some kind of time machine to delay the arrival of the first week of school, I failed. The first week has come and gone and I came straight home on Friday to take a nap! The first week was pretty mellow, but I kind of forgot how draining it can all be. To say I was exhausted all week would be an understatement. I am, however, finally back into the routine and I think this coming week will be less draining...at least I hope it will be!

The first week, as I mentioned, was uneventful. Other than getting several new kids each day, nothing particularly exciting happened. I am always amazed when new kids show up on the 3rd or 4th day of school. (And we will undoubtedly continue to get these kids trickling in next week too.) I actually can't stand getting new students. Mind you, I don't let them know I can't stand it-- it's usually not their fault and I would never want to make a new student feel bad because of my issues, but for me it is just a big pain. Not only do I have to try and explain everything they need to know about my class in a very abbreviated 2 minutes or so, but they have missed out on so many important things that I cover in the first few days. I like things to be very clear, neat, and organized and getting all these new students really messes with my clear, neat, and organized nature. ;-)

Since we have only completed one week (a short week due to the Labor Day holiday), next week will probably be the true test. This last week was the "honeymoon" period and I am sure I will start to see some true colors next week. I did have a few students in one class start off on the wrong foot on the first day--and as I told them, it's never a good thing when I already know your name on day one! I had conversations with all of them and strangely enough, they all did fine the rest of the week. I hope that will be the case the rest of the year, but I am also realistic and know they might still struggle. Seeing their genuine efforts to do better, however, was actually pretty terrific. One of them even included a note on his first assignment and stated that he was sorry for starting off that way and hoped to have a fresh start...and he was the one who I thought was going to have the worst time in my class because his attitude was probably one of the worst I have encountered in a long time. That's something, isn't it?

I absolutely love my schedule! First of all, our house has the GATE students this year. They are my second period and they are adorable. I probably shouldn't be describing 8th grade students as adorable, but they are. They are all very eager to please and do well and seem eager to express themselves and share their ideas--I love it! Secondly, I have three class periods before lunch. This may not mean much to you, but to me it is wonderful because it means I only have two classes after lunch in the afternoon. As a general rule, our students seem to be a bit more hyped up after lunch, which I am sure is the case for any age, so to get three classes out of the way first thing in the morning is a blessing. After lunch, I have two classes and then the cherry on top--7th period prep. It is so refreshing going through the day knowing I can still look forward to prep! The other benefit is that I can get loads of work done to prepare for the next day, which means I don't have to worry about getting to school too early. Once I really start collecting and grading homework, that prep will hopefully provide the time I need to get lots of work done so I don't have to bring as much home.

So, what can I say? I certainly cannot complain. Other than feeling sentimental about those lazy summer days, I have so much to be thankful for. I had a wonderful summer and got to travel in Oregon as well as visiting friends down in Orange County and San Diego. My dear friends, Andrew and Jessica had their son, Samuel Andrew Davidson, and I had the privilege of being there when he was born. I had plenty of extra time on my hands to get into my classroom and get it decorated the way I wanted long before we were even required to be back at school. (I have included some pictures in case you were interested!) I got to see my mom and Aunt Carol as they were traveling through on their way to Oregon and Idaho. I was able to spend lots of time reading lots of books. I got to spend lots of time in person and on text messaging with my dear friend (really more like a sister) Amy as she began her first nursing job in Labor and Delivery at UCLA. I had a spectacular summer and if this career can afford me the privilege of getting time off like that, then I will absolutely take the frustrations with a grain of salt. I am still eager to pursue teaching jobs in other areas, especially out of state, but it appears that this is where God has me for now and I know better that to question His reasons. I actually ran into a former student this summer when I was out with a friend. This former student told my friend that I was one of the only teachers she ever learned anything from. Talk about humbling--but it also gave me the little extra push to realize that God's plan is always the best plan. In the near future, though, as I begin to ponder where else I would like to pursue a teaching job (Colorado and Idaho are where I am focusing right now...any other ideas?), I want to make sure I am making the most out of my time here. I feel like I complain a lot and I don't want to focus on the negatives when there are a lot of positives here: I adore my friends here; love my church family; and am thankful for having some pull at my school and in my district being that I am kind of a veteran as I head into year 13. With so many blessings, how can I not be thankful? So, on this first Sunday of the NFL regular season (GO COWBOYS!!!) I am off to do laundry and prepare for another week of school. I hope that as the autumn approaches, you are all enjoying life's blessings too. Life is good, wouldn't you agree?