miércoles, enero 05, 2005
first day
...was more or less a breeze. given the weird state of affairs with my class (no actual content taught in 3-7 weeks --no one really knows when the teacher started slacking, but she NEVER did guided reading--, no gradebook for me to refer to, and no record of any student misbehaviors/problems/issues), i've got TONS of flexibility and the whole administration has recognized that these first few weeks are all about establishing authority and introducing and maintaining routines and expectations. the kiddos were angelitos for the first hour of school before specials, then slowly got rowdier and less attentive. such is the nature of six-yr-olds. by the end of the day, all progress i had made had all but flown out the window. we'll be spending lots of time on our afternoon "routine" tomorrow... apparently 40 minutes was not enough for us to gather homework folders, pass out papers, clean up, and do our weekly raffle. sad.
on a particularly good note, i don't feel all that stressed. i think i'll find my groove much sooner than i thought. and i've already started discussing actions to take regarding my... well, let's not bullshit, my problem children. i've got two so far, one of whom i wasn't expecting. there was another child whose name has come up, but i think with a little redirection he'll be just fine. i've also got a kid who i'm sensing some issues with... probably speech and maybe some special needs, but it's only been one day that i've worked with him so it'll take some time to figure out his strengths and weaknesses. sadly, my school has no bilingual special ed nor speech services, so if he does eventually get recommended, he'll have to leave if his parents opt for services. overall, it was a good day. to end on a bitterly funny note, my known "special child" drew a pistol. on the back of a letter he was writing to his grandmother (he got as far as "Querida Abuelita... Te quiero." then BAM! with the illustration. NICE.). my kids were also very excited about my foam soap that smells like apples. i'm beginning to think first graders rock, even when they're bad.
classroom pictures will be taken this week. i think i did a good job.
on a particularly good note, i don't feel all that stressed. i think i'll find my groove much sooner than i thought. and i've already started discussing actions to take regarding my... well, let's not bullshit, my problem children. i've got two so far, one of whom i wasn't expecting. there was another child whose name has come up, but i think with a little redirection he'll be just fine. i've also got a kid who i'm sensing some issues with... probably speech and maybe some special needs, but it's only been one day that i've worked with him so it'll take some time to figure out his strengths and weaknesses. sadly, my school has no bilingual special ed nor speech services, so if he does eventually get recommended, he'll have to leave if his parents opt for services. overall, it was a good day. to end on a bitterly funny note, my known "special child" drew a pistol. on the back of a letter he was writing to his grandmother (he got as far as "Querida Abuelita... Te quiero." then BAM! with the illustration. NICE.). my kids were also very excited about my foam soap that smells like apples. i'm beginning to think first graders rock, even when they're bad.
classroom pictures will be taken this week. i think i did a good job.
