...5 to go until my 3 week break. I'm kind of liking this year-round school business. Always something to look forward to. I MIGHT regret saying that when I only get 6 weeks off starting the middle of June for summer, but for right now, I like it ;) Well, I've been a first grade teacher for 2 weeks. Week 2 was definitely way better than week 1. There are definitely still some things I need to work on, but it should be fine. I feel a LITTLE more confident and I think the rest will come. I think this next 3 week period will be better because I was actually there for the planning of it...I wasn't just given the materials and told to go for it! I was finally put in the online system a couple days ago, so this weekend all I've been doing is grading worksheets and entering them in my gradebook...not very exciting!
My students are adorable. I absolutely love each of them (even though a few drive me crazy every once in awhile) and I know that this was the right career for me, as incompetent as I feel most of the time ;) They really are so precious and they are constantly making me laugh. I had some hilarious quotes from them that when they happened I said, "Oh I have to tell people that!" because I was almost rolling on the ground laughing at it, but I forgot them now...so maybe next time I'll remember to do it right away :)
In other news, my volleyball team is doing really well...with little thanks to me! I feel bad because I'm gone all the time and only make it to the last half hour of our practices during the week (if I don't have a meeting or car troubles)...but I've made it to both the tournaments, so that's good! At the tournaments they have seriously been playing so well! I'm so proud of them! I was SUPER nervous at tryouts and our first practice or two, but these girls have been so coachable and willing to learn and they have seriously improved SO much! Thanks to my awesome assistant coach, I think our team will be great by the end of the year! I am mainly the "rotation specialist" with this team, which makes sense because when I used to play, I knew EXACTLY where all 6 players on the court should be...so now I'm shouting out orders from the sidelines to tell people to be behind or in front of or to the left or right of someone else. It's a lot harder from a coaching standpoint because I'm not actually IN the game and I have other things to focus on besides just the rotations! Some girls on the court are getting the hang of it now though, so it's taking a little "pressure" off of me ;)
Pretty much that's my whole life...teaching and coaching. It's great, but it's kind of sad that I don't have a life...not like I ever did, but it would be nice to have one hahaha :) But I love my two jobs and am so grateful to have them! :)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wow.
So it has almost been a full week of teaching (tomorrow will complete that week...) and I feel completely inadequate! I do NOT know what I'm doing! It's getting better each day though, so hopefully when I've been teaching for like 5 years, I'll feel at least satisfied with my performance.
My kids are absolute angels...and there's only 16 of them, which is a huge plus. They all know that it is my very first teaching job and pretty much all of their parents told them that they need to help me a lot because I'm nervous about this new class as much as they are. Honestly, every time I need someone to do something for me, they will all jump out of their chairs raising their hands as high as they can go. If I ask someone to turn off the lights, you can bet there will be a stampede towards the light switch. I need to stop asking for "someone" because someone is going to end up with a black eye one of these days.
So today, they were all writing about snowmen. Each of their snowmen had to go on an adventure. One little boy wrote this, (or something close to it...) "Once upon a time, there was a snowman that went to Hawaii. He went surfing and ate ice cream all day. Then he kissed his girlfriend. On the lips." He was at his desk giggling while everyone else took turns reading their stories to me to make sure they were acceptable (because they were writing one liners and calling it good!) He brought his up to me and he asked me to read it. So I start reading it semi-aloud and when I got to the kissing part, my kids start CRACKING UP. Seriously...like rolling on the floor! You forget how funny kissing is to little kids. They laughed for like 5 minutes straight and I laughed with them :) Probably the best moment of the week.
The job is getting less and less stressful, but I am still stressed to the max, which explains how stressed I was Sunday night and Monday. Part of my stress is because my classroom is a DISASTER. I don't have a teacher desk yet, so my stuff is absolutely everywhere and it's driving me NUTS! I mean, if I had a desk, it would just be in piles on my desk, but at least it would be in a central location and not on every counter space, table, and floor space I have!
Anyway, I have to get going...the kids and I have P.E. tomorrow...which should definitely be interesting! Ha! TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! And then I get to cut lamination out ALL WEEKEND. Seriously...I have like 100+ pages of lamination to cut out. Anyone feel like bringing their scissors over for a party? ;)
My kids are absolute angels...and there's only 16 of them, which is a huge plus. They all know that it is my very first teaching job and pretty much all of their parents told them that they need to help me a lot because I'm nervous about this new class as much as they are. Honestly, every time I need someone to do something for me, they will all jump out of their chairs raising their hands as high as they can go. If I ask someone to turn off the lights, you can bet there will be a stampede towards the light switch. I need to stop asking for "someone" because someone is going to end up with a black eye one of these days.
So today, they were all writing about snowmen. Each of their snowmen had to go on an adventure. One little boy wrote this, (or something close to it...) "Once upon a time, there was a snowman that went to Hawaii. He went surfing and ate ice cream all day. Then he kissed his girlfriend. On the lips." He was at his desk giggling while everyone else took turns reading their stories to me to make sure they were acceptable (because they were writing one liners and calling it good!) He brought his up to me and he asked me to read it. So I start reading it semi-aloud and when I got to the kissing part, my kids start CRACKING UP. Seriously...like rolling on the floor! You forget how funny kissing is to little kids. They laughed for like 5 minutes straight and I laughed with them :) Probably the best moment of the week.
The job is getting less and less stressful, but I am still stressed to the max, which explains how stressed I was Sunday night and Monday. Part of my stress is because my classroom is a DISASTER. I don't have a teacher desk yet, so my stuff is absolutely everywhere and it's driving me NUTS! I mean, if I had a desk, it would just be in piles on my desk, but at least it would be in a central location and not on every counter space, table, and floor space I have!
Anyway, I have to get going...the kids and I have P.E. tomorrow...which should definitely be interesting! Ha! TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! And then I get to cut lamination out ALL WEEKEND. Seriously...I have like 100+ pages of lamination to cut out. Anyone feel like bringing their scissors over for a party? ;)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
...First Grade Teacher...
I went in yesterday for a job interview and it went really well. I had a good foundation because my cooperating teacher is friends with the principal I was interviewing with, the principal where I did my student teaching is good friends with her, and my cooperating teacher's sister works at that school. But all of those good recommendations did not stop me from being incredibly nervous! It almost made it worse because I had to live up to all of the hype!
Anyway, it paid off! I got the call this morning and was offered the position of a first grade teacher! I am so happy, but so nervous. I keep expecting them to call and say, "Oops, we made a mistake." I seriously can't believe it. I've already started to make a list of everything I need to do and I am so overwhelmed. I have little over a week to get everything set up and I am going to need ALL of that time. I have a lot of people that have offered to help me with everything though, which is so amazing! I have such a good support system here in Utah already and at home.
Even though I am so nervous and feeling overwhelmed, I KNOW I can do this and I am honestly so excited! Things will come together soon and life will be good! I can't wait to meet my little kiddos!
I will be starting at Butterfield Canyon Elementary in Herriman, Utah next week...observing, setting up my classroom, and meeting parents...and then the next Monday, January 31st, will be my first day with all of my kids! It will be so great! I can't wait! :)
Anyway, it paid off! I got the call this morning and was offered the position of a first grade teacher! I am so happy, but so nervous. I keep expecting them to call and say, "Oops, we made a mistake." I seriously can't believe it. I've already started to make a list of everything I need to do and I am so overwhelmed. I have little over a week to get everything set up and I am going to need ALL of that time. I have a lot of people that have offered to help me with everything though, which is so amazing! I have such a good support system here in Utah already and at home.
Even though I am so nervous and feeling overwhelmed, I KNOW I can do this and I am honestly so excited! Things will come together soon and life will be good! I can't wait to meet my little kiddos!
I will be starting at Butterfield Canyon Elementary in Herriman, Utah next week...observing, setting up my classroom, and meeting parents...and then the next Monday, January 31st, will be my first day with all of my kids! It will be so great! I can't wait! :)
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