Sore Feet, Happy Heart: Reflections on the First Day of Teaching

As I sat down in a chair to reflect on my day, two thoughts crossed my mind:

1. Holy smokes, I am actually sitting down today?!?!

2. Wait, did that just happen??

The good news is, I survived my very first day as a teacher! I made it through without tears, without running away, and without scaring any children. (Much to the sadness of my fellow colleagues, I think. They would have LOVED some good teacher entertainment today.)

Sadly, the list of what I did do is much longer. I did accidentally mess up attendance (three times),  I did accidentally keep three students in my classroom who belonged in English (who needs it anyways??), I did forget to bring a lunch, and I did have to get technology assistance (that was bound to happen sooner or later...). Luckily, the English teacher was forgiving, nobody seemed to care about attendance, and our tech guy is a MIRACLE worker when it comes to fixing projectors. 

Looking back, it is a little sad. Feels kind of like Christmas. You spend weeks setting up your classroom, get excited about how it looks, spend countless nights thinking about how things will work, what you will say, what your students will think. And then it comes! And it is great, but lets be honest, that first day is the most hectic, crazy, confusing, fun, happy, and bizarre day of your teaching career. And then, you are sitting down at your desk, looking out over an empty classroom, probably still hearing voices and giggles (because, lets face it, you will be hearing those for the next 20 years... even during the summer!), and you ask yourself two questions: Where did the time go? and Where are these voices coming from?!

And, at first you are a little sad it is over. That day you worked for has come and gone. You probably feel a little disappointed, a little dazed. But as you start to pack up, pick up the mess your middle schoolers left (they WON'T leave that tomorrow, trust me), and kick off your shoes (because your feet at this point probably feel like they are going to snap), you realize that the end of your first day is really not the end of anything, but rather, a beginning. And come what may, you are ready to step into the next day and see what challenges lie ahead.... 

Well, after you eat some food, go to therapy, get a HoverRound for your feet, and get a lot of sleep that is... :) 

Classroom Tour!

Ah, this week is FULL of pictures. I have been resisting the urge to post these on Facebook, because, lets face it, I am a bragger. Oh well. :) But here you have it, a tour of my new and improved classroom! I am so very excited to fill it with students. I tried my best to make it a welcoming, happy, and just overall warm place for my students. Enjoy!

My library area. There are pillows in the cabinet if needed. :) I tried to go for a home-y feel because  I think my group of students really deserve a place to come if they need to de-stress.  You will note Pookie, the bear, who has been with me through thick and thin (most importantly my cancer years). My hopes is that he can be there for some of my students now! (More to come on the bulletin board NEXT week! It's a class project, and will be awesome.)

One of the many quotes pictures I made on PPT. Imagine my excitement when I discovered we have a poster maker at my school! :D Talk of enlarging my pictures is already going down! Fantastic!!

The other MONSTER bulletin board I have. Yes, I stood on counters to do it, with a very wonderful friend. :) Yes, it took us 2 hours and then some. Yes, this was our first time doing a board like this. No, we did not cry. We came close, but at least we finished, and it turned out better than planned!

So excited to try out this "ticket out" idea. Students write on post its something they learned, something they still need help on, or something that they REALLY need help on! Then, on the way out, they stick it on the lights accordingly. Great tool for you as a teacher, but also for them when it comes to self evaluation. We will see how it works!

The student center. Looks a little different after today (added a few other things) but I love the color! :) Now, to get the students to use it............. haha.........

My favorite quote. Poster-fying it in a week or two!

Probably my favorite part of the room. Trying to make it more "our" room, not just "my" room. The students can write memories, or things that they think are memorable from our class time, fold, and put in their jar. The last day of school, we sit around and read what they put in their jars. I cannot WAIT to see if it works. 

Always good to have a backup tech guy when the real school tech guy is too busy to help you out. Thanks Jacob for connecting all those crazy cords for me! :)

My very first teacher desk! Huzzah!!

Ignore the weird guy in this picture (don't really know who he is...) . Focus on the beautiful classroom instead! :)

Things I Learned during my First Week as an Educator

1. The very first district meeting you go to is TERRIFYING. Luckily, once you leave, you forget all the super important information and you aren't so scared anymore.

2. You should take time to go and sit in your classroom for a while and just bask in the glory. You won't get a chance to do that once you get started, you will be too busy. So glad I did this!

3. Write down EVERYTHING you need to do. Then, don't lose that paper.... like I did....

4. There are many sacrifices a teacher makes for their students. A short teacher has to make even more, even if it means risking your life to climb on counter tops to Swiffer things.

5. People will come looking if you drop more than one metal stool on the floor at once. (Bonus: You meet some new people!)

6. You should have a best friend help you. Shout out to Lacy, who was an AMAZING cleaning/organizing/ unpacking/ bulletin board/ singing buddy!!

7. This is the perfect classroom pet. It doesn't make noise, eat much, and, the best part: It can't die, because it is dead already... :)

 8. Pinterest and fellow teachers are life saving resources. (And time savers too!)

9. Dollar Tree has more supplies and items than you could ever imagine.

10. It is fun to do before and after shots of your classroom.

Here is the before picture of my classroom! Stay tuned to see how it has changed! Who has some cool ideas and suggestions for this space?? Let me know!

Until next week! :)

In the Beginning...

Wow! What a new experience! This blog is something completely new for me, so bear with me as I work to figure it out!

Just some background: I am a first year Social Studies teacher. I have been given the privilege of working with 7th grade. This year, my students are going to 'travel' the world, meeting new people, cultures, and places through Geography! Second semester, we get to 'come back home' and study our state's history! It will be a blast!

Tonight, while talking to a friend, the discussion of a blog came up. She mentioned that blogging may be a good idea, and I thought to myself, "Why not?" The year is already going to be full of new experiences, why not add one more on??

I chose to start this blog for a variety of reasons, and I feel it is only fair that I share exactly why I am doing it. First, I chose to do this blog for myself. I am selfish, I know. :) But, I want to be able to look back through the years and laugh at myself. Laugh at the good memories from the first year, laugh at the times I made huge mistakes, laugh at my perspective... Because, if you know me at all, you know I love to laugh. So, for the memories, good and bad, I will write this blog.

Second, I am writing this for some friends in particular who are not close enough to share in the joy of my first classroom. My friends, as well as my family, have been AMAZING when it comes to supporting my dream of becoming an educator, and will continue to be my support team for years to come (I hope!). So, I owe it to them that they partake in my journey, where ever they are, even if they abandoned you for New Orleans ... Michelle... :)

Finally, I am writing this blog because I have chosen the BEST age group to work with. Middle school is truly the group to be with. They are funny, they are crafty, yes, they are even ornery. But the best stories in the world come from a middle school classroom! I figure, how selfish can I be, to keep these stories to myself? Everyone needs a good laugh, so why not share with the world the joy and happiness I experience on a daily basis. So, if you are feeling down, frustrated, or just tired, I hope this blog is the place you will come to in order to get a good story.

So, the question is, are you ready to set out with me on the adventure of a lifetime?