Well, This is it!

Officially summer is over. I've had a fantastic time! Between the Amazing race, Summer Camp and Florida, I really couldn't have done much better. I didn't even come close to getting everything done that I wanted to but, alas, school has returned and time has run out. Golly, I really need to be independently wealthy so I can be a lazy slob just playing through life.

I've spent the last four days preparing for the next batch of kids. I'm teaching 4 classes of Grade 7 L.A. and 1 class of Grade 8 L.A. this year. I also have two classes of Health. It is a nice assignment. One of the best in the school actually. It is nice to have so much of one subject and grade level. It makes planning way, way easier. It also helps that this is a similar assignment as last year so I should be able to recycle much of my material. I have never taught the the grade 8 L.A. though. I talked to the teacher who has the most classes in the the subject and she has agreed to funnel everything she has got to me. We should be doing the same thing at the same time. This will be a huge help for me as again it is less planning and helps my one little class be consistent with the rest of the school.

I struggled with classroom management last year so I've spent much of the last few days really focusing on organizing routines and structure into the room. It is my hope that if I really have thought out how the transitions in the class will work that there will be much less chaos. The beautiful thing about grade 7s is they are new to the school and have no previous experience with me. That means I can implement all sorts of new things with them like I know what I'm doing and they won't know the difference.

I am nervous though. I really want to be an effective teacher but I fall short so often that I find the start of every new year a little nauseating. I'm always hopeful that this is the year I get it figured out and I'll really make a difference for these kids. This job is isolating and batters at you. It is difficult to get recognition and appreciation so your sense of accomplishement and even competency can really take a beating. I miss my homeschoolers who used to thank me after I taught them a lesson.

Tuesday, I officially go in to the fray as the students walk in the door! Pray for me!