Thank you!

Thank you to my friends who remind me that, though I'm a teacher, that's not all I am. I appreciate knowing that I am a friend, a sister, a daughter, and a teacher. My job is incredibly important to me, but it's not my entire identity.

Time is no friend of mine!

Third year teacher. I should have my ducks in a row by now. I shouldn't be in the classroom on Sunday at 5:00 prepping for the week. I shouldn't be ready to strangle my students (CPS, I am far from the actual action).

I have no time for anything. I have to prioritize my necessary activities and choose only the ones who must be done, life or death. I am taking classes, trying (and not succeeding) in leading the PTO, TEACHING 29 students how to speak, write, and read English, do math, and become effective citizens. I am exhausted. It's only the fourth week of school.

Ugh.

First Week Finished!

I have officially survived the first week of school, though it's been rough. I really miss my students from last year, and this batch needs a LOT of help- in in-class behavior, focusing, writing, spelling, math- pretty much everything but virtue. Does that make sense? They are all pretty good kids, but they don't know how to keep their hands out of their desk, pay attention to a lesson/story/speaker, raise their hand, stay quiet during independent work, etc.

I have thirty students, as of right now, but it may flop upwards of 35 by September! It's this new ELD structure the state of Arizona has applied this year- I am only allowed to take in ELD students, and the rest of the third grade teachers are teaching non-ELD, which means any new enrollments who are ELD get automatically placed in my class! YIKES!