Exhausted

I am so burned out from this week. In addition to it only being the second week back to work, I started my grad program and started working for Weight Watchers. I haven't been getting home at night until between 8 and 9. My working out also suffered this week but I should get back on track next week. I think I really need to be working out because it truely gives me more energy. I am seriously considered getting into bed shortly.

Work has been going really well. I am glad I made the move to the new school. My class seems a little bit lower that where I started last year but I am going to be able to pull them up. My class is seeming to gel. I just have two or three outliers that seem to make my day harder that it needs to be. I know I will always have at least one though. One of them was absent today, and the other two got called up to the office for some bus issues and my class had never run so smoothly.

I am really happy this weekend is Labor Day weekend. I just hope my textbooks for my grad school classes get here so I can be caught up on readings for Tuesday. I had to order them online and even paid for the quick shipping but they still haven't arrived and that is frustrating me. The biggest problem is UPS doesn't deliever on Saturdays and then Monday is a holiday so the soonest I would get them is Tuesday. I am going to try to get ahead on some assignment I can get ahead on this weekend since I have an extra day.

First Week of School and other life happenings

The first week of school was a success. I feel so comfortable and this new school and am liking it so much better that my last. I feel like I know way more this year then I ever did last year. I am very happy that I made this switch. Things are also getting less confusing as far as things that come up at a brand new school. The only thing that is a little frustrating is that I am used to second graders at the end of the year and it is strange to feel like I am going back to square one but I realize this will happen every year.

Grad school starts Tuesday so I will be very busy. I am going to have to learn to run on less sleep and to try to fit in working out whenever I can get a chance. I also am starting training to work as a receptionist for Weight Watchers on Thursday night so all in all it is going to be a very busy upcoming week!

A Successful First Day

Today was my first day with students and it seemed to go really well. I did learn a lot about my students today the main thing that sticks out in my mind is their lack of writing skills. I gave a writing preassessment today to see where they are and they just don't have it at all. We will get there though. We are using a new writing program that I think I can really get on board with and like a lot.

Today was also VERY long. Dismissal took 2 HOURS. The way the school is set up cars and the buses come down the same way. Well this path is very narrow so the buses were having lots of trouble getting through so it definitely took a while. Hopefully we can resolve some of that for tomorrow.

I am exhausted. Getting back to work is some what of a shock to the body. I am sure it will get easier with each passing day!

Even more trainings

So I am in my second week of trainings and am learning a good amount. I feel like for a lot of the trainings though you really need to get in there and try the things out before you will know exactly what your questions are. In two days from now, I know my brain will be on overload and I won't remeber anything I have learned this week.

So far my class is sitting at under 18 students. I am hoping that it stays this way. Last year I had 22 and that is a lot of little ones. Although it doesn't sound like a huge difference, just 4 children can make a huge difference in your plans and the time you have. I got a class list today and I will probably get 4 more before school starts but that is just kind of the way the public school system is.

I am ready to get in and meet my students. This week we have orientation where I will get to meet at least some of my class and I am definitely looking forward to that.

Lots of Trainings

So this week, I went to a ton of trainings starting off the new school year. One I had been to before and another one I had heard a lot about but had never been trained on them. This one was thinking maps. Thinking maps like to claim that they are not graphic organizers. For any teachers out there, what do you think? I really think that a thinking map is essential a graphic organizer. That is just my feeling.

I have another week of training coming up and then I get the little ones on the 20th and am very excited. So far my class is at 17 and that sounds great to me. I am ready to get my kids and dive into the school year. Being a new school, I have so many materials that I never had last year. I was an extra class last year in my grade level that they had never had so I was lacking in a ton of the materials that everyone else had. I was so excited to see all the materials and cannot wait to get my hands on them!

On an added note, GO SAINTS!

One of the Joys of Opening a New School

This year I will be working at a brand new school ... like brand new as construction is still going on. I was there today working a little in my classroom and then helping to sort textbooks. We recieved almost 20 pallets of textbooks and they all had to be sorted by grade and teacher. Some of the boxes were "grab bags" where the people who pack the boxes just throw random things together in boxes. Well I feel like I need to help out in this process because the only other thing I could be doing right now would be laying on my couch. I got a big time workout today lifting 50 pound boxes of textbooks and moving them around. Now my back is killing me. I just kind of look around and say stupid things like "aren't there people in the county that do this?" And apparently that person in the AP. If the AP didn't have teacher volunteers she would be doing all this work herself. I think that really just puts a lot on the AP's shoulders. It's crazy. It also it good to help out because then administration will have a good warm fuzzy feeling about you since you were there helping out when you didn't have to be. Maybe this will help me out later in the year. Good karma.