School Started!

Actually, I should have blogged awhile ago and I think I started an entry but I never finished it. So, school began on august 25. i feel like i have a different job from the last two years. i mean, in a way things are the same but i just know that it is so much easier to do a good job this year. i have stuff prepared, or if it's not prepared, i can prepare it quickly. also, my classes are all 50 minutes long (or 35 minutes today because it's a minimum day). that is sooo much easier. i know there are kids who would have a really hard time sitting through a two hour class with me. but nobody is being subjected to that (at least not in my classroom) so it works out okay. we can tolerate each other for 50 minutes!

actually, i was inspired to blog right now because my principal just came into my classroom, of course to see how i'm doing and if i have all of the right stuff. well, here's what i have: work up on the walls, evidence of an "under the surface question strategy" in my agenda (golden line, which i love!!!), an objective, an agenda, work on the board, and students working on clustering ideas about their name--very engaging and community-building for the second week of school. i'm sure there's something i'm missing and of course they probably should have been doing some kind of pair work but wow--i feel pretty proud of what i've done so far. i got this really cool series of lessons which culminates in students writing about their names, from a book that i got from a writing workshop this summer. it uses an essay by sandra cisneros which is part of "House on mango Street" to help kids think about the origins of their names, and there are a variety of activities leading up to an essay. i am really excited to read their essays--i found out one girl has a hidden name, i have twins named steven and stephon (yes, seriously), identical twin girls, nicknames, african names, asian names...the list goes on and on. it is really cool! and i get to tell them a little bit about myself through talking about *my* name, also. overall, good activity so far. i guess it's a little slow but i always go a little slow.

and, TFA is off my back. now, i am supporting the new TFA teachers are my school. so much easier! i get to do what i want....and that is nice. i mean, obviously i am still accountable in a lot of ways to a lot of people, but it just feels a little bit different. thank goodness!!

a few of my major goals for the year are helping students stay more organized by doing binders or notebooks, and staying more organized myself; ending class on time; doing grammar (haven't done much yet). more soon.