Awww..to be in 6th grade again!

So I teach 6th grade.  Pretty well known by now that it was a "shift" in my thinking 2 years ago when I was "placed here after being "misplaced," well actually, it is more like being 'rearranged' in the district due to budget cuts.  I had been teaching 7th and 8th grade, algebra, and geometry up until that point.  It was definitely a new adventure getting rearranged.

Today was the last day of school for the 2010-2011 kiddos at North Middle School.  It was a good day thanks to Math Snacks for entertaining the crew and reviewing key concepts!  I should really thank my friend Kristi Eisenkraft for introducing me to that website!!  There are some entertainingly funny math videos there and the kids loved it!

So I've been thinking about this summer..and how I'm not only preparing for a new baby, but this Fall will mark the first fall in 28 years that I haven't started school!  I calculated that and gasped!  I went to pre-school when I was 4 and the Kindergarten at 5,  graduated HS at 17, AA. at 20, and BA at 22.  Then I started teaching in Fall 2002 and promptley enrolled in my MA program in 2003!  That's not to mention that I was teaching full time from 2002 on!

So this fall, on top of having my hands and mind and heart full of excitement, joy, and a little canty bundle of love,  I will have my first September in 28 years where I won't be starting school.

I think I may need to pose with Baby Girl on the first day of school and hold an apple or something to commemorate the start of schooling...schooling of becoming a mother.  Starting out knowing nothing but sleepless nights, and drool, and cuddles and finding myself instinctively caring for another human being that I helped bring into this world!

Perhaps that is overkill.  But as I remember watching my students teary eyed and sad leaving campus today, with what they view as  'life changing event,'  I recognize that the end of the school year does mark an end of an era for Paul and I and our little family.  We are increasing by one cute Canty in less than 10 weeks!

I'm so excited to be a mother, and yet feel so inadequate all at the same time.  I'm so lucky to have friend and family members to guide me through this new adventure.  I'm so grateful too, that I have Paul to lean on.  He is so thrilled about being a daddy he's beaming!

Awww...to be in 6th grade and think that your life is changing now that school is out..starting a new adventure...hold on to your hat Canty, we are starting the ride of our lives!

Sharpened Pencils and Learning

So I moved classrooms this year.  Thank goodness!  I have carpet which has definitely increased my ability to hear my students.  As a one-eared educator, being able to tell where side-chatter, tapping pencils and fidgety feet are coming from is difficult.  I am so grateful for the room coming available for me to utilize and am anxious for the opportunity to see the light bulbs of learning shine in room 221. 

 So another year begins.  I am teaching 6th grade again.  I have 4 classes of 6th grade math and 2 classes of math support.  So I get to see some of my students twice a day this year.  I often reflect on my role as an educator and realize that these last few years, I've been honored to be more than "just a math teacher."  I also have realized that my kiddos are not the only students in the classroom!  I too am learning, from my students.  They have taught me about holding on to what you have, being the best you know how to be despite all that has happened to you.  I have learned about perseverance and dealing with less than ideal circumstances and still coming to school to learn.  Last year alone I have had students share with me about their home situations and worries.  The loss of their family members, pets, and feelings of abandonment.  I have had kids share with me that they are home alone often, or on the other hand don't have a home to go to;  having money for school supplies, clothes, and food can be an issue too.  My kiddos have so little in so many ways and yet show me how much they have and each day they come to school...hoping for the support, love, kindness, and to learn something new.

As I set my goals for this new school year, as I set up my routines and procedures in class, I recognize the importance of adding a little more humanity to my mathematics culture.  I will remember each of my students for who they are: kids eager to learn, share, and grow with me, and perhaps we'll learn a little math along the way.