Back to work...

I started back at work on January 9, 2012.  It was probably a harder adjustment for me than for CC I'm guessing.  She is still at home and she and daddy get to play and Dad has to try and fit in his homework assignments and cleaning and keeping up the house.  Week one is complete.  It wasn't quite as difficult as I thought it would be to get back into the swing of things.  I only needed caffeine (Coke Zero) and Excedrin 3 of the 5 days!

I managed to memorize all the kids names before the end of the week and I also am getting the hang of a the whole new grading system.  It has been an undertaking but honestly, everything has been less stressful as I thought it would be.

 HUGE thanks to Lauren and Teresa for helping us out in watching CC here and there as Paul juggles his classload and we get to go to swimming lessons together.  Oh yes, I can't forget Paul and I started swimming lessons together this week too!   Why not bring as much chaos to our newly adjusting lives as possible.  It was a great first lesson and I look forward to becoming a stronger swimmer.

So I worked 5 days and have had a few more days off this week...thank you snow.

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.