February 22, 2015- My kiddos at school

Today I am grateful for my kiddos at school.  It's no secret that teaching 7th grade was NOT something I enjoyed.  Moving down to 5th grade has been a blessing in many ways- I have a great school, a beyond fantastic and supportive team, and kids that are old enough to teach things, but still young enough to be nice :).

Going into this year was especially hard because I missed the first month of school on maternity leave.   Teachers know that the beginning of school is a crucial time- you set boundaries, rules, expectations, etc. We also had a new principal, so I knew things would be different.  Oh, and one of the things that really worried me was our 28-29 student class size.  That is unheard of in our county in 5th grade.

Since I was going back later, I really didn't feel like I could start the year with my usual, for lack of a better description, drill-sergeant style.  Instead, I went in as more of a mother figure.  Instead of obsessing about over-planning and being a "perfect" teacher, I just went in, loving those kids.  I took the time to get to know them.  I shared about myself and my family.  And you know what?  This has been a great year.

Don't get me wrong; I think we really just have some awesome kids this year.  I also think taking the time and being real with the kids- getting to know them, teaching them interesting things that might not be in the standards, etc. has made this my favorite year yet.  We joke, we give hugs, we share stories- it's much more what I thought being a teacher would be like.  Granted, I am teaching them the standards (I hope), but this is the first year I haven't consistently worried about evaluations, and TVAAS, and test scores, and TCAP, and the state writing test, and everything else that people seem to think is "important" in school today.  I am focusing on the kids- and enjoying the kids- and it's pretty terrific.  I hope they love it too.