First day done!

[Sbkangas5]

Phew - it really is like childbirth. It's a good thing I always forget how hard it is or I'd never do it again!

No criers (for today), no runners, no hitters/biters, no screamers, no flat out defiance - that's good! One noise maker, one with very high emotions, one wanderer, one who doesn't seem to know her name, one who is very hard to understand, one clown, and the normal squirrelly babies. Not too bad, especially compared to my zoo last year! Plus all of my language learners seem to at least understand a decent bit of English, so that's very helpful!

I had it easy today because my partner was there with me. We will do one more day together, and then I'm on my own on Friday.

Good luck to everyone on their first day! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Zia]

Today was Day 8 for me. What's weird is a kid who hasn't been a crier, is suddenly bereft. He is ESL and (I think) he figured out that he has to come here every day! It was okay for a few days, but he didn't sign up for the long haul. Poor kid.

 

[ICrazyTeach]

Sounds like a good start! I had a few criers on our first Monday. Sending them home for the weekend and then making them come back was just cruel
Now that they are forming friendships, the talking and playing is kicking into high gear. I have great group, though. Just a bunch of boys!

 

[anna]

Today was day 12 for me and things are humming along. The honeymoon is definitely over . Kids have come out of their shell and I must say I have a very good combo of kids. 20 right now. Last year I had 22 so I am waiting for the shoe to drop. Usually it is in the form of an inter district transfer of a child who was in special ed and the district has decided that it is time to mainstream the child. The district will save money and we go from there. I make it work.

 

[VivianCP]

Day 2 here

Glad your group seems good. I have almost twice as many girls as boys. Not sure I like that! They are all very talkative but seem to have pretty good school skills. Here are the stats:

2 days
3 meltdowns
8 boys
14 girls
100 degrees in my classroom
1 minute attention spans

Yep, that about sums it up!

 

[Sbkangas5]

Oh Vivian - the heat itself sounds miserable!! This is the first year in 4 that we haven't been absolutely sweltering the first week of school and it is making a huge difference!

 

[meandmyhouse]

It is so weird how classes are lopsided year to year. Last year was the year of the boys, I had almost twice as many boys than girls. This year I have 9 boys and 14 girls.

 

[VivianCP]

the heat itself sounds miserable!!

Some rooms have AC so kids do get a break when going to those rooms, however, the powers that be decided it didn't need to be turned on! Uh, yeah, cuz they sit in air conditioned offices all day! Plus the rooms that have AC don't have windows that open! Someone finally complained to the P & she took care of it. (She is new & not the problem.) It's been very hot before but this year seems So. Much. Worse. I have sweat dripping into my eyes. I hate to stop for an errand on the way home because I STINK!!!!!

This is the first year in 4 that we haven't been absolutely sweltering the first week of school and it is making a huge difference!

Good for you! I guess there is a reason to look forward to October in the midwest!

 

[kdgstar105]

Just finished week 1. I only had kids Wed, Thurs, Friday, but it went OK. It was also stinking hot where I was in Pennsylvania. We don't have central air, but do have window air conditioners. I am grateful for them, but they are noisy and aren't powerful enough for the size of room they are trying to cool. Plus the hallways, cafeteria etc... aren't air conditioned, so the school is still hot.

My group is OK. They did pretty well, but we have public preK in our building. Most of my kids are used to being away from home and how to function in the school. I think my main problem this year will be some of the parents. We had orientation last week and WOW! Very interesting (and sad) home lives. I am used to that in my district, but this year seems extra bad.

I am also concerned about how young they are. Our cut off is September 1st. I checked birth dates and I only have 1 child turning 6 before Christmas. 3/4 aren't turning 6 until next summer! Last year I had a much older group where about half turned 6 during the first few months of school.

I hope everyone has a great year!

 

[brigita]

Just finished Day 9

Zero the Hero comes on Monday for us! (I hope I can find where I put him!). I have 18 boys and 14 girls. So far, it's better than I expected! They are a younger group than last years' but other than being chatty, they are catching on to the routines pretty quickly. I have one boy who is showing some defiance and adhd type behavior, another who is bright and good in the classroom, but who is aggressive on the playground, a daily (but quiet cryer), and one who will just sit there and do nothing unless you are standing right over him. I have already started working with the parents and three out of the four are already showing improvement! I feel very optimistic that we are going to have a good year!