Back to School High Fives and Head Slaps

High Fives:

School Blogs - I've been wasting spending a lot of time on some incredible school blogs in an attempt to revamp some things in my room, like centers, differentiation, and even classroom management. One of my favorites so far, thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com. Her fonts are fun, her colors are hot pink and lime green, and her ideas are sensational. Not to mention downloadble!

FIVE teaching partners - With 105 first graders enrolled, we were blessed to add another first grade teacher to our mix. Ms. Hergenrider (AKA Rowengardner, Gardenhoser, Farfenugen, etc.), graduated the same year as me from Missoula, although we somehow never met. She's got great ideas and is doing an incredible job. With 21 kids in each class, I simply cannot imagine what this year would be like with five more bodies crammed into our tiny rooms.

Sweet Peas - There are some definite sweet peas in my room this year. Quiet little boys who grin shyly when I make little jokes. Dainty little girls with lisps and ribbons. Witty six year olds who already understand and use sarcasm, and eager to please munchkins who just beam when I compliment their hard work.

Fall Weekends - I know that basically my entire summer was like a three month long weekend, and it was absolutely splendid. But there's just something about crisp Saturday mornings with coffee, knitting, and my husband that didn't exist this summer. I guess working my arse off all week really does make the weekends that much sweeter.

Head Slaps:


Aids (Not the virus) - This year I have an incredible little girl in my room who happens to have special needs. She has a full time aid who will be in our room every day all day for the entire school year. Sigh. The GOOD thing about this is that she will help the child to whom she's been assigned so she can succeed in our room with her peers. She can also help other children who are struggling or need enrichment while her student is out of the room. Additionally, she will help with "busy work" projects like laminating, filing, and other prep. So this is great. Buuuuuut... its just really hard to have another adult in my room watching me all day. It's exhausting. I don't feel as free to be silly, I can tell that she would be more mean strict than me if it were her class, and I constantly feel like I need to be at the top of my game, which is exhausting. Hopefully we will hit our stride and I will be able to let loose with my Boston accent and Tootie Ta song soon.

Allergies - I'm watching my children extra closely this year. We've got an allergy to eggs (which are in pretty much EVERYTHING I'm finding), two nut allergies (have you noticed EVERYTHING is made in a plant that also processes peanuts??), red dye, and dairy. One little fella avoided milk at lunch, but didn't know cottage cheese was dairy and chose it as his main dish from the cafeteria. The result? An incredible melt down involving shoving, crying, a trip to the office to cool down and tears for the next hour. Wow - I guarantee you that will NOT happen again.

Hard Knocks - I've got a few kids this year who come from some tough situations at home. I know that this is nothing compared to other schools around the city, but at our school, they tend to stand out like a monkey in a tuxedo. Last year, not one child "pulled a ticket" (my individual management system - green, yellow, red tickets with increasingly tough consequences). This year, six days in, one girl has managed three ticket pulls. She's also been one warning away from the Principal's office twice. She's pushing it, and I'm trying to squash it NOW before she gets too comfortable. At least two children cannot write. Period. This hasn't happened since my first year. We've dealt with burping, biting, one accident, forced seating arrangements at carpet and I've already introduced them to Mean Mrs. Wilson. Not cool, man.


I know there is an ebb and flow to the kids I work with. I know that some years will be absolutely delightful (last year!) and some years will be more... painful. I also know that it's those tough years where I learn the most, and where the kids who fight me the hardest need the most love from me. I think this may be one of those years where I pray for "patience, wisdom and love" every morning before greeting my darlings, but I know that they were placed with me for a reason, and every one of them has something for me to love. It's going to be a hell of a ride!