drained

My mentor recommended giving more jobs and encouraging more independence among the students as a way of gaining greater control. So, I implemented a Homework Monitor who has to check and see if everyone at their table (they sit in groups of 4 and 5) have done their homework. Then, I come and check who did it all and they get a check on a chart on their desk. It worked remarkably smoothly this morning.

One new detail to the Table Monitor job did not work so well. I told them it was now also their job to keep everyone working either in silence or using their library voices. This did not seem to help much. Maybe tomorrow.

Quick Post

Yes — still excited to be a classroom teacher (as I told my supervisor when she asked), even though I have spent 12 hours a day for the last 3 days fixing my new room. I inherited it from a clearly disenchanted, less-than-hard-working, retiring teacher who hoarded books and never leveled them for her library. The room was a disaster.

Spending way more than I wanted to, about what I expected, and probably less than I need to.

Exhausted.

And classes haven’t even begun.

woo hoo.

don’t look too long at that photo

That is advice for both you and I. That photo below is from the classroom I will be inheriting in September and, wow, it is such a mess. There must be about 100 unleveled books scattered all over. The teacher whose room it was is retiring — and, it seems, had been in retirement-mode all year — so I guess she didn’t care much about what the room looked like or if the kids had enough books at their level.

I wanted to add a teacher-y photo but every time I look at these pictures, there’s a subtle feeling of panic that creeps up my spine. Just look at those bins and that ugly carpet. Ick. And in case you are thinking, “well, she was moving out” – this is how it looked while class was still in session.

I had wanted to spend this whole summer mentally-preparing myself for my own class; instead, I’ve been teaching and taking classes. My mind is overbooked; no room for thoughts of third grade. And, especially, no room for imagining how I might make this room conducive for learning and inviting of creativity.

What have you found to be essential for laying out your classroom and putting a touch of your “self” into it? What helped you to decide decorations, etc?

I think decorations and such are regulated at my school. That may be a good thing, but I hope it isn’t too restrictive.