First Day of School

[zoebartlett]

Well, it''s that time of year again.

For those who teach or for those with kids in school, how did the first day go?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The first day already? Yikes. My son starts 1st grade on Sept. 5th.

 

[zoebartlett]

Yeah, Haven and Harleigh started today. I start teaching again in two weeks. I think most people either start the week before or the week after Labor Day. There are those who go back waayyyyy earlier though.

 

[LuvPugs]

Today was my second day of student teaching.

After graduating from college, I worked in retail management for three years and then decided to make a career change to teaching. I have always wanted to teach and have always had the greatest respect for those who do. All I can say is, "WOW!" I definitely feel liike I made the right choice. I have heard that it can get stressful and overwhelming at times, but after the first day I knew I was hooked! I am student teaching 3rd grade.

That being said, I was surprised how much goes into the first few weeks. I did my first reading assessment today and will give my first math assessment tomorrow. I''m so excited to be using what I have spent all summer studying.

Fellow teachers, I would love any tips or advice on how to get the most out of student teaching! Anything I should try or really practice?? THANKS!!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

LuvPugs - I hope you have a great first year teaching! Assessments seem very stressful. Last year, my son''s kindergarten class has three or four assessment periods and in one of the weekly newsletters his teacher sent home, she sort of vented saying how overwhelmed she was and what a relief it was to have them over with and get back to the fun stuff

(It''s unsettling to see how much testing goes into Kindergarten classes. My son was sent home detailed report cards! I''m scared to see what 1st grade has in store.)

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/14/2007 9:47:10 PM
Author: LuvPugs

Fellow teachers, I would love any tips or advice on how to get the most out of student teaching! Anything I should try or really practice?? THANKS!!!

My first piece of advice is to ask lots of questions and my second piece of advice is to jump right in and do whatever you can right off the bat. That''s great that you''ve begun doing assessments already! I''m not sure how long you''ll be with this class (a whole year like me when I did my internship or a semester, like my intern from this past spring). You''ll get to know everyone better (your cooperating teacher''s style, as well as you students). It might be scary but it''s so worth it. Nothing like trial by fire, so to speak. Many interns/student teachers feel comfortable watching and doing more and more as time goes on, but it really does help to be as involved as you can right from the beginning. Kids pick up on it too, and they''ll see that you have authority too.

When I was an intern six years ago, I was teaching first grade and my internship was for the whole school year, in the same classroom. I copied everything I could get my hands on and took notes on so many things I observed. When I got my first classroom upon completing my internship, it was also in first grade. THe stuff I had copied and wrote down came in really handy. I teach second grade now so not all of it applies, but some still does.

Become as familiar with the school curriculum and state frameworks as possible. Find out as much as possible about any state testing that''s done at your grade level (3rd, right?) and work with your cooperating teacher to analyze the data.

I''d also suggest becoming as involved with the school as you feel comfortable. If there are certain committees that need members, look into joining them (if student teachers are allowed).

Your brain will hurt for a while but that''s okay...you''ll get used to it.

Be very open and honest with your cooperating teacher. Communication is key and being upfront is the best way to deal with issues. This is someone you''re going to spend a lot of time with, so knowing how to talk about issues that may come up is important.

Have fun and feel free to ask as many questions as you have. There are quite a few teachers on PS who are very helpful.

 

[Haven]

Thanks for asking, Zoe! That is so sweet of you. It went really well, but I came home and took a nap from 5 PM to, oh, just about 15 minutes ago!

Two of my sophomore classes are the same exact classes I had last year as freshmen, which is really unusual for high school and definitely has its advantages & disadvantages. They know my expectations, we already have a great community feel, BUT they were so much more, shall we say, spirited than my newbie class of freshmen. Overall, though, I''m really pumped for the school year, I think it''s going to go really well.

Did I mention that I have my own classroom for the first time? I''ve had to switch rooms every period in the past and it was a nightmare, so I am definitely enjoying my own room. I put in a grant proposal for an LCD projector and a document camera, too, so think good thoughts for me!

I am exhausted already, though, and I keep thinking "how the heck did I survive last year?" Oy!

LuvPugs--Congrats on your decision to enter The Profession!

The best thing I did as a student teacher was ask every single question that I had, and I kept a journal of "Things I learned student teaching" with a lot of anecdotal notes. Now I look back on those things and they either make me laugh hysterically, or they remind me of how excited I was as a fresh teacher and they revitalize me when I''m feeling down about teaching.

Zoe gave you incredible advice, so just follow everything she said and you''ll be fine!

Harleigh--Do you have the energy to check PS?! How was your first day?

I hope everyone else enjoys the end of their summer! It is so bittersweet, but I really have enjoyed catching up with my students and colleagues. We should take pictures of how rested everyone looks the first day, it would be fun to compare day 1 to day 180, wouldn''t it?

Thanks, Zoe, you''re a sweetheart!

 

[LuvPugs]

Thanks for the advice! I have been writing down EVERYTHING that I have seen, even down to how to get the lunch bags to the cafeteria.

My mentor teacher has been so great; she is very patient and very detailed. I am most nervous about classroom management, so I have been keeping a close eye on how she has the class line up, what kind of rules and procedures she as for the room, etc. The school is rolling out a new program called Love and Logic. Ever heard of it? I hadn''t until she trained the school on it. Its really pretty neat and gives the students 5 rules to live by.

The program I am in is a year long. We have 6 different student teaching blocks, along with the classes we need to get our certificate and ESL endorsement. I like it because we don''t have to take classes all day long. We get to be in the schools working hands-on. I am full of questions, so I greatly appreciate your offer for help!

 

[Harleigh]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, everyone, but OMG, am I pooped! I think things went pretty well today...I really have NO idea what we accomplished, but we sure were busy all day!

All of the teachers have AM and PM yard duty all week long, and somehow I was the only teacher out of 4 who bothered to show up at the worst/most dangerous Crossing Guard duty on the 2 biggest cross-streets for about the first 10 minutes of duty-one minute out there by yourself is WAY too long if that tells you anything...not the best way to start the day, but I figured it could only get better from there! After school I was only out there by myself for about 5 minutes, so not too bad...I think I may just MOSEY out there myself tomorrow and see how the others like doing it by themselves! (Nah, I don''t have it in me to shirk on my duties!)

I think most of the kids in my new second grade class are REALLY nice...many for the most part know me from when they were in the other first grade classes from theme day rotations, and I used to spend time with them out at their recess about once a week playing with them, so those kids felt pretty comfortable, I think. I only have 2 of my own kids from last year, and luckily they are 2 of my very best, so I feel extremely blessed to have them with me!

On the flip side, my 4 new students were absolute PILLS!!! I don''t know what their deal was, but those 4 just about did me in! They will learn soon enough that that behavior just will not fly...I''d say, oh, by TOMORROW!

No more Miss Nice Guy! They shouted out, talked back, continually interrupted me, etc..., while all the other kids looked at them like, "How can you be that dumb???"

2 of my 3 Special Ed. kids were great today...I think I''m really going to enjoy working with those 2...the 3rd one is new and I''m not too sure about him yet...he needs a little adjustment period, of course, but working on listening every now and again would help him out tremendously!

I also got my ring back pretty late tonight, but it looks FANTASTIC...you can check on that in my original thread here so that I don''t take up any more room on this forum!

Haven, how exciting for you to be in your own room! I am so happy for you...that makes a huge difference in your teaching! I had to rotate for my first 6 months about 11 years ago, and it was the worst experience EVER, so I feel ya!

I really hope you get your grant...having those tools available would be just AWESOME for you!

Thanks, zoe, for checking in on us! You are always so kind!

 

[parkerj]

Well, this is our SECOND week of school. I''m a HS teacher and yes, we started Monday of last week. It already feels like we''ve been there forever. They are trying to convince us that a year-round schedule is the way we should go, and are easing us into it, but I''m not buying it! Last week of Bus duty in 95 degree weather was brutal.

The kids are great--I can''t believe I get paid to play with teenagers all day!

 

[parkerj]

LuvPugs-are you familiar with the book called "The first days of school" by Wong? It''s kind of a staple in ed. circles and has great ideas about classroom management- especially for elementary grades. Good luck!

 

[jas]

I have been avoiding this thread and the other related teachers-understand thread because I am in complete denial about starting up...but the nightmares are going strong.

After 11 years and a well-established rep at a public school, I made the leap and left for various reasons. I got a gig at a private school in what was described as a sort of "visiting teacher" role for a guy going on sabbatical that could someday turn into a full-time gig, but has (after I signed the contract!) turned into a sub situation. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I had specifically asked about the distinction because I''ve done the sub thing and was looking forward to teaching at a new place and was learning the curriculum and finding lots of great activities.

The teacher going on sabbatical wants a sub. End of story. And ultimately, as much as the principal and the dept. head said, "We want you to teach this YOUR way and do YOUR thing. You are teaching!" they also said "The class teacher just needs to be able to walk back in and pick up mid-year."

Which I didn''t, at the time, think were mutually exclusive. However, the teacher did not bother to show up at the 2 interviews (he blew them off) and now is handing me all his materials saying, "You can do what you want to do" but then for the next two hours telling me exactly what he needs me to do, how to teach it, etc.

In other words, for him to be able to walk back in and pick it up, it has to be done his way.

I respect that, but, again, that is not how it was described to me.

I''m sorta coming to terms with that, but I just had a nasty email from the school secretary. Now, I am of the understanding that one treats secretaries with a lot of respect and deference because they have a really tough job and they do so much for a lot of people. Schools simply could not run without them.

I have a family obligation in Oct that requires me to miss one day. Upon the advice of the Dept. head, yesterday I let the school secretary know that I would be out that day. I introduced myself (we''d communicated via email before and the Dept head said to email her) She wrote back a rather terse email saying "Fine, I will try to find you a sub. That is your one personal day for the semester."

Again, fine. I am trying harder not to read into emails as I am aware that tone is a tough thing to get across, even though I wondered if it seemed a little chilly.

THEN, this morning, I got cc''d on an email exchange between her and the sub who''ll fill in for me on that day. The subject line was: Substitutes already???!!! and there was definite tone, like my request was ridiculous and early and who do I think I am that I''m coming into their school and this si the first thing I need? (Not explicitly stated) But I got the sub.

I wrote back thanking her and saying how much I appreciated her help and I apologized if there was a breech in protocol or if the request came at a time of year when I know there is a lot going on.

But, sheesh, I''ve always tried to give a lot of heads up for things like this so that it doesn''t become a crisis situation.

So now, on top of the stress of starting at a new school, I am worried that the secretary hates me!

Apologies for the length of this post.

BUT -- it is so great to hear about kids...sometimes with all the politics and administrative nonsense at a school that crops up around this time of year, it''s nice to remember why we do this.

I am so sorry for all of you who''ve started already! That must feel so odd!

 

[jas]

Ok, for some reason the edit button isn''t showing up, so...

I should take out the word "nasty" in describing her email and I''m thinking maybe I am blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I am just so anxious about this job and I do not ever want to upset a secretary...or anyone else for that matter. Sigh.

 

[IrishAngel7982]

I go back on Tuesday, kiddos start Wednesday...I''m in denial!

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 8/14/2007 9:59:43 PM
Author: MC
LuvPugs - I hope you have a great first year teaching! Assessments seem very stressful. Last year, my son''s kindergarten class has three or four assessment periods and in one of the weekly newsletters his teacher sent home, she sort of vented saying how overwhelmed she was and what a relief it was to have them over with and get back to the fun stuff

(It''s unsettling to see how much testing goes into Kindergarten classes. My son was sent home detailed report cards! I''m scared to see what 1st grade has in store.)

It IS! We were told, especially for summer birthday boys, if there''s any doubt about whether they are ready the year they are supposed to start, to hold them back until the following year. It''s become somewhat common.

 

[LuvPugs]

MC: Thank you! I hope I have a great year too! I never really knew how much assessment was taking place in the classrooms until I got in there and saw it! Reading, phonics, phonemic awareness, math, etc...It seems like it will never end! To top it off, we have gifted testing in a few weeks and parents are already nagging about it. They want to know when their child will be going into the gifted class. I have to remind them that we have not even taken the test yet and that they will find out soon enough!

Parker: I just read Harry Wong''s book! I actually watched the video too! He is quite funny on the video. I have heard he is great in person as well. His tips for classroom management were really simple, yet so impactful! I am starting to see some of that in the classroom, such as bell work and the seating chart he explains.

 

[zoebartlett]

What are the 5 rules of Love and Logic? I''ve never heard of it. We use Responsive Classroom to create a classroom community. It''s funyn how you''ll find yourself writing down the most random things! I even jotted down suggestions for movement breaks that the OT in another school I worked did with the kids. Of course now I can''t find them and they could really come in handy but there here somewhere.

Thanks Haven! I''m glad to hear that you feel this year will go well for you. Yay!

LuvPugs, if you don''t have it and your school uses Responsive Classroom (or, maybe even if you don''t check out "The First Six Weeks of School" by Roxanne Kreig (I think that''s her name). Do you do any kind of morning meeting (greet each other, share, do a quick activity...) routine? If so, there''s also a book called "The Morning Meeting Book" or something like that. I''d recommend reading those.

Jas, I''m sorry that the job isn''t what you thought it would be. I''d try not to worry about the secretary...it''s the beginning of the year and she probably has a lot going on (but doesn''t everyone???) and a lot to keep track of. At least you know you did your job and got the request for a sub in early. That''s the inportant thing, I would think.

Harleigh, I''m glad the day went well for you. The whole duty thing and being late...I don''t get it, but whatever. Again, at least you know you did the right thing when you were supposed to.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 8/15/2007 10:18:33 PM
Author: zoebartlett
What are the 5 rules of Love and Logic? I''ve never heard of it. We use Responsive Classroom to create a classroom community. It''s funyn how you''ll find yourself writing down the most random things! I even jotted down suggestions for movement breaks that the OT in another school I worked did with the kids. Of course now I can''t find them and they could really come in handy but there here somewhere.

Thanks Haven! I''m glad to hear that you feel this year will go well for you. Yay!

LuvPugs, if you don''t have it and your school uses Responsive Classroom (or, maybe even if you don''t check out ''The First Six Weeks of School'' by Roxanne Kreig (I think that''s her name). Do you do any kind of morning meeting (greet each other, share, do a quick activity...) routine? If so, there''s also a book called ''The Morning Meeting Book'' or something like that. I''d recommend reading those.

Jas, I''m sorry that the job isn''t what you thought it would be. I''d try not to worry about the secretary...it''s the beginning of the year and she probably has a lot going on (but doesn''t everyone???) and a lot to keep track of. At least you know you did your job and got the request for a sub in early. That''s the inportant thing, I would think.

Harleigh, I''m glad the day went well for you. The whole duty thing and being late...I don''t get it, but whatever. Again, at least you know you did the right thing when you were supposed to.

Zoe, the teacher I hope to student teach with uses Responsive Classroom (the school where she works does not, but several teachers w/i the school do). Her class is so well behaved and fun to be in (at least it was last year).

I''m not sure if I buy into morning meeting activities as kids get older though. She teaches 5th grade and students often roll their eyes at her when she announces what they''re doing that day. I understand the premise, but it''s hard to swallow when she tells me she doesn''t have enough time to teach PE but that the kids can participate in activities for 20 minutes in the morning.

 

[Sabine]

Date: 8/15/2007 10:32:54 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 8/15/2007 10:18:33 PM
Author: zoebartlett
What are the 5 rules of Love and Logic? I''ve never heard of it. We use Responsive Classroom to create a classroom community. It''s funyn how you''ll find yourself writing down the most random things! I even jotted down suggestions for movement breaks that the OT in another school I worked did with the kids. Of course now I can''t find them and they could really come in handy but there here somewhere.

Thanks Haven! I''m glad to hear that you feel this year will go well for you. Yay!

LuvPugs, if you don''t have it and your school uses Responsive Classroom (or, maybe even if you don''t check out ''The First Six Weeks of School'' by Roxanne Kreig (I think that''s her name). Do you do any kind of morning meeting (greet each other, share, do a quick activity...) routine? If so, there''s also a book called ''The Morning Meeting Book'' or something like that. I''d recommend reading those.

Jas, I''m sorry that the job isn''t what you thought it would be. I''d try not to worry about the secretary...it''s the beginning of the year and she probably has a lot going on (but doesn''t everyone???) and a lot to keep track of. At least you know you did your job and got the request for a sub in early. That''s the inportant thing, I would think.

Harleigh, I''m glad the day went well for you. The whole duty thing and being late...I don''t get it, but whatever. Again, at least you know you did the right thing when you were supposed to.

Zoe, the teacher I hope to student teach with uses Responsive Classroom (the school where she works does not, but several teachers w/i the school do). Her class is so well behaved and fun to be in (at least it was last year).

I''m not sure if I buy into morning meeting activities as kids get older though. She teaches 5th grade and students often roll their eyes at her when she announces what they''re doing that day. I understand the premise, but it''s hard to swallow when she tells me she doesn''t have enough time to teach PE but that the kids can participate in activities for 20 minutes in the morning.

I agree about the older kids not getting much out of morning meetings. In my high school, this is called the "anticipatory set," which means that at the begining of every period we go over with the kids exactly what we will be doing that day, along with the "essential question" (great tool, not necessarily something that needs to be stated to the kids every day though...), which for me uses up at least 5 of my precious 40 minutes. During my first observation by the principal, i had the set written on the board, but did NOT vocalize it. I was reprimanded severely for not going through point by point. I made sure to do this from that point on, but do we really have so little faith in our students that they can''t read what is on the board every day that we need to waste time reading it to them? (I do agree that on important directions, we should drill them into their heads because sometimes you can show it to them, read it to them, sing it to them, rap it to them, and all but pound it into their heads and they still won''t get it, but I just don''t think this is one of those things...)