First Grade Life

Week 1, year two, of teaching is in the books.

I don't remember week 1 as a first year teacher, although I do have recall performing under pure adrenaline, minimal sleep & a lot of caffeine. This week was so much different.

It was so much BETTER.

I felt prepared. Although the consistency of adrenaline, sleep & caffeine were reminiscent of the year prior, the fear of the unknown lingered less. Even though I'm instructing in a different content area, my 1 year experience as a teacher made all the difference.

I have 26 students in my homeroom - two of which do not speak Spanish. I'm hoping that my classroom size decreases within the next few weeks as student distribution will be leveled. We shall see!

First graders are funny...& they even think I'm funny (finally, someone laughs at my jokes). I'm still learning how to manage small children, but I'm really excited for what this year will bring.

A horned frog pillow - doesn't it just scream Reading Corner?!

The classroom, pre-setup

Final product!

So proud of my storage seats!

A wonderful 1st day gift from a team member!

I ended up separating the tables Thursday. 6 kids at 1 table=too much!

Sucky October

October sucks.

I love my kids, my fellow teachers, & my school, but I am tired. I'm tired of not yielding fabulous test results, not being the greatest teacher to walk the planet, not having perfectly perfect lesson plans created each day, etc. I mean, are my expectations completely unreasonable??

Yes, yes they are...at least, they are for me, a first-year teacher with no background in education.

Fort Worth ISD math assessment grades - class average was a 53% :(

I've come to the realization that teaching is a combination of 1)experience, 2) fabulous organizational skills, & 3) great internalization/knowledge of the content being taught. I'll get there.

Focusing on my strengths in the classroom has helped keep me more positive. I've been adorning my classroom with TCU decor, investing my students in their future by talking about college & "dream" job goals. I'm bonding with my students; I care deeply for them, & I *think* they are beginning to connect with me.

Thank goodness October is almost over.

Fantastic 5 - method used for math word problems

some classroom rules...

TCU investment

Trying to reach that high level of blooms!

Name tags for desks

Goals-oriented behavior management tracker

class goals poster

goals are placed on every test :)

The Classroom

 I just completed my first week of training at my school, T.A. Sims, & finally met all the other teachers & staff, woo! I can safely say, knowing that I have 9 TFA Corp Members & MANY wonderful teachers around me, I am as supported as can be.

With that being said, being the "new teacher" is still extremely overwhelming. I've been setting up my classroom this week, & boy, was it STRESSFUL. There are specific rules to how a bilingual classroom needs to be set up (example - Spanish words must be associated with the color red, while English words are with blue). I've had to clean, organize, & design my classroom, which I've never done before, whist preparing for the first week of school. I was lucky enough to have some help cutting, stapling & laminating from Daniel.

My classroom essentials are in place. I still have a lot of work to do, but now it's time to complete lesson planning.

Other things this week: Meet the teacher night was yesterday (Thursday, Aug. 24) & was absolutely wonderful. I met 9 of my future students + parents. The majority of these students came from another TFA Corp Member (& TCU Alum!), so I already have some things in common with them :)

4th grade me! So long ago...time to go back!

Entering my classroom

Sorry not sorry about the teacher carrier :P

Outside of my classroom

The 4th grade nook

Fish tank!

T.A. Sims main hallway

The gymnasium

The library

The Power of a Teacher

"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weathers. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated & a child humanized or dehumanized."

-Haim Ginott, Teacher and Child