Well, I can't say the week went as well as I'd hoped but it definitely ended on a good note. First of all, I was sick all week with some kind of a stomach flu so I was not feeling as excited or motivated as I would have had I been healthy. Then, on Monday, I had the same group of 12 students for 5 hours! I misunderstood thinking I would have my homeroom class just for first period but as it turns out I had them for periods 1-3. Then, also for periods 4 and 5 which is the normal time I have this group. Therefore, I was not prepared with 5 hours of planned activities. My lack of preparation and the extended time together did not set us up for a good first week.
I also had a couple of classes with a much higher number of student than anticipated. My first and second periods had 31 students. By the end of the week they were down to 27 so that is more manageable. For me, the hardest part of my first week as a new teacher was knowing what to let go (behavior wise). Having never started with my own class I had never seen how an effective teacher would set the tone the first few days. By Friday I had to start over with a few of my classes and firmly re-visit the class expectations. The results were encouraging. I am now looking forward to my second week. It's amazing how invested I feel in my students already after just a few days together. I can't wait to develop a stronger teacher/student relationship with all of them.
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5 hours with the same kids???? That must have been such a surprise, especially for middle school. Good for you for revisiting the class expectations. My guess is you will have to do it again on Tuesday when you all return from the long weekend. Remember Rick Smith says procedures before content. When the kids get them down - you can really roll forward with content. They will also test you now and then to see how consistent you will be, so be prepared for this. Hope you are feeling better soon. First year teachers get sick a lot until you build up an immune system. Then when you become a veteran teacher, you just get mentally sick :) Hang in there.
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