The Pentons

Did you know that the new Christopher Paolini book came out!! I was shocked when I walked into Smiths today and found it. I'm letting Craig read it first, but I'm excited to get started on it after him!!

So I've heard that the first year you catch every illness known to man, this week felt like torture! Wednesday morning I woke up feeling miserable, fever, nausea, lightheadedness, the whole nine yards. So I was thinking, I can't teach feeling like this but then I thought, my goodness I can't get a sub either they wouldn't know where any of my plans are, etc. So I went to school and took naps during recess, library, before and after school. Thursday and Friday, I didn't feel much better but I still went in, so on Friday morning after not being able to swallow my breakfast because my throat was so swollon, I called the doctor. This morning I went in and I was diagnosed with strep :( So I got an antibiotic, and I am already feeling a lot better, I can eat, I can swallow, I don't have a fever. I love modern medicine!

All I have to say is Parent teacher conferences. I had conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. I was at school until about 6 pm on Wednesday and there until 8 on Thursday....I'm exhasted!

As far as the class goes, my kids are getting a lot better at listening, they still have ants in their pants quite a bit, but we are working on it. I have set some pretty strict rules of them and I'm really consistent with the consequences when they break the rules, and they seem to be catching on.

Next week we start our Clifford theme. Every week I have a theme for the week, I have a poem that we read everyday, books related to the theme that I read, art activities and literacy activities. I really like conformity so if I have just one idea during the week, it helps me organize things better.

Well, week one of teaching is over here are my thoughts:
1. I'm feeling pretty confident in the classroom as a teacher, I feel like I know what I'm doing and I feel like I have the authority to do it, which is a new feeling for me and it feels good!
2. I have 30 kids in my classroom and its hard to keep them under control. They talk all the time! I've started doing certain things to train them how to listen and I can tell its really hard for some of them to sit and listen. The whole class ended up 10 min. late to lunc the other day becuase they were talking and I wanted them quiet in line. I'm pretty sure that once they figure out the routine, they won't be so talkative, but that may take a couple of weeks.
3. I have some students that are excellent readers and some that don't even know how to make their letters, its hard to accomodate all of them while making the curriculum interesting--I can't wait till we split classes! Whoever said ability grouping is a bad thing has never really been in a classroom.