I felt so confident at 6th grade Orientation last Wednesday. I was no longer a first-year teacher just trying to tread water and stay afloat. I knew answers to parents' questions. I knew what to tell the kids about what they would be learning in math this year. I knew insider info about the shortcut across the basketball court to the cafeteria. I felt AMAZING.
But then reality set in... today was the second day of school, and the second day of having to run my class out of a computer lab instead of my classroom. My air conditioner died the day before school started, and it was just fixed this afternoon. So I am reeeeally looking forward to being on familiar turf tomorrow! But the thing is, I tried to plan everything out so meticulously for the first few days of school and because of my AC, I had to throw them all out the window. I tried to fix all my mistakes from last year at once, and now I feel like I can't. But hey, tomorrow will start a clean slate on top of the clean slate of the new year, I guess.
The first day was a whirlwind, especially with 6 classes full of 6th graders who had no idea where they were going. I forgot how exhausting that day was. I must have blocked it out of my memory from last year!
Right now I'm sitting at my dinner table, surrounded by forms that my Homeroom kiddos have turned in. A glimpse into my mind: "Gotta make a spreadsheet. Check off each form. Which ones are required? Which ones don't matter? Ah, who knows. Put them in piles. Figure it out later. I need to go to bed early. What's for dinner? Oh crud, gotta remember to submit those copies. Oh wait, I can't send jobs like that to that printer anymore? ARGH... Breakfast tomorrow. Don't forget your lunch again like you did today. What am I doing in Intensive tomorrow? It's all on my board at school. Breathe. Chill. You got it." The stream of consciousness is real.
I was already at school until 5-ish trying to figure everything out for this week and next week. I got home at 6 pm. Man, I can't wait to be in a routine.
I don't know why I think I'll have the time or energy to keep up a blog, but I felt inspired.
I also don't know what I want this blog to be about. Maybe I'll share teaching practices that worked or didn't work, maybe I'll share thoughts about my day or whatever is happening in my professional life, or maybe I'll just post memes because after all, I'm only 22. But whatever it was, I'll keep it real. Maybe I'll be the only one reading this later, next year, when I'm feeling the same way: Aware of all my flaws, but unsure of how to fix them.
Time to mentally prepare for tomorrow.
-Danielle Zentz
But then reality set in... today was the second day of school, and the second day of having to run my class out of a computer lab instead of my classroom. My air conditioner died the day before school started, and it was just fixed this afternoon. So I am reeeeally looking forward to being on familiar turf tomorrow! But the thing is, I tried to plan everything out so meticulously for the first few days of school and because of my AC, I had to throw them all out the window. I tried to fix all my mistakes from last year at once, and now I feel like I can't. But hey, tomorrow will start a clean slate on top of the clean slate of the new year, I guess.
The first day was a whirlwind, especially with 6 classes full of 6th graders who had no idea where they were going. I forgot how exhausting that day was. I must have blocked it out of my memory from last year!
Right now I'm sitting at my dinner table, surrounded by forms that my Homeroom kiddos have turned in. A glimpse into my mind: "Gotta make a spreadsheet. Check off each form. Which ones are required? Which ones don't matter? Ah, who knows. Put them in piles. Figure it out later. I need to go to bed early. What's for dinner? Oh crud, gotta remember to submit those copies. Oh wait, I can't send jobs like that to that printer anymore? ARGH... Breakfast tomorrow. Don't forget your lunch again like you did today. What am I doing in Intensive tomorrow? It's all on my board at school. Breathe. Chill. You got it." The stream of consciousness is real.
I was already at school until 5-ish trying to figure everything out for this week and next week. I got home at 6 pm. Man, I can't wait to be in a routine.
I don't know why I think I'll have the time or energy to keep up a blog, but I felt inspired.
I also don't know what I want this blog to be about. Maybe I'll share teaching practices that worked or didn't work, maybe I'll share thoughts about my day or whatever is happening in my professional life, or maybe I'll just post memes because after all, I'm only 22. But whatever it was, I'll keep it real. Maybe I'll be the only one reading this later, next year, when I'm feeling the same way: Aware of all my flaws, but unsure of how to fix them.
Time to mentally prepare for tomorrow.
-Danielle Zentz
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