To lesson plans,
staff meetings,
caseload management,
parent - teacher conferences,
state testing
snotty noses,
grimy hands,
smiling faces and
the world's best hugs.
Usually I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. I love buying new school supplies - especial brightly colored post-its & sharpie pens. (I'm somewhat addicted to both - somehow mixing the two colors when jotting notes puts a smile on my face - weird I know.) This year has been different. I am having a really hard time heading back to school. While I AM excited to see my little ones and I absolutely love my new classroom - WITH technology! I just can't get into the groove of things. People keep telling me I look tired, or asking if everything is ok. And it is. It really is - I just can't get my groove back (Not exactly like Stella in How Stella Got her Groove Back -one of my all time fav's-but not so far off. Although maybe a tropical vacation is what I'm needing right about now. **HINT HINT MAT if you are reading this**!) Anyways, it has been a daily task of working on my attitude & realizing that the only thing you can control is your response - not a given situation. Which I have pretty much failed at miserably. (Hey, just being honest) Anyways ....
My kiddos started Thursday and that has helped. I can't help but share a few funny stories from the first day that have really helped put the smile back on my face and the bounce back in my step. In order for these stories to be funny, its important to know that I teach ELL (English Language Learners) We have a large, very diverse population. I have about 140 students from all over the world. LITERALLY. I work with basically the same students year after year - so they really do become my little darlings - I watch them grow up (at least during their elementary years). I start to feel like a mamacita to most of them as I not only teach them English but about life in general.
First day of school. Bus duty. (I have 45 minutes of bus duty - am & pm - a day. Jealous, aren't you?!) My kiddos' bus pulls up to school bright and early. There I am, Mrs. Good, ready to meet my little one's as they get off the bus. I welcome them to their first day and give explicit instructions, "Good morning friends! Great to see all of your sweet smiling faces! If you know who your teacher is, you can head on in the building and have a wonderful day. If not, line up with me and I will look up your teacher on my list." The ENTIRE bus lined up with me! I am not kidding. (Duh!! These are the kids that don't ever come to Back to School night! How would they know?!) So I proceeded to drop 40 kids off one - by-one to their classrooms and wish them the happiest of first days=) Teachers were laughing at me, calling me a Mama Duck, walking her ducklings down the hall. Put a smile in my heart! I love my kiddos!
10:00 that morning. I am working on our caseload and in walks the secretary frantically needing me to go translate (We don't have phones set up yet AND our translator has been cut to 1/2 time. Yikes.) So I rushed down the hall to go translate for a teacher, hoping everything is okay. Now you should know I speak Spanish. I don't speak French, Dutch, Dinka, Arabic, Swahili, Thai or any other of our 20 languages at my school. I arrive to find one of our sweetest teachers desperately trying to find out how one of our students from the Congo (who speaks NO English) is getting home that day. Hmmm...Not sure how I am going to help this situation. I gently ask how I can be of service. You know where this is going. Yeah - I wasn't much help... But our little friend did get home okay (that day)
So here we are, another school year. My eighth year of teaching. (ouch I feel OLD) I am hoping for another wonderful year, in what I consider (most of the time) the best profession in the world. Perhaps I need to rent me some Stella this afternoon and help my groove out a little bit...
Hope all you fellow teachers out there have a great year as well! Here are some pictures of the cute little faces I get to see every day...
