new beginnings

Ok, so it is a time for new beginning....a time to let go of the summer.....change perspectives......whatever

Back to school tomorrow.

Just meetings, but I do have to wake up at 5:30 am. Kids arrive on Thursday.

Today, I spent most of the day, counting down the minutes. Both excited to start something new, and in a bad mood, because my life of leisure was going to change. It is now 9:15 pm and the original plan, had me, in bed and asleep 15 minutes ago.

Some thoughts going round my head:

#1 - yes, I am anal and organized in my random thoughts
I teach 8th grade, because it is an incredible emotional time. I remember 8th grade very well. You are up (Wow, KS likes me) and down (TP was born). I started to "like" school. I had favorite teachers, who challenged me (Wendy, or Ms. King in Ceramics, Mr. Dudney in science, Mr. Bussey in English, Mr. Bird (advisor) in Latin, Ms. Fernandez in Spanish, Ms. Sullivan in Math, and Mr. Chamberlain in Civics)

so, as a teacher, you grow incredibly close to the students......but they leave, and head to better things......many, like I would, don't look back.......this seems to work for me.

I still have connections to a handful of former students. Some have gone on to become teachers themselves. I had the honor of choosing DUKE because of my 6th grade teacher. This year, one of my students choose DUKE because of me, weird.

#2 am I ready for school? Back in June, I had all these plans to revamp my curriculum. While I did read a TON of books (24 to be exact), I didn't quite exactly do much planning.....good? bad? I don't know yet. I did learn some things that I want to add from my summer grad school class on arts integration. I have other good things filed away.

#3 plan for this blog. Since previous I have, I think, two posts (actually I started it because of a grad school class), my plan for this blog is to chronicle my 6th year. Ideally, I want to use for my evaluation of cycle 4. But not sure if that will work.....whatever, it will still be quite cathartic to write.

in the end......it is time to get my butt off the couch and back in the classroom......work on going from good/ok teacher to MASTER/effective teacher.