Well, the first week of school was last week, which explains my mysterious disappearance. I would have updated this weekend, but, let's face it, I was too lazy. Now I'm waiting for my hard-working husband to get home (at 9:30!), and I'm struggling to stay awake, which is the perfect excuse to blog. "To blog".... that makes this sound so official. Maybe they should call it "to ramble", which is what I tend to do.
Anyway, here's the low-down on last week:
Monday:
Kelsey and I finished up the classroom and stuffed communication folders with paperwork in preparation for the Meet & Greet. We met most of our students - probably about 18 of the 22 - and their parents. This marks the first time that I've felt like a legit teacher. The parents were asking me questions; the crazy part is that I actually knew the answers!
Tuesday:
First day of school. Kelsey and I decided that we wouldn't give the students assigned seats so we could figure out who shouldn't sit by whom. Big mistake. By the time we realized our mistake, we didn't have a chance to fix it that day. Then, after we came back from the playground, we had one student who decided he no longer wanted to be in our class. He proceeded to jump off the carpet and run out the door - straight into the parking lot (we're in a portable "cottage"). Luckily Kelsey caught him ..... and took him straight to the principal. For the next 30-45 minutes, the principal sat with him in our classroom. We struggled through the rest of the day. That afternoon we met with our principal and instructional coach, and they gave us tips and feedback. We stayed until 7:30 rescheduling and planning for Wednesday.
Wednesday:
So. Hard. To. Wake up. Wednesday went SOOOOOO much better. Zeke scolded us for staying so late. Our runner stayed in the classroom the whole time he was supposed to. We only stayed until 4:45. Such an improvement from Tuesday.
Thursday:
The days just keep getting better. The hardest part was nap time (which we continue to struggle with). Our students are understanding our routines, walking in a semi-straight line, and staying fairly quiet in the hallways. At 5:15, we packed our bags and headed home.
Friday:
I made it to school in 52 minutes - a record! Best day so far. Routines are running smooth. I'm loving teaching and I'm actually pretty good at it. Who'd have thought? 4:30 rolls around, and we're ready to head home for a nice, long weekend.
This week promises to show improvement every day.
P.S. If anyone has tips for getting 4 year olds to nap - especially those who don't nap at home - I would be more than grateful!
What do they do directly before and after the nap? Do you turn the lights off and play lullaby music?
ReplyDeleteBefore: We come in from the playground and do some stretching. They get their blankets and lay down. We keep the lights off and play either classical music or nature sounds.
ReplyDeleteAfter: We pack up, have closing circle, and go home.
We're trying out an incentive tomorrow - whoever is the best "rester" gets to nap with Big Al.
Incentives work. However, there are some that will NEVER nap. They just have to learn to be quiet and stay still so as to not bother the other kids. You have to watch them like a hawk so they know the teacher is ALWAYS watching. There's no perfect solution. Just make sure you don't fall asleep with the wonderfully soothing music playing. You will figure those children out soon enough. Good luck!
ReplyDelete"I'm loving teaching and I'm actually pretty good at it."
ReplyDelete- from the girl who thought she'd only ever want to teach upper grades!!!!!
Haha :) Preschool isn't much different - you just have to shift your way of thinking!!! :) Glad you are enjoying it!